Organization..

I have been on a kick, an organization kick (when I have the time..) lately.

When it came to my craft room, I wanted it to be better organized so my time there could be better spent.   It was downright frustrating at times in there!  I had stuff that I wanted to do, but just couldn’t get it done without having to move and re-arrange things to get the project done.

My ribbon storage hasn’t ever been what I wanted it to be, and I have been brainstorming ideas for A VERY LONG TIME..

I just couldn’t find anything that I was super happy about.

(And if you’ve been to my house, and have witnessed the amount of ribbon I own, you might understand..)

Then it came to me…

Making Memories embellishment shelf..

(So before you go telling me that I have a ribbon problem, oh, I already know!)

And this isn’t all of it..  there were some spools out being used (or can’t fit, I still haven’t decided what my excuse is..)  and I also have a glass jar that houses all of those tempting mini-spools that the craft stores dare to tempt me with..

I do use every last scrap of ribbon though..  EVERY LAST BIT.

I went to Michael’s armed with my 40% off coupon that I printed from the www only to find that the shelf was already on sale for 40% off..  yay!!  Another ting to use my coupon on. ;)

They also had the perfect color of spray paint there..  the color of teal/turquoise that I was hunting for in the fall and had to settle on a lighter shade of..  it just so happened that I was attracted to some scrapbook paper that fell in the same color family, and when I went to buy all my lovely, new, fun things, the girl ringing me up asked, “You must really like this color, huh?”  Turns out, the shirt I was sporting that day was also the same color.

(Blush.)

It was unintentional, I SWEAR!

The next day, which was lovely for February in Utah, but a little colder than I thought would be outside, I painted my plain white shelf my fun new color.

I opted to not use the dowels that fit in pre-drilled holes in the bottom two nooks because the idea of that just bugs me..  I want to take my ribbon with me to the table to cut or test.

I want to move on to more re-organizing now..

Then comes the fun!

6 things that make me happy...

Aartee tagged me.. so here goes!
(I could have easily made this 6,000,000 things that make me happy.. and somehow chocolate isn't on my list..?)
#6- Fun, new, colorful scrapbooking goodies to play with..
#5- Darling new ribbons to make many things with...
#4- Yummy new fabric...
#3- LOVE LOVE LOVE these stamps!! They are used much.. loved well and never neglected..
#2- My girls! They are my muses and inspiration to all things creative and crafty...
#1- My honey.. "Merrill Hottie-Body", sometimes goes as "Punkley Pitcher".. he supports all that is crafty and fun to me :)
I tag: Paper Cakes, Cutie Pie, Ally, and Crafting Memories crew...

Taggie 101...

You've asked...
Here's how I made that cute taggie blanket... I must add that the idea came from one that my visiting teacher had for her little girl, Peyton attacked it! I saw how much people are asking for them online... I can make this...
First:
Cut...
Cut your fabric to whatever size you want the blanket to be, but remember to add extra for your seams...
Fuzzy fabric is fun... print fabrics are fun... whatever you like...
I cut mine to 21 inches, square.

Then cut your ribbon, whatever tickles your fancy, to a length that also tickles your fancy. I cut mine to 6 inches, but varying lengths would be cute too... use the same ribbon, or lots of different kind. That's where the fun comes in for babies, different colors, textures, and patterns = fun!
I just so happen to have a small addiction to ribbon...Fold you cut ribbon in half, and press.
Arrange your ribbon in a way you like, and pin it to the right side of one of your fabric pieces, making sure that your folded ends are pointed towards the center of your fabric, not the raw edge! It's fun to layer the ribbon too..
Sew around all four sides in a zig-zag stitch. I used the side of my presser foot as my guide, it's 3/8 inch.
Take your pins out, this will make the turning process much more pleasant on a minute!
Then take your other piece of fabric, put right sides together so the ribbon is sandwiched in between, like this...
Mark one 6 inch section where you will not sew so you can turn your blanket right side out... and sew it all, using your first zig-zag as your guide.
Snip your corners to make them pretty once you turn them, and to lessen bulk...
Turn it, making sure you get your corners perfect too! Fold your edges of that 6 inch section in, pin, and...
...top-stitch (that's with a straight stitch now...) around the whole blanket.

Voila!
A darling taggie!
Look at those colors... I so want a boy!