Crafty Storage Solutions

 

Hi friends.  I have been very busy restructuring my craft room to make it easily accessible for all of the different crafts I like to do.  I would say that my top three crafts are scrapbooking, card-making, and sewing.  (I also love to make things with wood and canvas.)  My storage of certain items just wasn't working for me.  I had to find some solutions so this doesn't happen:

  First,  brads.  I have different types and colors, and they are small and easy to lose, so I have to have a failproof way to store them.

  I used to keep them in a sort of tackle box type container, and I thought about going back to that, but the box was actually too big. Brads are small.  I've been keeping them in tiny zip bags in some clear jewelry-type boxes on my table. 

My solution is going to be to store them in these clear Fab Lab Containers and store the containers in a clear plastic bin  like these so I can see at a glance what I have and grab what I need.

(I already have them, so I didn't purchase anything new.)  I'm also going to store my stamp pads in one of these because they have outgrown the bin they are in now.

Next on my list is card-making supplies such as card fronts, folded cards, and envelopes, all in different sizes.  I decided to purchase a bin that has 6 tabs built in tabs. 

I can put them in the box and have them right at my fingertips (with labeled tabs) instead of having to dig through the photobox where they are now.  

 I am also using one of these square boxes for my patterns.  My patterns fit nicely into the medium sized plastic envelopes sold by scrapbook.com.  The medium envelopes fit nicely in the box above since the box also came from Scrapbook.com.

I have already organized my fabric into two large totes.  I folded the fabric around cardboard pieces so that I can see everything that I have at a glance and in color order.

Next, my thread and sewing notions.  Instead of this...

I've purchase an actual storage bin that is made to hold thread.   I purchased this at JoAnn.

Last, I need a solution for my embellishment flowers like these.

 I've been storing them in little buckets hooked to the bottom of my pegboard.

The buckets are cute, and I have easy access to them, but I don't like not being able to see what I have.  They are divided by color, which I like, but they could also be gathering dust.  I  watched a video today of a scrapbooker who keeps hers in plastic zip bags, but she never said where she kept the bags, so I'm open to all ideas!

My goal is to have my craft room organized so that I can easily find everything I need, and these were problem areas. I've already tamed the paper, punches, adhesives, stencils, pens, kits, and photos.  When I finish this round of organizing, all I will have left to organize are the flowers.  Any suggetions?

I'm linking up with Crafty Creators and Friendship Friday.  Come find me there!  Have a great weekend!

Some links are affiliate links, and others are not.  If you click through to purchase a product from an affiliate link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.  This is NOT a sponsored post.

Castalon (in Big Bend National Park)

 

Hello!  Glad you're here!  I posted some pictures of Castalon yesterday.  When I take vacations, I like learning about the history of a place.  In Big Bend, there is still a convenience store located in Castalon, within the National Park boundaries.  They were closed for lunch when we were there, but we got to look around and read about the impact Castalon had years ago.  I bet you didn't know this!

The view from Castalon

1.  In the early 1900's people came to live and farm the land downstream from the Santa Elena Canyon.

2.  They grew corn, beans, wheat, squash, tomatoes, and melons.

3.  In 1901, Cipriano Hernandez started the first store in the area.  He also lived at the store.

Image Credit
Settling of the area begins

4.  During the years 1912 to 1920, there was revolution in Mexico causing many Mexican families to move North.

5.  The National Guard was brought in to defend residents against raids, and one of their outposts was set up in Castalon in 1916.  It was called Camp Santa Helena.

Image Credit

6.  Soldiers lived in tents while their barracks were being built, but they never got a chance to use them.  The barracks were completed in 1920, but by then, the revolution in Mexico was over, and the soldiers were sent elsewhere.

7.  In 1921, La Harmonia Company moved into the barracks and established a frontier trading post.

8.  La Harmonia was also involved in ranching and farming. They tried to grow cotton, but the environment wasn't good for that.

9.  As mentioned above, a concession store still exists at Castalon and has been run by the National Park Service since 1961.

Image Credit

10. Castalon boasts the oldest standing adobe structure in Big Bend National Park.

11.  The structure is called Alvino House, and it used to be someone's home.

Alvino House in the background

12. In 2019, fire in Mexico jumped the Rio Grande and embers ignited La Harmonia Store and Latrine sustaining extensive damage.

13.  The National Park Service is currently researching what items may be salvaged for rebuilding.

Image Credit
This is one of the structures that burned.

Want to learn more about Big Bend?  Try the book Enjoying Big Bend National Park or Big Bend: A Homesteader's Story.

For more fun lists, visit Thursday Thirteen.

Fun Photos!

 

Castalon is a stop on the way to visit the Santa Elena Canyon at Big Bend National Park. The Castalon Settlement is part of the human history of Big Bend and has been there since the early 1900's.  Here are some photos of what remains:

Stay tuned tomorrow as I will tell you more about Castalon.  

For more fun photos, visit Image-in-ing and Wordless Wednesday.

Happy Random Tuesday

 

Isn't it funny how you can think of things to blog about all day long... until the time actually comes and you can't remember all of those wise, witty words you thought of.  Happens to me all the time!  That's why I must write everything down!  Except now, instead of actually writing it down, I put it in Colornotes on my phone!  When I actually remember to do it!  Haha!

I used to love💜 keeping a physical planner, and I miss it!  Maybe that's the one thing I miss about working!  Haha!

Soft cover, spiral planner... I love it!

  I use Google Calendar on my phone as a planner now.   This used to be me: 

  Looking at planners, pens, notepads, colorful storage boxes, and other school supplies made me giddy!  Actually, I still love looking, but since I'm retired, I don't need to buy them, except maybe the pretty boxes.

Aren't these pretty?

  I can still use boxes!  Yes, I'm nerdy!  My favorite writing utensils were Flair pens and Pilot G2 pens.

Flair Felt Tip Pens

Pilot Gel Pens

I guess they are still my favorites.  I just don't have as much use for them anymore. Do you have a favorite supply that you look at even if you aren't going to buy?

And one more thing... do you remember the Big Chief writing tablets we used to use as kids? 

(I'm feeling nostagic.) They still make them!  And you can even get them with envelopes!  How fun is that?

Moving right along...  Hmmmm.... How would you have read this?

And last, but not least...

Have a great week!  Link up with Tuesday's Random Thoughts and/or Happy Tuesday!

Handmade Inspiration

 

Over the weekend, I made a card I've been wanting to try for a while.  It's a design created by Nick Lupu-Karayanis (aka The Bearded Housewife).   I changed the igloo by giving it a black outline instead of a white outline because I thought the white outline was too much white, and it didn't stand out.  I added clear stickles (like snowflakes).

Materials Used:

Cricut Maker (but any cutting machine would work)

Die Cuts with a View 12x12 Double Sided Cardstock Stack

Recollections Essentials 12x12 Cardstock Paper

Aileen's Tacky Glue

Easy Runner Permanent Strips Tape Runner

Reverse Craft Tweezers

Stickles Glitter Glue

Please visit Happiness is Homemade and Inspire Me Monday for a variety of handmade projects.  Have a great week!

Some links in this post are affiliate links which means if you click on it and choose to purchase an item, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.  This is NOT a sponsored post.

Sunday Synopsis - Mother's Day by Dennis McDougall (true crime)

 

Mother's Day by Dennis McDougal
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Dennis McDougal did his research well. He left no stone unturned when delving into the many lives that were affected by Theresa Jimmie Francine Cross Sanders Knorr Pulliam Harris. Yes, she had four husbands! She also had six children, 3 boys and 3 girls, not all by the same father. I also appreciate that the author added parts at the end that included the results of the trials and additional information.

I do feel like some of the book was repetitive, though. The author circles back to events he has already described and rewrites them in a not-too-different manner multiple time and from the perspective of several of her six children (whose perspectives weren't really that different). I just felt that was quite a bit of unnecessary dialogue and description that did not need to be presented more than once because it didn't differ enough among the brothers and sisters. I also wish he had spent more time telling about the trial and the legal aspects of the case.

Theresa Knorr, as she was generally known, was an evil, wicked, woman. Her many crimes included murder, assault, improper discharge of a weapon, child abuse (both physical and mental), allowing her kids to be truant, evading arrest, fraud, compelling prostitution, and the list just goes on and on. She also dealt with addiction, laziness, jealousy, and a sick need to control others. I'm surprised at how much her children tolerated and appalled at the power and control she had over them as well as the men in her life. The horror she created in the lives of her own family is unimaginable. Theresa was a monster. The subject matter made this somewhat difficult to read because it's not exactly entertainment as most books are. I don't know how she can live with herself.

I had heard about a young woman being set on fire through one of my true crime podcasts, so I just had to read this book. The author did a great job in retelling all of her horrific crimes.

View all my reviews

Purchase a paperback copy here.

Purchase a Kindle copy here.

Crafty Friday

 Hi friends! Recently, I made a crossbody purse to use on our 2nd annual Great Texas Road Trip.

 It was 9x9 prior to sewing so ended up about 8x8 after seam allowances with one slip pocket on the inside made with the lining fabric and bias tape. 

This shows how long the strap is.

I learned how to make the slip pocket from YouTuber Anne Bonney Bags. I learned how to create the adjustable strap for my bag from YouTuber Le Janaro. 

Here is the hardware  I used, and here is the zipper.  It worked perfectly for our trip!  I needed to be able to walk hands-free in order to use my camera, but there are always certain things you want to have with you at all times.

I also made my own reversible bucket hat.  I got the free pattern from Hello Sewing which I was able to tweak to fit my smallish head, and I followed her video tutorial on YouTube. 

This hat was very useful when we visited Big Bend National Park.

Visit more crafty friends at Crafty Creators and Friendship Friday.

Some links in this post are affiliate links (not all of them) which means if you purchase an item from one of my links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.  This is NOT a sponsored post!