Show Notes
Hello … welcome to The Craft Room where we are going to be talking about some clever craft storage solutions. In Episode 11 we talked about crafting in a small space, and we did discuss craft storage ideas. There is no denying that in order to work efficiently in a small space, you need to have some clever storage solutions. But there was so much more I wanted to tell you, so this episode is kind of a sequel. For starters, did you know that I have a craft storage Pinterest Board with over 900 ideas for clever craft storage? Sometimes it's when we see what others are doing in their space, with their supplies, that we find a solution for ourselves. Some ideas are for small things, like sewing threads, and others are for full walls or rooms. I have found a lot of inspiration in there for myself, and I hope you find something on that Pinterest board that sparks an idea for you.
https://www.pinterest.com.au/dawnlewis/craft-organisation/ In episode 11 I mentioned that I store my papercrafting embellishments by colour, and I wanted to talk about how my colour storage system came about … but I didn't want that episode to run any longer that it already did.
These days I store pretty much all of my craft supplies by colour. I work by colour, and so it makes perfect sense to store my supplies by colour. It makes them easier to find, which saves me time on so many levels. But it wasn't always like this. In my last house, I had the luxury of a long narrow room where I kept my craft supplies. The beauty of it was that I could leave a project half finished, stuff all over my desks (yes, I had the luxury of 2 desks), and just shut the door. However, when we moved to the home where we live currently, there was no hideaway room for me, as this house is very open plan! I had a small folding desk and a couple of kids bookshelves, and all of my papercrafting stuff had to fit on, under and next to the desk out in the open where all sorts of inquisitive little people, kitties and anybody visiting could see it. It was incredibly difficult to keep the space tidy, and I couldn't just close the door on it. Eventually we did put an extension onto our home, which is where my new craft cupboards are located, but while it was still out in the open, I was coming up against the same issue all the time. My embellishment stash was really a scrapbookers' dream come true. I had little storage containers full of all sorts of fascinating bits & pieces. But when I wanted to create a layout using, let's say, purple and green, I would pull out the ribbon box to find purple and green ribbon, then the button box to find purple and green buttons, the eyelet box, the fibres box, the sticker box … you get the picture! It took up heaps of desk space, and if I put them away after pulling out what I thought I wanted to use (so I had enough space on the desk to work), then I would need to get them all out again to put away the pieces I didn't use. It was a hassle, and it was actually stopping me from crafting. I can't remember exactly what sparked the idea, but one day I'd had enough, and decided I needed a better system. Clearly, I was choosing embellishments based on colour, because I work by colour. I would look at the photos I wanted to use, choose my colour scheme, then create chaos on my desk. So I decided it was time for a change … I was going to switch to storing my embellishments by colour. I had limited space, and my only option was to go up. I went looking for tubs, and hit the jackpot in The Reject Shop kitchen aisle. I found small 5L rectangular clear tubs with lids that allowed them to stack. They were perfectly sized, inexpensive, and readily available. I put this system into place about 9 years ago, and those tubs are still available today. I bought ten 5L tubs at $2.50 each, and I grabbed a 10L tub for my pink embellishments (because girls + scrapbooking = lots of pink stuff!). I also bought 100 small zip lock bags and a pack of sandwich size zip lock
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Hello and welcome to The Craft Room Podcast. I'm so glad you're joining me today, as we are talking about forgotten gems. If you've been crafting for a long time, like me, then you likely have a LOT of amazing products and resources. Back in episode 40 I talked about The Craft Stash, and this is kind of an extension of that episode. Usually when people talk about forgotten gems, they're referring to old movies or television shows, paintings or travel destinations. But this is a craft podcast, so, of course, we are going to be talking about them in the context of crafting. In thinking about this for a few weeks, I've found that forgotten crafty gems tend to fall into one of three categories … 1. Physical (which falls into 3 sub-categories - Consumables, Tools, References/Resources) 2. Virtual/digital 3. Techniques/knowledge So … what can we do to uncover our forgotten crafting gems. Well, before we talk about that, I would like to remind you of one important thing. If you were out in Lightning Ridge mining for opals, not everything you dig up is going to be a beautiful gem. There's going to be a whole lot of rubble, and, let's be honest … there's going to be some dirt. The same applies when searching for forgotten crafting gems, in your stash, on the internet, on your computer, your phone or in your memory. Be prepared to find a few things that you look at and wonder 'Why did I keep this?', and I suspect there will be some dust, and potentially a dead bug in there somewhere. The easiest way to find anything is to look for it, and I'll walk you through from low effort / low time options, then we'll level up. 1. Look 2. Closer Look 3. Sort 4. Organise If there's anything I hope you take away from this episode, I hope it is this … * It's worth pressing pause on bringing new things into your home so you can take some time to look at what you have, decide what you love and curate a craft stash that is a true treasure chest. * Keep track of your virtual and digital gems so you can enjoy them before they disappear. Block out some time to watch that video, look at old bookmarked pages, work your way through that online course or print those checklists and templates and use them. * Sometimes we need to clear the rubble and the dirt (and the dead fly) so our gems can truly shine. One crafters rubble is another crafters treasure. Mostly I hope that you find great joy in your craft stash, and if you find a truly amazing treasure, please feel free to share it, maybe in the Craft with Dawn Lewis Facebook group (link in show notes and on the blog). Enjoy the gem hunt, and happy crafting!
Today on The Craft Room Podcast, let's talk about something that most crafters will probably consider at some point in their lives … a no spend year. Sometimes it's a month, a quarter, six months … but most commonly I see people setting this goal for a whole year. It might sound drastic, even unthinkable to some, but in this economy, especially with the rising prices of craft supplies, there are plenty of people doing a no-spend year. I'm not trying to talk anyone into such a dramatic situation, and, of course, there are some alternatives, so let's talk about the difference between a no spend, low spend and mindful spend year, the reasons you might consider them, and how you can succeed at such a challenge.
Hello and welcome to The Craft Room Podcast. I'm so glad you're joining me today, as we are talking about the benefits of swatching. Yes, I am on a swatching kick right now and it all started thanks to my friend Sally. I went to visit her last month and she showed me her beautifully organised craft supplies, but more importantly she showed me her ink pad swatches. I knew the second I saw it that this was the solution I had been looking for for years. It's not like I've never swatched before. My Copic markers are swatched out on a hex chart, I've swatched some pencils and a watercolour palette. But I didn't have what I have always wanted … a swatch folder with all the colours in one place. Until I saw Sally's I didn't know why I was baulking at it, and the reality is … I wanted more swatches to a page. It's not like a plastic sleeve with pockets is a revolutionary product, but I'd never seen coin collecting sleeves used for swatching before. I will link to the ones I used below.
Today on The Craft Room Podcast, let's talk about my Big Announcement and Product Longevity.