I bought a fabric pantry!

I know most people do Spring cleaning and it's August. I'd been going through a tough time recently and am on the upswing from it, creating this immediate and important urge to purge all things I don't need in my home. ALL of them. I want to go minimalist in my home. Now, usually these feelings are fleeting, so I think that I should follow suit this one time and see where it leads me.

All of you who make things by hand probably know how easy it is to feel the need to buy as many supplies as possible. I have gone through these weird crafty phases, a sort of handmade Attention Deficit Disorder.

Since stumbling upon Etsy, I have knit and collected tons and tons of different types of yarn, needles, and notions.

I then decided I wanted to get into paper goods and I bought envelope templates and fancy papers and envelope glue and made envelopes and flatcards.

Then I saw a show on TV on how easy stained glass is and decided to try my hand at stained glass. Enter cabochons, 30+ stained glass squares and rectangles, glass cutters, oil, solder, soldering iron, copper tape, wire and suction cups. Okay, stained glass? Not easy at all! I have the solder scars to prove it.

I then took a pillow making class and started collecting fabrics, threads, and pillow inserts. Then makeup bags and coin purses, add to my collection of fabrics and threads, I now have tons of canvas, interfacing, zippers, felt squares, pinking shears, and fancy fabric scissors. Let's not count the numerous measuring tapes, rulers, yardsticks, sewing machine needles, fabric tags, googly eyes, fabric paints.

Now, picture me in a large (by NYC standards) 2BR apt, with a roommate, two sewing machines, a full-sized ironing board and two bookcases of craft books.

HOLY COW. Crafts have taken over my LIFE!

I have plastic Sterilite, Muji, and Rubbermaid bins for everything, so it's all organized within them, including ones for my completed projects, but I've always wanted to have my fabrics out so they remind me to get cracking at the machine.

I have 3 days off this week (today through Saturday) and am using the time to organize it all into a 5ft x 2ft x 1.5ft wooden pantry with doors that I purchased from Target today. Once I get it all organized in one space, I can use all the plastic bins to decide what books, clothes, dvds and other things to donate or list on Freecycle, making a happier, more organized, creative minimal space where everything has a place and that place isn't in every room in my apartment.

I cannot wait! I am thinking of how to decorate this very boring beech-colored cabinet. I was thinking maybe stencils. I will post the project once completed. I can't wait!

<3 Always,
--Taina

random thoughts.

Hey ladies & gents!

I've been sans internet for 2 days and finally got back online. I have no idea what the problem was, but I actually had to call the cable company and set up an appointment to get it fixed. The cable guy said that out of 100%, my connection was running at about 2%. He was surprised I was getting any cable channels, also. Man, catching up on a billion e-mails is NOT fun. Today was supposed to be my relaxing day.

Sans internet/my favorite tv channels, I went to Borders and bought David Sedaris' latest book, cleaned my apartment and organized my new fabric into my bins. I also made ::gasp!:: a new pillow for my shop! I will post it later, I have to get a custom order listing posted first.

I also bought sculpey and started thinking up ideas for magnets and such, so stoked.

Someone said something interesting yesterday. She said something about being self-supporting, and I'd never thought of that before. Sure, in the monetary sense, I'm self-supporting, and my etsy shop is self-supporting. But I had an epiphany of sorts. Sometimes I go through these periods where I don't make anything, and I fall into this terrible rut. When I'm not productive, I feel like garbage, a terrible downward spiral.

So July? Is all about being self-supporting. I'm going to be as creative as I want to be, make things, sketch, design, and support the artist inside me. I'm very excited by this idea, and a little nervous!

Oh, and if you've ever wondered what I listen to while making things?
Today's playlist includes: Young Love, Maroon 5, Metro Station, Rilo Kiley, and later this evening? Some Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald.

Yup. Oh, and I had half a toasted bagel w/ peanut butter on it & orange juice for breakfast, and am eating the other half for lunch.

There, the innerworkings of Taina on a Saturday afternoon.

<3 Always,
--Taina

Hooray for Organization!

Well dearies, I'm much more organized in my crafting area!

Yesterday I bought more plastic containers with lids and organized all of my fabrics by type (fun prints, everyday prints, interfacing, lining fabrics). I also decided to use one of my big glass jars for holding thread. It's clear and really pretty as you can see all of the colors. I even organized my notions into smaller containers! Totally exciting.

This morning I awoke to find I've already sold my pink bird makeup bag I listed yesterday. Hooray for sales!

I've been trying to be more organized this year, as it will make next year's taxes even easier on me. Etsy's dedicated part of it's website to "The Storque", where you can find all sorts of news, updates, videos and more. Well guess what I found? A pre-made Seller Worksheet!

I just spent the last hour customizing it to my needs. I needed a column for Charity percentages and I also wanted to include the sum of gross sales each month. And now I'm all done with January and February (thus far). Everytime I make a sale, I will just enter it into the spreadsheet and away we go!

So I listed another umbrella coin purse today:


(Click photo for more info.)

And now I'm off to water my plants, straighten up the livingroom and get ready for my friend Dorian (and maybe her girlfriend) to come over for brunch.

Speaking of plants, here are photos of my kitchen window, from left to right:








OMG, I just sold something else in the time it took to write this blog! One of my zoo pillows! How awesome! Today is a great day.

<3 Always,
--Taina

Blue Skies

Today is a new day...

(Click photo for item info.)

I woke up at 7:36am today. My phone rang 6 mins later. My phone only rings that early in the morning if a) there's an emergency or b) My cousin Andy is calling.

Andy is in the Army National Guard. He's like a brother to me. We grew up down the hall from each other and he's only a year and a half younger than I am. He's in a tent in North Carolina right now, awaiting deployment to Afghanistan. He's already been to Iraq.

Talking to him this morning made me want to do something handmade and spectacular. I was thinking maybe "Afghans for Afghans" or items who's entire sale price went to Doctors Without Borders. That's when I remembered...



Doctors Without Borders actually had to pull their medical personnel out of Afghanistan after 5 aid workers were killed there. I don't know if they have returned to the country since then. I will have to do some research.

I used to have penpals who were deployed troops, one of whom was in Afghanistan. He decided to do something for the country upon his return and started Operation Dreamseed. I think it could be fun to donate money to his organization, which gives school supplies to Afghani children.

So while I am worrying about my cousin being safe at war, I will keep myself busy by sending him care packages, donating some money to Operation Dreamseed and knitting something for Afghans For Afghans. Sounds like a plan.

In other news? The sun is out, the rain has gone, and today is a new day. I've already sold a makeup bag! (Sarah, I hope you adore the makeup bag as much as I adore you!) So I'm off to make two more. One for my cousin's wife and another to list.

<3 Always,
--Taina