What have I been up to

 

Clearing out the cupboards

So what have I been up to for the last month or so, since my last post. Still crafting avidly, spending time most days tidying my craft desk and then easily distracted and make something else untidying the desk again. As I gather up papers or dies I see projects that can be made to use them up, or I see an idea on Pinterest and just have to try it myself. 

I am also trying to update my craft files so that projects are listed for me to find them easily if I wish to revisit. at the same time I am trying to downsize my craft stash. I have at last got an idea of what papercrafts I wish to continue making and which projects I am happy to spend time on. There are only so many cards I need in a year, only so many folders and files I can use and just one or  two journals or albums.  And yet, over the last twenty years or so I have continued to add more stamps and dies to my collection until the craft cupboard is overflowing. I cannot resist pretty papers and have almost enough to stock a shop of my own. 

Having added a wardrobe full of fabrics and 2 laundry bags full of  sewn bags ready for selling at craft shows., the time has come  to decide what to keep and what to let go. To do this I have looked at my past makes from my craft files and this blog and have started to consolidate my dies, stamps tools and  store them in a way that  makes them easily accessible for use. 

This has been hard and taken a great deal of time as I sort, get distracted, make something else and then return to sorting. The up side is I have donated 3 black bags of craft items to the children’s hospice shop . Even while trying to sort I cannot throw anything out that I know can be used, and so my makes over the last 4 - 6 weeks have used up the parts I cannot bear to just throw out and I have been able to donate 4 boxes of notelets, 2 concertina folders with brag books and notebooks and 2 envelope gift boxes that hold hot chocolate sachets or any other sachets, These have all gone to a friend’s daughter who sells to neighbours and colleagues for Cancer Research, in memory of a friend.

These folders have been made using up papers from Saras Signature, Vintage Diary. I laminated the outer layers and did concertina edges to make the files. Each has been decorated with a coordinated tassel and closing with a Popper.  I have also used up pieces of copy-paper to make notepads. Whenever I sell on Ebay I print the labels for postage and it uses half  a page of A4 paper , the other half I file away and when I have a good pile I make them into pretty notepads, with the left over pieced of pretty papers making the cover.

I will be back with more items made from my tidy up of the craft room.

Happy Crafting

Dee