as crafsters, we need to make sure to support and encourage our creative side as much as possible.  walking into a space that doesn’t inspire you can be a real buzz kill, so today, we’ll talk about 10 things you can do to keep your creative spaces inspirational.

{inspiration wall in my sewing room}

1) surround yourself with beautiful things.  whether it’s artwork, colorful patterns or previous projects, make sure your space is a reflection of yourself and that you get inspired by the things you see when you enter the room.  ever evolving inspiration boards, clip boards or wire picture holders are a great way to keep beauty around you.

{my sewing room}

2) lighten up. natural day light is invigorating and clear, where as yellow house bulbs can be a little suppressing.  either way, make sure you have plenty of light for your projects, as straining your eyes can be exhausting.  using lamps with clear bulbs can be a savior when it comes to detailed work.

3) keep a well stocked craft room. whether it’s scissors, glue, yarn or thread- make sure to have plenty of whatever you find you need the most.  having to run to the store mid-project can totally disrupt your creative process.

{my sewing table feb 09}

4) keep your space organized. it’s amazing how much more quickly you can accomplish tasks when you know exactly where everything is. take note of the positioning as well,  if you find yourself always having to get up to cross the room for a pair of scissors, move them (that sounds silly, but i just realized i was doing this a few weeks ago)!

5) be comfortable. if you’re sitting make sure to have a supportive, comfortable chair with a table at the appropriate height.  if you’re standing, make sure you have supportive shoes on and you’re not hunching over to work.  keep the temperature where you like it and pull your hair back if it’s in your way. heck- stay in your pj’s if you like!

{sewing room}

6) keep it tidy.  easier said than done, right?  this is a new one that i’ve been really trying to stick to.  it’s so overwhelming to feel inspired to create, and then enter a mess (okay, a disaster) of a sewing room.  clean up after every single project, and you’re space will be clean and inviting the next time you get ready to craft.

{moving and cleaning}

7) minimize distractions. take the phone off the hook, ask your mister to watch the kids, lock the door or do whatever you need to be able to focus.  if you find yourself stopping everything to watch the tv or check twitter, consider turning off those distractions as well.  time wasters are addicting, consuming and definitely not productive.

8) remove anything you find bothersome. is it something in your room? a piece of art? the way you have to walk around the ironing board to get to the cutting table? whatever you find annoying, remove it or rethink it.

{sewing nook complete}

9) jam out. jazz, hip hop, oldies- if it get’s your hips swinging and your mind focused, turn it on and jam out.

10) stop before you get overwhelmed.  open a window and let a fresh breeze hit your face or turn a pot of tea on.  make sure to take care of yourself and do a few things that you know will keep you refreshed, focused and on task.

i took these photos of my sewing room this morning.  i really am keeping it clean, see?! :)  i think i have finally gotten it well stocked, organized and planned out- and because of that, i have been more productive than ever.

how do you keep your space inspiring?

wrap up: {creative} {inspire} {organize} {room} {sewing} {spaces} {tidy}

one of my favorite diy projects to date have been these easy to make fabric leaf bowls.  i found the tutorial on martha stewart’s website and quickly got inspired (as usual) to get busy gathering my materials.

aren’t they pretty?  perfect for layering or holding goodies.  i often place dry snacks in them for guests like nuts, crackers and candies.  the bowls are made from tweed and wool felt so can be spot cleaned as needed.

materials:

- wool felt

- tweed*

- sewing machine with coordinating thread

- scissors

- fusible webbing (found at any sewing shop)

- tracing pen

*i went thrift shopping and picked up some fun tweed jackets to cut up and use!

here’s the how to:

1. first things first you need to download and print out the oak-leaf bowl template from martha stewart.  you can resize them to create bowls of various shapes.  using your scissors, cut each template out following the template lines.

2. cut 1 rectangle from each of your materials (1 tweed, 1 wool felt and 1 fusible webbing) for each of your leaves, large enough to accommodate each leaf template.

3. stack the 3 fabrics with the webbing in the middle and press using your iron until the webbing has fused.

4.  trace your template onto one side of your fused rectangle with a disappearing ink pen (found at any craft/sewing shop).

5. cut out the leaf.

6. using your sewing machine, sew up each of the 5 v shaped darts, using either a zigzag or satin stitch.  working from the inside out, simply pull the fabric together as you stitch (don’t overlap it).  i found using tweezers or straight pins helped push the fabric together towards the ends.

sewing up the darts creates a bowl shape and each leaf will be reversible (so make sure your bobbin thread looks good, too!)  feel free to go back with your iron to touch the tips of your leaf, giving them curl in your desired direction.

what do you think? don’t forget to visit martha’s site for the original article and even a tutorial video to refer to!

wrap up: {craft} {diy} {fabric leaf bowls} {martha stewart} {project} {sewing}

wow, was this a quick, easy and oh-so-worth it way to spruce up my ol’ ironing board!!  i ordered this ironing board cover last week from city chic country mouse, and was so excited when it arrived.  it really did do wonders for my entire sewing room!  now i’ve got some projects to finish with coordinating fabrics, can’t wait to share them with you!

jamie and carmen are a mom and daughter team who own and run their etsy shop, blog and facebook page. mom (the country mouse) and daughter (the city chic) come together to make these lovely ironing board covers, towels, scissor holders, clothespin bags and more!  city chic country mouse makes it easy to brighten up your sewing space, what a beautiful way to collaborate together!

have a sunny weekend, and i’ll be looking forward to seeing you back here on monday! xo, bonnie

wrap up: {board} {cover} {etsy} {ironing} {order} {scissors} {sewing}

la bonne femme is a place to find beautiful vintage and new supplies for crafts, gardening, cooking and more.  she says, “Bonne Femme literally means “good wife” or “good woman”, it encompasses the style of taking what you have on hand and making it spectacular, be it the perfect roast chicken, a new dress, a gift for someone special, or a pretty country French garden. Simple and Honest.“  what beautiful imagery to accompany this lovely shop!

elsewhere :: {shop1} {shop2} {blog}

wrap up: {cooking} {craft} {gardening} {sewing} {supplies} {vintage}

for the crafster in you life!  you might have to send your santa to this page- or just do the shopping yourself!  david is really good about supporting my crafty obsessions- but usually leaves the crafty buying up to my mom.  how do the loved ones in your life do?

row 1 :: make do and mend :: cotton reels :: chop chop ::

row 2 :: stack of ribbon :: monopoly thimble ring :: parfait yarn ::

row 3 :: christmas creatures :: sweet as a button :: secret lovers ::

row 4 :: i’d rather be smooching my crafty wife :: needle case :: sew cute coasters ::

row 5 :: crafty tools card :: the happy pear pincushion :: yarn keep ::

wrap up: {christmas} {crafty} {gift} {knitting} {presents} {sewing}