Community!!

I've done it! I managed to figure out all on my lonesome a good solution to building a community right here on my blog!! See the new tab up there next to About Me? It's called COMMUNITY and it's there for YOU ALL to participate on this blog! You might remember from my new year's resolution post that I said I wanted to build a bigger community here on the blog. I didn't have to move to Wordpress (gasp!) or pay for Ning (too pricey) but I DID figure out that Blog Frog has this nifty thing that allows me to put the community right there on a separate page on my blog!! Yippee! So, now I can have more interaction with y'all out there in blog world. Or that's the hope at least. I posted a discussion on the community page to hopefully get some people talking.

Today's discussion topic:

 What are you doing to organize for 2011? It doesn't even have to be your sewing/crafting space.

Please share! Click on the Community tab up there and reply to the discussion. Or you can just comment on this post if you'd like. Thanks for joining the Crafty Community.

Happy Stitches,
Anna

Craft Space Organization 2011

Thanks to Tip Nut for compiling ALL these GREAT links for craft space organization! I get inspired just looking at the pictures to the links!

So many of you said in your New Years Resolution comments that you want to get organized this year so hopefully this link to Tip Nut will help you get started. I plan to add more links as I find them and maybe move this to a tab up there at the top. I'd love to see before and after pictures of your reorganization of your crafty space! Remember I have a Flickr group for Crafty Girls Workshop, why not join in and add your pics to inspire us all?

And here are some books and magazines about organizing your crafty space for even more inspiration:

















Happy Stitches,
Anna

Spring (Studio) Spruce Up (part two): Sort and Organize

Why is it that the entire feel of a room can change if you change the name? If I call a room my sewing space or sewing room, it feels normal and sort of plain, but if I call it my Sewing Studio that completely changes the feel for the room! Just a random thought to start off my post about organizing.

You know, in honor of Earth Day this Thursday (April 22nd) I think it makes sense to be sprucing up our studios or some part of our homes. It's a perfect time to air out your linens that have been stored away in favor of heavier blankets, and to rexamine the items in your home/sewing space. I figured out how to do a mosaic! Here's a great website for that.

1. Fabric storage, 2. my sewing table feb 09, 3. Craft Space (new home!), 4. magnetic board on inner cupboard door, 5. my desk, 6. Ribbon storage, 7. buttons 002, 8. A corner in my studio, 9. craft room glitter shelf

These were just gathered from the first 10 pages of the over 9000 images in the Craft Rooms group!

I found some totally cute storage cubes (collapsible) at DOLLAR TREE!

All of these for just $5 total! And they match my room colors, isn't that too cute?! The rectangle ones have dividers on the inside I think those will be perfect for organizing small notions and the others will be great for FQs and precuts.

Here are some other great ideas for storage:

Ribbon Storage in jars (with great tutorial)

Fabric Folding tutorial (Happy Zombie)

Video Rack turned Ribbon Holder (French Picnic)

Tipnut Buncha Links Organize Sewing Rooms and Crafts Supplies (They did all the work for me!)

General Decluttering Tips (Tipnut again)

Organize a Craft Space (Home Made Simple)

Wow, these pictures are so inspiring! I'm very determined to get my sewing room organized from top to bottom this week so I have some great pictures to post on Saturday!

Question(s) of the day: How to do you store your fabric/papers/thread/buttons?

Do you organize by color? By size (yardage)? By collection? Theme such as holiday? Come on! Spill the beans!!

Happy SpRiNg SpRuCe Up!!

Anna

Spring Studio Spruce Up Challenge

Yeah, it's not very pretty, but here are some pictures of my Sewing Space currently. Actually, I've moved my sewing machine downstairs because my sewing space is so cluttered that I can't think in there and would rather work downstairs! Plus, it's easier to let my dog in and out all day if I'm not running up and down the stairs (need to get a doggy door).

Basically, my work space is a mess! I have the luxury of having an entire room dedicated to a creative space but yet I've moved my mess downstairs, hmm, seems sort of contradictory, don't you think? So my challenge to myself, and you if you choose to accept it, is to spruce of my sewing space for Spring! Then I can really get in there and work on some exciting projects and not feel like my hobby/business is taking over the dining room!

Here is where I plan to gain some inspiration, this AWESOME magazine we have listed for an AMAZING deal, called Studios. See where it says "storage solutions for every artist"? That's exactly what I need! We only have 4 more copies available and since this is last years' issue, we've knocked $2 off the price! So, if you want to join me in the Spring Studio Spruce Up, please post a picture of YOUR sewing space/creative space (it doesn't have to be an entire room, we can get the best inspiration from all sorts of different spaces) and we'll check back next week to see what you've done to spruce it up!

I can't wait to see your before pictures.

Happy Spring Spruce Up!
Anna

P.S. If you DO link up your before pictures you'll be entered to WIN a FREE goodie bag from Crafty Girls Workshop! I plan to do a drawing each week AND one at the end, so if you post every week, you'll get multiple entries! Please join me!!