Everyday Crafty Goodness

This is the yard sale pile as of this morning (everything’s for sale except for the cat under the table).  There will be a lot more stuff by the end of tonight.  The forecast predicts scattered thunderstorms tomorrow but the good news is that the rain is not expected until later in the day so I don’t have to live with all this stuff for another week!  A few of my friends and neighbors will be selling stuff too so it’ll be like a little outdoor party.   I think iced tea and chilled watermelon are in order.

I just learned how to make these flower garden quilt pieces from a couple of tutorials here and here.  These can be addictive so take breaks and don’t kill your hands and wrists (they’re hand sewn).

Last week I saw a video about a woman who lives in an 84 sq. ft. house and owns only 300 things.   I don’t think I can limit myself to owning only 300 things (toothpaste was one of the items) but it did get me thinking about decluttering my own place.   I have a lot of things and even though I like the minimalist look, I know it wont’ work for me.   So I’ve decided NOT to feel guilty about having things.  I like to have beautiful (to me) things because they make me smile when I see them or use them.  What I need is to get rid of the things that I don’t use anymore (which for some reason are scattered throughout the house).

So I started cleaning the kitchen and threw away expired canned goods, utensils that I haven’t used in ages, and extra plastic containers from carry outs.  I started making a pile of things for the yard sale I’m having this Saturday and this time, whatever I don’t sell will go to the Goodwill.  

I went on line to look for more decluttering ideas and stumbled onto the FlyLady website.  This is a great website for someone like me who’s ready to make some changes because it breaks down the humongous task of cleaning/organizing your entire house into baby steps.  The first thing FlyLady tells you to do is to clean your sink until it shines.  So that’s what I did.  It’s like magic because I started cleaning the countertop and stove after the sink is clean and then I mopped the floor.  I guess you can’t just have a shiny sink if the rest of the kitchen looks grimy.

So this is how I got to have a clean sink from watching a woman who lives in a tiny house.  I know, it only makes sense to me.

Yay, I finally finished the baby quilt!  It’s been washed and dried and all I have to do now is try to pick out the animals hairs and I can give it to the expecting parents (the baby’s due in 1 week).

And here’ s the back of the quilt.  I used a flannel with sleeping kittens.  I think I have enough flannel left over to make another baby quilt which is perfect because another friend’s baby is due in September.

I finally made a pocket wall board for my craft room.  I sewed pockets on canvas and stretched it over a corkboard.  Now I don’t have to turn the craft room upside down to look for my scissors!