So Many Crafts…

I seriously have way too many craft books and supplies. Wait, is that even possible? Nah…

It dawned on me recently that I have enough craft books, craft supplies, and unfinished projects to last the average person a lifetime. I have enough ideas floating around in my head to last another. Ah, yes…so many crafts, so little time!

It’s actually taken me a lifetime to amass all these books. Not too long ago I put several years’ worth of Quilter’s Newsletter magazine (early 1980s to 1990s) into the recycle. I don’t mind telling you, that was hard to do! As a teacher (even a retired one) you never want to throw stuff like that away. I mean, what if you suddenly need the pattern for that one quilt square from 1986…or was it ’87?

It would take hours, yea, days, to even find the right magazine, much less the pattern in question. But how much fun would it be to read through them all while looking for it? I’d be like Tuppence in Agatha Christie’s “Postern of Fate”, who, in an effort to organize book shelves, keeps stopping to read all the books and doesn’t get anything done, much to her husband Tommy’s chagrin. (However, Tuppence finds a clue to a murder mystery in one of her books, which I doubt would turn up in an old issue of Quilter’s Newsletter.)

To do all these crafts, you must have the proper supplies. Notice the “vintage” package of 100 bobby pins priced at 39 cents! Plus, since you never know what you might want to make and when, you need to have some of everything on hand at all times!

One of my favorite parts of the sewing room is my “fat quarters” organizer.

This one is from before the rubber plant got relocated to patio outside.

Foster wanted to learn how to crochet so he could make some kitty toys.

And then there’s the living room and kitchen!

You’ve seen quite a few pictures of the kitchen table/craft center. But we can take this one step further into the living room…

Mark used to jokingly lament my gel pen habit. I would come home with a new set of pens and he would say “You’re going to break me!” We used to laugh because we both knew that unless it has to do with art or craft supplies, I’m really not much of a shopper. Shopping for clothes, shoes, even groceries, has never been my cup of tea. But just take me to Michael’s or JoAnn’s, and it’s a different story!

In fact once I wasn’t feeling well and was trying to figure out if I was actually sick from germs, or if it was just nerves. Mark figured out that I actually was sick by asking if I felt like going to Michael’s Crafts and my answer was “No”.

You will be pleased to know that I now have two new “Vera Bradley” pencil boxes. Since she is famous for her paisley designs, of course I had to get some. (Truth in blogging: This coffee table was cleaned off for the purpose of this post.)

I put a different type of pens or pencils in each one. I thought it was quite ingenious of me to use the black and white one for the black pens! (As I used to tell my kids at school, “She don’t have a college education for nothin’!”) LOL