2023 - No Craft Spending - I WILL bust my stash and make pretty things!!!!!

Stashbuster

Take your time - it’s brill for mindfulness as hand lettering has a lot of routine patterns and exercises to form the prettiness 

start with pencils - on their own and in pairs taped together to give broad stokes  

Soontobeoap

Thanks. I will start on paper.ayne i find a tutorial on youtube., 😊. Excited! Thanks 

daisy_1571

I posted more pics of this over on the cafe thread where people were very kind in their appreciation.  A very old wicker basket I've had for years which was just sitting on top of shelves.   Now made into a basket to carry current projects around house and if im going to sewing gatherings.  I used up some old sheeting for the lining backing, some bits of red and a bit of purple quilting quality plus almost the last of some sewing motif print that I bought a long time ago.  Also 2 bits of bias binding I've had for a long time (didn't have enough of the navy but since I was trying to use up I resisted temptation to go buy more and just finished it on 3 sides and used up a wee bit pale blue I had for the 4th side).  Took ages to make as I couldn't find a pattern so a fair bit thinking, trying and unpicking and there was a lot of awkward hand sewing as I sewed it mostly in place to get the correct fit, I thought if I sewed it laid out it flat it wouldn't fit in the basket right.  Also didn't have enough of the purple material, I had to join lining fabric to bits of purple to make the pieces big enough to be the lined fronts of the pockets.  Same with the red, joined the lining fabric to make the inside of the pockets and the base.  I made a padded insert to be a removable quilted base which covers the base lining fabric.  Quite pleased with it.   

Daisy xx

Stashbuster

Quite pleased with it.   

So you should be x it looks lovely.

I cut myself a nice top out last night trying it against me I’m a bit dubious that it’s going to fit though. I looked at the measurements for the top length then cut the tunic length 😬 might have to sew it up then pass it on. 

craftingmad

plumduff55 said:

Hi, I need to keep going with the stash busting as I've come to realise that even if I never bought another ball of wool I'd still have enough to keep me going the rest of my lifetime 😳.  I have arthritis and know that as this progresses my crafting will become slower and slower. A bit depressing but realistic !!!  Definitely motivation to stop buying 🧶.

While decluttering recently I found a list I'd made of my wool stash in 2019. I did not keep the list up to date and have used some but I definitely have more wool now than then. I am embarrassed to say that the total was 19 kilo 240 grams. This does not include an IKEA Kallax box stuffed full of oddments of wool. I am going to update this list and make a knitting to do list for the rest of the year.

A friend gave me a knitting journal from Flying Tiger for Xmas. It's great so I am going start using it and will definitely reduce my stash this year.

Happy crafting in 2023 ❤️

I've totally had the same realisation about my craft supplies - I could make 100 items a day for each day of my life and there would still be mountains left over in 30 years I think!!! It's a great wake up call to stop me buying new stash.

So sorry to hear about your arthritis too - as a fellow sufferer you have my sympathies x 

craftingmad

Soontobeoap said:

Thank you for starting a new thread @craftingmad i would like to join this year and make as many things as I can from my stash. I am hoping to declutter my crafting shed and make some gifts this year to save a bit of money. Hoping for £100 craft spending but this will be tight as I make christmas cards for neighbour from her old christmas cards and need to buy wadding and backing for 2 bed quilts. (If i get that far). 

Welcome aboard and good luck.
Happy stash busting x 

craftingmad

old_fogey said:

Thanks for starting a new thread.
I would love to join you this year. I am hoping it will help make me stick at it.
I have craft stuff all over the house and really want to reduce my stash and make things, or in some cases just finish them off. 
I have Wool, fabric for patchwork (was my mums stash), embroidery,  beads for jewellery, and cross stitch stuff. Some of these crafts I havent done for years!
I started by knitting two hats in December and are part way through a third. I am a beginner knitter. 
I am not including card making as I do that when needed.
I am aiming to make a modest 12 items. 
I will spend virtually nothing, maybe threads for patchwork,  or different sized needles for knitting, so will not set  a budget, but will keep track.

Oh I totally get the stash all around the house - there is not a room which does not have crafting supplies in it in mine either  
It's great to have you on board and happy stash busting x 

craftingmad

sammy_kaye18 said:

I am so grateful to have found this thread again

Hi Ladies

I moved all my craft stuff to one place after my husband last year brought me a craft desk I think for my birthday in July.

But I have sat down and put everything into boxes. 
My current list of projects looks like this 

• a bullet journal to keep filling in and adding too 
• 5 diamond paintings
• 1 adult paint by numbers of a lions head
• penpal letters that are coming out the ying yang to reply too and constantly refilling
• cricut things
• a giant box of material which I want to make into various things - blankets/bags/etc
• paint your own gnome
• paint your own suncatchers
• paper mache dinosaurs to decorate and seal
• a paper mache house to decorate and seal
• a vision board to finish
• a robin cross stitch which was meant for this christmas but I will do for next Xmas
• a full bag of wool 
• a canvas bag to decorate
• 4 hessian bags to decorate
• a hand loom to even open and try
• crochet needles to even attempt 
• various paint projects 

I told my husband I really needed to focus on some crafting and he basically just encouraged me by buying me a Cricut joy and a pyrography kit for Christmas!  Doh! 

I am setting myself a limit though of £60 - mainly because I also got a £50 Hobbycraft voucher and I don't think I need anything else added to my list as I'm sure I have everything I need to complete a fair few of these! 

It's great to see you back  
I love that you are so organised and have a list - I think I may have to do this too as I love being able to cross things off my to do lists so hopefully something like this will help keep me motivated and making things which are not just for my business.

Happy stash busting and good luck x 

craftingmad

CMD79 said:

Hi all, lovely fellow craft addicts!

I would love to join this one please. I need help! I don't know about a target, i just need to try to work through some stuff and get rid of some stuff! I liked the idea above of listing out the things I had, at one point, planned and not gotten around to yet, so I'll do that for the moment! But in other challenges, I need to get rid of 2023kgs of stuff, Make 23 craft projects from stash and Create 23 pieces of ‘art’ so I will have my work cut out!

1. Complete DHs  birthday present from last year! 2 sketches of our current and first home. I literally just need to write the Our First Home and Our Forever Home on them, but since drawing them, he wants to move!!  (but anyway!)
2. Make Crochet Cloud kit for next door-but-one neighbour (need to learn to crochet quickly first!)
3. And now that I've learnt to crochet!!! Crochet little rabbit kit, for next door (there's a lot of babies in our street and more on the way!)
4. Make macrame rainbow kit (learn to macrame, obvs!) for DD
5. Knit (I can already knit!) some first size baby clothes for next door-but-one 
6. Do Paint by numbers box set with DD
7. Make Family tree for next door
8. Make baby door sign for next door-but-one 
9. Draw year of birth and baby name picture for n-d-b-o
10. Create 2 pictures for the downstairs bog

I'll start with those and aim to get these done in Q1!! (I'll never do it, but let's see how long I keep up the pretence!)

Permissible spending will be £23 and whatever is left on an Amazon voucher I just found (maybe £30...maybe zero!)

PS - How do I crochet! 

Hi lovely - another list which makes me happy. I do love a plan and it's great to have you onboard this year. 

I love your challenges - I might just have to steal those as they sound exactly what I need

I've been wanting to learn to crochet for so long but have never got round to it yet so I'm afraid I am no help on that front. Sorry x  

craftingmad

Tiggermad said:

Yeah, new thread  Nice to see everyone 

As always, I start each year determined to craft more   so I'll see how i get on this year (i dont set myself a target). I'm currently making a mini album with handmade envelopes as a seed holder/organiser for a friend whose birthday is in March and she's a keen gardener. Plus a post it notebook in matching paper. I've also two hard note books to decorate for a friend's birthday but that's not until November!

Plus I have a Lilliput Lane cross stitch I've been making for my mum, as she collects the china but that's been going for 5-6 years due to complexity so maybe this year might be the year. Her birthday is also in November so have time .....

And a hanging wooden heart decoration that needs repainting to match a friend's kitchen (would be a present for her October birthday). Mmmmm, I'm sure I have other UFOs around as well. 

Happy crafting everyone and looking forward to seeing all your makes this year  

Lovely to see you back tigger  

That seed album sounds like an amazing gift and such a great idea - I can think of several friends and family who would love to receive one of those so pretty please can we see pictures once it is finished.

I love Lilliput lane so again I'd love to see it when it's finished - I have faith this will be the year

I have so many UFO's and totally not started projects so I am deffo going to make a list so I can see what to work on and hopefully prevent me from buying any more un-needed stash  

Happy stash busting x