Still plugging along

I honestly wonder where all this stuff came from! I’m just amazed at how I had it all (and a bit more…. I’ve done a lot of clearing out) jammed into a smaller room and only a part of that room. I suppose it’s no surprise that I’d really lost a lot of enthusiasm for crafting because I could never find anything! Now I’ve discovered all kinds of fun things that I’d forgot about. It’s almost like Christmas…. the only downside is that my poor long-suffering husband keeps insisting — and I agree, for now — that I shouldn’t buy any new supplies or magazines or books for a long, long time.

Well, it’s all beginning to shape up, as day by day I make a bit more progress. Here are some photos taken a couple of days ago. I’ve made good progress today but didn’t take any photos. I will… and I really do appreciate all the encouraging and kind comments.

These are the Ikea Expedit shelves, which since this photo are now totally filled. I bought two of the 4 by 4 shelves, one of the 4 by 2 shelves (this one on casters so can be easily moved around.

In this photo it’s easier to see the red box inserts. I got  five of them. At first I thought it might have been a mistake as they’re really deep and things are going to be jumbled inside, but they are really brilliant for odd-shaped and odd-sized items. I seem to have a lot of these kinds of items for some reason. I bought four of the straw baskets at a shop in Herne Bay. They’re lined with the nicest red and white fabric. Are you beginning to see a plan here (i.e. red and white)?

As I mentioned, I’ve since moved a lot of things around and added more so will take more photos tomorrow. I’ve brought two tall bookcases from the old craft room to hold books and magazines. Yes, I’m a hoarder, but honestly I’ve thrown out so many old magazines. It made me sad but I just can’t keep everything. I spent quite a bit of time going through them  one by one today and having a real struggle with nostalgia. Some of those magazines were from 2003! My goodness how scrapbook styles have changed, and some of the magazines aren’t even in existence anymore. I’ve even culled my books!

At least now things are better organized/organised: art journaling and mixed media, scrapbooking, cardmaking, and (at the other side of the room) sewing, including patchwork. Now I’ll be able to find things when I’m looking. And the bonus is that I know what I’ve got!!!

The only thing I’m not sure about is the trolley. I thought I ordered this one (Ikea Raskog):

but instead I got this one (Ikea Bygel – half the price of the Raskog):

It’s not bad… just different. It holds a lot and has a little drawer at the top but only two wheels. Ah well…. for the price (£25), I can live with it. One thing I thought I’d be able to get rid of are all the plastic drawers I’ve been using, but it looks like I’ll be keeping those for awhile yet. I’m just so ready to get it all sorted to the point I can do some craftwork in here.

One thing I’ve come to realize/realise (US/UK spelling) is that I don’t really NEED all those magazines. Since I got a Pinterest account, if I want inspiration I only need to look through the boards I follow or my own. Pinterest is just amazing and I can’t stop “collecting” the pictures. All I can say is that there are some incredibly talented people out there, from literally all over the world. Isn’t it amazing how it seems to be a universal human instinct to want to better our little corner of the world? Our homes, our families, ourselves? Whether it’s recipes, home decor, crafts, even pets. I just love it.

Oh, the wait is killing me!!

Yes, I haven’t been able to start on the inside of the craft cabin yet. Our kitchen is nearly finished, to the point we have been putting our kitchen goods and food away all weekend. We don’t have as much extra storage as we thought we would, but it still looks good. The tiler has finished and now we are expecting the kitchen company to return tomorrow to put in the plinths and the stove, the builder to put in the skirting boards, and then we have to decide on wall tiles. The tile man suggests we wait until the window company replaces the large kitchen window before we do the wall tiles, so the kitchen won’t be COMPLETELY finished for awhile.

Now the cabin, which I shall refer to from hereon as “the studio”, is going to be painted tomorrow…. barring any unforeseen disasters like rain. I’m sooooooo ready to start moving my stash in and “nesting”. I’ve ordered two Expedit shelves from Ikea, along with a few more goodies, like the Ikea trolley below for all my tools:

(this one belongs to designer Heidi Swapp) so when that arrives (next week), work will begin in earnest. Saturday my two friends, Andrea and Diane, got to see it in its naked glory. Just wait, friends, and it will be truly a thing of beauty. Probably not until the end of October, however. I still have a lot to do, like curtains for one thing. I’ve been saving photos of other craft rooms on the Internet for inspiration, mostly from Pinterest and Houzz. Here’s my current favourite:

Unfortunately, I have no idea where this picture originated so if it’s yours, Dear Reader, please let me know.

Saturday I drove from here in the Kent hinterlands into London for the “Big Stamp and Scrapbooking Show” at Alexandra Palace, with my friends Andrea and Diane (mentioned previously). We met up with another friend, Margaret, who had come on the train. We also had a quick word with our friend, Barbara, who was demonstrating for a craft company, and I got to see a good friend, Glen (AKA “Art Angel” on UK Scrappers), who is always so nice and friendly. I hadn’t been in a couple years so I really enjoyed it, despite all the complaints I heard. I spent plenty (three figures!) and got a couple of bargains. Mostly it was standard prices, but I love seeing everything first hand. It beats ordering online!

So, it’s all happening now…… watch this space, please. Thanks for stopping by.

Grumpy Old Woman!

I've been fooling around with two "social media" sites, Pinterest and Facebook. For some reason, I just can't get my head around how they're working -- or NOT working, as the case may be. I've been scouring the Internet for guides on how to use them both and found several. They make it sound so easy, until I actually try to follow their instructions. As a former technical writer of computer manuals, I think I know my way around instructions pretty well. These, however, are either outdated (my screens don't look like the ones they show in the instructions) or are missing some vital steps. One of the cardinal rules of technical writers is to find someone with no previous experience with the program, then task them with working exactly to the instructions . . . no intuiting, no assumptions, just follow the black-and-white. That's the only way to know if you have left out anything. For example, if you (to simplify it) write how to change a tire(US)/tyre(UK), and say insert the jack handle, someone is bound to ask "What's a jack and where do I insert it?".

So, first is Facebook. I've tried to "share" a photo or two. It appeared in my "Activity Log" but never on either my homepage or my timeline page. And why do we have TWO pages (the "newsfeed" when you click the word Facebook, and the "timeline" page when you click your name)? I probably was a member for a couple months before I even noticed I had a timeline page!

Second is Pinterest. One one hand, I've become quite enchanted with this little gem, but on the other I'm ripping my hair out! Like the Facebook problem above, I wanted to share something and have it appear on my timeline page. No such luck.... One FB friend told me it appeared on her page. Fine, but it NEVER appeared on MINE, so how was I supposed to know???? I might have (but didn't) tried several times to share it, ending up with a half dozen of the same image on my friends' pages. . . and maybe they'd be so fed up they'd de-friend me!

And while we're at it, how about Instagram. Same thing... wanted to share it on Facebook. I took a photo and Instagram said it had done it, but I can find no evidence except that, according to the Instagram app, another friend "liked" it. That would imply that it did go to friends, then, right?

And just to add to my misery, this new blogger editor won't let me resize photos without choosing the size in a list. I want to size it myself (i.e. smaller than small, or perhaps in between two listed sizes).

Oh well, my grumpy old woman rant is over for today.  To take my mind off of Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, I've been making cards. I made this one yesterday:

 

And here's the inside:

 

The stamped sentiment is not crooked on the card, it's just a wonky photo, honest! It's a "just because" card for a friend who's been a bit down lately. I based it on a beautiful card I saw on the Internet (Pinterest, in fact). I wasn't sure who the original cardmaker was until I noticed the watermarked copyright: Jennifer Shults. I think hers is much prettier than mine, but I didn't have the same sentiment stamp and embellishments, but wanted to make mine just a little different anyway. I know imitation is a form of flattery but felt I shouldn't replicate it exactly, even if I would have been able to.

 

Her card (above) is just gorgeous and I love the simplicity and "cleanness" of it.