Use Your Crafting Time Effectively – Keeping your area tidy

Trying to fit mixed media art into our everyday activities can be challenging – there will always be other things vying for our attention.. but when we do finally get that scrap of time together – or even find ourselves with a few unexpected hours ahead of us – how do we use that time effectively? This series of articles will look at tips to help you hit the ground running when you have that crafting time.

Part 1 – Keeping your craft table clean
As simple as it sounds, not having your crafting area clean and ready to go is enough to lose any motivation that may have been there and it will certainly use up any time you have scrounged. If this is a problem for you then it is time for a cleanup.

I always find this a little daunting – there seems to be stuff everywhere and barely any space to put another thing.

Get started by putting things away that have a home. Stamps left out to dry back into their drawers, folders or boxes and back onto the shelf. Paints and dry brushes back into their box. Putting things that have a home is the easiest way to get started.

If it is unfinished projects or extra stamped or painted backgrounds that clutter your workspace, you may need a UFO (un finished objects) box to get the things out of the way that you want to keep but aren’t going to use right now. Small piece of paper can go into their colour boxes [we talked about these here]

Once the bigger items are away, it is time for the hard questions for the item remaining in your craft space – do I need to keep this? Will I use it? There may have to be some sacrifices for our art. And that may have to be a few small pieces of paper or the odd item that we may use “some day” but it is preventing us for getting started TODAY because it is in the way.

Mixed media art techniques

Now we have an areas that is clean enough to get started crafting for today. You never know – you may have even been inspired by some of this bits and pieces you unearthed during your clean up!

I hope these few tips will help you use your crafting time well.

Happy creating.

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Mixed Media Arts Birthday Give-away Winners

And the winners of our first birthday give-away are:

Dekida Hamler and Esther Ward

Dekida says:

I am new to mixed media arts and journaling. I was very hesitant about starting because I cant draw or paint but because of your web site I am now working in three different journals. The instructions given on this site were easy to follow and understand and the examples used were not intimidating at all. Thank You for this Blessing

Esther adds:

happy happy birthday and thank you for the creative life you have given to me at a time when my life had reached a really difficult place. The new ideas and techniques have given me permission to create and rebuild myself and start a new life.

Please contact me with your postal details so I can get those mini-arches off to you. They are looking forward to heading off to their new homes!

Mixed Media Art Mini Arch

As we has so many comments, all of which really captured the essence of Mixed Media Arts, our team has decided to also include a “special mentions” category. These people will receive an Ephemera kit, similar to those we had on Etsy.

Our special mention winners are:
Cherie – “nothing is barred”
Vicki – “Try-it-all attitude”
Cynthia Stevens – “Create anew from things I find”
Trudy – “it’s necessary for me to live”
Sandra Pain – “love the way everything is created. It’s not just die-cuts”
Melissa – “Thank you for being here for a beginner”
Sherri –
I want to.. alter everything in sight and
Lori –
“... has given me that extra boost

Please send us an email through the Contact Us tab at the top of the site!

Thank you to all of your for your contributions. It has certainly made our birthday celebrations all that more special.

Happy creating!

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