Top 5 New Years Resolutions for Crafting

The time of hopeful New Years resolutions is upon us! Gyms are full again and people are sorting through all the junk in ignored drawers and closets.  Did you make one or more New Years resolutions this year? As members of the crafting community, the FaveCrafts editorial team has seen and declared many New Years resolutions regarding crafting. Whether or not they are your resolutions, these are some great ideas to reinvigorate your creativity this year. These are the top 5 New Years resolutions for crafting.

I want to:

Organize my craft room- I’m pretty good on the organization front. In fact, I like to re-organize the kitchen every few weeks in what I claim is optimization and what my boyfriend claims is an effort to, “make the kitchen a mystery to him.” Nonetheless, even I want to know how to organize my craft room from the experts.  Meredith Walker sent us a very nice article on How to Better Organize Your Crafting Supplies.  Here are some additional quick tips I’ve found on how to organize my craft room:

• Use vertical space in your craft room. The best way I’ve found to do this is install simple shelves over my craft table, as they require no floor space and can be purchased in a wide range of sizes and depths. IKEA is certainly a great resource.  You can also purchase a magnet board or strip and metal tins. The ones with clear tops are best for easy reference, but you can also make scrapbook paper labels. Here is a fun magnet board project.
   
• Use inexpensive mason jars to store small items such as buttons, beads, and spools of thread. Mason jars look wonderful lined up on a shelf, especially when you sort by color. Try a gradation of colors like the recent interior design trend with books.

Keep all my manuals- When you purchase a crafting tool such as a sewing machine, Dremel or even a camera, you should hang on to all the instructional and warranty materials. In case anything breaks or you need to look up a function, you should know where to go easily. This simple rule will make crafting a lot more comfortable. As our Elise Bond suggests, keep them in good condition by slipping materials for each tool into a top-insert sheet protectors and place in a three-ring binder. You can then store all your manuals on a regular bookshelf. Add sections dividers to make reference quick and easy.

Spend Less on Craft Materials- With recent economic woes, many people are looking to reduce their crafting budgets.  With that in mind, the FaveCrafts editorial team is going to work harder to bring you low-cost craft projects, many using recycled materials from your normal lives. The thrifty crafts issue of the Quick and Crafty newsletter will replace the Christmas issue from January-June. Also, look for many more projects under the Thrifty tag and more projects using recycled materials under Green Crafting.

Learn a New Craft- Look for new e-courses from FaveCrafts, delivered by email for FREE as always and designed to teach you a new skill, such as beading, clay or even wood-carving. In the meantime, check out our Common Questions about Knitting or our Crochet Beginner’s Guide.

Sell my Crafts- Selling your creation at craft fairs is a great way to offset the costs of your hobby. With a little practice, you might even make your hobby a full-time career. Here are some resources for finding craft fairs in your area. You can also sell your crafts online through marketplaces like Etsy or Artfire. You might also consider a Craft Open House in your own home, thanks to a guide from craft expert Maria Nerius.