Craft Interupted…Wednesday Windings 07/20/2011
Normally I love using Wednesdays to show you some new creative venture I’ve been working on. I have been working on stuff (oh boy, have I been working on stuff!) but I ran into a bit of a problem last night.
I’m what I like to fondly title a “Messy Creative.” (Mr. Fix-It calls it something else.) Meaning I can’t stop in the middle of my creative flow to clean up and put stuff away just because I’m not using it at the moment. I just shove it to the side and keep on working.
It's a little problem called Pure Chaos.
I’m also a Visual Inspiration Creative (another of my own totally made-up titles), which means that I’m inspired by seeing my supplies and stuff. I like to have everything out where I can look at it, remember I have it, and get excited about using it. No neat, closed boxes for me!
You’ll notice in these pictures (if you’re not cringing and covering your eyes!) that I have stacks of clear glass jars for storing ribbons, clear magnet containers for storing brads hardware, clear spice jars in a spice rack for my buttons, and open baskets (and muffin tins!) for sorting and corralling “stuff.” I also have open baskets on the top of my workshop and open baskets lined up along the two window sills right behind me when I’m sitting at my machine.
I cringe to show you this, but honesty is the best policy!
I actually do use a few boxes for stuff I either use regardless of seeing it (like my pattern box) or completely seasonal supplies (like Christmas) that stay put away 90% of the time. They give the eyes of outsiders somewhere to rest when visiting!
But I don’t have separate work spaces for different media, so a project like the Book Tote Bag that was featured over at Fresh yesterday means that I have sewing supplies and papercrafting supplies and scraps and glue and glitter and thread EVERYWHERE at once.
So I’m interrupting my crafting flow to clean up the workshop!
According to my scrap box, I love orange right now!
Next up, I’ve got all these beau-ti-ful orange scraps that I’m going to turn into a sewing machine cover for poor Bessie. She’s got a plain white hard cover, but it’s a little unfriendly-looking just for keeping the daily dust off (and it doesn’t fit if she’s threaded with upright spools). I found several lovely little tutorials so I’m sure I’ll be posting about it soon!
And I’ve got all these funky Totes cut out and pinned together to sew up for the shop…
I think the orange/brown/pink combo coming up soon is my new favorite!
I’ll be back next week with a fun post about another handmade gift I’ve been working on! (Hint: My 2nd Library Tote turned out even better and cuter than the 1st!)
How do you handle the messiness of the creative process? Do you clean up as you go? Or are you not even messy about it?!
For now, I have my own space so I just shut the door! We’re moving soon to a smaller place, so I’m not sure how that will work!
I sometimes wish I had more room, but I know perfectly well that the mess would just expand to fill that space too! 🙂
At first I thought someone snuck into my home and grabbed a photo of my own crafting space! lol…my crafty corner usually ends up looking like yours as well! And, Oh Yes, does the hubby hate it!
Your tote bags are adorable!
Kim @ <tiarasandbowties.blogspot.com
I say that a good mess is a sign of a productive Momma! 🙂 Every couple days or every couple projects I just stop, clean it up, and start again.
I cannot work in a messy space…it frustrates me…and crafting should be fun, not stressful. So you just work on top of all that stuff?
I think I “cheat” a little bit. I have two separate crafting spaces…one which I use for papercrafting and one for sewing projects. They get quite messy because I do not clean up as I go along. And, when one gets overwhelmingly messy, I just go do the other craft! LOL Sometimes, I even craft at the dining room table when both my spaces are messy, then I KNOW I have to do some re-organizing and cleaning.
I only wish I were creative. I keep all my stuff put away because I’m not creative, I don’t have the time to try to be, and I only have it all now because I might need it for something…I have always heard that artistic folks are mess…LOL! But your end result is always worth it! Thanks for sharing your space with us today! Looking forward to seeing those bright colored materials put to use! 😉
I am a neat freak!! I have to clean up everything after a I do a project, otherwise it drives me nuts 🙂
Loving the orange, by the way!
I just love this, it looks just like my craft room!!!