Wednesday, October 26, 2016

In Love with Bible Journaling--WOYWW 386

Happy Wednesday lovely! I hope you are in your happy place. This is mine, and it's even happier with this new cordless glue gun I found at Hobby Lobby! Used a coupon, and was completely delighted the first time I used it and realized it also has a light on it. What!! No cord AND a light? I didn't even know they put lights on glue guns now. So yes, we are in love. I'm doing a page in my bible journal notebook. I also have an actual journaling bible and I'm really enjoying it.
My bible journaling tote
I picked up a craft tote on sale half price, from Paper Studio, at Hobby Lobby, and thanks to inspiration from The Reset Girl on YouTube, I have a dedicated bible journaling tote. It also hold other kinds of journaling. Having my bible journaling supplies, my bibles, notebooks, stamps, stencils, paints, markers, everything all together in one place actually causes me to sit down and do it! I can take it out on the sunporch, take it in the car, I'm amazed. Why didn't I think of this long ago! And I just purchased some downloadable digital art from Illustrated Faith, and getting ready to have fun with that. It's all printed out. And the great thing is, I can print it out as many times as I want.



And, while I'm on a roll, I have a new little ultrasonic cool mist oil diffuser that sits on my craft table. I love having one, it's awesome, it even changes colors, and again, why didn't I get an oil diffuser long ago! My favorite daytime scent combo is lemongrass and peppermint. I feel happy and more energized. I think it works! In fact, I'm finishing the November room in the dollhouse cross-stitch! Not long ago I was behind by two months. But I really loved stitching this little kitchen. So, I should be done with the December room by my birthday! (Nov. 10) That would be cool. I may go back after I'm done, and stitch a couple of my favorite rooms to be little individual pieces to frame.
And lastly, I found the cutest little mini stapler, and I love this little thing, it is very sturdy. I keep another mini stapler I like in the bible journaling tote, so I got this one to just sit on the craft desk, and it even has the little page flag dispenser on top. Cute!
So, after I grab another cuppa coffee, I'll hop around the WOYWW neighborhood for a visit. Cheers and happy Wednesday!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch



Monday, October 24, 2016

My New Desk Organization Companion--Craft Tote Bliss Part One

Week after week...messy desktop after messy desktop...constantly wondering why can't I keep this place tidy so I'll feel more creative...what's my problem.
Well, now I know thanks to a half-price craft tote sale at Hobby Lobby. I was always drawn to these totes, but in the back of my mind I thought, what would I really do with all those pockets, nooks and crannies and they'd most likely end up being tossed aside, OR cause me to buy craft supplies I don't really need to fill up those pockets!

Oh no, no, no, mademoiselle. Oh contraire. They solved two big craft desk organization problems!

Let me say first, it's one thing to actually have a project spread out...but it's another to constantly have my piles and ongoing mess!

Problem One: I am always working on more than one project, and I don't want to let one get buried, forget what I was doing with it, and it ends up in the UFO bin. So it's in a pile on the desk.
Problem Two: If I really put things away, completely out of my sight, then they tend to stay there. For years possibly. I forget about them and don't use them. That is a craft tragedy in my mind. So I tend to let those things hang around on my desktop somewhere, knowing that at least I'll see them all the time. But then, you know, things get piled up.

What the craft tote does: All the stuff that I like to use all the time is upright, visible, yet organized in the craft tote. It even has a sturdy ring to hang my washi rings on! I love that. And, although it is loaded up and very heavy, it has super sturdy handles, so I can move this thing around the craft room. I can change out what I want in it, and basically it is my messy desktop all organized and extremely handy without taking up all that valuable real estate on the desk. It is now housing little patterned paper pads I want to use soon, the cropadile, favorite pens and markers, my new cordless glue gun (go me), things that tend to go in and out of my purse and lay on my desktop, my planner, stencils, stamps, ink pads, favorite scissors, and my awesome mini stapler.
And this Paper Studio Craft Tote is still not completely full. It has interior pockets within the compartments, so I can stuff receipts in there, mail, a package of ephemera I don't want to open yet but don't want to lose track of, and my extra Midori goodies I'm working on.
I could also stick my current stitching project in here, but I actually rescued a smaller, old craft tote and have deemed it my current stitching project tote--I was on a roll. And now my desk is happy.
Just my big to-do listy book I was writing in, and a cuppa.
And if you've made it all the way down here...here's what NOT to buy at Hobby Lobby.
Isn't it adorable! A little portable office. DON'T buy it. It promised that it came with a hole punch. There's no hole punch in here. Then, I tried to load the stapler and it immediately broke. *sigh* I'm going to take it back. And anyway, I have a cute mini stapler from Office Depot that works fantastic. I don't even know why I bought this--I was sucked in by the cuteness.

Later this week I'll post my Craft Tote Bliss Part Two--what really started all of this. My bible journaling tote! It's the same tote by Paper Studio in a different color, and it is now home to all my wonderful bible journaling goodies that I can carry around the house, move from table to desk, or take in my car. I'll break it all down for you on how I put mine together and why on Thursday.

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch


Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Crafting in the Cosmetics Aisle...a little Tuesday tip

This is a little reminder that you don't have to shop at the craft stores for everything in your crafty corner of life. I happen to love all the new rose gold that's been appearing everywhere. And I needed a little embroidery bag to throw in my work bag every day. BUT...I really wanted one with rose gold hardware. It just makes me happy.

I was in the cosmetics aisle, though, not the craft store, and I found a whole new inexpensive line of cosmetics bags from Flower Beauty--the new brand by Drew Barrymore. The best thing, besides the price, is the gorgeous oversized rose gold zipper pulls and hardware! So cute. I just picked up this little one for now, and then right there in the same aisle, I found rose gold stork scissors! What?!? As someone who threads a needle every day, I love my little gold stork scissors. But these rose gold stork scissors are adorable. They're meant to be brow trimmers, but now they are repurposed as another pair of embroidery scissors, plus they look cute in this bag. Boom!

It's just those little daily things that can bring us extra joy--so why not find what you like and repurpose it! After all, my favorite travel craft bag is an Orla Kiely diaper bag! And I left the actual diaper bags years far behind me! But let me tell you, nothing has more pockets or is built more sturdy than a diaper bag. Makes you rethink what you need and where you shop for it!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

The Coffee Keeps Pouring the Floss Keeps Flying--WOYWW 383

Happiest of Wednesdays Lovely! It's What's-On-Your-Workdesk-Wednesday I have a friend who calls his wife "Lovely-Lovely" and so that's what we all call her! But we're lovelies too.

Anyhoo...yep...I'm drinking coffee and cross-stitching. I'm obsessed with this dollhouse cross-stitch. But at least I've arrived in the October room right on time. What you see there is the September room, the first room on the first floor, but it is a double room because it has the dining room part in it which is the October room. I am well into the dining room now, because this was yesterday, and I can't wait to do the cute kitchen! Oh my goodness.

Too bad I also have to work, do laundry, chores, cook, clean, feed cats...I swear I'm just in a mood to hole up and stitch and watch Netflix! 
Oh I won a happy mail prize by the way! Just a box of $25 of random craft supplies from Factory Direct Craft. There is a lot of fun stuff in there too.

Happy Wednesday!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch


Tuesday, October 4, 2016

A Little Tuesday Tip for Cross-Stitchers

If you have long used the Stitchbow system of keeping your DMC floss, then no doubt you have lost labels! So many times my DMC labels just pop right off when I don't notice, and then I really have to track down what color I've got on there!

But see the one in the middle? Yep, that's pink washi tape. It wraps around there easily and I just write the DMC number and wallah...it doesn't fall off! I think I'll eventually have all the ones I'm using right now relabled this way. And the washi tape is cute, you could color code it for different projects you have going on, and as long as it's a light color you can easily write on it.

Just a little Tuesday tip!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch