Polkadoodles Challenge Week 37 - One For The Boys

Another challenge entry (I find they really help to get my crafting mojo back in gear!!!).

And another favourite company of mine - this time Polkadoodles - I just love their work - its so distinctive and cute.

So for this challenge you had to create something for the boys.

I have a long list of things I want to make for Christmas Presents for the people in my life this year and so I decided to take a peep at this list and see if I could combine this challenge with my Christmas List. On my list I had decided to make a Door Hanger for my little boy, Daniel (as I made his sister one last year), so there the idea was born.

I used the Pretty Tuff CD - found here and also a chipboard door hanger bought from Craftwork Cards. The papers used to cover the hanger and make the star were also from the CD.

Then as a finishing touch I inked the edges of both the hanger and the star with a dark brown ink, added twine and buttons and there you have it.

I think Daniel will love it as football is definitely his new love xx

Hope you like it too xxx

Pollycraft Challenge 7 again !!!!

Hi all,

Well I just told you how I loved the Pollycraft Challenge 7 - Autum Colours didn't I? You can find it here. Well I loved it so much I couldn't stop at one creation so I made a second card - this time for the boys.

 

Again this card was made using just some of the bits in my ever-growing scrapbox.

Hope you like it - think I might have been thinking about Monsters University at the time - this little chap reminds me of a certain character ......

Pollycraft are Back - Yipeeeeee!!!!

Well so sorry it's been so long since posting but I have been super duper busy with the craft room tidy - you will be pleased to know that I am almost there and I now have my floor back!!! I also have a place for almost everything and can find whatever I need really quickly and easily. As thought I came across lots of forgotton treasures which will no doubt be shared with you all very soon.

Photos will be shared soon (once either camera has some charge in it!!!!).

However on the subject of forgotton treasures I am so pleased that Pollycraft is back and running with not only their online shop but also their challenges.

Now those of you who have followed this blog for some time will know that Pollycraft is amongst my favourite stores so I had to take part in their latest challenge Harvest Colours - you can find it here.

Even better is that for every challenge you enter using a Pollycraft image 30p will be added to your account to spend on digi images. You can either use it straight away or save them up to get an image for FREE - now I like free xx See the details here

So here is my entry:-

I love this digi stamp and I really enjoyed this challenge. I also set myself the task of trying to use up my mountain of scraps so apart from the card blank itself and the digi image this card is made entirely from the contents of my scrap box.

I think it looks great - I might even send it to myself as it's my birthday on Wednesday xxx

Blast From The Past - Creations

Well as mentioned in my previous post, during my 10 minute tidy session I came across an old Lakeland Card Craft Kit. I must have bought it donkey's years ago as I don't think Lakeland have been selling crafts now for at least 5 years!!!!!



Now I'm sure I cannot be the only crafter around that has horded items like this (and many others) for years without touching them (or using a few bits and setting aside the rest) am I? Please say I'm not ....

So during my craft organisation challenge I believe that there will be several of these "Blast From The Past" posts. So another challenge - during my organisation challenge if I find something that is 2 years old or older that I must make something from the kit / items on that day or put the item in a donate / sell box and get rid of it. It will have no place in my new, organised craft room (unless of course I make something and absolutely love the creation), like the ones made from this kit.

So I give you ... five years late ....but better than never:-

I really love these cards and cannot believe that I had never used the kit until now. What the picture doesn't show up is the pretty glitter around the circle apertures. Now for some reason the kit was open and did'nt include sentiments or embellishments but after using some paper from my scrap box and my trusty flower punch, together with a DoCrafts glitter sentiment recently bought from Cutting Edge Crafts, I think these cards look lovely and you can't tell how old the kit actually is. (Please correct me if I'm wrong!)

10 Minute Tidy Results

Hello again,

Wow I have managed to blog for two days in a row - it's a miracle!!!!

Well I have decided that in order to do the craft room organisation challenge properly that I will also need to tidy up a bit before I start proper so from hence forth 10 minute tidy sessions will be the order of the day.

I decided to focus on the corner by my desk for today as the pile on the floor was getting larger and larger!!!!. So here's before:-



Before the tidy I could not even push the drawer unit into place for all the bits which had fallen behind it!!!

And the after:-

 

 



Not a massive change I know but at least the drawers can now sit level with the desk again!!!! As a well known market says Every Little Helps :)

 

Whilst tidying I also found an old Lakeland Craft Set to make cards. Look out for my next post which shows my creations made using it xx

 

Craft Room Tidy & Organise - Challenge One - Space Audit

Well I felt so inspired that I decided to start the organisation challenge straight away.

So let challenge Part One commence:-

Week One - Space Audit

So this part of the challenge was great fun. I had to make a scrapbook page using all my supplies to find out what worked for me and what didn't. Now as I have already posted pictures of my craft room this was not easy and I ended up scraping on small amount of floor I have which is not covered with crafting goodies (and also getting bad cramp in my bottom and feet!!!) but I managed it and here is the page I ended up with:-

This page uses three pictures taken on a boat ride my kids, Mum & Dad, Auntie and I went on about this time last year. I started off with a basic sketch I found online and then just went for it (ending up not sticking to the sketch very much at all!!!).

I really like the page (especially the moving bunting in the left hand corner). However it did enable me to get my space audit list of good and bad things about my craft room done so here we go:-

Good Things

1. Easy to find digital photos from 2013 as all sorted into date order.

2. Cardstock all kept together so very easy to see colours required and to find matching sheets.

3. Small embellishments sorted into mini drawers all located in same area.

4. Stamps sorted into like with like folders which are easy to flick through and find suitable ones.

5. Adhesives all kept together in easy to open drawers and in easy to access position.

6. Tools all kept within easy reach of workspace.

7. Scrapbook Kits all kept together so easy to find items to complete quick page.

8.  Easy to find inspiration by using internet on computer.


Bad Things

1. Printed photos stored on bottom shelf in room and buried behind mountains of excess items.

2. Baskets of patterned papers and cardstock stored in baskets which are too heavy to pull on and off   the shelving unit.

3. Embellishments need to be sorted via colour to make it quicker to find matching items for pages.

4. Too many supplies - makes choosing what to use very overwhelming and difficult.

5. No workspace in room to scrap on.

6. Cannot find patterned papers easily as stored all together and not sorted into colours / patterns.

7.  Difficult to get to most things due to things being piled in front of drawers etc.

8.  Nowhere to display finished projects once made.


There done - I never thought that having too many things would be a bad thing - but maybe this challenge is changing my mindset!!!!


Bring on Part 2 - I'm sooooooo ready!!!!!!!

OK I admit I have got a crafting addiction!!!! Pictures of my craft room before organisation challenge

Hello all,

Well I ashamed to say that my craft room is so messy and disorganised that I have absolutely no hope of creating much at all at the moment!!!!!!

So I am now committing here on this little ol' blog of mine that in time my craft room will be clean, tidy, organised and usable. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but soon and for the rest of my life (well actually it probably not all the time but that is the plan!!!).

Now I know that a lot of people say that their craft rooms are messy but honestly you have not seen mine. I am going to brave and show you it (but please don't get judgemental - I am a crafter and I know I have a problem - I am ADDICTED to new stash!!!!!!). If you are easily offended by untidiness, greed for stash or have a nervous condition you may want to look away now! - you have been warned!!!

So here we go:-

The view from the door. As you can see I like piles of goodies!!!!

The view from the conservatory door - unfortunately you have to go through my craft room to get to the conservatory and back garden in our house so I have to keep a pathway through at all time. It also means that I loose one wall of storage as the patio doors leading into the conservatory need to be able to open!!!
 

More piles sitting in front of the shelving units

This is the corner of my craft room. The plastic drawers house my card blanks and just peeping out from behind them in the picture are my two DVD shelving units. Unfortunately these are also full and so my newer CD Rom's are strewn all around the craft room (wherever I can find space!!!) 

This wall has two shelving units which run the length of the wall. Unfortunately I filled the shelves what seems like forever ago now and my newer stash is sitting in piles on the floor!!!

 

Well there you have it - I told you it was bad hey? Hopefully it will have made all the rest of you not feel quite so bad about your rooms though - if so, I'm glad to have been of assistance!!!! I am now feeling suitable ashamed :(

 

 

But from here on in the only way is up (and not in the piles sense of the word!!). I am seeking inspiration from here http://wookiemouse.blogspot.co.uk/2009/05/let-challenge-begin-overview.html (this is the blog I first used when I started to organise my craft room many moons ago).

 

 

So let the challenge commence!!!!!!

 

 

Hope to see you all on the other side (and on my daily / weekly updates of my progress  xxx

 

NB: Note to self - I DO NOT NEED ANY MORE CRAFT GOODIES (FOR NOW!!!!!) 

 

Hello everyone (again!),

My name's Emma and I am a crafter (and a useless blogger - but that is hopefully going to change - that's the useless blogger not the craftaholic!!!!).

OK I know I have said it many times before but this time I really mean it. I have to sort my craft stash out once and for all and start using it. My hubby has told me that whatever "stuff" is in any other room than my craft room will be being thrown in a skip very soon - Noooooooooooooooooooo that can't happen!!!! I do admit though that my addiction may have got out of hand a little bit as not only is craft room bursting at the seams, I also have two sheds full of bits and bobs, the conservatory is definitely showing the strain of stash, its in the eves of the loft, dining room storage is stuffed and there are even bits in our bedroom. So today marks the start of operation sort stash and use it!!!!

Now admittedly there could not be a  worse time to issue me with such a threat as the long school summer holidays start at 3.15pm today and I will then have two beautiful children (or not so when they are bored) tearing at my heels muttering the immortal Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmm constantly. However I have decided to involve them too so fingers crossed - Operation Stash Sort starts now (well actually probably in about 3 hours time once I have collected them from school, played in the park with them, collected some Avon books (I am also an Avon rep) and decided whats for tea, cooked it, ate it, persuaded kids to eat it, cleaned up after said dinner, bathed kids and put them to bed - did I say 3 hours - better make that at least 4!!!!!