So how was your Christmas Break?

Ours was lovely, with lots of food, family, games, toys to play with and time to play!  Although too soon it passed by and did you know..it's only 350 days 'til Christmas again!

Do you use Skype? So many people use that to keep in touch with far away family and certainly we do.   

We had a camera tour of my sister-in-law's small bedroom and now her new craft room that she received as a Christmas gift.  I can't show you the live tour, but can show you some photos she sent.  She has made terrific use of a small bedroom making it into a great crafting space with all her favourite toys, like her PC, Silhouette SD and Cuttlebug able to sit out and be used. 

She used some eavestrough  (guttering she called it) to hold her ribbons, towel rails for her punches, spice rack for her Stickles to just name a few repurposed items.  The boxes hold all the "clutter" giving a more uniform look. 

Don't you love it? 

Amazing what you can do with a small somewhat under used space, which will now be used often.   And yes there's still space for the throw out chair that her grandson sleeps on when he stays over, all that in a 9 x 6 space...great planning job!

  Here you see the before and after of the space behind the door.

 A work in progress as the wallpaper is removed to create this lovely bright and cheerful room.

And the finished wall with all those lovely boxes and I see the Cuttlebug has a home now, but the SD still sitting on the floor for the moment.  No, I see from the next photo that was the empty bag and the Silhouette has it's own spot too.

 The counter top was just the right height to accomodate the storage drawers beneath, and don't you love those cube shelves to tidily store the myriad of things you have in a craft room.  Along with the high shelf around the room for those not so often used but needed tools and supplies.

Then just around the side we see the sewing area.  Notice the eavestrough (guttering) with the ribbons on display 

Here's what Di had to say about her new space.....

I love it,  I can work and leave the project laying,  ready for a quick pick up when I have a dot of time without having to clear a room and protect the work in progress. 

I have a  birthday card to make today for Sonia, this will be a special card for so many reasons, including the first fully created and completed card from my craft room.

Looking at what Di had created made me realise I wanted to "tweak" my room a bit more, so that's what I've been doing the last couple of days.  I'll show you a little, but more will come later. Sometimes these projects never end!

I've been promising myself for a while now that I would label my Distress Inks, but on the other hand I knew it would be a time consuming job.  So yesterday was the day for that along with building a unit for all 30 some to sit on. 
The shelf isn't finished yet, so I will show you that later, but here's a look.

My other promise to myself was to better organise the right side of my workspace to store my trimmer and guillotines. I did this by moving the small unit over a couple of inches to allow a narrow space to take both guillotines, the trimmer which I don't use so often is behind the large guillotine.   Do you see those two empty magazine racks?  They are just waiting for two to three new albums to be completed and put in there don't you think?

I added another shelf on top of the unit to tie it into the paper storage stack and then a narrow shelf that ties into the shelving unit that goes across the end of my desk space as well as the paper stack, making for a more unified look.  I have to paint the laminate and pine boards so I'll show you that when it's done. 

Notice the paper towel holder that I purchased from Habitat on the weekend along with three round curtain rods that I'm repurposing and will show you later what I'm going to use them for.

Of course this reorganising leads to other moves too as I'm relocating my beads for better access.....coming soon! Like I said earlier, these projects never end, but when crafting goodies are easily accessible, crafting is a whole lot more fun and productive.

Have you been able to find a small space in your home to make into your crafting space?  If you have we'd love to see and share it with our blog readers.

We've been reorganising a bit in the store too.  Often what we do, though it makes a difference doesn't really get noticed too much, so I thought I'd include a couple of photos that Linda sent me today when she got this section completed. 
Both photos are of the aisle that holds the glue........all papercrafters have been there at some time or another I'm sure! 
The first one shows the brads and eyelets and such remerchandised and off the spinning racks that we had there.  We were finding that many customers didnt realise to spin the rack and see all the other goodies that were on it, so now it's spread out over the two boards. 
The second photos is the opposite side where the buttons and flowers were always merchandised.  Now cleaned up and reorganised to enable you to see them at a glance.
We've also moved the felt.  Still at the front of the store, but opposite to where it was so that it too has more room to see all the lovely colours. 
If you haven't seen the changes yet, drop in and we'll show you and there's more to come too!

Linda mentions in the newsletter how Rachel got back to her sewing machine again.  She made a cover for a pack of purse size Kleenex for her Mom for Christmas.  First having to work out all the measurements and make her own pattern and of course the unique matching of fabric to incorporate both herself and Emily in the design.  She also made some fingerless gloves for her Dad with a pair of socks which turned out to be more challenging than we had thought, but nevertheless finished fine.

The purse Linda shows on the newsletter as she said was a kit that Rachel made all on her own whilst we were at work one day.  Oh, yes there were a few phone calls to qualify some of the instructions, but she completed the project herself cutting the fabric as directed in the instructions....very well done!

The stuffed doll she is now starting on is from a magazine my sister sent to encourage her sewing talent.  For this, she has cut apart an old tee shirt and tea dyed it to get the fleshy colour.  The pattern she and I scanned into the computer to enlarge it to 110%.  Yes it could have been done on a photo copier, but when you don't have access right then to one, it's good to know another way to do it.    Photos will likely come later, but school is back now and dance and an exchange program coming up soon to Quebec....this is one busy little girl!

I've so much more to share with you, including how to "Sullify" yourself if you should ever have need to do that....maybe for Hallowe'en? 
The exploration of a new camera....a toy that Linda made for all three younger grandchildren...however the time moves along and I'm off to bed. 

Oh right ...the newsletter to be scheduled first.

Before I go though I want to say Happy Birthday to a dear cousin.  Many milesaway, but so close in thought today.  She's the one that keeps in touch with all our family, keeping us close no matter which of the three continents we are on.  She's the "hostess with the mostess" and everyone loves being in her home.  I hope all her family spoils her today.


Until later...Happy Crafting,

Lilian