Message Boards

I have a whole room of crafts from paper to jewelry to sewing. I feel like I should get rid of most of it but afraid I will regret it.
Just wondering if any of you have downsized your crafting to just one or two things instead of trying to have it all.

I'm trying to limit my crafting to a few things like glass blocks (although I'm limiting those, too heavy,lol), terry tote bags, neck warmers and neck coolers. Just started making flowers from records (see my post, newest craft)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: perk,

i downsized my crafting to crochet cross stitch and plastic canvas 2 years ago alot of it went to a friend who did not have alot of money to buy any thing extra so she appreciated it alot i had to throw some craft stuff away since it was in my bedroom where i had a fire so it had to be thrown away

thanks for your replies.
I know I need to do this but just as soon as I get rid of something.... I think I will need it. LOL

The only things I have gotten rid of recently are kids craft items that I had for my dd and her friends. They are now at the age where they are not interested in that stuff - they want to use my supplies. I am retiring soon and I will probabaly spend a few months going thru my stuff and give things a chance before giving them away. So much of what I have, I bought for specific projects that I have not had the time to work on, but expect that I will shortly.

I downsized mine to things I would use in papercrafting cards, little bags and boxes, etc. I kept only my favorite trims of lace, etc., and organized my ribbons in totes by colors. I kept things for papercrafting, such as punches, stamps, inks, brads, eyelets, and the tools I would use with those. Ifelt such relief with so much donated to others, and now I have a much more focused, organized and cleaner place to work.

I fee like getting rid of quilting and crafting stuff. but just cannot do it yet. since my hubby died 5 years ago i have no interrest in it.. once in a while a little interrest pulls me and hat that it just sits but again just cannot make myself give it away ..

keep your crafts...do your art,create,be yourself. People just don't understand how important my art supplies are to me.once you are an artist you always will be...share w/ others how to make things.make them smile.

I will be retiring soon, and hope to take up some sewing, and learn new crafts. I have supplies that I can't seem to get rid of, so I am hoping to get rid of some of my stash by using it to make gifts and maybe do a craft show.

I ventured over to this board after a long hiatus in crafting. I once had a bedroom redone as a craft studio and having worked in a craft store years ago, well....you can only imagine my broad range of interests. I had designated storage areas for silk/dried florals (my main craft at the time), to sewing (mostly imbellishing or mending), to paint supplies, to rubber stamps (which I got carried away w/) and papers to stencils, woodburning, jewelry making..you get the picture. It was a crowded space. About ten or twelve years ago, DH wanted to relocate his office in the room I was using and my stash was religated to an unfinished basement in storage bins. It was a bummer and remains a forgotten dream. Now, I do some silk arrangements (mostly for family w/ a rare freelance order) and jewelry making (for my volunteer job). These two hobbies keep my creative juices flowing and my spirit happy.

I know crafters are a creative, talented bunch, but as we age, we may find that we've got to edit and pinpoint one or two crafts we really have a passion for. Of course, if budget, time and space (not to mention our eyes and hands hold out) are not issues, then by all means stay w/ your vast interests. Just don't ever allow yourself too many craft interests lest you run out of funds or space. I see some of those hoarding shows and many times craft storage and unfinished projects are part of the problem. This is not the case w/ all of us of course, but w/ some. Focus on your best talents and those which you know will reach fruition. If you get bored w/ a craft, reinvent it or move onto another, but sell/donate or gift your unwanted tools and materials. There are so many options out there and sometimes one grows stale. Enjoy what you like to do best.

I haven't given up on crafting compleatly, but I do have a whole double closet full of supplies from crafts that I do longer do or never got around to do.
This summer, when my granddaughter is home, she is going to help me go thru the closet and weed out some of my supplies.
I have a two fold plan of what to do with the supplies I no longer need.
1. My granddaughter will, in the next year, graduate with a degree in " Early Education". I will let her pick and choose the supplies that she thinks she may need to do work with her "kids" when she does start to teach. The things that she will not be able to use, I plan to speak with some Activites Directors at the local Nursing Homes to see if they could use them for their activites.(Years of working in Nursing Homes taught me that the least funded department(but possiable the most necessary) is the Activtes, so they can use all the help they can get!
If you decide to donate to a Nursing Home,please talk to the
Activites Director to see what supplies or crafts she can use. Remember that the "Crafting Skills" of the residents range from the very simple to the very complicated, depending on their interrest and mental ability.
Other places to think about donating items to, is some after school programs, day care centers, Youth groups that work with the seniors(not in Nursing homes)in Senior Centers, Boy or Girl Scouts troops that work with disadvantage(sp?) kids, Maybe some Big Brothers or Big Sisters org that also work with kids.
If you decide to donate to any of the above, do keep track of the value of the donations, as that money may be deducted from your Income taxes as "charitable(sp?) deductions.Just remember to value them all as "second hand" items.

Back to add that I just took a break from posting and checked out my "closet".
Must admitt that I am very tempted to just leave the closet as is and let my daughter deal with it when I am gone. Pay back for the mess she left me years ago when she moved out!(L0L!)
Is that being too mean?
Just me

I have an entire room downstairs plus boxes and totes upstairs but I'm like Coco. My husband passed 2 years ago and it's so hard to get back into crafting. I've been doing a little lately and hopefully will post a couple things but I refuse to get rid of anything. My oldest wants to learn so they will all go to her eventually and she would kill me if I tried to get rid of any now.

hmmm I am back to a craft I had given up on a few years ago. I was doing glass totems then, I love glass anything. But it got to be so difficult to make them, I couldnt figure how to put them together attractively, it was frustrating. So I packed up all the glass and took it to Gwill "from whence" I had bought them!!!! sheesh! Now I am back to it, and Had to buy new glassware, and it now costs much more than it was before.Now I am doing jewelry/ candy tiers. And I have a cabinet full of glass ware again! Full circle.

I had also been doing bowling balls, gluing gems(half marbles) on them as yard art. Stopped doing those a few years ago, but still have containers of sooo many half marbles. Starting to glue them on vases and small stuff. Pretty.

So yes, I think just having one or two crafts can still be daunting, and take space, especially if we dont do the craft. But we have to have something fun and creative, or we dry up!

Since starting my blog two years ago (started as a blog for Tradewind Tiaras, but morphed into its own thing and became http://tikkido.com ) my crafts supplies have grown and grown. I looooove being creative on a new theme so often, I love trying out all these new crafts, but I think I might just have to start letting some of my leftover materials go. It pains me! But it's taking over the house!

I love knitting and crochet, that's just natural to me, so though i'd love to try more sewing, the pile of fabrics (found in the trash) was just growing without touching it. So I gave it away to a friend. Seeing her using it it doesn't hurt at all.