Workspace Wednesday...lots of new stuff

It's been a while since I've posted a Workspace Wednesday post so here we go....

Trickling in are a bunch of pretty items that I'll be using to assemble some new card kits for the shop.  I've been missing the process of putting together the little pretties so be looking for fun new things this Summer.  

 I've been adding to my Martha Stewart paints.  The colors are just so pretty.  I pick up a few new bottles every now and then at Michaels.  

I've made a lot of progress on my Catherine Quilt so look for some updates soon here on the blog. 

Speaking of Workspace Wednesday, check out this peek of the June Gossamer Blue Life Pages stamp set.  I'll be giving peeks of my favorite items from each new kit on June 15th.  

Lastly, I've been adding new items to my online garage sale.  Check my shop daily for new additions over the next few weeks.  

Well.....back to the daily grind.  Thanks for stopping by.  

Workspace Wednesday...Organizing Project Life Page Protectors

It's Workspace Wednesday and today I'm sharing a little bit of organization that I did with my Project Life plastic page protectors.  I think I have all the sizes and configurations that are available from Project Life + some from other companies.  Every time I wanted to find a certain page protector a landslide of plastic packaging happened.  I also had to sort through each package to find the design I wanted.  

To make things more organized I grabbed some plastic 12 x 12 organizer for paper that I had sitting idle.  I made dividers with scrap cardboard and got my page protectors all organized. 

So now when I'm ready to plan out a week of Project Life, I grab my planner with my Pocket Planner Pages + I always have my Project Life Pages Photo Pocket Reference Sheets (the blue and orange sheets you see tucked inside my organizer, above).  You can find them under the freebie section of Becky Higgins' blog.  I print them to fit in my planner below. 

 For weeks when I'm using just a Design A, it's simple.....but for when I want to mix things up, add in inserts or change to a new design, this organization has been so helpful.

So with that....I'm off to get caught up a bit more on my Project Life.  Thanks for stopping by.

Workspace Wednesday....Washi Tape + Twine Storage

Edit:  I wanted to say "hi there" to my friend Carol and answer a question....the white storage units in the background are from Pottery Barn.  I got them probably 10 years ago and they are discontinued now.

You know how it is when you're a crafter....you have lots of stuff.  You know how it is when you're a junker....you have lots of stuff.  I love it when the two worlds collide and you come up with some fun storage.  For me, my organizational system is not all about everything coordinating and being behind pristine, white shelving.  I like wood and texture and metal...and a little rust never hurt either.  I also like to have my crafty things out in plain view.  If everything was hidden away all nice and orderly, I'd never find a thing and I'd probably forget I even have it.  That's what happens when you get to your mid-40's.  The memory gets thrown out with the dish water.  Or is bath water?  See what I mean..

So today I'm sharing two crafty items...my Washi tape and baker's twine + two junkin' finds for storage.

First up I've been using old receipt spikes to stack up my Washi tape.  I loved this system for a while but I'm finding that my stacks are tipping over and the Washi I want always seems to be on the bottom of the stack.

 So I dug out this wooden nail divider that I've had for quite some time.  I made a deal with myself that I had to get rid of whatever Washi rolls wouldn't fit in the unit.

 I think I ended up with about 8 extra rolls I had to purge but I'm confident that about 120 rolls of Washi should be sufficient.

 So what about the receipt spikes?  These things are little junkin' gems to me.  I love searching for them in junk stores.  However, the prices have gone up on these.  I used to find them for about $3-5 bucks but now they're usually $8-15 bucks.

 I was storing my twine spools in this metal strainer but it was getting a little crowded.

 I decided to use one receipt spike for each spool and I love it!  I can take a spool on the spike over to my work table and just reel off what I need for each project.  The spool stays upright and doesn't roll all over the place.

So there we have it for today's Workspace Wednesday.  I hope you find the perfect little matches made in heaven for your crafty stuff + your junky stuff.

Workspace Wednesday...Inspiration Photo on my Table

Today's Workspace Wednesday post is all about what's currently sitting out on my work table.  After the girls' accident, I wasn't feeling very crafty there for a while.  I can say though that just sitting at my work table and staring at my pretty things brought me some much needed peace.  I think that when you surround yourself by people and things that you really love, life is just better.  I've learned it's best to keep your favorite people and favorite things close to you.....the rest (people and things that clutter your life) can go by the wayside.  

So here's my workspace today.  It's looked this way pretty much all week as I tend to work in spurts with certain products. 

I've been loving my watercolor palette and have recently acquired some new brushes.  I'm testing them out and will giving a review of my favorite watercolor products here soon. 

This fun color kit that I created for a class assignment has been seen lots of attention this week.  Creating a kit like this is a fun way to focus on just a few products from your stash at a time.  

These papers have all been cut into and are now scattered about my table. These are some of my favorites that I've been hoarding but I finally took the plunge and started using them. 

Here's a little something that came about from fiddling with my color kit. 

It's the little tidbits of Washi tape, buttons tied with twine, machine stitching, little flowers and stamping that all add so much detail to a card.  I grabbed some Medium White Parcel Tags for easy sentiment placement. I'll be sharing how I used dollar store flower bundles on my cards in a future post.  It's a new fun find that I'm loving lately.

Thanks for stopping by today.  I'd love to hear what's on your work table that is inspiring you.  

Workspace Wednesday...Sewing Station

As I make my way around my craft room, I'm slowly but surely making progress on getting organized. While working on my sewing station a quote came to mind that a college professor shared to me while I was studying Interior Design.  I was sitting in her office one day as she was my advisor also.  She said, "A place for everything and everything in it's place." She was referring to this in the design sense when laying out floor plans, office cubicles, furniture, etc.  However at that exact moment she opened her desk drawer and pulled out a 2 liter bottle of Diet Coke.  I kind of chuckled and thought to myself, "Not exactly the place where most store their Diet Coke but whatever works for ya." That moment always stuck with me and the Diet Coke scene added to my belief that our spaces are about whatever works for our specific needs.  

So my approach for starting a major reorganization in my craft space goes something like this....I just started digging in with specific areas.  First I realized that indeed each group of like items needs a place.  While working on my sewing station I could have sworn that I had about 10 spools of thread.  But when I collected all the spools of thread from drawers and little nooks and crannies, I came up with over 100 spools of thread. Who knew?! So this is when I realized that one of the first big steps to organization is collecting all like items in a pile.  

Then I started sorting out what I wanted to keep and purged the rest.  I either throw items away, recycle, sell or donate my supplies.  I'm being really ruthless and if I'm not going to use it, it goes away. For example, many of these threads are new but most of them come from bulk boxes of stuff that I got at auctions.  Spools of thread are always thrown into boxes with quilts and the like.  I finally took the time to trim all the thread, wind them up nicely and sort by color.  

Just look at the rainbow assortment I have now.  To think I was just making a list of new colors I needed.  Not anymore.  I organized all of my spools of thread in this one drawer that's in the sewing machine stand table I use.  It's full so my rule now is no more thread until there is room.

This is the space where I sew which is directly behind my work table.  My Baby Lock sewing machine sits atop this vintage cabinet which I think was used previously for a beauty salon station or in a lady's bathroom.  The inside smelled of stinky powder, had lots of bobby pins in it and the paint on an inside shelf had lots of rings which makes me thinks bottles and such were stored in there.  I was  attracted to the colorful Formica, speckled top and the 2 drop down leaves.  Upon further inspection at the antique shop I found a metal label that had been painted over.  It read "Hoosier" with a town in Indiana which made Hoosier cabinets.  For $20 bucks I thought I better take it home with me.  I've yet to find a similar cabinet like this online but I am very curious about it.  I'm thinking maybe it's original use might have been a small, kitchen island but who knows.  It's a sewing cabinet now in it's new life.  :)

So I have one more area in my craft room nice and organized. My goal is to make my way around my entire craft room and get everything in it's place.  Then I'm going to step back and evaluate the big picture.  I'd really love to get rid of some white storage units and replace them with a vintage, wood storage system of shelves and cubbies and lockers. I'm not sure just what yet but I'm hoping that Summer 2014 is my lucky year for junkin'.  Also, my dream find is a giant, vintage artist easel.  I know one's out there waiting for me in all it's painty goodness. I'll keep you in the know.  Have a great day everyone!

Workspace Wednesday...journaling card storage for Project Life

Welcome back to Workspace Wednesday.  It's a day that I share something from my work room with you.  I recently purged and organized all of my 3 x 4 and 4 x 6 journaling cards for Project Life so I thought I'd share my storage system.  

This little area in my work room is where all the Project Life stuff happens.  Today I'm going to focus on the left area. 

This area is directly behind my work table where I stand.  These units all sit on top of an old table that I got at an old school auction made by the local Grangers.  

The organization that works best for me is having all of my supplies out in the open so that I can see them, rifle and dig through them and remember what I have.  For my Project Life cards, I store them standing upright in a vintage, wooden utensil drawer.  I use Large Manila Parcel Tags for dividers which have the manufacturer typed on the upper corner.  I keep my journaling cards sorted by manufacturer since the styles of the cards remain somewhat similar for each.  My rule for my Project Life cards is that I can only keep what fits in this unit.  If I find that the cards get too snug, it's time to sort through the cards and purge.  

The brands of cards that I use most are: Gossamer Blue (from kits and the blank journaling cards available at the Gossamer Blue store), Evalicious, Banana Fish Studio, Elle's Studio, Ali Words for Technique Tuesday, Studio Calico and some of my own handmade cards.  

 I took out my Gossamer Blue stamps that are stored in this empty space below so that you can idea of what wooden utensil drawers look like.  Usually there are 4 divided areas.  I find these old pieces so endearing...always wondering who used them, what that kitchen looked like, what the silverware looked like.  I'm nostalgic that way and these fine, hand crafted works of art always make it home with me.  Many are crafted with dove tail joints and great craftsmanship.  Usually they are painted and have a chippy appearance due to wear and age.  I am finding that the prices for these are sky rocketing so if you find one in good shape for under $20,  you're doing good.  If I remember, I'll snap some photos of my other utensil drawers and share here on the blog.

 For my Project Life brand journaling cards, I have sorted and purged and have a nice sized stash still available.  These all reside in some old wooden drawers that I've collected along the way. I still use these from time to time and have also found other uses for them...like for card fronts, attaching to packages as thank you notes, making little lists, etc.

 The three wooden units sit on top of this industrial looking file drawer.  I keep ink pads in the two drawers right now but am in the process of rearranging all of my inks....purging ones that I don't like, making room for the new ones, labeling, etc.  I'd like all of my inks to be grouped together so these drawers will most likely be repurposed for something else and the inks will find a new home.

Workspace Wednesday.....constantly making exciting discoveries

Welcome back to Workspace Wednesday. I've devoted each Wednesday to discuss something about my workspace.  Today I'm talking about organization..or lack there of in my case most of the time.  I've been around crafting all my life but have been heavily into the scrapbooking and cardmaking world for about 17 years.  I've seen more supplies come and go in and out of my craft room than you can shake a stick at.  I find it fascinating to peek into the lives of others to learn about their organizational solutions. It seems to be just as enjoyable as our paper crafting hobbies.  

I have discovered a few things about my organizing ways.  I find that sometimes specific items are grouped together and I know right where they are.  Other things are stacked in organized piles and sit for months on end.  That's pretty much how I roll with everything in my house....and I don't sweat it. 

Let's discuss a few examples of my organization.  For my Project Life, I clean off my table and have very little visual clutter when I begin a week.  You can see the photos here of that organization. I think it's because I have an actual plan of what I'm working with from the beginning.  I can keep things condensed.  

But now let's discuss card making. For this process, I might have a sketch or previous project to refer to sometimes but usually I am craving inspiration.  I need "stuff" around me to inspire me..to get those creative juices flowing.  The photo below is straight from my work table this week.  You're getting a sneak peek at some March Gossamer Blue products at work.  Once I'm done with my assigned projects, everything gets scattered about on my table.  I need to see those pretty patterns and colors.  I love to see all of those embellishments.  Seeing those watercolors out makes me happy. It may look like a big hot mess when you look at the big picture......but then something begins to happen. 

A closer look shows that there is some creativity brewing.  Products are being gathered. Some bits of a project are coming together.  There's a little order amongst all that organized chaos.  

Before you know it, some finished projects are emerging.  The smallest of bits and pieces are finding their way onto what appears to be cards this time around. 

One by one, that's how projects happen for me.  A little something catches my eye.  I find a scrap of my  favorite patterned paper or a little snippet of ribbon...or a few sequins that would finish off a project beautifully.  It's amongst those little piles that I keep the process going.  I keep creating.  I keep making stuff.  I keep discovering......I hope you do too.  

I found this quote from one of my Pinterest boards and it was so fitting for today.  This year I've decided against choosing One Little Word but instead I'm choosing quotes that inspire me from time to time.  Enjoy your discoveries....

(Pinterest source)

Workspace Wednesday...Creating Your Own Watercolor Palette

It's Workspace Wednesday time and today I'm sharing how I created my own watercolor palette. I've had these photos since September when I first set up my watercolor palette but I never knew just when or where to share them.  My Workspace Wednesday seems like just the right spot.  

The reason I wanted to create a watercolor palette of this variety is because I wanted lots of colors, I wanted to be able to refill colors when they ran low, I wanted to be able to custom mix colors right onto a palette and I wanted something that was fairly small and easy to fold up and store or take with me on my travels if I wish. 

I researched and googled and looked through tons of photos on Pinterest and I finally found the system I wanted to try.  First up was the paints.  Although Winsor & Newton watercolors were far and above the preference for good quality from most of my research, it's all about personal preference.  I might just add, I'm not a watercolor artist...I'm just someone who likes to dabble with watercolors and maybe someday I'll hone my skills enough to get back into some landscape painting like I did in my high school and college days.  

For my watercolor paints, I chose some inexpensive tube paints by Reeves and some from Cotman paints which are from the makers of Winsor & Newton.  The Cotman paints are less expensive and include both traditional pigments and reliable synthetic colors that replace some of the more rare and expensive pigments used in the artist grade Winsor & Newton paints.  I have since picked up some Winsor & Newton colors and a set of gouache paints to try out.  Here's the color palette that I started with, a rainbow variety.

Next up was choosing a watercolor palette.  When I first came across these aluminum, empty watercolor boxes my heart skipped a beat.  It was like a makeup compact for paints and refillable compartments.  The little organizer in me was a happy camper.  The particular palette I purchased was the Kremer Watercolor Box. It holds 28 full pans or approximately 50 half pans of tube watercolor paint. If I remember correctly this shipped from the UK and took about a month to arrive.  I was originally wanted this Schminke Watercolor Box but it's out of stock all the time.  I am very happy with my Kremer box and it was less expensive too.  

Okay, so you're asking what the big deal is with these watercolor palettes...or travel watercolor palettes as many call them.  The palettes come in lots of different sizes which means the bigger the palette, the more pans they hold.  So what are pans, you ask?  Pans are the plastic containers which hold the tube paints.  My particular palette holds almost 50 half pans which are the little square containers.  This means you can add 50 colors of paint.  A full pan is the rectangle container which is twice the size of the square pans.  So it holds twice the paint in one container but less of them fit in a palette.  My palette holds about 28 full pans.  These are sold separately from the palette. 

Once filled, the pans snap into the metal rows as you can see below.  They are held snugly in place by those metal "teeth" so that they don't move around while painting or traveling with the paints. The other great thing you'll see below is that the paint palette has two fold out trays with wells.  These are for mixing the paints and creating custom colors.  You can also squeeze out paint directly onto these areas and leave them there to dry for even more little palette areas.  When done painting you can leave the mixing areas with the paint in them and just keep re-wetting those areas. I prefer to clean up my palette each time since I never know what colors I'll use next.  

On to filling the palette.  You can see the photo above with all my tubes of paint lined up in rainbow fashion.  This is how I chose to put the filled pans of paint into my palette.  I grouped together browns and blacks....

Here I have yellows, oranges and some reds....

Then purples, blues and more reds that carried over from the photo above...

Greens and blues.....

Then it was time to fill the plans.  This was such a fun process, just surrounding myself with art supplies again.  It's been a while since I lugged my art box and t-square across campus.  To fill a pan you simple squeeze the paint into the pan.  I would suggest filling the pan even more than what I have shown in the post.  They shrink down a bit and tend to crack....and I think if I had more paint in the pan originally that maybe I could have prevented that.  

Here's some of the pans all filled.  Oh..pretty.

I read a tip through my research about creating a well in the paint pan before the paints totally dried.  This created a dip in the paints so that when you added water to moisten the paints, it would not seep over the sides.  It was a good tip indeed. To do this you let the paints dry til a little film forms over the paint...but don't let them dry completely.  Maybe a few hours for this part.Then I just had a glass of water and some paper towels handy and dipped my pinky fingertip into the water...then pressed it into the filled paint pan.  The water helps the paint not stick to your finger so much.  Clean between paints and repeat the process. 

You can see a closeup of what the well looks like here.

Then you just let all the paints dry.  Mine took several days and I just left my palette open on a safe surface.  

I also used a fine tip Sharpie marker to label the brand and color onto each filled pan.  Another good tip I found online. 

Here is my lovely little palette filled with all the colors I had at this time.  You can see that in the middle there is a space for a brush. I saw that some artists keep little sponges in some of the spaces and some keep pencils, small erasers and other supplies they need while painting. 

Right before my paints all dried is when they looked their best. 

This is what my paint palette looks like today.  I've added some more watercolor colors and some gouache colors to my palette since.  You can see that some cracking happened.  This doesn't affect the paints at all.  I added some paints back in to fill the pans a little and that did help somewhat. 

Okay, still with me? Here's a photo of my paints in action.  I find that I can easily pull out my watercolor palette for even the smallest of jobs.  On this day I was working on some flowers for cards.  I mixed up the coordinating colors and could easily have my palette and a tin of water nearby without taking up too much space. 

If I want to work on bigger jobs, I've found that these enamel coated lids that fit on vintage refrigerator boxes, baking pans or perhaps medical tool trays work wonders.  Another tip from Pinterest. Here I was actually using paints from the tube with a shimmer medium.  

Another larger job using Hero Arts Daubers with lots of water.  These enamel lids clean up wonderfully. 

Here are just a few of the ways I've used watercolors.  I'm using them mostly for cards and packaging and tags, etc right now.  Someday I will be brave enough to paint that landscape.  Until then here's a fun packaging idea from this kit. 

Some watercolor wash I did in the colors of the rainbow for a card.

These pretty little sentiment pieces with flowing watercolors.  I loved these.

Finally I'd like to share some of my inspiration for my watercolors.  I have two Pinterest boards that I visit often for ideas and just to gaze and get lost in inspiration sometimes.  The first board is my Art Studio board where I have lots of photos of watercolor palettes, paint brushes, studios...the photos that just make you happy to look at.  The other board is my Watercolor Inspiration board where I have pinned photos of actual watercolor paintings, tutorials, techniques, etc.  These are my "some day I will paint like this" board. 

(photo inspiration from my Pinterest boards) 

I hope you are inspired to try using watercolors in your work.  Don't be intimidated, just start.  Just pick up the brush and make some puddles of color.  It's so fun to just dabble.  It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't even have to make it to an actual project.  The process is just as important as the finished product.  Hope you enjoy.