I Love Listia

Have you heard of a web site called Listia? It is an auction type site that uses points instead of money. You sell your item and get points for it to use to buy things on the site. I love the concept, because I don't have much in the way of money lately. I have been out of work for health reasons since September. I used Listia to get Christmas gifts without having to spend a dime. If you want to check it out, here's a link to the site. https://www.listia.com/signup/182943. If you have any questions, just drop me a line and I will see if I can help.

So what does this have to do with my craft/sewing room make-over? Lots!! I have been getting supplies and tools on Listia, which has been great. Here's a link to show you just one of the things I have been able to get. Sizzix die. Now that I have more supplies and such, I had to figure better ways to store things. For my dies, I found this rack in my garage that was collecting dust. It is perfect for storing my dies and has room for more in the future.

 

Another thing I was able to get on Listia was more shelving. This was a fabulous deal. The seller paid for the shipping and I got this great set of adjustable shelving for just some points

I was able to use it to get more of my doll collection out, store buttons and other items and I have 1 more shelf for a project I am working on. 

Here is a composite pic of two different views of the filled shelves.

 

See what I love about Listia!

The other thing I did this week was do some rearranging. I moved my sewing and other machines from a long wall to one of the end walls.  The wire shelves that I use to hold fabrics also fit there perfectly.  The machines are still under a a window, so I get natural light to work with. 

Although the machines are still in the same configuration, the layout of the room is better. I still have a lot of work to do. More rearranging, finding better ways to organize, more creating and decorating, but slowly, but surely, the room will come together.

Don't forget to check out some items that I have made for my room that I also have available for sale on my web site: Colleen's Cottage Shops

More of the 3 R's

I have been doing a few more Reuse, Re-purpose, and Recycle projects that I wanted to share with you. You will find that I do a lot of these because I love that they save money and the environment. Plus, it really sparks my creativity to take trash and turn it into a treasure.

I recently acquired a large lot of vintage buttons. I have my present stash in a big glass jar and there is no room for more, so I had to figure out something. Fortunately, we were just finishing off a big plastic jar of nuts. I knew that would be the solution to my problem.

I didn't want to fuss with trying to get off the label that went all the way around the jar, so I decided to cover it instead. I cut some scrapbook paper the width of the recess where the label is. The scrapbook paper is 12" x 12", so that was my length. I also traced the lid onto the paper and cut out the circle. I glued it to the top of the lid. I used ribbon to cover the sides of the lid.

The scrapbook paper didn't go all the way around the jar. I killed 2 birds with 1 stone by machine embroidering a label that would let me know the content and also cover the gap in the paper. Here's the finished jar.

I have to admit, I still darn socks. To me, if there is just a small hole or two, they should be mended and not thrown away. Well, I no longer had a darning egg, which makes it so much easier, so I created one. I had an empty plastic egg from M & M's at Easter. I decoupaged it using Mod Podge and pages from old books. After that I dabbed on aqua and brown paint and then quickly wiped it off. After that dried, I gave the egg 2 more coats of Mod Podge. Now I have a pretty darning egg.

I am very glad my fiance eats things that I don't, because he provided part of the materials for another project; the Spam Spread can.

After a thorough washing,  decided to cover the can with a ribbon. I found one the right width, but the wrong color. I was able to flip it over to use it because the back was plain - double usage for this ribbon!

After applying the ribbon, I felt the can was a bit bland, so I added yo yo's like the ones I put on the little jam jars.

I put the finished can to use as a holder for my darning egg, so it would stop rolling around on my sewing table. I think it looks adorable in the little can.

 

My last project for this week involves a recycled Altoids tin. I have an embroidery pattern for my machine that made a cover the perfect size for these tins. After stitching it out, I glued a layer of batten to it and then glue that to the tin. I trimmed it with mini ball fringe. It now holds my machine needles.

 Please don't forget to check out my web site: Colleen's Cottage Crafts