I spent Sunday afternoon trying to finish up the cleaning and tidying and organizing of the sewing & craft & stamping & quilting room. (Doesn't that seem like a lot of titles for one room--maybe it should be more than one room....)

I put all of the beads into one big storage container from Plano Molding. Rich gave me four of them that he wasn't using a while ago. He thought they might help me get organized. (He's always thinking of me!) And he was right. I was able to organize most all of my jewelry-making supplies into the three large and two small containers stored inside the big ole box (which is stored underneath the dresser). And the whole containers is ORGANIZED! One small container has jewelry projects that need something or are already ready to be something (all the parts for a pair of earrings, for example), the other small container holds extra clasps, jump rings, head pins, etc., one of the big boxes holds strands of beads, another holds seed beads, and the remaining box holds miscellaneous beads. The only things that don't fit in the box are the flexible beading wires and other stringing materials and the tools. And the lunch-room trays that I use sometimes to organize things while I'm beading. And now, all of it is tucked away.

I also got all of my cross-stitch and embroidery supplies, floss, fabrics, etc. in the drawers of the dresser, so that dresser is full of great craft stuff! Smocking in the bottom drawer, embroidery in the middle, and jewelry in the top!

I was able to get rid of some things, making space to actually put away other things. I was able to clear off the rack and put the quilts on it. The three-drawer plastic container now holds things it should instead of random stuff poorly organized. And I threw away a big bag of stuff that needed to go. I can now navigate the entire length of the room without stepping over anything. The only thing I have to do still is set up the quilting machine. And then, its on to cutting out baby Violet's paper doll quilt, my sister's Stack-n-Whack, and my next quilt, a Storm at Sea. I'll talk more about that in the next few days.

What a nutty week! I have been working on some mental quilting lately (as opposed to actually quilting or making anything), and it really got my mind running. In my urge to do some spring cleaning, I've decided that this week I have to get finished organizing the sewing room so I can move on to other rooms. But because I'm spoiled, I wanted to be in one room tonight, so I'm working on organizing the bedroom first. Any ideas for organizing my jewelry? I have a pegboard, another that just needs trim, and I bought some picture frames I'm going to fill with velvet and screening, and use for earrings and pins. But if you have other great ideas, post them in the comments please. This place needs to get whipped into shape soon--enough of this mayhem and foolishness, as Niecy Nash on Clean House says. But I took a break and wandered the web a bit. Here's what my pals are up to.

The Artful Crafter
Have you seen Xyron’s Creatopia? Prepare to be amazed by the baby booties going through a Creatopia in the video!


About Family Crafts
Celebrate spring with Sherri and these fun craft projects!

Craftside--A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside there is a fun Steampunk style socket set bracelet, how to repurpose a canvas tote with applique and make faux patches, a peek into some cool art from the book Digital Illustration, a hot water bottle gets Re-Bound and a how to and tips on vampire drawing.

Crafty Princess Diaries
The Crafty Princess has done some house cleaning, at least she's been cleaning up her blog that is.

Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
Where do you find inspiration? Madge wants to know! Share her process from inspiration to design in this inspired post!
 
Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
How to make recycled plastic bunny ears inspired by the techniques in the book Upcycled Accessories

Cathie Filian
Check out Cathie's silk screen projects for Better Homes and Gardens. She has something for everyone.

Mixed Media Artist
See how you can achieve the look of a hand-tinted print with Photoshop!

I worked on a project today that I don't think I can share with you yet. A friend of mine has a line of jewelry components and she asked me if I could play with them and create something for a book she's working on to accompany the component line. I was honored and more than happy to be involved in the project. And she sent me a big box of stuff to play with.

So that's what I did today. And it took more effort than I anticipated. I found it was much more difficult to design a piece that I hope pleases someone else than it is for me to create a piece for myself or to give as a gift. Plus, I had to consider the practicality of the design from the shoppers perspective. So I find myself thinking about all of the jewelry designers out there who struggle with this every day. Will someone buy my piece? Does it please me or will it please the public or at least someone else out there?

Plus, it's possible that I felt additional pressure since this felt more like a challenge--here are the pieces I want you to work with, what can you create with them?--and that's a different method of designing than I'm used to. But it's good to break out of your box and try something new once in a while. Figuring out the coolest, most appealing piece of jewelry I could make out of these very cool components was my goal and I'm pleased with my results, though there were many false starts to get to the final pieces. Hopefully I'll be able to share photos soon enough. I should have saved some of the photos of the false starts and let you all vote as well!

The Bead&Button Show has been in full swing this week, so I've been distracted from my blog (and from my house, which is still a bit messy). I'm hoping to get behind the sewing machine soon--this week, maybe. Meanwhile, I worked on a right-angle weave necklace for work today, but it's not finished, so no photo yet. I'll post one once it's done.

Meanwhile I did create this necklace a few weeks back, but forgot to post it. It's simple 2+3+3 chain in sterling silver. The rings are a combination of plain, twisted, and flattened twisted jump rings and it was very quick and easy to put together.

While my Mom was working on finishing her quilt top so I could quilt it, I've been having a pretty busy week, which is why I haven't been posting much here on my blog. I made two necklaces this week using the Venetian beads I purchased Easter weekend at Bella Venetian Beads, part of The Place to Bead in Naperville, Illinois. This necklace, from the November 2008 issue of BeadStyle magazine, allowed me to play a little more with shapes and colors and pushed me out of my comfort zone because it's asymmetrical in design. I love the teal/aqua/blue combinations in the beads, along with the metallic highlights that range from gold to copper hues. And I loved mixing it with the blackened chain from AD Adornments.

I've been making jewelry the past few days, so I'm sharing a picture. The necklace in the photo at the right was created from the January 2008 issue of BeadStyle magazine. (You can buy the instructions if you don't have the issue in your stash.)

When I was down in Chicagoland last weekend, I was able to stop at The Place to Bead in Naperville, Illinois, home of Bella Venetian Beads, and they always have a lovely selection. I had a ball picking out these beads, and beads for the necklace that I plan to share here tomorrow. Of course, you can order them online, but I was right there, so I HAD to visit them in their new location.