Quilting. I spent the quiet evening last night preparing squares for Ethan's quilt. I prepped the fabric, cut the squares, and sorted them in organized piles on my kitchen table. My plan is to start sewing the pieces together next week. This week is already over scheduled. I decided to keep this quilt simple. No complex, fancy patterns. I was tempted, but I knew if I didn't keep it simple, it would never get done. Quilting is different from scrapbooking in that way..it takes time and lots of it. It also takes a great deal of patience, which is something I lost the moment I started scrapbooking. I'm all about instant gratification. Life is easier that way. I think it's still important to slow down and focus on the details. I still try to do this with scrapbooking. My quilting habits have transferred over into my scrapbooking regime. I still like to take my time. Not be rushed. Though, finishing a page doesn't take nearly as long as finishing a quilt. A quilt can take months to create, which is something I'm not particularly used to anymore. I do miss it, but scrapbooking allows me more creative opportunity. Here's what I finished last night:
And a little pile to bring with me into my scrapbook room. I plan on using these for scrapbooking. The colors are pure eye candy. That red makes my heart skip a beat. I just love how it pops out at you and beckons to be used.
There were many of you that asked me to post pictures of how I store my chipboard/small scrapbook supply items. You know, those little pieces that you can never keep track of. We collect piles of them and often times, we don't use them because we can't access them easily as we can our paper, stamps, rub-ons, etc. Well, here is my solution to storing the itty bitty stuff. The drawers are from Target and I've color categorized each drawer:
Notice how I even throw in those small epoxy pieces from Making memories. I figure I'll be more apt to use them if I can see them directly by opening a drawer. Same goes with all the other stuff, including felt diecuts.
I store my small transparency pieces the same way. I've been building a stash of transparency diecuts for a while, but I never really sorted through them. Seeing the collection of items has really inspired me creatively. Looking at our supplies re-familiarizes us with our scrapbook collection. This has been a good way for me to identify what I own and what I should use on future layouts. It's also been a great excuse for recycling those things I no longer use.
I've also done the same thing with my buttons:
For all my labels, diecuts, and titles, I purchased some smaller drawer sets from Target. You can see the set-up below:
I've definitely been paying more attention to these itty bitty items since I organized them a few weeks ago. I'm so glad I made the transition to store them in drawers. I keep them out on my desk and within hand's reach. It makes the whole process that much easier. It also makes using what I buy a standard practice for me.
I have thought about the next tutorial. I went through my supplies and found a pile of these..borders. There are a various kinds from stickers, stamps, to rub-ons. I'm going to focus my attention on "edges", not just sticker borders. "The Edge" tutorial will be posted next week.
I quickly want to share these..I found them at a quaint stamp shop today. Memory Box Acrylic Stamps and Paper. The stamps are small, but beautiful. The paper is 6" x 6" only..no 12" x 12". Their focus is mainly cardmakers. I couldn't resist the bird pattern papers. They sort of remind me of the Basic Grey pattern paper collections, but these patterns have a more whimsical feel. You can find them online at "Stamping Cottage" (both stamps and paper).
I think we are all thankful that Summer is here. I hope the many of you are enjoying it..we certainly are. Have a great day everyone! Take care.
