Back in the saddle January 27, 2009

I really want to spend today getting back to blogging about some projects that have come out of my scraproom lately.  This is something that now sits in my new cubicle at work and makes it a little bit prettier, I think.

What you need:

 

1.  Some sort of container to cover.  I used to work at this place that had tons of containers for small toys, and those have come in handy for several projects.  (Although they have added to my general stash-they have come in handy.)

2.  Nice sharp scissors.

3.  Glue dots or some sort of adhesive that will work for the container you are trying to cover.

4.  Ribbon.

5.  Ruler.

6.  Pretty paper, of course!

I measured the width of the container, and trimmed my paper to slightly smaller than the container size, so that my ribbon  could be the edging for it. 

Then, I adhered it to the container with the glue dots.  (I love those things!)

Next, I used the ribbon to edge the paper and make it look finished.  And there I had it, a new pencil holder for  my desk that is both pretty and functional.

 

Now, if you look at the back of the container, you’ll notice that I have a small slice that is not covered.  I really didn’t worry about it.  If this would have been for a gift, or as something that I wasn’t able to cover the back with the side of my cubicle, I would have spent more time covering the back and making sure that it was not exposed.

I’m going back to the scraproom to work on more circle journal things…and to make some more pretty pages for the scrapbooks.  I hope that this project gave you some ideas for looking at containers in a different way.  Explore the possibilites with things that you have lying around at home. A box, a bag, or a coffee can could become a great container for a gift or for some other supply.  The possibilites are endless!

New Desk January 11, 2009

I am at the point in my training at work that I have received my ‘permanent’ home.  I have a desk.  I have a cubicle.  I had little to no ‘things’ to put on or in it, yet.

So, this weekend, I took the initiative and began working on things to make my desk more pretty.  More Me.

My first project was to cover a box that I’ve  had around the house for about ummm….too long, anyway.  I’d hung onto it with the hopes of either painting it or covering it, possibly for a gift.  I think that every crafter has a few things around the house like that.  It’s too good to throw away, but not pretty enough to use.  Yet.

The desk that I have is entirely too deep, and I’d like to put some pictures behind my computer-so that I see them all of the time.  So I thought this box would be a perfect solution, and I needed to make it pretty.  Some scrapbooking paper, some ribbon and ding!  Here it is:

Pretty and functional.  That’s what I like.

I also worked on an old container that I got as a gift from a Hallmark store years ago.  It is one of those card organizers that has a tab for every month.  That really wasn’t working for me, so I decided to change it up and dress it up a better way.  Here are the results:

Much prettier and even more functional because I couldn’t resist.  I had to:

I just had to make the dividers more “me” by personalizing them, and creating the categories that I typically use for cards. 

This box will allow me to be ready with a card at any time, and have it at arm’s length.  I love it!  Not only that, those touches will allow my desk to be more pretty and feel a little more like ‘home’.

New Years Resolutions January 3, 2009

Hey, everyone!

I don’t typically make New Year’s Resolutions.  I’m a goal-orientated person already.  I know what I want to accomplish at work, I know what I want to do in my relationship with K, I understand that I need to eat better and exercise more- so I’ve never really been a big resolution maker.  But at the end of last year-and during the Christmas season, I’ve noticed the need for more direction in my crafting.

“More direction in your crafting?”  you may ask; but changes in my life this year (new job, new members in my family, new ideas for crafts) took a toll on my crafting time.  So this year, my resolutions will help to keep me more connected with the web atmosphere, they will also make me be more consicous about the time that I want to be crafting-and the time that I have to craft.  So here they are:

1.  I will take more time to craft.  Right now, I’m knitting a little bit every day, and I’m going to make that a continual habit.  I’m also going to spent more time scrapbooking and making cards for friends and family on a continual basis.  This may sound like two resolutions in one, but it really isn’t. 

I used to be the person in my family who was always organized.  I had a hand-made card (and possibly gift) for the members of my family.  I was ready for birthdays and Christmas well ahead of time.  I had supplies on hand if I needed to whip something up, and was always the one using my coupons and paying attention to sales in order to be prepared well ahead of time…  This will become more of a priority this year. 

Since I met K, I’ve let a lot of my crafting time go by the wayside. I want to be clear, it is not his fault.  I’ve just been more interested in sitting next to him on the couch and watching TV.  I can do that while I knit.  I can also bring small projects down to our kitchen table and spend time with him while I craft a little every day.  So, that is how I intend to make this resolution a reality this year.

2.  I intend to blog more.  I have thousands of ideas of blog posts.  I have photos of projects in process.  I have photos of projects that are complete.  Why haven’t I added those to the computer?  I don’t know either.  So, I’m going to kick myself in the butt and do it more often this year.

3.  Through these two resolutions, I intend to take more time for me.  I don’t see how it’s possible to keep up with the other two resolutions, and not do this one.

As you see, they are simple resolutions, and completely attainable.  I’m going to get to work right now. 

Blog post (check) knitting in my lap (check) I’m more than halfway there!

What types of crafty resolutions have you all made for this year?