WOYWW: Craft Cleanse Edition!

I am happy to report some significant progress since making my commitment to organize and inventory my art and crafting spaces!

{My desk Before}



{My desk After}



In addition to having neater spaces to enjoy, I also have “like” supplies all together in one place, and a list of what I own so that I will not go out and purchase duplicates.

I didn’t go crazy with the inventory list, though. I chose not to list all my books because it’s not that hard to walk over the bookcase and see what I have.  I did shelve them in sections, though--art journals, collage, mixed media, painting, drawing, handwriting/calligraphy, scrapbooking, altered art, sewing, and, of course, "miscellaneous".

{Bookcase After}

My "Before" photo keeps disappearing as I prepare this post, so I'll just leave you to check it out here.  It's not tremendously different!  I just made sure to "find homes" for the papers and books that used to lie horizontally on top of my books.



I didn’t list individual colors of ink pads or paints in my inventory, either, because I didn’t have the patience.  Plus, I don’t mind just peeking into the box and seeing what’s there, as opposed to consulting a list. I DID inventory things like adhesives, varnishes, and fluid mediums, because I’m more likely to buy duplicates of those sorts of things without realizing what I already have.

{Left Cupboard Before}

{Left Cupboard After}



{Right Cupboard Before}



{Right Cupboard After}





These cupboard photos don't look as dramatic as the change to the cupboards FEELS.  Everything is now labeled.  Items that are of no immediate use have been sent down to the basement.  Everything is now accessible, without having to pull out a dozen items in front to get to something in the back.  Of all of the organizing I have done so far, this part has been the most satisfying.

And one final Before and After:

{Shelves Before}



{Shelves After}



Not bad for a week's work.  I started work on the armoire, but not yet on my dining room sewing materials.  All the Before pics can be seen here.  And then comes the BIG project: the basement! I will continue to post updates as my progress continues!

***********************************

In the spirit of complete honesty, I violated my commitment to abstain from all craft-related purchases for 30 days. My local Borders was offering its magazines for 40% off during its Going-Out-Of-Business sale, so I picked up the latest edition of Somerset Studio, along with two clearance books (one about fashion drawing and one about coloring mandalas) that were an additional 10% off. My “sins” cost little more than $10, and didn’t add appreciably to the “mess” I am currently trying to contain, so I don’t feel TOO bad about my transgression!

***********************************

I wanted to let you know about a fabulous-looking eCourse being offered by Regina of Creative Kismet. Her focus is the Art of Giving, and she is helping participants create a daily practice of gratitude, in part through making beautiful things. Some of the projects she describes include blessing banners, gratitude beads, altered board books, and daily gratitude journals. Check out the two videos about the course she has posted on her blog on July 6 and July 18!

***********************************

Two other places to visit: 
1.  Julia's Stamping Ground for more photos of interesting art and crafting workspaces on this WOYWW, and
2.  Crafty Moira, hostess of our great Craft Cleanse effort!

WOYWW: Upcycling Edition!

I have moved my base of operations into the dining room for the past few days.

When I got my sewing machine back in March, I started putting aside some clothing from my Goodwill pile, figuring I could use some of the remnants for various projects once I developed some skill with the machine.

A couple of days ago (skill be damned), I pulled out a pair of old blue jeans, and thought it would be fun to make as many different things from as many different parts of them as I could.

It’s amazing how far a pair of jeans can go!

First I made a cuff bracelet from the waistband, sewing a length of lace along the top. Then I made a little ring from two of the belt loops, sewing on a button as a “jewel”.

The whole time I worked on these projects, I felt as though my grandmother (who was a long-time and talented seamstress) was looking down on me from heaven saying something along the lines of, “Good grief, girl, what on EARTH are you doing with that sewing machine?!”

And I’m pretty sure the sewing machine was cursing me just a little as I worked to sink my needle through the incredibly thick layers of denim at the waistband. I used a combination of machine sewing, hand sewing, and fabric glue to make the bracelet and ring happen!

I made some bookmarks, embellished with flowered ribbon, from the rest of the waistband:

I also made a couple of cute pocket magnets from the back pockets:

All you have to do is cut the pockets out, embellish, and put an adhesive magnet strip on the back. For one, I added a few adhesive metallic dots, and for the other, I glued on little diamond rhinestones in the shape of a heart. (I spent a decade in Texas; we have no problem with “denim and diamonds” in the Lone Star state!)

I’m using some strips of denim, along with other ribbons and fabrics, to make some sewn strips fabric paper (in the same style I made with strips of paper alone back in May).  This paper (you can see the beginnings of it in the very first photo in today's post) is likely destined for postcards and ATCs.

Finally, I sewed together a placement, using fabric from the pant legs, but my thus-far substandard sewing skills forbid that I share that part of the project with you!

It’s really kind of fun to just grab a pair of pants (mine had a hole that made them pretty much beyond repair from my perspective, but you could also nab a pair from a second-hand shop), and think of all the projects you can make from them. It didn’t occur to me until this morning to look online for some additional ideas, so I am looking forward to seeing what others have done. I have one more pair of jeans set aside to “play” with!

To see other folks’ worktables and projects across the globe, check out Julia’s Stamping Ground web site for links to WOYWW participants’ blogs.

***************************************************

Be sure to check out a new e-course by Moira Richardson of Crafty Moira. Beginning July 15, she is going to challenge us to stop buying new supplies for 30 days while we “bust our stash” by art journaling with only those materials we have hoarded already!

***************************************************

Enjoy a creative week!

WOYWW: Happy Birthday, USA! and Tangles, Too

On Monday, we celebrated our Independence Day by watching our local 4th of July parade:

{Bayla and I}

The parade features mostly vintage cars, loud fire trucks, a few local politicians, and a couple of churches advertising Vacation Bible School. The highlight for me is the live elephant advertising the Republican Party (though this year he seemed kind of small and tired). There is an awesome string band and some bagpipers, too.

{Katy took her job of waving to parade participants very seriously!}

I asked my three-year-old afterwards what her favorite part was, and she said, “The drums!” A girl after my own heart—I have always loved the rhythmic boom of drums during parades and half-time shows.

{Bayla and Michael}

The parade ends at our Veterans' Memorial Park, where there is a band, pony rides, playground equipment, and free ice cream. It was a great way to begin teaching the girls about “America’s birthday”!

******
It is WOYWW, of course, so here’s a view of what’s been going on:

You know what I love about drawing Zentangles? The simplicity of the supplies! Everything else I do requires paper, glue stick, scissors, paint, gel medium, rubber stamps, ink pads, embossing powder…and it goes on and on. To draw a Zentangle, I just need my paper and my Sharpie!

I’ve always done them in black, but this time I threw an orange butterfly into the mix.

I recently bought Zentangle 4, and have gotten lots of inspiration from it. I was not particularly impressed with Zentangle 2, not really liking any of the tangle designs presented. The 4th in the series has tangles that appeal to me, and emphasizes tangling in shapes, like butterflies and handprints and letters, all of which appeal to me greatly!

If you want to see what other folks are up to this week in the world of art, crafting, and creativity, check out the WOYWW participants’ list over at Julia’s Stamping Ground!

Happy WOYWW!

WOYWW: PiF and More!

Just hours after I posted my workspace last Wednesday, I received my PiF in the mail from Maggie (aka, SilverCrafter) of Worcestershire, England. She sent me ten beautiful notecards, which will clearly remind me of our participation in WOYWW with Julia at Stamping Ground:

Here is a close-up of one of the cards:

Maggie explained in her letter that the cards were inspired by the stamps of Barbara Gray of Clarity Stamps, and that some of her stamps were used, too.

Along with the cards came what she called in her letter “one or two odd bits of other artwork”. But there were more than one or two goodies included for me to play with!

Though they are all lovely, this one is my favorite:

A big thank you to Maggie for participating in the Anniversary PiF event, and sending me such a lovely gift!

********

You can actually see the top of my desk today, which was the result of a few minutes clearing and moving before taking the photo. (We aren’t supposed to do that, are we?)

Though it is probably too small to see in this picture, on the left side of my desk are two library books: The No Cry Potty Training Solution and Potty Training for Dummies. I potty-trained my older daughter last summer, and this summer, in about a week and a half, it is my younger daughter’s turn to learn the wonders of modern plumbing. Wish me luck! Actually, just wish me patience. I was not at my best when I tried to do this the last time around!

In the center of the table are some cake and cupcake tags I made using The Pink Couch’s tutorial. If you missed my last blog post, I was agonizing over the ethics of using projects created by following online tutorials. I don’t know where these particular tags are headed, but I had fun creating additional, smaller-sized cakes and cupcakes that could fit on shipping-size tags made from white card stock. I even painted reinforcement labels in coordinating colors, and then went a little nuts with ribbons, lace, and fibers.

********

I will not be participating in WOYWW next week, as I will be teaching a week-long class to teachers of grades K to 8 on the topic of Managing a Writing/Reading Classroom.  The class is a graduate course offering through the Pennsylvania Writing and Literature Project.  It is the only week out of the year where I am a working mom instead of a stay-at-home mom, so pretty much everything else is going to be put on hold during the week!

********
For more workspace fun, check out Julia’s Stamping Ground site for a list of other WOYWW participants!

Have an art-full Wednesday!

WOYWW: Magazine Love

So here is my desk this Wednesday morning. Quite a mess…not sure I can even see to the bottom of all the papers I have spread around. I have a paper crafting project underway, which I’ll blog about when I’m a little further along.

{My inspiration board is still up there inspiring me!

I haven’t changed it in any way;

it looks so pretty to me as it is.}

To see other Wednesday workspaces, check out Julia's Stamping Ground blog!

**********

Have you seen this new magazine, Mollie Makes?

I figured that my UK friends who participate in WOYWW might have seen it, since it’s published over that way. It costs $12 in the U.S. (!), but I used a 50% off coupon at JoAnn to bring it down to a more reasonable $6.

It even comes with a nifty free craft in an envelope attached to the front cover. For this first issue, they’ve included felt pieces and a button to craft a smartphone case.

The magazine’s subtitle is “Living and Loving Handmade,” and it focuses on “making, thrifting, collecting, crafting.” They obviously have ME in mind as their focus audience!

Of course, living all the way over in the United States, there’s no way for me to go to great places like Drink, Shop & Do in Kings Cross, London, or Handmade Kenilworth in Warwickshire. But I can live vicariously through the magazine articles and yummy photos, and I’ll have a readymade “To Do” list the next time I do some international travel!

If you check out the magazine, you can learn to make crocheted apple jackets (featured on the cover), which are so deliciously impractical and cute. Other projects include fabric garlands, aprons, Peter Pan collars, felt Chihuahuas, paper mobiles, and fabric eggs. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

And besides the crafts, Mollie Makes features some beautiful homes decorated in the most lovely, handcrafted style.

It costs almost $100 for a magazine subscription in the States, so THAT won’t be happening, but I will definitely pick up future issues when I have a coupon in hand!

**********

Finally, I wanted to share a fun little craft I read about and tried yesterday afternoon. I was at the pharmacy, and browsed through Fresh Style magazine. One of the featured crafts turns a wine cork into a little card display.

{Featuring a lovely postcard by April Cole!}

All you have to do is cut a groove along the side of the cork, from the outer edge to the center. Then you can use a ball-head pin to balance the cork in back.

Presto! You have a cute little card display for postcards or ATCs.

Happy, creative Wednesday to you!

WOYWW: A New Addition!

I have a new addition to my workspace to share today:

{Inspiration Board}

The picture that used to hang above my crafting table gave a beautiful window effect, making me feel as though I was looking out through the trees onto a tranquil lake surrounded by mountains. But I’m loving my inspiration board even more! We moved the picture to the family room, and I am using this bulletin board (a fairly inexpensive find from Target) to display some favorite papers, as well as postcards from the two swaps I have done.

Most of the postcards are clipped with clothespins to string that I pilfered from my husband’s workbench and stapled to the top corners of the board.

Here’s the overall workspace effect:

{As with so many things, I think it looks

a lot better in person than in the photo!}

As you can see, my desk continues to overflow with piles, so much so that I have moved some of my art journaling supplies (paints, ink pads, paint brushes) to the dining room table.

My husband says that I now have a “Craft Room: East Wing” and “Craft Room: West Wing.” He’s only moderately amused!

The other night he was fixing dinner for the kids, and I had a moment to steal away to the West Wing (that is, the dining room) with a little summer cerveza to work on a journal page:

Ahh, this is the life!

P.S.:  Last week, I shared with you my latest purchase from Michael's, the revolving organizer.  On Monday, I spent some time at Borders, flipping through a magazine called "Creative Spaces," a special issue put out by Creating Keepsakes.  Eight (count 'em, EIGHT) of the crafting spaces they featured had some version of that organizer!  One woman had THREE of them!  I thought you might get as big a kick out of that as I did!

To see other Wednesday workspaces, take a look at the list of participants at Julia's Stamping Ground.  Happy snooping!

WOYWW: Oops, I Did It Again!

One thing that my fellow-WOYWWers and I have in common is our love of art and crafting STUFF. It is evident in the photos we take of our desks, table tops, and book shelves. We can’t pass up yummy new markers, notebooks, fabrics, beads, rubber stamps, ink pads, buttons, embellishments, paints, brushes, books…the list goes on and on.

And the goods are even more irresistible when we have a coupon in our hand! 

I went to Michael’s yesterday, intending to use my 40% off coupon on a pack of markers. And then I saw this:

I have seen this white revolving organizer in SO MANY workspace photos since I started WOYWW. When I saw it on the store shelf, I reasoned that I would save so much MORE money using my coupon on this (ridiculously overpriced) exciting addition to my craft table than if I just went with my originally-intended markers.

When I got home, I vowed that I would check it out, and if it didn’t offer efficient and accessible storage space, I would dutifully return in and buy those blasted markers.

But once that paper wrapper came off, all bets were off.

I have to say that so far it seems impractical. The drawers are tiny little trapezoids that fit very little. Almost all of the openings are so deep that anything I put in there falls down so far I can barely manage to retrieve it. (One only has so many rulers to store after all!) It takes up a huge amount of space on my worktable, where room is truly at a premium.

But that photo holder! (Like I I couldn’t just slap a frame on my table!)

Those little straps for holding my brushes!

Those little hooks for I-have-no-idea-what!

So, no, it’s totally impractical.

And, yes, I’ll be keeping it, thank you very much!

If you would like to check out other creative-types’ work spaces (and count up how many of these revolving organizers you can spot!), hop on over to Julia's Stamping Ground. This is a special week, as Julia is celebrating two years of WOYWW with a PiF (Pay it Forward) event. Participants are sending little handmade gifts to one another in celebration of getting to know one another and baring our oft-messy work spaces and works in progress over the months. Very exciting!

What’s on YOUR workdesk this Wednesday?

WOYWW/Hitting the Paper Loot Jackpot/Announcement!

What's on Your Worktable? Wednesday:

I took “close, closer, closest” photos of what is on my worktable this Wednesday.

Here's the general work space in my living room, tucked between

a toy box and shelves full of my kids' books.

Aside from working in my art journal, I’ve been cutting papers from discarded books for projects inspired by Playing with Books: The Art of Upcycling, Deconstructing, and Reimagining the Book by Jason Thompson. Just go take a peek at the cover, and you'll want this book!  Some people cringe at the thought of cutting the pages from “perfectly good books,” but I have defaced and disemboweled books for collage images for years.  Jason includes 28 projects and an artists' gallery that will send you to the very next library book sale you can find!

These circles are intended for a particular Dimensional Circle Ornament project in Jason’s book, but as I was cutting them, I was getting ideas for art journal pages as well. Frankly, it’s just kind of therapeutic to mindlessly cut out circles for awhile!

I am using Circle Cutting Patterns and Blade Cartridges from Making Memories. I’ve had them for years, and absolutely love them for cutting circles for scrapbooks, cards, and all kinds of paper projects. I’m sure the blades should be dull by now, but I have yet to replace them, and they are still working for me!

So, there wasn't a whole lot going on in my workspace until....

Hitting the Paper Jackpot:

My friend Sue sent me an email yesterday to find out if I was coming to our church’s Women’s Association Spring Dinner last night, because she had some crafting things she found at a yard sale that weren’t really her style; she wanted to pass them along to me if I was interested. Figuring she had found a box of rubber stamps with a few in a vintage style that she doesn’t prefer, I told her “sure!” and looked forward to seeing her that evening.

Talk about understatement!  This is what I came home with:

This amazing bag of loot included....

vintage flashcards...

modern collage packs...

a collection of vintage Thanksgiving postards with handwritten

greetings on the back... 

a selection of vintage-style pins and magnets...

an issue of Somerset Studio Gallery from 2007 and some old

publications about motherhood...

and (from my perspective the very best "find" of all)

the most amazing array of handwritten letters and documents from

the early-(1910) to mid-(1959) 20th century. 

I can't believe my amazing good fortune that Sue thought of me when she found these items, and gave me such a wonderful gift for my art.  I may just sit around and look through the bag a few hundred more times before I do anything with them!

Announcement:

The talented and inspiring Julie Fei-Fen Balzer has begun a series of features on her web site about participants in her Art Journal Every Day challenge, and I am excited to announce that this Friday (May 20) you will be able to learn a little bit more about me on her site! I hope that you will visit her (every week day—she is amazing, inspiring, and talented in so many artistic fields), and I will link to her site from mine on Friday morning as well!

Happy, creative Wednesday to you!