craftastic mess

Ok.... Big big sigh... I'm tidying up and have managed to consolidate things into just one pile! Now I just need the motivation to whittle away at this pile. Wish me luck!

getting organized - part 1

Oy vey! It's been long long overdue... but today I started organizing my studio space. I had to take a few pics just to commemorate the occasion. Now, this might look pretty organized to some, but I have no idea what's in all those drawers. I have yarns, threads, tools, projects in various states of completion and who knows what else all mixed up there:

Add that to the fact that I have an addiction. Yes, my name is Sheryl and I'm addicted to purses, handbags, project bags,  totes, backpacks, gadget bags .... call them by whatever name you please! And, I hate to admit this, but what you see in this pic is just the tip of the iceberg. I was too embarrassed to show the other pile:

So, I started by shorting out the bags and the projects, tools, etc... hidden within. I did make quite a dent in all this. Of course I also dug up some projects I had forgotten about and will now serve to distract me for the next week or so. Take this yarn, for instance:

I had forgotten I had so much of it (probably about 8 skeins in all). I found it in a discount bin a while back,  and since I was in a felting mood I snapped it up. It's hard to tell from this pic, but it's sort of a royal blue color and not something I would have ever paid full price for, but hey... it's wool and now I feel obligated.

This has also given me a chance to get some of my tools together. I'll think about my tatting shuttles another day:

I love coming across something that you haven't seen in a while that brings back the memories... and here it is! As I was going through a couple drawers of little pouches and purses I found my old rabbit fur clutch purse!  I bought this at a thrift store back when I was in college, which though I'd love to say was just a few years ago, was really more like 30 years ago, and what a find it was! It's an olive green colored clutch bag (I think it's rabbit, anyway.. I'm really not sure):

 

At the time it made quite a fashion statement. I put this shiny green chain on it back then so I could wear it around the body ... wow.. classy!

project containers and such

A favorite pastime for many of us fiberholics ( I use the word many cause I hate to think that I'm alone here!) is collecting usable bags/containers/gadgets to store and carry our craft and crafting tools around with us ... it's a big part of the fiber addiction! I must admit that a certain percentage (not as yet determined mathematically) of my fiber studio space is taken up by various kinds of bags and such.

Of course, the size of the project will dictate the size of the project bag needed. Back in August I blogged about a great bag I picked up at the CGOA conference.. compartments and pockets and zippers .. oh my!! Here's a couple pics of what I'm using right now, which means ... for this week anyway:

The little cloth covered, wooden framed, foldable thing looks like what my grandmother used to use when she crocheted. This one, however is much smaller. It's only about 5.5" in height, with a width of about 4.5" x 3.5". I can't remember exactly where I bought it. I think it was in a "dollar store" when I was living in Spain. It's just big enough that I can fit the filet scarf into it, fold it (somewhat anyway) and slip it into my work bag for my commute to work. I like that it sits on a table and is just big enough to hold the few things I often need at hand, in this case: a ball of thread for the little filet crochet scrarf I'm working on, a couple tatting shuttles, assorted needles, scissors, bobbins, tape measure and (if you notice the little bag hanging off the side) smaller things like a couple needle threaders (I'm good at breaking them!), stitch makers, paper clip, and a button or two.

Here's the inner view:

I'll save mention of my handbag collection (blush - yeah, like you couldn't guess) and my collection of little bottles for beads (woohoo for hotel condiments served up in those little glass bottles) for another post! And... just to set the record straight... I own fewer than ten pairs of shoes!!