6 tips I've learned for organizing my work space

When I first started sewing bags a couple of years ago, I was working out of my dining room. I hated having to put everything away at the end of every work day, so I eventually moved down into our storage room. There at least I could leave my ironing board up, my sewing machine out, and my projects half finished! Then a little more than a year ago, my husband upgraded me to my current space, our former excersize room. Now that it is finished, I feel less embarrassed to share with you a couple of tricks I've learned over this time, on how to organize my space, supplies and projects...

1. One of my problems was always forgetting to turn things off. I can't tell you how many times I've left my iron on, or walked away with my sewing machine lights still burning. So I configured my space and cords (of which there are many!) so that they could all be plugged into one surge protector. I checked with my electrician friend, and he assured me that this a perfectly safe:)  This way, when I start to work, or finish work, I just flip one switch, and everything turns off! There is also another reason I did this...last summer, while I was working, our house got struck by lightening. Fortunately all of my equipment was fine, but I don't want to take any risks. Now I have only ONE plug to unplug durning a bad storm. Ahhh, easy peace of mind :)



Now I have only ONE plug to unplug durning a bad storm. Ahhh, easy peace of mind :)



I have yet to figure out a chic way to hide all of my cords...any ideas?!?!

2. I also have all of my supplies stored in this hideous, bright red, professional tool box.

I camoflauged it by hiding it under my ironing table, but it is still an eye sore.

My soulution? A shower curtain, attached with a tension rod.



I also made myself a

floor mat cover out of the same shower curtain to

cover my ugly, industrial rubber floor mat.

Much cuter, I must say!



3. I got a great idea for storing my piles and piles of fabric. I made little mini fabric bolts out of foam core board. It is like a mini fabric store on my cutting table. I keep as many of my prints and textures as I can on there, with an extra cabinet of solids or pieces which are way too big for the bolts in my closet.  Here is a link to the tutorial where I found the idea...thanks!

4. After trying a tackle box for my small parts, I came up with the economical and cute idea of using different size mason jars. I love the way this looks!



                              



5. I never had enough room on my ironing board for all of my pieces, so I had the idea of transforming a tabletop into my ironing board. I layered a baby crib mattress, bath towel, and Insulated interfacing. Then to make it look better, I topped it all off with a really cute vintage sheet, cut down to size. This is the table I work at 90% of the time, and it works great for me!  

                     

              *disclaimer- The steam on your iron WILL RUIN the table top,even with all of the layers. So PLEASE don't try this on a

table you plan to turn back into a table. Capiche??? Good :)

6. Pegboard. Who knew?? I took a scrap of my Dad's old peg board, painted it blue and Voila, I have a place to keep my tools within easy reach, while adding a punch of color to my room at the same time! This would be a great addition to any craft room, and can be customized a gazillion different ways with different hooks, shelves, colors etc. Have fun with it!

So there it is, a few lessons I've learned from my mistakes! If my studio were tidy-er, I would share some more, but I guess that will have to wait until another day!

 I hope someone else can take some of these tips and find their own creative way to spruce up their work space. I would love to see pictures ;)

Someone liked what I had to say :) I feel so smart.

Guess who was seen as being smart enough to be featured on an organizing blog???  Me! I can't wait to share this with the hubs. You see, he is the ultra organized, type A personality, so my lack of organization DRIVES HIM BONKERS! But I do try REALLY HARD to keep my work space serene and clutter free, so it makes me smile to be known in blog land as being in the elite "organized" group :)


Thanks in advance for checking out her post!

DIY Curtain Project

We have a beautiful, solid oak dining room table. It is big, heavy and has 4, yes I said 4, table leaves. These are great when we have a sit down dinner for 16...(read,NEVER) so I inevitably end up storing them. We tried storing them in the basement on shelves, but they took up too much space. We tried standing them upright in our hall closet, but with kids, it was dangerous. I had to find a place to store those monstrous things, so I would not have to look at them ANYMORE :)

So here is what I did, I sacrificed a section of my bedroom closet to make them a home. And also a place to store my American flag, apparently. If I were on the ball, it would be hanging proudly on my front porch, but since I always forget to take it down at dark, I feel disrespectful. So out of respect, it is in my closet. What?!?! Anyways...

Still ugly,huh? And did I mention there is a huge picture window directly in front of this shelf? A window that open to my front yard?  How will I ever hide these things?

On a trip to Walmart it came to me....

Here is how I did it:

I bought a $7 full size sheet in a color I liked. They have about a million to choose from. Just make sure it's a FLAT sheet. But you knew that already, right?

Then you'll need

-a sewing machine (or not, you can also use stitch witchery if you are a sewing machine - phobe)

-a seam ripper

-an iron

-a bar to hang your curtain on (I was able to use a clothes bar from my closet)

I measured the opening to my closet, and cut the sheet to the height, adding about 4 inches for the hem. Also keep your sheet at least twice the width of your opening, or you won't get any ruffle action. (Then it will look like you have a sheet hanging in your closet....)

I folded the bottom over twice to get a little weight at the bottom, as well as a straight hem. And since I was ironing, I stuck some stitch witchery in the hem as I folded  to "glue" my hem in place. It made it much easier to sew such a long straight line later.

I used the factory stitched top of the sheet as my curtain top. I had to open up the sides with my seam ripper, but then you are left with an open tube.

The factory stitching is gray, and I used brown, because I was in a hurry.  
But hey, it's easy for you  to see where I sewed :)

I stitched about an inch from the top of the tube to give a little extra ruffle.

And now I have a pretty, ruffly curtain to hide my hideous oak monstrosity's! Isn't it cute? These would work anywhere, even on a window. It's a low-sew to no-sew project that takes hardly any time at all.

Crawling my way out from under 12 purses

So it is summer, I have two kids home all the time and I still have to work to earn money. So what does this all mean? I decide to make 12 purses, which on a normal day is easy-peasy. But when all of my attention can't be focused on my work, I have found that these summer days are not very productive! So I am crawling along at a snails pace, anxious to see these finished! Basically, I'm writing this to show MYSELF that I have, in fact, made some progress :)

To keep order and to help me track what goes where, I cut out all the "parts" I need for the outside of these purses. Then I had to label them, so I would know what goes where. Thank goodness for sticky notes :)

Yes, I had to make a chart. I never makes charts, because that is too orderly for a scatterbrain such as me! But it was the only way I would know which fabric pieces I already cut, which fabrics I had to find,match and cut, and finally how to put them all back together again. I will repeat, thank goodness for sticky notes!

Ok, so to the general blog reader, it might look like I didn't get very far, that I only moved piles around a little, but REALLY I got a lot sewn and ironed! You can't see it but I finger ruffled 12 outside pockets yesterday. I was really proud of myself.

Next time I post about these purses, hopefully they will somewhat resemble something you might like to carry!
 Wish me luck.
Hold on.... the kids are calling me. Ugh.

Why I Treat Every Order Like It's A Gift

I have to admit that everytime I turn on my computer and see those glorious words "Etsy Transaction" I get very giddy inside. (And outside, I always yell to the hubs, or call my bff!) As a tiny business owner there is something so special about knowing that someone, someone who doesn't even know me, likes what I am doing. Likes it enough to invest their hard earned money in order to have it in their hands. And that speaks VOLUMES to me. I acknowledge every day how much God has blessed me both personally and in my business. I acknowledge every day this gift He's given me, to be able to provide for my family, doing what I LOVE, while still being home to be present with my girls. And I don't ever want to take that for granted.

So this is why I treat every order as if it's a gift. I want my buyer to get their package in their hands, with a sense that they are about to open something special. Even if someone comes to my studio to buy a bag, I always wrap it and box it with my signature style. Yes, they know what's in the box, but I just know that I'd be excited to peel back the layers when I got home, revealing the splurge that I've been waiting for.

When I mail out online orders, I always handwrite the envelope. You know that feeling when you go to the mailbox and see a handwritten card? I love that!

 

I got this picture sent to me on facebook from an awesome customer that said:
 "Hey everybody...look what I got in the mail today"!
I loved knowing her reaction, it was a gift in and of itself :)

I want my buyers to know that I took the time to personally wrap and deliver their new "gift". I also use the same tissue paper/sticker combo that I use on my "in person" pickups, to keep my packaging consistant. I feel like that little pop of color and personality gives the person a little preview of what they are about to unwrap! And with every mail order goes a handwritten thank you card. How can I let people know that I appreciate their business if I don't take the time to tell them? So I do :)

I really feel like the little details can go along way towards showing my gratitude. And I am more than grateful to wake up each new day and getting to see my little venture unfold. Who knows? Maybe I'll see a new "Etsy Transaction". Fingers crossed... :)

How I Make My Own Laundry Soap and Fabric Softner

I am a sucker for all things handmade, so when a friend (now I have to plug her FB page...she is too cute!) Rita posted on Facebook that she makes her own detergent, I was intrigued! So I asked her for the recipe, and was shocked at how easy and fun it can be to make your own detergent. The hardest part is going to a couple different stores to get your ingredients...they can be a little tricky to find. And with my kids PILES of laundry, the cost per load savings are Grrrrr-eat!

How do such little bodies make so much laundry?!?!?

Here is Rita's recipe:

1 bar Fels Naptha Soap (finely grated in a food processor)

1 cup Washing SODA (Arm and Hammer brand)
1 cup Borax
...
Mix in a sealed container (or even an old commercial brand box works).

I have an HE/front loader and use approx 1-2 T of powder per load.

Easy-peasy, right? And I swear by it. It even removes the f-u-n-k-y odors I find lingering in my kids clothes! Amy and I make this together, everything is ALWAYS more fun with a friend :)  We like to go online and get ideas, to experiment and change up the recipe a little.

Me and Amy...

To go along with my new soap, I hated to add chemical laden commercial softener, so I did some research online and figured out how to make my own :) I will show you the recipe further down, but first I needed to show off the cute containers I made...total THRIFT STORE finds! I then took my cricut, and cut out vinyl letters as labels and made my  little glass containers cute enough to store on my laundry room counter.

And now for the fabric softener/deoderizer recipe I promised: Get out your paper and pencil, you will need to make a list.

1. White distilled vinegar

Thats it! I love my bottle of vinegar for many things, such as counter cleaner, carpet freshner, you name it, I'm the vinegar queen! So when I realized that I could use it to soften and deoderize my laundry, I was stoked! So I just removed the ugly Heinz label, slapped some vinyl on my vinegar bottle, and I then pour it directly into my machines softener dispenser.

 And before you ask, your clothes WILL NOT smell like a salad. The smell magically dissipates after vinegar dries,  leaving them simply smelling fresh and clean :)

If anyone has anything to add, or any fun laundry room tips, I'd love to hear them! I am also ALWAYS on the lookout for recipies for making my own cleaning products....hint,hint :)