Sunday, February 27, 2011

Craft Room Organization

I keep telling myself that this will be so worth it in the end.......

I have spent the last few days starting to organize my craft room. I am an avid cross stitcher, scrapbooker, and I own my own photography business so to say I have a ton of "STUFF" is an understatement.

I really feel that finding an organizational method that works for you and that you can keep up with and ultilize is the hardest thing. Over the past 20 years I have organized and re-organized but this is really the first time I have done an entire room.

My stash is at the top of my list right now. I have a small room so I need to utilize space as much as possible. So this is what I have come up with for my charts....

When I get a new chart I make a sheet for it like this:
I put this sheet with the chart in a page protector and put it in a 3 ring binder (filed by designer alphabetically). When I get any items on these sheets I then take the sheet out of the binder and along with the items purchased I put them into a ziploc baggie and put them in a file that I have...... By doing this, I know what I need, what I have and what's ready to stitch. I also have built a searchable database.

This database also contains any material, threads, beads, buttons that I have purchased and have not put with any chart yet. Before I buy anything, I check the list to see if I have it.

My threads are kept on metal rings...each manufacturer is kept on a different ring and they are in alphabetical order.

It's a lot of work.....but I know that it's going to be great to be so organized.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Getting caught up.....

Well they were right. We did get some more snow. The wind seems to be the problem causing bigger drifts to deal with. I am so looking forward to spring. I realize that I live in Michigan but I do not want anymore snow.

Last night I stitched up the January design for the Oakhaven 2011 SAL. Here it is........
As you can see I have also started February. I will get that done, hopefully today. I would like to get done before March gets posted. I am planning on changing a few colors and also adding some beads, treasures or buttons along the way. There will also be a border when it's finished.
You can join the Yahoo group here:
Oakhaven Yahoo Group

I think this weekend I will also try to stitch on an abandoned project. I have a lot of those and I also have a ton of stitched items that need to be finished. So much to do....I need 48 hours in a day with no sleep!!!

Have a great weekend.
M

Thursday, February 24, 2011

SNOW SNOW SNOW.................

Looks like we are in for another round of snow.
YUCK!

I am suffering from a little sinus headache today, but for those of you in Michigan....you know exactly what I am talking about!

I started on my square for Love Quilts. I am stitching a football design for a 15 year old girl. Working on Aida is a bit difficult for me to get used to but it will be so worth it when she gets her quilt.

I got some stash in the mail yesterday......

 Lucky - Stoney Creek
 Snowflake Serenade - Country Cottage Needleworks
 Be Kind - Stoney Creek

Well I am off to go start a SAL by Oakhaven Designsthat I joined.....It is a month Owl design and I need to do Jan. and Feb. You can view some photos here on her Blog.

Have a great Thursday!!!
M

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Love Quilts

I follow a great stitcher's blog: The Twisted Stitcher Blog
and I read that she cross stitch's designs for children with different health issues. The website is Love Quilts
and it is just wonderful. So I signed up to do my first square for a 15 year old girl, Mckennah.
I am really excited to give back.....it's a great feeling.

We are still digging ourselves out of the snow. You know how it is, plow and then wait for the plow trucks to come through to cover up the sidewalk and end of the driveway.

Fiona looks as irritated as my husband was when he saw the end of his approach!!!!

I am hoping to finish up Love, Me sometime tonight and go look for some material to finish it. I just love this and may stitch it again, in different colors for a friend!

Have a great day......Michele

Monday, February 21, 2011

A new start and another blast of snow!

We sure got another beating from Mother Nature! Probably 10 inches of the white stuff was dumped on us here in southeast Michigan.
 Fiona's little paw prints on the front porch....
 Finnegan looking at the mess outside....

I was lucky enough to be driving in it, having gone to my son's college soccer banquet 2 hours away...this meant a 4 hour drive home in rain, sleet, ice and snow.

I finished the Frances & Me piece:


Friday I just start a new project. This is Love, Me by Hand to Work.




I fell in love with this design when I saw the model stitched up at my LNS...
http://www.stitchesnthings.com/



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Other blogs

I just love looking at other blogs! I like to see what other people are designing, what their stitching and especially how they are finishing their works....

Tomorrow I am going to try my hand at something new. I am going to finish my "dance" piece on a wooden box. I will post my progress.

I also bought few things today....





Amy Bruecken Designs with the embellishment pack



Waxing Moon Designs - Eat Drink And Be Scary




SamSarah Design Studio - I Will Always Be A Wildflower


Now to decide which to stitch first!!!!!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

It's TUESDAY.....and that means

Well in a nutshell that means I have a lot to do. I have a CD I need to put together for the Olivet Men's soccer team banquet, editing to do, an order to fill. I also have some organizing I want to do and I need to pay the bills.....jeez, I am busy. But with all of that I would love to get this finished off.
I am going to finish it of on the side of a storage box. I will post a picture as soon as I have it done.

So....with all I have to do I will still find time to work on this. It's a piece by Frances & Me and with all the snow we have gotten here in Michigan I thought this was an appropriate piece.

Friday, February 11, 2011

To stay or go......that is the question!

Debating whether I should stay in or go out to run errands today.....hibernating may just win out. Errands tomorrow, when it's a tad warmer, sounds better!

I need to ship some ebay items out today and I want to get the charms on the piece I'm working on so it can get finished.

A ton more organized too...and an photo order to get all done!


BUSY....BUSY!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Ohh Monday....

Lately I have been easily aggitated....Not sure why. The winter blues, being couped up because of snow or just a low tolerance. Any of them are true.

Today I have some ebay stuff to ship and I have to get some listings up. Hopefully some more great sales this week, like last.

Last night was the super bowl and I seriously can not understand how people become fans of a team that is not from the city they live in or have lived in!!! Please, explain this to me. I don't get it. But I won $120 from a football square and I LOVED the Chrysler Eminem commercial so it was worth a few hours of my time.

Fiona is getting older and was just tuckered out last night!