Sunday, February 26, 2017

2017 Craft Space Organization Challenge # 9 . . . Inspiration

Inspiration for scrapbook pages is everywhere - how best to organize it so that it's actually USEFUL?

Image result for scrapbooking magazines

First consider cutting up your magazines and idea books, and only saving the ideas that you really plan to use. Magazines and idea books only sit on you shelves, they aren't really useful. It can take hours to go through your books to find the one layout you remember. Having your ideas in a condensed form, arranged in a way that makes sense to you is much more effective.  If you are able to cut up your magazines, here are some ideas for arranging them:
  • theme (holidays, birthday, babies, pets, travel etc)
  • number of photos used in the layout
  • journaling ideas
  • colours
  • quotes
  • techniques

Now that you've decided how to arrange them, where to store them?  A few ideas:
  • a composition book or some other kind of sketchbook: you can sketch in here and adhere page ideas into it It's also portable, so you can take it with you to crops!  
  • an index card box: adhere your ideas to index cards
  • idea file folders. Place your ideas inside file folders and label the index tab.  Store in a portable file box.  Add categories as needed.
·       binder with page protectors: tuck clippings into the page protectors

Okay,  you have decided you are NOT cutting up your magazines. 


SORT: Make sure that the magazines and books are still relevant to you. If you are holding onto magazines more than a year or two old, REALLY make sure they still interest you. Sort them into piles: KEEP, DONATE, SELL, TOSS

PURGE: Trash the TOSS pile.  Arrange immediate drop-off or pick-up of the DONATE pile. Bag up and assign a price and your initials to the SELL pile.

ASSIGN: sort your magazines/books by title/date of issue, and consider storing your books and magazines down low due to their weight.

CONTAINERIZE: store in boxes or magazine holders.

EQUALIZE: Consider getting varied colours of post-it flags, and setting up categories for ideas. Each time you get a new book or magazine, flag the pages you like according to your system, s
o that you an easily see from the outside of your books which one might have an idea applicable to the project you are working on.

Only one week left . . . how's your space looking now?

2017 Craft Space Organization Challenge # 9 . . . Inspiration

Inspiration for scrapbook pages is everywhere - how best to organize it so that it's actually USEFUL?

Image result for scrapbooking magazines

First consider cutting up your magazines and idea books, and only saving the ideas that you really plan to use. Magazines and idea books only sit on you shelves, they aren't really useful. It can take hours to go through your books to find the one layout you remember. Having your ideas in a condensed form, arranged in a way that makes sense to you is much more effective.  If you are able to cut up your magazines, here are some ideas for arranging them:
  • theme (holidays, birthday, babies, pets, travel etc)
  • number of photos used in the layout
  • journaling ideas
  • colours
  • quotes
  • techniques

Now that you've decided how to arrange them, where to store them?  A few ideas:
  • a composition book or some other kind of sketchbook: you can sketch in here and adhere page ideas into it It's also portable, so you can take it with you to crops!  
  • an index card box: adhere your ideas to index cards
  • idea file folders. Place your ideas inside file folders and label the index tab.  Store in a portable file box.  Add categories as needed.
·       binder with page protectors: tuck clippings into the page protectors

Okay,  you have decided you are NOT cutting up your magazines. 


SORT: Make sure that the magazines and books are still relevant to you. If you are holding onto magazines more than a year or two old, REALLY make sure they still interest you. Sort them into piles: KEEP, DONATE, SELL, TOSS

PURGE: Trash the TOSS pile.  Arrange immediate drop-off or pick-up of the DONATE pile. Bag up and assign a price and your initials to the SELL pile.

ASSIGN: sort your magazines/books by title/date of issue, and consider storing your books and magazines down low due to their weight.

CONTAINERIZE: store in boxes or magazine holders.

EQUALIZE: Consider getting varied colours of post-it flags, and setting up categories for ideas. Each time you get a new book or magazine, flag the pages you like according to your system, s
o that you an easily see from the outside of your books which one might have an idea applicable to the project you are working on.

Only one week left . . . how's your space looking now?

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Don't miss Caught in the Net at the Princess Ave. Theatre



You'll be rolling with laughter during Caught in the Net!
Directed by Mary Anne Ciuciura

The Play

Caught in the Net is written by Ray Cooney, considered by many in the theatre world as The Master of Farce.

In Caught in the Net, John Smith has been happily married to two wives for 18 years. Of course, the two women don’t know about each other. Barbara and her 16-year-old son, Gavin, live in Streatham and Mary and her 15-year-old daughter, Vicki, live in Wimbledon.

One day Gavin and Vicki meet while surfing online and they are amazed by all the coincidences between their fathers.  Both are named John, aged 43, and are taxi drivers. What are the chances of all those similarities in two different fathers? Right? Of course, Vicki invites Gavin for tea.

When John finds out that Gavin is coming to tea he spends the next two hours attempting to stop the inevitable meeting. His friend and lodger, Stanley, who is not really the brightest, could be John’s saviour . . . or not.

And so the farce begins.

The set envisioned and created by ETG’s volunteers blends two apartments into one stage with plenty of stairs to run up and down and lots of doors to slam in true farcial tradition.

The Cast

John Smith is played by Jason Freeman.  Jason’s most recent role was Lawrence and Liam in ETG’s Calendar Girls.

Mary Smith is played by Phyllis Leighton. Phyllis’ last role was as Mrs. Potiphar, in Joseph & the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat with the Kincardine Theatre Guild

Barbara Smith is played by Ronda Stewart. In 2016, Ronda enjoyed her role as Elaine in Calendar Girls and March Hare in the British Panto of Alice in Wonderland.

Stanley Gardner is played by Timothy Hedden. Tim has graced the ETG stage numerous times over the years, most recently played the orphan sister Brandy in the British pantomime Alice in Wonderland and Tom Shaw in Ned Durango.

Stanley’s dad is played by John Palmer. John will keep you in stitches with his wonderful character’s silly antics.

The Smith children are played by Kaitlyn Stollery and Chris Trottier.

Tickets

Tickets are available online at elgintheatreguild.ca/tickets or in person at Simply Pure Water, 123 Wellington Street in St. Thomas.

The show runs from February 23 to March 5 with evening performances at 8 pm and Sunday matinees at 2 pm.  Preview night is Thursday, February 23rd and tickets for this night only are $12 each. Tickets for all other nights are $18.


For over 40 seasons, the Elgin Theatre Guild has been entertaining audiences with productions ranging from comedies to dramas. Run entirely by volunteers, the ETG produces four shows each year at the historic Princess Ave. Theatre which is located at 40 Princess Avenue in St. Thomas.

Sunday, February 19, 2017

2017 Craft Space Organization Challenge #8 . . . Paper Cosmetics


   

Organizing our "paper cosmetics": paint, inks, embossing powders and other products that add a little something special to our pages.

SORT: first go through each of these items and make sure your colours haven't expired.  Are ink pads still juicy?  Are lids still intact? Do paints still mix together when shaken? Are your chalks still intact enough to use?  Sort all of your paper cosmetics into TOSS, KEEP, SELL, DONATE

PURGE: Throw out the toss items.  Bag up and assign a price and your initials to the SELL pile, and put them immediately in your garage sale box.  Arrange for pick-up or drop-off of the DONATE pile.

ASSIGN: Sort your KEEP pile into categories that make sense to you.

CONTAINERIZE: Inks last longest when stored horizontally, upside down (that's why Stampin' Up ink pads flip that way!) on a shelf, in a drawer, or maybe a cassette tape holder?  Paints could be stacked on a narrow shelf, on a tiered rack, in spice racks, etc.  Embossing powders, chalks and other cosmetics could be stored in well-labeled drawers.

EQUALIZE: take a few minutes at the end of each scrapping session, when you return from a crop, or return from a shopping trip to put your paper cosmetics away where they belong.

2017 Craft Space Organization Challenge #8 . . . Paper Cosmetics


   

Organizing our "paper cosmetics": paint, inks, embossing powders and other products that add a little something special to our pages.

SORT: first go through each of these items and make sure your colours haven't expired.  Are ink pads still juicy?  Are lids still intact? Do paints still mix together when shaken? Are your chalks still intact enough to use?  Sort all of your paper cosmetics into TOSS, KEEP, SELL, DONATE

PURGE: Throw out the toss items.  Bag up and assign a price and your initials to the SELL pile, and put them immediately in your garage sale box.  Arrange for pick-up or drop-off of the DONATE pile.

ASSIGN: Sort your KEEP pile into categories that make sense to you.

CONTAINERIZE: Inks last longest when stored horizontally, upside down (that's why Stampin' Up ink pads flip that way!) on a shelf, in a drawer, or maybe a cassette tape holder?  Paints could be stacked on a narrow shelf, on a tiered rack, in spice racks, etc.  Embossing powders, chalks and other cosmetics could be stored in well-labeled drawers.

EQUALIZE: take a few minutes at the end of each scrapping session, when you return from a crop, or return from a shopping trip to put your paper cosmetics away where they belong.

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Bird


Bird

2" x 3"

$1.00


Piecings may not be exactly as shown because each is individually handmade.

Bee #4


Bee #4

3" x 4"

$2.00



May not be exactly as shown because each piecing is individually made.

Bee #3


Bee #3

1.5" x 2"

$1.00


May not be exactly as shown because each piecing is individually made.

Bee #2


Bee #2

1.5" x 1.5"

$1.00



May not be exactly as shown because each piecing is individually made.

Monday, February 13, 2017

2017 Craft Space Organizational Challenge #7





Embellishments are some of the easiest things to buy.  Everything looks so good, and you really believe you NEED everything!  Embellishments are also one of the supplies most affected by trends.  Careful consideration is really needed here.

It's also important to find a system that will help you store all of your embellishments in a way that won't overwhelm you, yet also is visible enough that you don't forget to USE them.  

Let's S.P.A.C.E. them.

SORT: As always, bring all of your embellishments together.  Touch every piece that you have and ruthlessly sort through them, deciding what to KEEP, TOSS, SELL, DONATE

PURGE: Immediately throw out the TOSS pile. Bag up and assign a price and your initials to the SELL pile, and put them in the garage sale box. Set up a drop-off or pick-up of the DONATE pile.

ASSIGN: Sort through the KEEP pile in a way that makes sense to you.  Some ideas for sorting your embellishments
1) by category (buttons, brads, alphabets, charms, etc.)
2) by colour
3) by manufacturer
4) by type (metal, acrylic)
5) by theme

CONTAINERIZE: Now that you've decided how to sort your embellishments, the next step is decided how to store them, and how to label them!  Research online will give you great ideas. Talking to other crafters may give you an idea what worked for them.


EQUALIZE: take a few minutes at the end of each scrapping session, when you return from a crop, or return from a shopping trip to put your embellishments away where they belong.

2017 Craft Space Organizational Challenge #7





Embellishments are some of the easiest things to buy.  Everything looks so good, and you really believe you NEED everything!  Embellishments are also one of the supplies most affected by trends.  Careful consideration is really needed here.

It's also important to find a system that will help you store all of your embellishments in a way that won't overwhelm you, yet also is visible enough that you don't forget to USE them.  

Let's S.P.A.C.E. them.

SORT: As always, bring all of your embellishments together.  Touch every piece that you have and ruthlessly sort through them, deciding what to KEEP, TOSS, SELL, DONATE

PURGE: Immediately throw out the TOSS pile. Bag up and assign a price and your initials to the SELL pile, and put them in the garage sale box. Set up a drop-off or pick-up of the DONATE pile.

ASSIGN: Sort through the KEEP pile in a way that makes sense to you.  Some ideas for sorting your embellishments
1) by category (buttons, brads, alphabets, charms, etc.)
2) by colour
3) by manufacturer
4) by type (metal, acrylic)
5) by theme

CONTAINERIZE: Now that you've decided how to sort your embellishments, the next step is decided how to store them, and how to label them!  Research online will give you great ideas. Talking to other crafters may give you an idea what worked for them.


EQUALIZE: take a few minutes at the end of each scrapping session, when you return from a crop, or return from a shopping trip to put your embellishments away where they belong.

Monday, February 6, 2017

2017 Craft Space Organizational Challenge #6 . . . Ribbons and fibres



This week's challenge is to organize all those ribbons and fibres.  There is no "right" way to store your ribbons and fibre.  The most important factor is that the system works for YOU.  First, let's make some S.P.A.C.E.

SORT: Gather together all of your ribbons and fiber, and sort them into piles: KEEP, TOSS, SELL, DONATE

PURGE: Throw out the TOSS pile.  Immediately make arrangements for pick-up or drop-off of the DONATE pile.  Bag up, and assign a price and your initials to the SELL pile, and immediately put these in your garage sale box.

Assign: Sort your KEEP pile into types/colours of fibre and ribbon.  If your ribbons are in a big wrinkled mess, take time now to give everything a pressing (careful with the heat, some synthetics may melt!)

Containerize: Consider the space that you have, and the way that you work Here are some ideas that work for both ribbons and fibres:

1) on those little cardboard bobbins meant for embroidery floss
2) organized by colour in big clear glass jars on a shelf
3) wound and paper clipped and stored with their coordinating embellishments
4) Cropper Hopper mini embellishment boxes and sorted by colour
5) in small ziploc bags stored in a photo box, or on a big ring
6) in sports cards organizer pages, sorted by colour and in a binder
7) wound on index cards and stored in a photo box
8) loosely tied on a big ring

EQUALIZE: take a few minutes at the end of each scrapping session, when you return from a crop, or return from a shopping trip to put your ribbons and fibres away where they belong.

2017 Craft Space Organizational Challenge #6 . . . Ribbons and fibres



This week's challenge is to organize all those ribbons and fibres.  There is no "right" way to store your ribbons and fibre.  The most important factor is that the system works for YOU.  First, let's make some S.P.A.C.E.

SORT: Gather together all of your ribbons and fiber, and sort them into piles: KEEP, TOSS, SELL, DONATE

PURGE: Throw out the TOSS pile.  Immediately make arrangements for pick-up or drop-off of the DONATE pile.  Bag up, and assign a price and your initials to the SELL pile, and immediately put these in your garage sale box.

Assign: Sort your KEEP pile into types/colours of fibre and ribbon.  If your ribbons are in a big wrinkled mess, take time now to give everything a pressing (careful with the heat, some synthetics may melt!)

Containerize: Consider the space that you have, and the way that you work Here are some ideas that work for both ribbons and fibres:

1) on those little cardboard bobbins meant for embroidery floss
2) organized by colour in big clear glass jars on a shelf
3) wound and paper clipped and stored with their coordinating embellishments
4) Cropper Hopper mini embellishment boxes and sorted by colour
5) in small ziploc bags stored in a photo box, or on a big ring
6) in sports cards organizer pages, sorted by colour and in a binder
7) wound on index cards and stored in a photo box
8) loosely tied on a big ring

EQUALIZE: take a few minutes at the end of each scrapping session, when you return from a crop, or return from a shopping trip to put your ribbons and fibres away where they belong.

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

January 2017 Scrapbooking Finishes

A few years ago I was challenged to scrap a layout a day for the year.  I love a good challenge . . . even if it is only 5 days each week (weekends off).  I think this is going to be a breeze.

January 2

January 3

January 4

January 5

January 6

January 9

January 10

January 11

January 12 & 13

January 16 & 17

January 18

January 19 & 20

January 23

January 24

January 25

January 26

January 27 & 30

January 31

February 1 & 2

February 3

February 6

February 7

February 8 & 9

February 10

February 13 & 14

February 15

February 16 & 17

February 20

February 21 & 22

February 23 & 24

February 27-28