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Downsizing - what happens to your craft room?

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay So I have decided to downsize my craft space so what this means is I originally had three craft tables, a room for it and a tall storage space plus multiple other smaller storage’s such as draws and tubs.  But I realised, I was leaving half finished craft on the other two tables and sometimes the third table.  Why leaving craft on the table isn’t a good idea So some crafts like diamond painting and building miniatures, I tend to leave out on my craft tables. The problem is, for the most part it just sits there. It does not compel me to work on it. It looks messy because the table isn’t cleared.  So by getting rid of the two tables, I now have one table, which means I have to clear up the craft after every time I do it. This means my space looks clean to me. Also, I can choose whatever craft I want to do at the time and then put it back. For example, I can still do miniatures and put the recently glued items in a draw to dry and not leave o...
Recent posts

Is reading a hobby? Yes!

So my new hobby is going to second hand stores and buying books for real cheap!  For years, I didn’t really read many books. But since going on a trip to the LifeLine Bookfest, which you can read about on my travel blog:  https://melanietoyetravels.blogspot.com/2025/02/venturing-to-lifeline-bookfest.html?m=1 I have really fallen back into the love of reading. Interestingly enough, I just had to find the books and topics that I enjoy and that’s how I feel back into reading. Plus, you learn so much from books. Yeah, some books I skip sections because they are not relevant to me (non-fiction books). But generally, I try to read the whole thing. I guess what I am trying to say is, you do you.  I don’t tend to buy a lot of fiction books. I do struggle to read them. But sometimes I borrow them from friends and they are easy reads. But again, it still takes me a month to read. I guess that’s why I stopped getting library books. Because I would borrow about ten books at once and ...

Decluttering my hobbies (awww)

Well in Brisbane, Australia. I prepared for Cyclone Alfred to hit where I lived. I have never been in a cyclone before so this was a touch scary. I did everything I could to prepare for it.  And then the times where I wasn’t preparing, I was crocheting. Crocheting gives me a calmness that is helpful. Also, it fills up time. But also when crocheting, if you aren’t counting stitches, you can let your mind wander. And my mind did wander… I realised that some items I left on the ground because I couldn’t be bothered to move them off the ground in case it flooded, made me realise I didn’t really need these items in my life. If I was happy to have my Lego flood and if for some miracle, it doesn’t flood, I should sell the items.  I have never really enjoyed decluttering. And for months beforehand, I would tell people I would sell me Lego in the future. But never attempted it.  I also looked at my miniature DIY kits with disdain. I used to love miniature kits. But now days, I jus...

Sometimes you need to get organised

Image by vat loai from Pixabay So I felt like a lot was churning over my mind over and over and I decided to write each type of goal / idea / thought into an exercise book for each topic (that’s what I had lying around).  First off, why one book per topic?  I just feel like my brain is so scattered right now, that having one book per topic helps take it from my mind, write it down and let it go. If I had one book for all topics sure it might work, but what if I want more than one page to write down my thoughts on it?  Secondly, now here is the cool bit. I can decorate each of the books to style it how I want. So not only is it cool to look at, it will entice me to use it. Just so I can take a look at my cool art work at the front.  Thirdly, the serious planning begins. Now it can be a bit daunting. I have so many thoughts on the topic, where do I begin? Especially when a blank paper looks at me. There is no right or wrong way. Just do what feels right. For me, I sta...

Crocheting an ice cream versus a dinosaur

So since I have decided to make money from my hobbies as per my previous post. And to be honest I have sold a crochet item before cheaply and it was probably what I considered (and we are our own worst critic) not that great. However, I have to remind myself, I still sold it. Somebody ended up not just buying it but loving it and that’s a pretty cool feeling.  So today, I removed myself as a perfectionist and decided to revisit some of my crochet kits and especially the ones I have never done before.  Today, I crochet an ice cream, lemon flavoured and a dinosaur green and yellow. The dinosaur wasn’t exactly as great as the picture but it was my first attempt at a dinosaur and before I could change my mind, I swiftly added it for sale at Facebook Marketplace.  I’m not sure if much attention is viewed on Facebook Marketplace on a Sunday. As I know personally the top statistics for people to find my stuff for sale on Facebook is Thursday and Friday. Ready to be picked up on ...

Making money from craft

  So this year, I am looking at making crafts to then sell. I won’t be setting up a market. I will be just selling on Facebook Marketplace and through word of mouth.  I also don’t have too much spare time, just part weekends and at nights but again, not all the time.  So my plan is to build up my stock first so I can sell multiples at a time, rather than make one thing sell it. This way, that one buyer may want to buy multiple items at once and it’s an easier sale than if I was just selling one item at a time.  What is my timeframe to craft and sell? Like any plan, you need a timeframe to work towards. For me this is a year of crafting to sell. A year because I have a goal to try and save. And I feel a year is enough time to go through the seasons and experiment with colours and types of materials to see what people buy the most of and then produce more of it.  What am I going to craft and sell?  Well I have six years of miniature homes that I have built an...

Why I love crocheting scarves

So I have been crocheting for a year but mainly objects and animals and then I moved onto blankets and now while working on a blanket and because it’s half way made, it’s heavy and huge, I prefer to keep that project at home.  But when I am going somewhere, where I have to wait a bit or even travelling on the train, crocheting a scarf is the way to go. Plus, I even have my crochet projects (and many crochet hooks) placed in key rooms in my house. So if I find myself sitting in a seat and instead of having to get up and get a project, one is there waiting for me.  So it’s February here in Australia, which means we are in summer. So it’s the perfect time to crochet as many scarves as I want before winter begins.  So far I have made two scarves and I am in the middle of a third. One for me and my children. But I also want to make more scarves for myself, about four to six more. So I have one for each day. And a couple more for my children. Plus, it would be nice to make some...