Yo-Yos and Covered Button Love

I'm still working on my secret project. I've been adding a few things to the mix, namely some yo-yos and a covered button or two. Incidently, covered buttons are easy to make with my fabric scraps since they're so nicely organized. My parents came for a visit earlier this year and brought me a little stash of covered button kits (Überziehbare Knöpfe), but you can buy them here in Germany. Here's a tutorial on how the kits work. For more covered button ideas, check out Allison's cute bookmark idea.

I'm kind of loving covering your own buttons; the possibilities are endless! Have you ever used them? What kind of project did you use them on?

Organizing the Little Stuff

Over the years my collection of crafting supplies has expanded...shocker. To keep me most inspired -and actually using what I have- I've found that being really organized helps. If I can easily find something and actually see it, I'm more likely to use it. Ikea's Kassett series has been helpful on more than one occasion, especially for larger items like writing sets, paper, stickers and blank cards. I also use a large one as a 'memory box', a place to keep brochures, cards, ticket stubs and other memorabilia that hasn't made it into a scrapbook or journal yet.

My leftover jam jars are my container of choice for smaller stuff. They're free and great for corralling little stuff like trim, notions and small scraps. I like how the jam jars contain things, keep them visible, and are easy to move around to see what else is on the shelf.

I like having things in separate containers so I can pull them out all at once and really see what my options are. How do you organize your supplies? Do you keep most of them in containers like I do? or are you a drawer and shelf kind of person?

A Stitch in...?

I'm working on something and it's taking longer than anticipated. Still, I'm into it and I look forward to sharing it when I'm a little further...or finished. I had the opportunity to craft with some women from my church the other night and, given the supplies, it was fun coming up with something of my own. I kind of like forcing myself to make something with just what's on hand. I had brought a bag of bits and bobs and combined that with what was there waiting for me. Sometimes I feel like I have too many options at home...or I'm overwhelmed (underwhelmed?) by the same-old same-old that's in my supply closet. The same thing happens with my clothing wardrobe, but that's another story for another time. This is why it's fun for me to craft with others, to push me out of my box (of supplies).

Group crafting can be a challenge, you know? How do you pick a project that everybody will like? How can you account for different budgets, different available amounts of time, different styles, abilities, and levels of creativity? You could say, "bring your own project (BYOP)", but what about the people who WANT to be creative, but just feel like they don't know HOW? or that they're not 'creative enough'? A BYOP type of gathering seems exclusive to them. Shoot, I can feel that way just looking at other blogs from the comfort of my home, but what if I were in a room with them all? (oh wait, I'm going to a blogger conference, ha...) Seriously though, this is something I think about from time to time. How to encourage and enable others in their creativity? Deep thoughts, I know.

Most of you are rather creatively oriented, so what are your thoughts on this? It's pretty open-ended, I'll admit, but I'm kinda in the mood for a chat.

Some Spring in My Office

I finally got around to adding some of my Orla Kiely gift wrap to some of my empty frames. We also put in some spring bulbs around the house over the weekend and my daffodils opened up just in time for the first day of spring! Bummer note: right after I took these pictures one of the Orla frames slid to the floor and smashed. The paper is fine, but I need a new frame. One of my framed U2 records also smashed and thankfully the record is fine, but now I need a custom piece of glass....sad face. =(

Something else to buzz about: I'm going to The Hive, the first ever European bloggers conference. It will be happening in Berlin in May.  It's being held in the Betahaus (such a cool coworking place for creatives). I'm feeling the need for some blog inspiration and have to say I'm really curious about this event. They say that curiosity killed the cat, but I say don't forget that satisfaction brought it back!

Anybody else heading to The Hive? Or maybe enjoying some spring blooms of your own?

Free Cheer for Your Desktop

Computer desktops can quickly become ugly messes with random files and shortcuts littered across your screen. I can work on a computer like that for maybe a day or two, but I soon want to pull my hair out. Hunting for things makes me crazy; I have better things to do. As a freelancer, time is money, and as an editor, precision is key. If only I could get this work philosophy to transfer over to various surfaces in our home!!

That said, there are a lot of free downloadable desktops out there to inspire you to keep your computer's desktop clear -otherwise you can't see the design. However, I find most of them too busy and/or not leaving enough room for the folders and shortcuts I DO need to have out. Then there's the whole aesthetic question: do I really want to stare at that repeatedly every day? Usually not.

Enter Blair from the Wise Craft blog. She's been photographing groupings of little bits and bobs from around her studio and turning these photos into lovely free desktop patterns. Not only do I find them aesthetically pleasing, but I also find them really inspiring! Grab the March calendar over on her blog and add Wise Craft to your must-read list!

Do you download free desktop designs? Where do you usually find your favorites?

Controlled Cord Chaos

We have a socket in our kitchen that has to service four different appliances, though not all at the same time. One cord is white and is rarely used, but three black cords are always getting used and for the life of me, I can never remember which plug goes to which appliance. This has caused more than one unhappy incident.

I decided to get things under control by labeling the cords with some washi tape. Gray tape went on the gray microwave's cord; red tape went on the red hot water cooker's cord; the black coffee maker cord was left plain. Easy. Cute to boot!

Do you know what's weird (to me)? Our dryer has to stay in our pantry where there's no electrical socket, so when we use it we have to grab the cord and plug it in at one end of our kitchen counter. This home definitely has a few quirks. Any quirks in your house?