We are deep cleaning the craft room. We're rearranging furniture, adding a tv in the hopes that will motivate us to use the treadmill, and I am throwing away A LOT of stuff.

Don't these two pictures look like I have a neat, orderly craft room?

Ok, now see below for the REAL picture. A lot of the stuff in the middle of the floor came from five bookcases/shelves, which we are downsizing to just three.

We've done the rearranging, and the room looks much better than this. I will post "after" pictures when we're finished. I've even cleared a space on my craft desk, and made some cards tonight:

Fiskars Ultra ShapeXpress

I got my Fiskars Ultra ShapeXpress out the other day to use for a layout, and found another use for it. I love rub-ons but like to keep them together in one sheet, which makes it a little difficult to try to cut one rub-on out that is in the middle. I used the Ultra ShapeXpress to cut out the saying in the middle, without having to cut out any other rub-ons, which would give me a great chance to lose all those little pieces I would have had to cut out. I love the way it cuts - very sharp blade, so keep away from little children. You can see this and other Fiskars products here.

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Take a Knitting Survey

This one had me thinking back some years. Feel free to cut and paste to your own blog. After all, that's what I did.

Bold for stuff you've done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you're not planning on doing.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-upKnitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with bananafiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffitti knitting: knitting items on, or to be left on the street
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Household items: dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies...
knitting socks- or other small tubular items- on two circulars
Dying with plant colours
Knitting items for a wedding
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else's handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Machine knitting
Knitting with selfpatterning/selfstriping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

I have been knitting, I just haven't posted pictures until now. Of the four projects, one was a gift I completed, two were gifts I have yet to complete, and one I started to match a new outfit I bought for myself. I really should make it a point to finish these by Christmas, because by the time Christmas morning arrives, I feel as if all the adrenaline that has kept me going until then has left the night before with Santa's sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. As of now I really have no ambition whatsoever to finish these projects. In fact, two of the projects I've been carrying around in my purse and the only thing they've been good for is the needles to stab me once in a while because they poke out so much. You can tell they've been well-traveled by the nasty almost-knot the yarn for the slippers have. Where I can, I've linked the pattern with the picture.

Twilight Socks by chickenbetty (Ravelry)

One Row Handspun Scarf by Stephanie Pearl McPhee

Drink cozy from the book Knitting With Balls

Aunt Maggie's Slippers by Bev A. Qualheim

Donny wished me a Happy Birthday!

Ok, so it's more like I received an email from Donny and "all of us at Donny.com" but it's his voice and I can pretend, can't I?

Not too much in the way of crafting right now. Too busy getting ready for the 25th. I am attempting to make some socks as a Christmas gift, but it works with three different colors and I am just not a three-color-sock person. I do have all of my cards sent out. Here is a version of one of our Christmas cards.

That's it for now. Once this Christmas rush is over I'll be ready to scrapbook those holiday pix!

Big Box Stores? Your choice, but really.....

This is my real job. I can't call it a nine-to-five job, or my forty-hours-a-week job. This is my part time job. It's one I've had for eleven years. It's a paint store. It is a locally, family owned paint store. In fact, it is my family. We are not Home Depot, nor would we ever, ever strive to be. Our philosophy is simple: We care. We don't have fancy decorations, top of the line sales equipment, no orange aprons for us, but if you've been in the store more than once or twice, we can usually remember you. More than likely I will remember what you painted and what color of paint you got. We've color matched everything from a weed to a pair of underwear.

As more and more big box stores move in, we feel the crunch. In these hard times with the economy being what it is, we feel it even harder. People complain about the bad service they receive at these big box stores, yet they continue to go there. Why? Our prices are competetive, our salespeople are knowledgeable. I have seen so many small stores close recently. At what price? Remember pharmacies that actually remembered you? Remember the butcher at the grocery store who was a real man (or woman) that gave you a piece of bologna when you were a kid? If this trend of the big stores monopolizing the market continues, soon our only option will be the big box stores. We will become just a number to them. You can choose. Take a stand and choose to shop small - at small stores, that is. This holiday season remember the little guys. The locally owned shops are going to get my business this year. Take a stand. Or take a number.

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I've learned to never just pick out a color and mixing up the paint without that customer seeing it first. A customer came in this week asking me to help him pick out a "tan" color. I was thinking of something like these:

He landed up picking this as his tan:

Quite a difference!