{31 Days To organize the "hidden" areas of your home} Day 6~ Hi-Ho Hi-Ho It's Off To Sew We Go!

Today I'd like to share a few ways that I keep my sewing projects organized. Why organize them you might ask? Well, one of the main reasons is that I like to know and plan for the next project. I really enjoy my quilting time and I like to make things for others. If I know what I am making next, I have something to look forward to starting when finishing the project I am working on. That may sound ridiculous but sometimes towards the end of the project I get to the point where I am ready to be done with it. Anyway- I have several ways that I like to find new projects that I want to make. The first is quilt magazines or pattern books. I occasionally buy myself a new quilting magazine or book but I also look for them at yard sales and also at quilt shops- when they go on sale. While looking at the book, I make a list on a sticky note which projects I want to make and stick it to the cover. I keep all my magazines and books stored in magazine holders that I purchased at the office supply stores. I also like to look for Quilting ideas online. Pinterest is a valuable tool. After setting up a Pinterest board and downloading the "pin it" button, when I come across a quilt pattern I like online, I just "pin it" to my quilting board on Pinterest. Lastly- I do get some e-newsletters from quilting organizations that usually send downloadable patterns. These I save in a folder on the computer. By thinking ahead to the next project or two, I can begin to look for fabrics I need to complete it, whether from my own stash or the fabric stores. I can also take advantage of sales if I know what I need. Once I pick my projects and start gathering supplies, I use large plastic zipper top bags to store everything together. I put the details on the bag like which book & page it came from. I then store all of these bags etc. in a small Rubbermaid tote.

  
I also use this same method with my scrapbooking projects. It would work with any craft or hobby that you have. 

{31 Days To organize the "hidden" areas of your home} Day 3~ Scrapbooking Supplies

I love to scrapbook!! As anyone who scrapbook knows, with this addicting "hobby" comes a lot 
of accouterments. I have drooled over the pictures in magazines of ladies showing off spare rooms dedicated to scrapbooking and scrapbooking alone. While that may be a dream for someday in the distant future, those of us who don't have a spare room to organize all of our STUFF (and I meant stuff with a capital S) have to look for other ways of making sense out of all our nonsense. We have a large dining room in this house. When we first moved in I put an armoire at the end of the dining room to store our school books in. When I purchased shelving units for the books, the armoire was up for grabs. I have a great, oak desk that I put along side of the armoire for a work space. I took the inside measurements of the armoire one Friday night and went out to some yard sales on Saturday morning. I found a great "cubby" style bookcase for $10.00 that is the same shade of wood as the armoire. So I put that in and started loading up my stuff!

 In the cubbies, I put my numerous boxed of Stamps and inks, adhesive tapes, etc. On the top shelf I put all the embelishments I have collected. During my many, many trips to the craft stores I would find myself looking at the pretty little jars and storage novelties they sold for scrapbooking, but couldn't bring myself to purchase any of them. While I was organizing, my husband walked in drinking a Starbucks Frappuccino in a glass bottle. "Light-bulb" (said like Gru from Despicable me) I snagged the bottle, took off the label and told him to drink about 8 more bottles. They work wonderful and for me they were free...hubby spent I don't know how much enjoying his overpriced, legal addictive stimulant. I did purchase a paper filing system, using a 50% off coupon, for all the paper I have collected. They are plastic folders with a flat bottom so they stand up relatively well. I have separated the papers in themes like Christmas, vacation, girly prints, solids etc.   

 I purchased two sets of these storage systems so I think I have about 8 folders or so. Some are larger than the one shown here but they work really well for me. 
Below you can see a close up of the upper part of the armoire. Everything is close at hand so when I feel like working I can just sit down and get started. I spent around $30.00 to purchase the bookshelf and the two paper organizer sets. All of the other storage containers were re-purposed. If you don't  have an armoire, you could use a closet, a dresser, a book shelf. I did a Google search for small scrapbook storage spaces and found lots of good ideas. Another benefit from keeping things organized, is that I can see what I have and I don't over buy anymore. Before I go shopping for supplies I take a quick look at the papers I still have and what I may be low on. It is so helpful to have everything in a see through container or storage unit. That doesn't say there aren't a few impulse purchases now and again but at least I have a system in place to put all my "I just have to have these" items when I bring them home. 

Little Man Turns 1

One year ago today I was blessed with the most amazing little grandson. 

Zachary Alex Ilczuk Jr.

Yesterday we had a birthday party with family and friends  

balloons......

                & gifts..........

                         & cake!

And today we had a special birthday lunch with 

our own

cake

May God bless this sweet baby boy.  

Blog Designing

I love visiting blogs. There are so many creative people out there and their blogs look amazing. Yes- I have blog envy. So I have decided to try my hand at redesigning my blog. I  decided to warn people ahead of time because I will probably mess things up quite a bit before it's finished. So please pardon my mess progress! This is my first attempt to make a collage on picmonkey. I was surprised how easy it was. Maybe there is hope for me yet! 

Summer 2012 Rehoboth Beach Sand Castle Contest

Srapbooking

I have completed the scrapbooks that I was working on of Britni. I made duplicate albums, one for her and one for Dan and I. It covers her life from birth through her graduation from highschool. Here is a look at some of the pages. I have now started a wedding album because I never bought a professional one. At least my addiction is legal!

Scrap Tip

This is a tip for any of you that attend organized "scrap" sessions outside of your home. I read about this tip online from some seasoned scrapbookers. When you know you will be participating in an event like this, set aside some time a few weeks prior to the "scrap" to choose which photos you will use and then choose the layout, papers & embellishments for the page and put it all into a clear plastic folder with a "page map" or description of what you want the finished page to look like. Assemble as many pages you think you will do at the event. Then when you arrive take out your packets and scrap away. I have found that I have been more productive when I have done this. You can get ideas for layouts on line for free. One of my favorite sites is www.pagemaps.com
You can print out a new page of layouts each month.

Scrapbooking

I must now confess that I am a "scrapbooker". I am currently working on two identical albums of Britni. One for us to keep and one for her to take with her into adulthood. This has turned out to be a huge project and I am now wondering if it will all fit into the album. This weekend I attended a "scrap"... aka a meeting of like minded "scrappers" to work on "scrapping" together. I had a great time. It is so inspiring to work alongside such talented women and glean from them and the fellowship with my sisters in Christ is refreshing. My goal is to get these two albums done before Britni graduates. We shall see!
Happy Scrapping