Friday, July 30, 2010

Get the crap out of my house link up part-tay!




So today I am linking up with Vanessa at V and Co.  She has a challenge going on to help people organize and declutter. (Um..she is amazing by the way...she's super crafty and really funny too) The challenge is to tackle something like a closet or drawer or if you're feeling gung ho, maybe even a whole room and just get rid of the crap you don't want, don't use, or is just junk that is taking up space.  


Those of you who know me know that this is right up my alley.  I'm one of those weirdos who enjoys organizing and decluttering.  Clutter stresses me out and if it gets out of control I get overwhelmed.  I try to stay on top of it but some days watching soaps and eating bon bons is waaaaay more appealing.   Ha ha...does anyone actually eat bon bons?  And the last time I watched a soap Kristen was married to John and Stefano was alive....again.
 
Okay before I get too side tracked  and go searching for some bon bons, let's get to it!
The one place in my house that gives me the most anxiety is the black hole garage.  The whole garage is craptastic but I will be focusing on my craft area.  The challenge started last week, a.k.a before i had a blog, so I am a bit behind.  But I will show you what I have done so far. 

Here's the before:

Ugh...what a disaster...

My goals for this space is to go through and organize so that when I want to do a project it would be easy to get my supplies and also to clean up when I was done.  Awhile ago I purchased the shelves and plastic shoe containers.  I put like items together. It is working well but there is no room as my craft supplies grow.


Here's a close up of some of the containers:


I tried to keep all my sewing supplies on one side and my other type of craft supplies on the other although that is easier said then done.  My sewing machine isn't even in the garage at the moment...it's on my dining room table.  I really need a bigger space or just stop buying stuff....so yep definitely a bigger space ;-)

I also bought these wire shelves at Target for $16.99 (score!)...they work great for my fabric, when it's actually on the shelves.


I found the sheet at a thrift store to keep over the shelves to cut down on the dirt and dust since I am in the garage. Would love something a bit nicer but this will have to do for now.

I haven't finished the whole area yet but I did get my fabric shelves organized and put all my fabric back on them!


So this is how it looks now:


Ahhh...much better!!!


And here it is with the sheet down:


I also have been wanting to put up an inspiration board. So I bought 4 cork squares and used furniture tacks to put them up.


That basket with all the fabric? Those would be all my scraps...thinking of making a patchwork quilt with those! 

So there you have it. I still need to do some fine tuning and make it "pretty"  Any ideas how I could decorate my inspiration board?  It's not exactly...inspiring ;-)  So I hope I have inspired you to tackle some clutter in your life.  And when you have weeded out the crap remember to donate what you can because it may be someone else's treasure!

Okay, okay one last thing...see this?


It's a  planter...got it for 10 bucks at Joannes.  It was originally $35!!!  Whoot whoot!  When I bought it I thought it would be great in my kitchen over the sink with a pretty soap dispenser maybe?  Then I thought I could put it in my craft area to add some of that "pretty" I was talking about.  But what the heck could I use it for?  Any ideas?

More craft area organizing and decrapification to come! 

 

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Feelin' the love and The Lulu Lovey

Hello!  Happy Thursday! Hope everyone's week is going well.  It has been HOT here, like don't-even-move-and-you-sweat type hot.  Still not ready for the cold weather though!  Anyhoo...thanks so much for all the sweet comments.  I feel very encouraged and loved.  So thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart! Now on to some crafts...


My oldest, Natalie, has a tag blanket that she affectionately calls "taggie".




My bff gave it to her as a gift when she was a baby.  When I was pregnant with my second, Lily, I wanted her to have her own "taggie".   I figured I was comfortable enough with a sewing machine (thanks mom!) that I could make one for her myself.  It turned out okay.  To be honest I'm surprised it is still in one piece since I broke every sewing rule!  The most important thing though is that she loves it



and I really enjoyed making it!  I started making them as gifts and everyone seemed to love them.


Fast forward to today and I am currently selling them to a local baby consignment store and they are doing really well!  I decided to call them The Lulu Lovey after one of Lily's many nicknames since she was the reason I made my first tag blanket ever.  I just recently made about 18 loveys to keep in stock.  
Here is a pic:




I love them!  I have tons of fun coming up with color combinations, sometimes I go monochromatic...



 
other times I like to do a rainbow...




This is the part that takes the longest thanks to that pesky perfectionist trait :-) That being said it's the part I have the most fun doing!!  Who knew there were so many cool ribbons?! 



 And thanks to this crafty lady, I now know about a whole website devoted to RIBBONS!!!  Jackpot!!!! (She also has a ton of her own great ideas...her blog is awesome, you should definitely check it out...if you haven't already!)


And let's not forget about all the cute flannel patterns that are out there!  Here are a few of my favorites:






And these I just got today!  The picture isn't that great (it was storming when i took the pic) but the bottom one is chocolate brown polka dots...so cute for a boy or girl lovey!


So this is where it all started for me...I made Lily her first lovey and have been cranking out the crafts ever since.  You could say it was my "gateway" craft! ;-)  So what got you started on your crafting journey?



Sunday, July 25, 2010

So you think you can blog?

So after just one post I hope it's not too obvious but I am totally winging this blog thing.  Don't get me wrong I'm no computer novice, I can email, upload, download, and surf with the best of them but this programming stuff is way over my head.  HTML? What? Huh? Who said that? ;-)  I get how it works but I just don't get how to do it.  I get lost in the techie talk.  But I am determined to learn how.  They even have a book made just for me. 








P.S. Don't you just LOVE So You Think You Can Dance?  Those dancers are Uh-mazing!! 
P.P.S. I promise there will be a crafting post soon!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

My happy place in cyberspace


OK. *deep breath* Here. We. Go.

Can you tell I'm a little nervous? I would be lying if I said I loved writing. It's not that I hate writing, I just don't think I'm that good at it so... I am stepping out of my comfort zone and doing it anyway! What I do love is sharing, talking, and connecting with people. I am just going to be me and enjoy my happy place in cyberspace. When visiting my blog I want you to feel like you've stopped by to see a friend for a cup of coffee (yum...) and a chat. :-)

So why a craft blog?

Well I started sewing this year on my late grandma G's simplicity sewing machine. I went online for sewing help and stumbled on some craft blogs which linked me to other craft blogs and so on....I was in heaven and hooked. I felt like I was finely honing in on my passion in life. After lurking for the past year, I thought why not give it a shot? It was the perfect combination of my love of crafts and connecting with people.

I say I am a Jane of all crafts because I can't get enough. I love trying new things. I have about a gazillion projects that I have started but have yet to finish. My hopes is to use this blog as my motivation to get crackin' on my to do list and to share my adventures along the way. I'm a perfectionist, which is a blessing and a curse. I can be pretty hard on myself and tend not to finish things or sometimes even start if everything isn't going just so. On the flip side when things are "just so" I put all my heart into it and am usually quite pleased with the outcome. I hope that this is a place where I can find some balance and give myself a break once and awhile. 

If anyone is actually reading this, thanks so much for coming by! Stay tuned!



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