What I've Learned Wednesday: Freshening the Garbage Disposal

Around the Holiday's I'm able to stock up my favorite garbage disposal fresheners...

First - eat the clementine. My favorite part.

Then take the peel.

And put it down the drain (this only works if you have a garbage disposal. Try it on a regular sink and I'm pretty sure all you get is a bill from the plumber.) and turn on the disposal.

I throw all my peels in a zip lock back and put them in the freezer so that throughout the year, I can pull one out and throw them in the sink.

What I Learned Wednesday: Repurposing Napkins

I've featured several projects featuring repurposing napkins and it might seem like I drive the point over and over about separating the layers of the napkins.

Every time I've skipped this step - I've regretted it. The adhesive sticks to the bottom layer of the napkin and then top layer, the printed layer, either separates, bubbles up or has other issues.

So while it is annoying, when working with napkins, take the time to separate so all you're working with is the printed layer.

What I've Learned Wednesday: Scissors for Everything

You might have picked up on that I'm kind of freak about scissors. My husband fears for the day when I realize he's used my sewing scissors have been used to cut paper. If that happens, he's in trouble.

Scissor for fabric will be ruined if they are used to cut paper. But sewing scissors, good sewing scissors will make your fabric projects so much easier. Ok, we'll maybe not quite as dramatic as that, but once you've cut fabric with real fabric scissors, you'll never want to go back to general scissors again.

But - here is a bit of an ironic part, my favorite craft scissors - as a pair of embroidery scissors, yes, the sister of sewing, embroidery... Technically I should be ashamed of myself. Using embroidery scissors for crafts??? Paper crafts even??? 

In my defense, they were not bought for embroidery, they were bought for exactly what they are being used for. Cutting intricate papers. Nipping stretch magic. Look at the tiny tips on these:

Those little blades can get in and out of anything with ease. 

Now, if you're a fan of embroidery, I don't recommend taking your embroidery scissors to your paper crafts. But do pick up a pair of these little suckers for your paper crafts.

And get a pair of sewing scissors for your fabric crafts while you're at it, just don't let me catch you using them on paper. 

What I've Learned Wednesday: It's fun being a girl

Yeah - this may seem obvious - but I'm really learning how much fun it is to be a girl.

I've long been convinced, that at some point during Jr. High or Sr. High they pulled the girls aside and taught them all how to be girls. Unfortunately, I had volleyball practice that day... or maybe was swimming. Either way, I missed that day and all the girly lessons that were taught.

The moment, 7 years ago, when I heard "It's a girl!!!" I realized - I'm in trouble. I don't know how to be a girl. I'm not good with make up, hair, nails or other girly girl things. Yes, I'm creative, but that was only going to get me so far. At some point my daughter was going to expect me to be able to help her put on make up and painting her face with costume make up was not likely what she would have in mind.

So I've been learning, step by step, a little more about being a girl in a more feminine way - and you know... it hasn't been so bad. I'm actually starting to like being more feminine. Don't get me wrong, I'd take being creative over being feminine any day, but it is nice to have both.

 And it makes some of the tutorials a little more interesting with the sparkly nails.

: )

What I've Learned Wednesday: Working with Etching Cream

I've had a pretty good amount of experience with etching cream - and I've got to tell you the key factors I've found that really make all the difference.

1. Firmly press the edges of the resist you are using.
   While contact paper is a lot cheaper than vinyl, it does not hold as well and when just a bit of that etching cream gets under the contact paper it creates a messy edge.
2. Liberally - and I mean liberally - apply the etching cream. It can have a tendency to go on thin. But you've REALLY got to get a ton of the etching cream on the glass. 
3. Leave it on - FOREVER.
   This last time, I was going to leave it on for about an hour. Then I forgot about it and it was on for about 4. And I finally got the results that I wanted. So from now on, I'll leave it on overnight if I have to. 
4. Go for a smaller etched area.
   Trying to "go big" with your etching area, really opens you up for error. Go for a smaller, more subtle effect and you'll actually multiply that impact with a crisp, clean finish. 
5. Buy it with a coupon. 
   Etching cream is really pricy. But if you've got a list of pricy supplies you know you'll use, visit AC Moore, Michaels or Hobby Lobby* with their weekly coupons to stock up and never pay full price. Etching cream has become one of the supplies I don't want to be without. 

It is these factors that have gotten me from a miserable failed piece like this:

To exactly what I hoped for:

What I've Learned Wednesday: Gift Boxes

I discovered a great source for gift boxes that I wanted to share.

Favor boxes designed for weddings/parties.

I found them at Michael's for $19.99, using my 40% off coupon that brought the total down to $11.99. You do the math... that means that less than .$12 per gift box.

They are perfect for the jewelry I've been making. Tuck in a few pieces of homemade chocolate... a couple of trinkets in a lunch box next week perhaps?

Edited to add the size: The ones I got are 3" wide x 2" deep x 1.5" tall.  They have other sizes and shapes as well.

What I've Learned Wednesday: Painting Clothes

My husband LOVES to make fun of me for this - but whenever I paint or work on a particularly messy project - I wear my clothes inside out.

It is easier that keeping track of what are project clothes and what isn't, or risking ruining something that I really like. It doesn't work too well with jeans obviously, but I have 3 favorite pairs of capri sweatpants that I live in on weekends. Pretty much year round. They are perfect. So when I want to work on a project, I just wear them inside out and I never have to worry about ruining them.

What I've Learned Wednesday: Project Boxes

Organization. I get teased at work for being organized, for some reason some people seem to think that organization and creativity are mutually exclusive. I find it to be the opposite, if I'm organized, if my space, my files, my tools are organized, easy to access, then I have the space to be creative.

One of the things I like to do, is let go of the original packaging. For some reason, I have a tendency to want to hold onto it - even when it is completely dysfunctional.

Like this:

This container of beads and tools is great, if is the only beading supply/container you've got and you've got some place to put it. But if you don't it is just something else to carry around and try to pack up.

So, as soon as I realized this beading things is actually becoming an obsession a frequent project, I found a box, and organized all the supplies I need to bead... (Now all I can think of is... "I feel the need, the need, to bead.)

Now, whenever I feel that need to bead, I just go to my craft closet, and get the "Beading" box. I can take the box anywhere in the house, and I've got all my supplies. And I mean ALL my supplies. Sometimes, that means I have duplicate tools. I've got simple scissors in about 5-6 of my supply boxes, but that means when I grab a box, I've got EVERYTHING I need and I'm not looking for scissors, tape, a ruler or whatever else.

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I've been sort of feeling in a blogging rut - judging by a lot of the blogs I stalk follow, this seems to be common this time of year. So to help keep it "Fresh" I've decided to branch out from my usual project recaps/tutorials just a bit by adding a couple of weekly posts.

What I've Learned Wednesday will feature what I've learned as I've worked on projects. Things that kind of get lost in a tutorial but are still important.

You'll also see something on Friday as well as the occasionally appearing "Generally Speaking" where I post about things that don't fit anywhere else...