test project and recycled cup

Today Jean and Linda reminded me of the process i had once tried - - >   Fusing  napkins to paper or chipboard . This is done by melting a layer of plastic wrap between them using an Iron.  (there is a you tube video on the process).

I did not have great success doing it in the past but  I decided I should give this a second try to be fair.  This time I was probably heavier with the heat. it was ok but I am still not too impressed with the method. I am also concerned with the fumes of melting the plastic.
I won't say I will never use the process,  but I might not.

Also today i was thinking about my enjoyment of junk journals.  I have enjoyed them before and Dede was enjoying working on one this morning so it was fresh on my mind.
Another element of the day was a drink cup sitting in my kitchen from yesterdays stop at a fast food joint.

Combining all those thoughts --> voila <-- - I decided to cut open the drink cup and see if I could use that waxy surface to bond napkin or tissue paper to the drink cup and at the same time flatten the cup out to be used in a junk journal.   It actually worked super well.  And the melting of the wax did not seem to smell toxic ( but I am not an expert in that area so melt at your own risk).
The bottoms of the cups could also be recycled into christmas ornament frames for a children's craft project. 

     - - I used a paper bag to protect my ironing board and my iron
     - -  an iron on a fairly hot heat setting to melt it together

Next time I come across other containers with a waxy surface I will want to try this process with them as well. 

Here's a couple of photos
Let me know if you use drink cups for recycled art at your house.

Embroidery Floss Storage

Hello Stitchers and friends,

I have recently finished up another system for enjoying my embroidery floss and making it easier to use.
First off I will show you the system I have been using for several years.  I wanted a way to store both my new floss skeins as well as my opened cut lengths of floss.  I devised this system using 1 inch office split rings which I found in packages of 100 at Office Depot
    (this was by far the best deal I have seen  - and this matters when I needed more than 300 of them)
By using these rings I can put both several skeins plus the cut lengths on one ring.  This solved the problems I had with previous systems and has made this work so very well.

I have them hanging on a section of an old crib rail which at my house stands behind a bedroom door for storage.  I have considered making a dust cover, or adding hooks on the wall to hang it. Maybe someday I will.

I don't remember why I cut the rail down to that height.  It does make the bottom ones a bit harder to reach, but I can sit it up on a chair so it still works fine.
I keep these sorted by number so I can quickly find what I am looking for and take inventory easily.  And I can easily see them all if I am searching by color.

Still however,  I found there were times when I had a desire to just grab up all my shades of greens or tans ... when I was trying to decide on color changes or substitutions.    So this summer I set out to make up 2 yard samples of each color so I could organize them by color family.  

Below is the result of that project and the stand I put together to hold those.   For this a round display seems to work just fine.
I used a candle stand and some old lamp parts and presently have the floss hanging on those sweet curly style christmas ornament hooks just because they are cute, but the split rings would be good for this also and possibly be more secure
Each sample hangs from labels made from dymo label tape folded around wires fashioned from paper clips which I had to cut and bend.   I color coded the labels but that might not have been necessary.  (all 800 numbers being one color, and 900's another, etc.)  
The dymo labels are double sided, and have a hole punched for the thread to loop through That works well enough and they are easy to read,but something else might be more lovely.

I admit that the project took far more hours than I anticipated but the benefits will be long lasting.

I hope you are happily stitching and organizing at your house too.

Embossing Folder Storage

My goal was to make a storage container that would not only contain my embossing folders but also be very easy to work from.  I also wanted each folder to have a sample / index of each design.  My first thought was to simply purchase some inexpensive coupon holders and sandwich them into empty book covers.  I still believe that would have been a very wise  idea.  I recommend that.
I did not feel like going shopping at the time, and began to construct my own accordion files. Seriously - way too much time !  But I like them so all is good.   These are the one that I made.
I used a children's board book which  had a curved shape to it. it's just what was handy.  straight would have been nicer I think.   I covered it with some engineering book text.
They still need a closure of some kind then they will be finished.    I have several closure ideas but have not made my final choice.

I used some heavy index paper to build the pockets - (as heavy as good quality manilla folders). 
I have about 20 pockets in each and when I am using the folders it sits open nicely for easy access.

I decided an edging of book text would give them even more study edges and add to the looks.

I glued a bottom into place as well.  Not an easy task but it did work.


Also I made samples of each folder design - leaving some blank space at the bottom so the samples are about 1/2 inch taller than the folder and works as an index.

The samples are not attached.  They simply slide in the pocket with the folder, so I can rearrange them as I wish.

Since making mine I have shopped some and found a few commercial ones that could work very well.     This is an example of a nice one I found ata meijer  store i believe  that would work well by only extending the closure strap.   If you are looking to purchase some for this use - - - make sure you look for ones with expandable bottoms.  This one was 4.99 I believe,  and cheaper versions would work as well.   Some of them expand far enough to put 2-4 folders in each pocket.  

Below are some others I found that have plastic dividers.   they would be good for the "works" of a holder but the lids would not close.  If I were using those I would just attach the pockets into a sturdy front and back and make a band style closure.

I hope this sparks some good ideas for you for storing your own supplies.
Happy Crafting
Sunset

paint and tool storage

As hobbiest we are always looking for ways to tweak the storage of our supplies.   In thanks to so many of you sharing your storage ideas I thought it was time I share a few things that I have done. 

I have -  lots -  of craft paint bottles.  I was blessed to find a professional rack at a thrift store that I keep behind me that holds 160 bottles.  It is a rare find for sure.

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Grand as that is, I like to keep a smaller selection of frequently used colors on my desk.  Presently I am using a system that has been working so well for me that I will likely decorate it up and tweak that a bit more in the future.   I will go ahead and share what I have going thus far and maybe it will spark some ideas for your own use.
I wanted my paints to sit at an angle for easy viewing and easy to return to their spot.   
I could have used TP cores but they were a tad larger than I needed.  They would have been fine ,but I had a few wrapping paper tubes that were a little smaller so I used  those.
  
-Cutting those tubes to length was the next task.  I cut mine about the height of the paint bottle minus the lid.  I used my band saw for that job but I am sure you can find other ways to cut yours.
-Next I stuffed as many tubes as I could into a sturdy shoe box.  
-Finding a way to angle the box was the next step - 
For a temporary test (which has not been all that temporary) I had a narrower box on hand and I simply sat the shoe box in it at an angle.  The weight of the paint holds in place very well.  If i had not found the narrower box to sit it in I was planning to make a wedge from corrugate to hold it up.

I had enough room to add a small child's shoe box beside  the paints  so I used filled that one with  TP cores for dividers to hold some of my tools.    The angle works fantastically!

TP cores can be flattened into rectangles as well as squares.  The rectangles are good for scissors,  rulers,  pens,  craft knives,  bone folders,  etc.

I hope this will inspire some ideas for storage that fits your needs.

To Begin

I call myself a serious hobbiest and refer to it as - the desires of my Art  -  for I constantly try to keep my eyes on Christ as the desire of my heart.  I thank Him for all things happy and difficult.  He has blessed us with bountiful beauty in this world to enjoy.  I am in constant amazement at the endless colors and details he has created.  In my attempts to make things of interest I am always humbled at his feet.

In my earlier years it was important for me to carry out my plans.   I wish I still did, and will attempt to work on that in some areas as I feel the need.  However,  I find it less important to finish things at this stage of life.   I admit that I am over loaded with ideas and that never ending project list  that we hobbiest usually understand oh so well.   It is not just that I am avoiding the pressures of that haunting list.  I am seeking to set my mind free to jump and hop from one inspiration to another with the hopes of learning and experiencing as much as I can. 

Projects that i once might have thought of as failed attempts are now just happy experiments to be learned from.    Perhaps I do have some regrets about this approach.  Haunting me the most is that I believe the quality of my craft has diminished seriously due to spending less time mastering each step.    Benefits come from all directions of course, and for now I shall enjoy my hobbies as they happen.