Putting some serious organization into my craft.
While the amount of investment (that's what I am calling my spending before my loss of work) is massively helping get things moving for my desire to do faires/conventions/parties with my crafting, I must say 10+ years of different ideas organizing my supplies has made things really FUN for me to find components. And it isn't just basic issues, but complexities with style, type, color, component, material, etc.
The last three months have been cataloging, organizing, putting away, making items, and documenting the components to 200+ finished pieces. As I tried documenting the pieces, finding the components was time consuming (even a DB wouldn't have help because I had one for 1/2 the time and still couldn't find things)
Sometimes I found that I was very methodical when putting things away making sure to put it back where I kept it most of the times or with others of similar nature. Other times I find I took the fastest and the least organized method to put something away (by current project idea). And other times, I didn't even bother really putting the items away I just put them into a bin and said I will sort them back into their proper home later.
On top of that - as I go through this, I realize that a lot of times I would be something because of a design I would see, and not make any notes, write down, segregate out the components but would put the initial strand into a design bin - without any reason other than I have something in mind with it..
So I have been for the last two weeks, sitting and just becoming mindful with the bead side of the craft room. Sometimes just sitting for hour doing nothing but sitting there in the room.
The paper craft side, - forget it, I have other issues with that entire organization that until I can actually invest in this Scrapbook shelving it is just going to have to cope.
But I believe I think I have figured out what I like and how I like to organize the beading side.
First - I have become a fanatic of self contained individual project organizers - I had a nice system before with these little bakets
But this lacked three basic needs; ability to keep the components together (kitties are notorious for helping me, knock over things), ability to have a large enough paper with the project to keep notes on, and more important - WHAT is missing, needed or wanted so I can finish the project.
I found using similar packing material that my scrapbooking kits come in (ZipLock Clear Reclosable Poly) and basically buying different sizes but having a project master size works extremely well. I can put the components into the bag, the piece I am working on in a bag and that into the bag, the paper with notes and a sticky on the paper of what am I missing to complete this and when did or when will I order it.
65 projects later - I actually feel more attuned to how I stop in mid project and what to do than I have in a long time. It also has helped me as I see something - or a set of beads tell me what they want done - to quickly capture that and as much about the design into the bag without having to drop everything and work on the interrupting design.
Here's an example of one of the incomplete but now contained projects
It was so easy unpacking this last batch of items I bought - since into the bags they went and now they are waiting to be completed.
The last three months have been cataloging, organizing, putting away, making items, and documenting the components to 200+ finished pieces. As I tried documenting the pieces, finding the components was time consuming (even a DB wouldn't have help because I had one for 1/2 the time and still couldn't find things)
Sometimes I found that I was very methodical when putting things away making sure to put it back where I kept it most of the times or with others of similar nature. Other times I find I took the fastest and the least organized method to put something away (by current project idea). And other times, I didn't even bother really putting the items away I just put them into a bin and said I will sort them back into their proper home later.
On top of that - as I go through this, I realize that a lot of times I would be something because of a design I would see, and not make any notes, write down, segregate out the components but would put the initial strand into a design bin - without any reason other than I have something in mind with it..
So I have been for the last two weeks, sitting and just becoming mindful with the bead side of the craft room. Sometimes just sitting for hour doing nothing but sitting there in the room.
The paper craft side, - forget it, I have other issues with that entire organization that until I can actually invest in this Scrapbook shelving it is just going to have to cope.
But I believe I think I have figured out what I like and how I like to organize the beading side.
First - I have become a fanatic of self contained individual project organizers - I had a nice system before with these little bakets
But this lacked three basic needs; ability to keep the components together (kitties are notorious for helping me, knock over things), ability to have a large enough paper with the project to keep notes on, and more important - WHAT is missing, needed or wanted so I can finish the project.
I found using similar packing material that my scrapbooking kits come in (ZipLock Clear Reclosable Poly) and basically buying different sizes but having a project master size works extremely well. I can put the components into the bag, the piece I am working on in a bag and that into the bag, the paper with notes and a sticky on the paper of what am I missing to complete this and when did or when will I order it.
65 projects later - I actually feel more attuned to how I stop in mid project and what to do than I have in a long time. It also has helped me as I see something - or a set of beads tell me what they want done - to quickly capture that and as much about the design into the bag without having to drop everything and work on the interrupting design.
Here's an example of one of the incomplete but now contained projects
It was so easy unpacking this last batch of items I bought - since into the bags they went and now they are waiting to be completed.