Show Notes
I thought today we could tackle the subject matter that is also the name of this podcast … the craft room. More specifically … small crafting spaces. Because, let's be honest, as much as would all probably love one of those Pinterest worth, fully decked out and coordinated craft rooms, the reality for most of us is that we have a relatively small space to dedicate to craft. Unless you have a spare bedroom, home office or rumpus room going unused, chances are that you craft at a desk tucked into a corner, the dining table, a tray table, on the lounge or in a cupboard like me. Working in a small space … let's face it … is limiting. We may have to share our space with others. We might have to pack up after every single crafting session (when we'd much rather leave everything out until the project is done). Maybe inquisitive mini people get into your supplies and use all of your stickers, unravel your yarn or create a "masterpiece" on the layout, card or canvas you've been working on all day. We are limited in how much we can keep on hand by the space we have available, and if you're renting, even more limitations are in place. You can put up shelves or place hanging solutions on walls. So what can we do about this? I say, we do what we do best … think creatively! Today I want to share my top 10 tips for maximising your crafting space and small space efficiency. ONE – Stack It Baskets are very pretty, so if you're going for a Pinterest vibe, then baskets are great. But they don't stack, and when you're short on space, that's a problem. This is why I prefer tubs with lids that allow me to stack them, making the most of the space available. I know that baskets look pretty filled with yarn, but every time I've tried this as a storage option it has been a disaster. Non-yarn things find their way into baskets. Some interesting things I've found in my yarn basket include a dead cockroach, a half eaten apple, a sticky lollypop, and most devastating of all … the cat! None of these have been good for my yarn! I was lucky and had a couple of lovely lined baskets, but if you are storing yarn in a basket, chances are it may not be lined, and your lovely yarn can catch on the wicker or texture, which also doesn't keep it in good condition. The other thing is … I'm a sporadic crocheter, so dust actually became a problem (it's quite difficult to dust yarn!). Lastly … I accumulated way too much yarn for baskets to be a viable storage solution … they were taking up way too much floor space, and the yarn was unprotected. I had to find a solution that wasn't going to take up any extra floor space in my home. I now store my Milford cotton yarn in an old suitcase under my bed (which was empty … now it serves a purpose). I like it because I can slide it partially out, unzip it, retrieve the yarn I want, then slide it back in. Too easy! I store my other yarn in tub drawers that fit snugly in cube units. I used empty space that was already available, and easy to access, and made one inexpensive purchase. I store my fabric in tubs, not because I'm against storing it on shelves, but because the shelves I use for my fabric are so deep that when I tried having it all folded nicely on display. I couldn't reach what was at the back, and it was total chaos, and made it difficult to find what I needed quickly. The fabric became wrinkled and I spent a lot more time ironing than I wanted to. Tubs were the solution. I am also fond of small stacking tubs for my papercrafting supplies. Scrapbooking and cardmaking has a LOT of tiny pieces, so I find tubs best to corall them by colour, and help me find things quickly. I am definitely overdue for a craft cupboard cleaning session, and look forward to taking some time to restore order to the cupboards, so I waste less time looking for things behind other things. Tubs don't have to be boring and functional. I have some very nice tubs with lids that help them stack, with a nice basket weave texture on the outside. Th
More from The Craft Room Podcast
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.