10 Papercraft Essentials

If you’re getting serious about making art from paper, it’s important to have good supplies.  I have so many that I can’t do without, but these are some of my top picks:

1.  Bone Folder

2.  Corner Punch

3.  Long Ruler (18 inches is great!)

4.  Paper Awl

5.  Handmade Paper

6.  Scrap Paper

7.  Paper Trimmer

8.  Masking Tape

9.  Penknife

10.  Cardstock

Give Your Craft Room A Makeover!

Spring has sprung and your craft space needs to be updated!  Here are some tips to make your space fresh, personalized and fun!

Start with a clean slate.

Remove frames and calendars from the walls, curtains from the windows and every other piece of last season’s decor.  Don’t worry, you can put some items back if they fit into the new and improved space!

Pick your colors!

The tri-color method:   Chose 3 colors.

Color #1:  The main, overall color.  It’s best to chose the color of your walls or floor, and it’s also a good idea to chose a neutral color.  It’s just easiest to match and contrast other colors to.

Color #2:  The mid-color.  This color should be fun and a light to medium tone.  Chose three or four items of this color to add to your space.  They can include things like a piece of fabric, a chair, a throw, curtains, a piece of wall art, a painted shelf or a rug.

Color #3:  The accent color.  This color should be fun, chic and totally your style…in fact, it should be your favorite!  Find decor items like vases, candles, a pillow and a few small wall-art hangings.  Sprinkle your space with style!

Some Tri-Color Examples:

ivory, blue and red

green, orange and ivory

green, violet and yellow

sienna, blue and white

white, green and yellow

Out with the old, in with the cute!

Storage should be functional and chic:

• Line drawers with fun contact paper or 12×12 scrapbook paper.
• Trash the wastebasket and use a wicker basket for garbage and recycling instead.
• Get rid of the shoeboxes and coffee cups, and line clear mason jars on a shelf to hold pencils, buttons,                       paper clips and other little trinkets.
• Toss a cute tablecloth over storage boxes of supplies you don’t use often.
• Line cardboard boxes with decorative paper to hold your supplies.  (Almost any cardboard box will do: shoe boxes, cereal boxes, garment boxes, etc.  It’s best to use the same paper to cover all boxes, since it looks more uniform…unless you’re going for a crazy look, in which case go for it!)
• Replace old dresser handles and light switch covers with new ones that fit your style. (These are pretty cheap at a hardware store or Targ@t!)

The mini-facelift is so easy!

• Face your desk to a window or the wall if you prefer to work by yourself; face your desk toward the middle of the room if you invite company while you work.
• Recover your work chair with some chic fabric and a few staples.
• Replace a dark, heavy lampshade with a lighter one in your colors.
• Put up cafe curtains in your chosen spring fabric (see my spring cleaning post.)  They will let in tons of light while keeping your space private.
• Frame your favorite fabrics and decor paper and hang them on the wall in a tight group to make one big art piece!
• Use a vase to store rulers and other long, narrow supplies.
• Attach a curtain rod to the wall (at waist to shoulder height) to display and dispense ribbon and rolls of paper.

While you design, remember these key ingredients to a great craft room:

• Make sure your work space is well lit
• Too much/too little stimuli can be boring or distracting.
• Keep 90% of your work surface (table top, desktop, etc.) free of clutter.
• If you’re in need of furniture or storage and are in a financial pinch, check out an online community that has postings for free stuff. (I just got a great dresser from Craig’sList.)
• Ask yourself: Does your space look/sound/smell/feel good to you?  (If you need it to taste good, keep a bowl of yummies to satisfy you while you create.)

If you have any tips or comments let us know!  We love to hear from you.

Happy designing!

Organize Your Creative Self!

A craft binder is a great way to organize your ideas and your craft space! I use mine like crazy, so I thought I’d share the basics of it with you.

The Binder

Find the biggest 3-ring binder that you can:i t needs to hold a lot!  Personalize it with fun paper and your name.

Fill it with the basics.

1.  Make sure it has inner pockets.  You can tuck patterns and instructions in these.

2.  Use dividers (mine are made from heavy paper, not store-bought.)  Label each section with the different types art that you create.  Fill each divided section with both lined and blank paper.

Add the extras.

3.  Use clear presentation-page protectors to display your favorite craft paper, fabric or a craft magazine page detailing a new craft idea.

4. Here you can jot down ideas to try later, a tip from a friend, a sketch for a new design or a website you’ll reference later.

Include the catch-all.

Punch holes in a manila envelope or other folder to keep the loose pages in your organizer, like sewing patterns, instruction booklets and paper samples.

Happy organizing!

Measuring Cups From Hell: Part Two

Hard work pays off!

Ways A Journal And It’s Author Are Similar

1.  Depending on your personality, durability in each may be important.

2.  Permanent ink on either is there forever.

3.  Each is created with either intention or laze.  Hope for a work of art.

4.  Both find satisfaction in the progress of the other.

5.  A sturdy spine of either makes for a good foundation.

6.  Cast not each pearl to swine.  Valuable are both’s insides.

7.  Don’t worry: the cover of either can be mended.

8.  Dog ears aren’t attractive on either.

9.  Tree pulp and blood, though vital, are gross to look at.

10.  No two of either are alike, nor replaceable.

A few more?

A page is like a hangnail: pull the bad ones out only if you must: it can hurt.

An open book is good for a few laughs, but that only lasts so long.

Share as much as you can of both with your children and their children.

An author finds herself interesting; a journal finds itself interesting.

A journal believes it’s author always; an author knows the journal silghtly embellishes.

When thrown into the fire neither both become ashes.

Lyes in a journal device neither the journal nor the author; lying in an author deceives the world.

Measuring Cups From Hell

I’m soooo hateful of my measuring cups.

Well, I have two sets.  One is by Kitchen Aid, and they’re fine.  The other are black plastic generic ones that my mom gave me from her camping supply that she didn’t need, and they suck.  The black ones tried to trick me into thinking I was crazy.  The black ones are the ones from hell.

I’m a great baker.  I make bread, cookies and any other toasty goody I’m in the mood for.  But for the past few months I’ve been producing crap about half the time: it’s either too dry, too soupy or just not right.  This isn’t like me, so I figured I’ve been going through a rough patch.

This morning I decided to make cookies, and the dough looked totally dry.  Chocolate chip cookie dough isn’t supposed to be dry.  I mean it looks like sand!  I got suspicious, and reasoned that the only way that this sand-crap dough was too dry was from too much dry ingredient.  I used ‘ol trusty Kitchen Aid cups to double check the devil ones, and sure ’nuff: they’re off by 100%!

A big bowl filled with sand-dough.

So the 1/2 cup is really a 1 cup.  Half the time I was adding twice the recipes’ dry ingredients.

I’m glad I figured it out, and feel wonderfully gratified! My baking is still divine!  Though I am feeling unreasonably spiteful at the irresponsible cup manufacturer.  THEIR ONLY JOB IS TO MAKE LITTLE ACCURATE CUPS WITH FLIMSY HANDLES.  They’re fired in my head.

Has this ever (in all of the history of the time of people) happened to anyone else?

A Comparison Of Paper And My Dog

1. For the first I paid two-fifty and got one; for the second I paid two-fifty and got a hundred.

2.  One starts the fire in the fireplace, the other one hogs the place in front of the fire.

3.  Both leave remnants on the floor.

4.  One folds up and fits into my pocket; the other used to fit in my pocket.

5.  While one lays uniformly with its peers, the other goes nuts around them.

6.  Neither do well in water.

7.  A tear in one breaks my concentration.  A tear in the other breaks the bank.

8.  I only trust leaving a sandwich in the presence of one.

9.  Both rip, but only one requires me to leave the room afterwards.

10.  I can’t imagine my life without either.

DIY Gallery-Style Wall Art!

I recently painted this after not being able to find (or afford) a focal piece of art for my guestroom.  It’s so easy to do, and it gives a home more personality when it’s homemade.

To make a painting like this, you’ll need a few things:

1.  Your canvass: An old board, piece of drywall or other surface.  Whether it’s a long, skinny board or a rectangle-shaped one like I used, it’s totally usable.  Also, boards that have woodgrain, paint or other raised surfaces will make the finished product look amazing!

2.  Paint:  Whatever you’ve got will work.  I used four small tubes of acryllic artist’s paint, some outdoor house paint, some cement primer and the rest of our front door paint.  If it smelly chemically, paint outside.

3.  Brushes: You can use kitchen sponges, paint brushes or  rags.

4.  Hardware: Whatever you come up with to attach it to the wall.

Some directions, tips and suggestions to get you started:

1.  Find a design.  I combined a bunch of photos of poppies from a Google-image search for “red poppies”.

2.  I primed my board with white house paint.  If you’re going to paint with bright or light colors, I reccomend you do this.

3.  Using a pencil, trace on your basic picture.

4.  Start by painting your background, then work your way forward.  I started with the blue sky and green grass, then I painted red globs for the poppies, and last I detailed the poppies and painted in stems and grass.

5.  Paint your frame on.  I just sponged black around the edges, both on the art side and the sides of the board.

6.  Don’t worry about messing up.  If you don’t like something, let it dry and paint over it!

7.  Whenever you have guests, brag about it.  It’s a one-of-a-kind!

10 No-Cost Spring Cleaning Ideas For Crafters

My series of spring-themed posts wouldn’t be complete without tips for crafters in the midst of spring cleaning.  I’m focusing on simplification and organization of your craft area, all which are no-cost, because I know that you’ve already swept, dusted and scrubbed the dirt away!  (If you haven’t, it’s best to do it before you start.)

1. Group your items.

An organized space should leave your materials easy to find and access.  Sort through your area and group your supplies using cardboard boxes or milk crates if you’d like.  Depending on how many tools and materials you have, I’ve found that having about 10 groups is a good, manageable amount.  This is a great time to find a home for those little things that seem to hang around on a desk and never have an actual home.  My materials groups include: paper, adhesives, paint and drawing supplies, bookbinding, stamping and ribbon.  Using a box or basket, make one group specifically for office supplies, like pens, pencils, scissors, rulers, stapler, hole punch, etc.  Make sure you have a trash/recycle bag handy to get rid of clutter that you don’t need!

I put all of my tools and gadgets in one place.

2. Find homes for your groups.

This step seems easy, but I have a few suggested do’s and don’ts.  Do find a place to put your group that will give you easy access to it.  Don’t stack groups on top of each other.  Do utilize filing cabinets, small bookshelves and nightstand-sized dressers to store your things.  Don’t cram your group into a space that’s too small and could wrinkle, tear or smudge it.  Do pack rarely used supplies in a box to store.  Do be creative with containers: try using baskets, jars, hat boxes and shoe boxes covered with pretty paper as homes for your groups.

A place for my paper, cardstock and accents.

3.  Freezer bags are your friend!

I can’t tell you how useful these will be to you!  You can use larger or smaller sizes to hold buttons, ribbon, paper, fabric, art supplies, stickers, yarn, paint tubes, extra pens and pencils, stamping supplies, pretty paper scraps, and a million other things.  Best of all, these clear bags make it easy to grab what you need when crafting.

Freezer bags store unfinished projects well, too.

4.  Label your heart out.

Use sticker printer labels, pretty paper or just a permanent marker to label it all!  I printed my groups’ names on pretty paper, cut them out into rectangle labels and taped them to my dresser drawers, where I keep my supplies.  It looks so pretty, and it’s easy to find everything.  Don’t forget to label your storage boxes!

The labels on some of my drawers.

5.  Declutter…

Speaking from personal experience, crafters tend to hoard clutter like crazy.  Pick a time to declutter that’s best for you: a grumpy or sad mood could make you more nostalgic and less likely to part with your clutter.  Using a cardboard box, work from one end of your craft space to the other, opening drawers and nooks.  Get rid of those paper bits, those thread scraps, the broken scissors, the old magazines and that (sadly) failed project you mean to fix but never do.  (You may find junk that you don’t need, but that might be of use to someone else: put it on a community website to sell, like CraigsList!)  Be strong!  You can do it!

Out with the old…

6.  Lighting is key.

Most crafts require a bit of eye strain, with small details and intricate parts.  Whether your craft space is a tiny corner of your living room or it’s own room, lighting is important for your eyes and for the accuracy of your craft.  Ideally, you should have three sources of light in your area: natural light from a window, an overall light (such as a ceiling light) and a specific light (like a table lamp or floor lamp next to your table.)  If natural light isn’t possible, or if you craft at night (like I do) make sure you have the other two.

I have a desk lamp just like this. I got it at Target for $20.

7.  Prevent the messies.

Whether you craft with paper, a needle and thread, beads or clay, you’re bound to make a mess.  After a night of bookbinding my craft area looks like a confetti grenade went off!  It’s best to be prepared to tidy as you go.  Designate a coardboard box just for recycling, for things like paper scraps, thread and cardboard.  Put together a small kit just for combating the messies, with items like a sticky-tape lint remover, a small hand-broom and dustpan, a roll of paper towells, goop/sticker remover, a small spray bottle for water or window cleaner and any other tools that will clean your craft type.

The Messies can easyily happe. Here’s Lynne’s craft space before…

…and after! Both photos from The Patchery Menagerie

8.  Your work surface is best naked.

Before my spring cleaning this year, my 4′x6′ craft table was so piled with paper trays, mail, unfinished projects and bits o’ whoknowswhat that I only had about a foot of working space.  I firmly believe that a crafter’s work surface should be clean, uncluttered and open.  Your art deserves to be the center of attention, and needs room to be spread out for accurate measurements, for pattern planning and to lessen chances of wear and tear.  Take everything off of your surface, and scrub it shiny clean.  The items that are then returned to the surface should be very limited and necessary, like a lamp, a computer or a cutting mat.  What should you do with the leftovers?  Group it and home it!

Photo from Rivene’s Journey

9.  Is your environment ideal?

This is an important step.  Make two lists on a piece of paper.  For the first list, write fiveish descriptive words that inspire you.  (Some suggestions: romance, adventure, simplicity, vintage, the color yellow, my grandmother, etc.)  For the second list, write fiveish descriptive words that make you comfortable.  (Some suggestions: warmth, music, the scent of vanilla, organization, sweets, a window view of the yard , etc.)

The first list describes the best way for your space to become the perfect working environment for you.  If you listed goals, neatly print a list of your larger goals and frame it, hanging it near your desk.  If you listed a friend or relative, add their photo to your surface (don’t worry, loved ones are never clutter!)    If you listed simplicity, hang a cork bulletin board on the wall, with one or two simple, inspiring pictures tacked to it.  You can make wall art with your favorite colors using decorative paper and add romance by adding a pretty pillow to your chair.  If your accomplishments inspire you, and I hope they do, frame pictures of your art and display them in a group, or mount a single wall shelf to display some of your actual art.

The second list describe the details that you should add to your environment.  For instance, you can put a few blankets in a wicker basket if you listed warmth, a vanilla-scented candle for your favorite scent, labeled hat boxes  with supplies neatly arranged in a bookshelf if you’ve listed organization, a jar of lollipops if you listed sweets and you can turn your table or work surface toward the window for a better view.  Sometimes it’s fun to make a sign that says, “Kelly’s Shoppe”!

This craft room is a great example of a personalized environment. The artist’s list would most likely have words like vintage, colorful, organized, accessible and fun. Note the direction of the work surface, which adds a different feel to the room. Thanks to Unplggd for a great example!

10.  Keep a proud, visible inventory.

Your stuff’s pretty awesome, right?  Your art started with you, with a vision and because of you it became what it is.  If your space allows, I highly recommend displaying your completed projects in bookshelves or, a display table or on wall shelves.  Whether you give your art as gifts, sell it online, show it in galleries or plan to keep it, a collective display of completion is valuable.  It’s an easy way to keep your art clean, organized, available and ready for referencing it or showing it off to guests.

A great example of art display. Here, Neighborhood Potters displays their ceramic art.

*   *   If you find yourself stuck, need some help and ideas or have a great tip to add, let us know!   *   *

Note: These no-cost ideas occasionally mention items that make it easier to organize, such as shelving and the desk lamp.  If you should find that you need one or two pieces of furniture for your craft area, I suggest you check out an online community board, such as CraigsList for your needs.  CraigsList also has a free items department, where bookshelves, tables and dressers are listed daily. While the items are of no charge, it is understood that the taker arrange transportation and move it themselves.

I So Love To Sew!

My mother blessed my life by giving me a wonderful new sewing machine!  This is my first attempt at making a flannel rag quilt.  It’s heavy and so soft.

The finished size is 60 inches long by 40 inches wide.

Each square started as 9"x9", and was sewn in with 1/2 inches seam to make the final square 8 inches

For thickness and warmth, I used red flannel as the bottom layer, a 7"x7" piece of fleece layer (that isn't seen,) a white cotton layer and a star-design cotton layer.

It's my favorite early-morning blanket!