Christmas Carol Scroll Ornament Instructions:

Photocopy a Christmas song page onto parchment paper reducing the size.  Make a page small enough that it fits in a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch space.  That way you can get four photocopied song pages on on 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper.  All I did was scan the page, insert it into a Word document, copied four to a page and printed them out on my printer instead.  I also used slightly colored/patterned scrapbook paper instead of the parchment just to be wild and crazy.  Print off and then cut out as many as you need.

Cut 5 inch lengths of 1/4 inch wooden dowel (I used 3/16″ dowel size).  Paint them with red acrylic paint and let them dry.  I gave this job to my son (10).

Meanwhile on each long side of your photocopied Christmas carol, tear off a 1/4 inch strip (we couldn’t do this part without ripping the whole page so we skipped the whole tearing process).  Lightly brush torn edges with tacky craft glue (we just used good old Elmers) and dip them into gold glitter to add sparkle.  My daughter (12) loved this part.  Let’s just say we had glitter EVERYWHERE!

Next take two pieces of your cut dowel and glue the top edge of your paper over the top of one dowel, then glue the bottom edge around the bottom of the other dowel.

After the glue is dry, roll the top end of the ornament down and the bottom end of the ornament up, rolling each end about hallway.  When you release the ends, you have a scroll shape.  Mine didn’t go too scroll like but I think that was due to the type of paper I used.

Just tie a piece of gold cord to the top dowel (we just used thin black craft wire).  We also added a red bow for an extra touch and my daughter wrote Merry Christmas 2009 on the back of each.

Your ornament will soon have folks singing its praises! :)

Thanks Taste of Home for coming through for me AGAIN!

Christmas Carol Scroll Ornament is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Since it’s closet/cupboard month here on the blog, I thought it only fitting to highlight someone who recently did a complete overhaul on one of hers.   A couple of months ago Yard Sale Princess (I’ll refer to her as YSP for short) of Digging for Treasure did a shout out for suggestions on her walk in closet in her bedroom.   It is a fantastic space that she was using as a craft closet.  The problem was it was completely over run with STUFF and in desperate need of some organizing solutions.  Let’s just say it was a diamond in the rough.

YSP called her system the “toss and run” system.  Toss in and then run like heck to get out of there so as not to have to see the mess.  Can anyone relate?  As you can imagine that poor closet wasn’t living up to its potential.  But boy was there potential.   It’s not a whole room but it sure is the next best thing and this little oasis was just crying out for some attention.

Be sure to visit this post for many more before pictures.

I got giddy when I read that the first thing YSP did was empty the space out.  That’s my girl!  You’ll definitely have to read the midway craft room update she posted outlining the steps she was taking to accomplish her task.  Steps that included electrical outlets and paint.

Finally after a few problems along the way YSP was ready to debut her new space and gosh did she do an amazing job.   I’m only going to give you a bit of a teaser here:

and be still my heart:

Can you just imagine the creativity that this organized space will spark.  I’m so excited for her!  You will have to visit Digging for Treasure to see the rest of the pictures.  What a job well done and definitely Storage Star worthy here today!

Thanks for letting us take a peak YSP!!

Storage Star ~ Craft Closet is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

I knew I wanted them to be out in the open so it had to be pretty and I knew I didn’t want it to cost a lot of $$.  I decided to make something of my own.  I walked around Walmart until inspiration hit and it did when I saw the lovely ribbon memo boards similar to this one below.   Mine is 18×21 inches.

Twill French Memo Board – Ivory (17×20″)

I purchased it along with about 30 mini screw hooks and set to work.  Word of warning if you are going to try and screw in that many little hooks though…WEAR GLOVES….I’m just saying.  Talk about painful! 

I’m so excited by how it turned out.  It took me no more than an hour to assemble and in total cost about $20.00 to make.   I love that I can use the ribbon to hook earrings onto to keep them organized as well if I want.

Another option I had considered was using an old picture frame, taking out the glass and inserting a piece of corkboard covered in a pretty fabric.  I think that would have cost me more though and taken longer so I was really happy to come up with this instead.

So long irritation, you’re outta here!!

Inexpensive jewelry organizer is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

It’s time to throw the ropes out because we’ve reached the end of the month and time is up.  Show us your organized craft/sewing area(s) and give me a little “fix” won’t you.

Don’t be shy, we can’t wait to see what you’ve done.  So whether you’ve made a big change or a little change, it’s all good.  If something is working a little bit easier for you with some changes you were able to incorporate then let us celebrate that with you.   Please link up below to a post on your site that shows us both your before and after pictures and remember to use the direct link to your round-up post and not to your homepage.  That’s helpful for those of us who might not get a chance to take a peek at your post until later.  Also, as a courtesy, if you are going to participate please be kind and link back to this post within your post.

I want to give a big thanks to List Plan It for sponsoring this month’s round-up.  Jennifer is giving away, to one lucky participant, a one year membership to List Plan It which means access to over 350 lists and planning pages!!  The winner will be selected randomly from the Mr. Linky below.  To be eligible for this amazing prize please link up to your before and after picture post by Nov 2nd at 12:00 pm PST.

For more info on Org Junkie’s Monthly Round-Up and to visit previous round up entries go here.  Interested in being a future sponsor?  E-mail me!

Thanks all!  Next month we are moving on to our laundry rooms!!

Rounding Up the Craft/Sewing Rooms! is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

How is everyone doing with their sewing/craft room organizing projects?  I do hope you are making some headway.  I will put up Mr. Linky on Friday for you to share your before and after pictures.  If you need a little more motivation perhaps these fantastic links will help.  Enjoy!

Sewing Room Organization Six Part Series @The Domestic Diva – Wow these are the most detailed posts I’ve ever seen, lots and lots of amazing ideas for organizing your sewing supplies!

Scrapbooking supplies organization part one and part two @Thoughts from Miller Manor

Sewing/Craft room picture inspiration @SimplyGrove

Video – Folding Fabric tips @TipNut

Quick and easy sewing organizer tutorial @Organized Everyday

My Creative Space @In My Thoughts – enter the gallery for a peek inside this space

110 Real Sewing Rooms (!)

Organizing Sewing Space @HGTV

We’re Crafty @Virtually Organized

Scrapbook & Craft Storage @Mom’s Toolbox

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This month we are organizing our sewing/craft areas for Org Junkie’s Monthly Organizing Round-Up.  Join us and you could win a one year membership to List Plan It!

Link~Tastic – The Sewing/Craft Room Edition! is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

The Elfa System from the Container Store

Foldaway Mobile Workcenter from Get Organized!

Mobile Cart from Organize.com

Triple Utility Table from Solutions

Sauder Craft Armoire – Antiqued White

My favorite is probably the first one, I can see so many great uses for it.  How about you?

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Related Posts:

13 Craft Storage Solutions

Organizing Your Craft Room

Organizing Craft Supplies

Some fun craft/sewing workstations is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

I just really like them and what kind of junkie would I be if I didn’t share my habit with others :)

So here we go.

Fabric Storage

1.   Sewing Room Storage Bins:

2.  Fabric Drawer Storage:

Accessory Storage

3.  EZ Wall Organizer:

4.  The Keeper:

5.  Portable Craft Organizer Caddy:

6.  Four-Drawer Acrylic Storage Chest:

7.  Translucent Hobby Boxes:

8.  30-Drawer Cabinet:

9.  Sidekick Storage Bin:

10.  3 Drawer Scrapbook Chest:

11.  Mobile Organizer:

12.  Snap ‘n Stack Craft Organizer:

13.  14 x14 tote with adjustable dividers:

See more Thursday Thirteen participants here.

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This month we are organizing our sewing/craft areas for Org Junkie’s Monthly Organizing Round-Up.  Join us and you could win a one year membership to List Plan It!

13 Craft Storage Solutions is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Okay I’ve got a new fun game for us to play.  My good friend Sarah owns the local thrift store so I spend quite a bit of time there.  Quite often I find little gems at the store that were originally designed for one purpose but that could easily be adapted or used in so many other creative ways.

Starting today and then whenever I’ve got a new treasure to share with you I’m going to put up a picture of my find and show you some alternate ways to put it to good use.  Then I’m opening the floor up to you and if you can think of any other clever uses then please share in the comments.   What I’m hoping to accomplish is to inspire us to think a little more outside of the box than what we might be use to in order to come up with some clever organizing solutions that don’t cost a lot of money.

So my find for today’s “How Many Uses?” game is this lovely holder originally designed for spools of thread:

It’s an excellent little organizing device that I also thought would make a great jewelry holder:

or a fabulous holder for my daughter’s growing collection of head bands (this is only a few of them for demonstration purposes):

Not bad for a $1.99!

Now it’s your turn?

How many uses can we come up with?

How many uses for…..a thread holder? is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

Annie had just recently painted her new craft room and hadn’t gotten around to pulling it all together yet.  Take a look:

We started out with the first step in the PROCESS, the plan.  I spent a couple of minutes asking her what types of things needed to be stored in this space, which things she uses most often, what could she remove from the room, etc.  Read the complete list of questions to ask yourself BEFORE starting your project here.

What I found out was that Annie needed a place to store her Christmas gift collection, she needed to make room on her table for her sewing machines, she wanted to utilize the dresser for fabric, she didn’t need to store winter coats in this space so they could be removed, the furniture placement was working the way it was but just not being utilized to it’s fullest potential.

We only had a short time frame to get things done and as I looked around the room I wasn’t sure we’d be doing more than a small dent in the space.  But we had a plan and knew that even if we only got a portion of the plan done it would still be better than if we didn’t start at all.  So we rolled up our sleeves and got to work.

As you can see Annie has two small closets in this room (that are still missing their doors but these will go on soon) so we decided to allocate one of them for her Christmas collection and the other for out of season clothes and other things she doesn’t access regularly.  We started by removing everything out of the closets into the middle of the room so that we could start with a fresh slate.  Annie had an inexpensive shelving unit she wasn’t using in another part of the house that we were able to squeeze perfectly into the left hand closet to help maximize that space as much as possible.  She also had those gorgeous fabric bins just sitting in her bathroom not being used so in they went as well.  Then we moved around the room collecting all the Christmas loot that was here and there and everywhere and started loading it into the closet.  Gift bags were corralled into a recycled bag and hung on a hanger.  It all worked perfectly and having everything in one location will help her keep tabs on what she has already purchased saving her money in the long run.

Once we got going and were motivated by the closet completion the rest actually came together much quicker than we thought it would.  I worked on clearing the floor of all the clutter next.  Most of the bags on the floor were fabric that just needed to be put into their new home in the dresser.  Her scrapbooking supplies were allocated to bins and drawers.  Once I knew where I was going to put supplies (ie: beads, stickers, papers, etc) it was easy to just move things to where they needed to go.  Due to our lack of time I didn’t worry about how organized the drawers were at this point.  I knew those could easily be tackled later after I’d left.  My goal for that day was to ensure that we had her floor space cleared along with the desk tops.

In just an hour and a half this is what we completed:

I think we were both surprised at how quickly it went but I find that’s usually the case for most organizing projects once you get on a roll like that.  The trick is just to start.

Now I’ve left Annie with some homework of course.  Her job will be to go through each of the drawers and sort like with like and purge anything that she doesn’t love or need.  This shouldn’t take her too long and if she wants it would be nothing to just take or roll out her plastic drawer bins to the living room and organize them as she watches a movie.

Almost everything Annie used in this space she already owned and purchased very inexpensively from garage sales and friends with the exception of the fold up sewing machine table which I believe she purchased from Canadian Tire for $50.00.   She also bought the paper sorter new and that was from Michaels.  Please read this post I did on Making Do to further inspire you to not let $$ stand in your way from organizing right now.

A big shout out to Annie for sharing her space with me, thanks for the “fix” girl!

If you have any questions about what we did or the tools we used just ask away in the comments.

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Related posts:

A new cabinet for the crafts

Organizing craft supplies

Organizing your craft room is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie

image courtesy of idomusic2

I am so not crafty by any stretch of the imagination.  I do go on tangents though where every once and awhile I forget this small tidbit of information about myself and decide I’m going to just jump head first into a project and hope for the best.

Why is it that I never really learn my lesson?   Apparently bright is something else I am not.  It’s not that the finished project doesn’t turn out.  In fact eventually it does.  Eventually in my case though is a very very long time.  Good grief!  Take Barb’s beautiful Santa Stars for instance.  When she first posted her tutorial (I can’t find the link anymore, sorry) she made it look so easy I thought for sure I could easily whip one up all in one evening.  HA HA HA, ummm that would be a big fat NO.   I got that little sucker done all right but about a couple of weeks later.  Really I’m pathetic, my girlfriend will tell you it’s just downright painful to watch me.

This year I’ve so far managed to outsmart my clever little know it not so much all self and went ahead and purchased those gorgeous little ornaments directly from Barb’s Shoppe.  Really sometimes things are just better left to the professionals.

So as you can imagine a craft room I do not have in my home.  It’s best for everyone if I just BACK AWAY FROM THE CRAFTS and then no one gets hurt.  However the thought of having a craft room if for no other reason except to organize all the craft supplies well now that is something dreams are made of.  In fact I swear that is the only reason I ever considered myself a “scrapbooker”.  Oh the glorious and wonderful supplies.  The supplies that all need homes to be tucked into at night.  It gives me goose bumps just thinking about it.

So although I don’t have any crafts or sewing supplies to organize myself I do want to help you with yours.  But first we need to talk about what we’re up against.

Hands up to those who have a designated craft/sewing space?  Hands up to those who don’t but wished they did.  Hands up to those whose spaces might not be so organized but yet you really really wished they were.  And of course we most definitely want to hear it from the ladies who spaces are of the orderly variety and what the heck you are doing to keep them that way!

And to all the other not so crafty girls everywhere, you are safe here.

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This post sponsored by List Plan It.  List Plan It will be giving away, to one lucky participant in October’s Monthly Organizing Round-Up, a yearly membership to her fantastic list site!

Craft goddess I am not is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie