A Tisket, A Tasket, I'm Labeling My Basket

I am one of those people who likes to have a place for everything and everything in its place. Once in place, I like it to have a label so I know exactly what's in there. My Dymo LetraTag is my favorite tool!

I bought this tower with baskets a few years ago (Sorry, senior moment, I can't remember where, but it was on-line.) I love it because it provides a lot of storage in a small amount of space.

I made some tags for it using my Sizzix and some scrapbook paper and attached them to the baskets with ribbon. Although there is nothing wrong with the current tags, the light purple color doesn't match my new sewing/craft room.

 

Being thrifty, I decided to use what I had on hand to make some new tags. That meant using some of the old books I had gotten at an estate sale a few weeks ago, plus some other supplies. The die is from Sizzix, it is by Tim Holtz and is called Sewing Room.

 

I glued the book page to a piece of construction paper. After it dried, I cut it using my Sizzix Big Kick. I used the single hole paper punch and made a hole in the "shoulder" section. I felt it was too small at the top of the stand to put it there. 

Once that was done, I fed some grosgrain ribbon through it and made a simple knot. I wrote the contents of the basket on the back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I attached it to the basket by feeding it through the edge and then tying it in a square knot.

These were fun and easy to make and I really liked the way they turned out. Would you like some of these tags for your sewing room, but don't have the die or the time to make them? I have them available for sale on my new web site: Colleen's Cottage Shop. This site will feature items I have made for my sewing room, along with other sewing/crafting items. Items will be added as I make items for my sewing room make-over.

Creativity Contest!

When I moved into my fiance's house, I discovered that there was a lot of "stuff" that has been stored, untouched for quite a while. We are slowly going through it all to reclaim the space.

One of the things I discovered was a wooden wine box. I knew I could use it for something, but what that something is has alluded me.  The box measures approx. 14" x 10" x 4", when closed. It has metal hinges and a metal latch. Here's what it looks like:

So, here is where the contest comes in. Between now and May 31st enter your idea of what I should do with the box in the comment section. All subscribers to my blog are eligible to enter and win. You may enter as often as you want, if you have more than one idea for the box. On June 1st, I will choose my favorite idea. The winner will have their choice of one of my hand crafted pairs of earrings shown on Colleen's Cottage on Copious.

Let me know if you have any questions and get those creative juices flowing!

Estate Sale Find

There was an estate sale on the next street over today. We could here the auctioneer's loudspeaker from our house. With it being so close, how could I pass it up?

Pat, my fiance, and I, put Nickey, our Pomeranian, on his leash and strolled over. Even though it was about 2 hours into the sale, there were still a lot of items available. We registered and looked around. We were able to get some fabulous items for our home and also for me to resell.  

So what does this have to do with my sewing room you ask? I was able to get this twin, bookcase headboard for free.

 

No, I am not planning on sleeping in my sewing room. In fact, I don't want to use it for a bed at all. it is a very sturdy, solid wood piece that I saw as potential display and storage space. In the weeks to come, I hope to transform it into a piece that I can repurpose and use, so stay tuned.

Welcome to Colleen's Cottage Crafts!

Hello, My name is Colleen and I have been involved in some sort of craft for as long as I can remember.

I first learned to hand sew around the age of 5 and by machine around the age of 7. It is still my favorite craft to do.

I used to make dollhouses from cardboard boxes and furnish them with things I found around the house. I was into recycling and re-purposing long before it was fashionable.

In the '70s I did macrame and copper enameling, the '80s  saw lots of different crafts to make things as gifts and items for my children. During the '90s I did lots of home decor sewing and other crafts to beautify my home. After that I learned scrap booking, rubber stamping, machine embroidery, jewelry making and so much more. For about the last 10 years or so, I have been selling my hand crafted items on-line. You can see some of my items at: Colleen on Copious.

On New Year's Eve (2012), I moved to New Castle, Indiana and set up my craft/sewing room. It is a "make do" set up for now. With this blog, I am going to take you through the redesign of that room. I will share tips and ideas as I go.  

 You can see pictures of my room in it's current state here: Colleen's Craft Room

The fabric below is the inspiration for the colors I will be using. It is by Robert Kaufman and is called Whiskers and Tails. I have 2 cats, Granite and Ebony, so a fabric depicting cats in a sewing room is perfect for me.