Organizing Crafts

New year, new ideas and it's time to clean out and organize! I'm not sure how it works for you but I can keep most of my house organized throughout the year but my Creative Workspace (as Peter Walsh refers to it) I refer to it as my craft room, is another story. Of course, I may have mentioned it before but this year I was in procrastination mode and everything started to pile up at the end. Yeah, not a good idea so I won't do that again! I started cleaning out my craft room last week. My system was slow at first because it was so overwhelming when I saw everything in the middle of the room. That's how I do it, just like Peter Walsh says (the great organizer and de-clutter expert) check out his web site and organizing store, Peter Walsh Organize By Room, take everything out, that means closets too! Make 3 piles, donate, keep, throw away and start organizing.
It took 4 days of about an hour a day to decide which craft projects I was actually going to work on and which projects I knew I would never get to. I ended up with 2 boxes to donate, a full garbage bag and the rest left to organize. Then on day 5, I came home to a HUGE surprise. My creative workspace was completely organized. Sometimes it works better to have someone help you with these projects, it really can be overwhelming at times! While I was at work, my helpers had purchased 2 inexpensive cube organizers and color coordinated bins. All of my fabric was neatly folded and placed in the empty cubes and labeled bins contained the rest of my supplies, ribbon, such as yarn and needles, chalk paint, paint, soap making supplies, lotion making supplies, glue and scissors, patterns, etc. Handmade tags were placed on each bin so I can easily see where my supplies are. A large, labeled glass container houses my sewing thread. My ironing board and portable craft table are stored in the closet. I love this room!

I have room to work and everything is where I can see it, no more digging through the closet to find my project supplies. And to keep my on track, due to my tendency of becoming distracted, my old bulletin board was converted to a "Project of the Week" board. They also made 2 signs...More Ideas Than Time. Does that sound familiar to you?

Hope you enjoyed the tour and let's get organized!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Grandma's Bread Pudding and Caramel Sauce

I was trying to think of something for dessert last night and homemade bread pudding was my choice. Our Dad was not a dessert lover but bread pudding was one of his favorites. Our grandma made the best bread pudding, hope you like it! Ingredients : 5 cups slightly dried out bread, any kind. I used Italian bread. 1/4 cup raisins (optional) 2 cups milk 1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 T vanilla 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp cinnamon Caramel Sauce Ingredients 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 tsp vanilla Directions : Cut the bread in cubes. I cut some of the crust off (on about half of the bread). Place bread into a greased casserole dish or an 11x9 inch pan. Add raisins. Microwave milk and butter about 4 minutes on 60% power or heat in a saucepan over medium heat on the stove. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. Slowly add the mixture to the egg and milk an...

Grilled Orange Roughy

My favorite food choices are often related to family memories, so I wanted to share one of our favorite grilled fish recipes. Our Dad used to take us fishing and we grew up eating the fish we caught ourselves. Then came the time when we had to start buying fish, I searched for types of fish that didn't taste too "fishy". It's hard to accomplish that in the Midwest, we don't always have many choices. We were introduced to orange roughy during a trip to San Diego where my great-uncle treated us to some of the most wonderful seafood we had ever eaten at an establishment called Anthony's. It was the first time we had eaten orange roughy and it was white, flaky and not too fishy tasting. After a few experiments, this is my favorite method to prepare it at home. Serves 4 or 2 with leftovers! Ingredients: 4 orange roughy fillets 1/4 c fresh cilantro, I use a small handful * if you are not a cilantro fan use fresh dill, about 1/4 c chopped 2 tsp garlic powder o...

Homemade Goulash

Last weekend I made meals for the freezer. It takes a few hours but this will save you time during the week (in case you have nights like I do when you don't feel like cooking) and your family will love it! I adapted this recipe from Paula Deen (it's called Bobby's Goulash). I used organic ingredients but use the products of your choice. I would have liked to use fresh tomatoes from the garden but my tomatoes weren't quite ready. You can also make it gluten-free by using gluten-free elbow macaroni. It's so tasty - my family loved it! Ingredients : 1 pound ground turkey 1 pound lean ground beef 1 -2 small onions, diced ( I used red onions) 1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce 2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice 3 cups water 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 T Italian seasoning 3 bay leaves 3 T soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce 1 T seasoning salt course ground pepper to taste 2 cups elbow macaroni (uncooked) Putting it together: Brown meat and onions in a lar...

Natural Homemade Living

Search This Blog