Should I call it "SAVED FROM THE TRASH TUESDAY?"

Okay, so one of my New Year's resolutions is to LET GO OF THE SCRAPS. (Sounds kind of like part of some 12 step program for craft hoarders doesn't it? Definitely appropriate in my case.) I have a penchant for saving every tiny piece of leftover paper, fabric, ribbon, you name it. I am absolutely convinced that the day will come when I will have a void in a project that only that little scrap can fill. Needless to say, my scrap collection has gotten quite out of control to the point that if I needed to find that one tiny, perfect scrap to fill that void I think I might be buried alive in scraps before I ever locate the fated item.  As a matter of fact, I thought about posting before and after pictures of my scrap bins but was way too embarrassed.

Well, it's January 4 and the scrap bins have been cleaned out. I've organized the paper scraps and gotten them ready for card making, and I've even finally admitted to myself there is such a thing as too small to hold on to.  I'm still having a hard time letting go of those little pieces of leftover ribbon and fabric, but hey, it's only four days in. I've purged some, and really a good bit of paper has bit the dust.

I may not have purged the fabric pile completely yet, but I am committed to a new "use it or lose it" mentality where my craft supplies are concerned. So today when I came across a piece of leftover fabric from when I made these candy cane ornaments last month I decided to challenge myself to use it or give it up to the donation pile. Here's what I came up with...

I'm not in love with it, but what is left over from Christmas is now being put to good use for Valentine's Day. Maybe I'll go back and add a heart applique and see if I can get it from so-so to at least like. Maybe I'll just leave the little pillow as it is and sit back satisfied that I saved some cute fabric from meeting its craft bin demise (and saved myself from getting a good bit of grief for adding yet another item to the pile). So far, so good. Four days of letting go of the scraps down; 361 more to go.

A Cover for my Nook

So I am COMPLETELY in love with the awesome Nook Color that Bill got me for Christmas! I fully admit to being a kid with a new toy. It's soooo much fun! What I wasn't in love with were the covers they had for the Nook in the store. As I kept looking for one that was a little cute that I could just make a little cuter I finally decided to just go home and make a cover that was more suited to my crafty sensibilities. Here's the result:

I used chipboard to make the cover then covered the chipboard with felt. (I admit it's not perfect. I was too lazy to get out the sewing machine and used iron on heat bond instead. But hey, it works.)  I made a couple of felt flowers, added a bit of bling, and voila, instant (and free!) Nook cover.

I am still not sold on the inside, but for now I made a little felt pocket for the Nook to slide into and a little felt strip at the top to keep it from falling forward. I'll figure that part out later, but for now it's WAY cuter than anything I would have overpaid for in the store.

Overall, a fun little project for my fun new toy!! Thanks so much for looking!!


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