Crafty Pattern Storage

I like crafty stuff {who'd have ever guessed}, and sometimes I can go overboard, so I kind of require a lot of space for my crafty hoard.

Problem I'm facing now is that my little family has downsized!  We went from living in almost 3000 square feet to 1000.  It's been a fun process (there has been extensive renovation, so one day there will be a big reveal - one day).

Now I'm trying to figure out how to keep all the craft mess in the house, and not at a storage unit, while also keeping it hidden or a functional piece.

First I'll start with my patterns.  I have a books that houses most of my patterns, some are in my phone, others on Pinterest.  I even have a satchel full of patterns, but I think it's in storage. 

The book I have on hand doubles as my hand lettering practice book, so it's pulling double duty right now.

I am not opposed to complete electronic storage, but then there's always the irrational (to me) fear I have of something happening and the world comes to a screeching halt, and I can't find my patterns online because the Internet doesn't work anymore and there's chaos in the streets...

Then I also think, if that were to happen, would I even be thinking about crafting?  Seriously?

Maybe I got a little out of hand just then.  Back to the real point.

My question for you is this:  How do you store your crafty patterns?  Do you have notebooks, or do you store electronically?

I need some ideas and inspo, so help a girl out! :)

Can't wait to hear your ideas!!

Wicked Weather Preparedness

This is part of my go bag
Honestly, I haven't made a
72 hour kit yet.

How is it that I, the queen of preparedness, could possibly miss that there's a hurricane heading my way?  I guess I should start watching the news more!

Hubby asked me one day if I was keeping an eye on Erica.  I didn't have any idea what he was talking about!  I ended up spending all day the next two days making storm preparedness plans.

Of course Pinterest came into play.  I had already set up a disaster board, (link Here), but nothing on it specifically for hurricanes.  I scoured Pinterest and the Internet and quickly put together a disaster plan!

My advice if you live in an are where natural disasters are forewarned?  Have a checklist.  Keep as much of your go bag packed or together as you possibly can, but for the stuff you will need in between, have a checklist so you don't forget any of it!  I even have the pets food and leashes on the list!  I'm going to print my list and keep it in a plastic sleeve so I can check off the items as I pack, and then erase when I'm done.  

For disasters that aren't necessarily forewarned, make a copy of your pertinent information, ie insurance policies, medical information, special instructions, and keep it in a safe place so you can grab it and go.

In Georgia, where we used to live, we would get tornadoes.  When we would have a tornado watch issued, I would have the boys pack a go bag with some items that they would like to take with them if we had any damage and couldn't go back home.  Mostly it was a boom and some small toys.  My go bag contained all of the other stuff.  A change of clothes for the boys, the imprtant info, etc.  I would have those sitting by the stairs with their bicycle helmets in case we had to seek shelter.

As I'm not an expert, the best advice I can offer is to pay close attention to the experts in your area.  Keep a weather radio that has battery backup (cell phones aren't always going to work right after a disaster), and use common sense!

Do you guys have any preparedness plans?  Share them with me, maybe I can learn something new!

Stay safe, my friends!

How to Train A Cat

Meet Molly Freckles 

I'm not sure that's possible (how to train a cat), but I have to try. 

Molly is the newest addition to our little family.  She looks so tiny and cute and innocent.  Wrong!

We quickly figured out that she's feral.  She has never been socialized.  She's also only 4 or 5 weeks old when we got her, way too young to leave her mother, but we have her anyway, and I have to step up and be a kitty mommy.  It was time to learn how to train a cat.

I did some reading, and a kitten this young isn't difficult to train, it takes patience.  When it comes to animals, I have patience in spades.

First stop, the vet.  She had an upper respiratory infection and worms, so there was a two week period where she was quarantined so as not to infect the dogs.  The people took all the precautions in the world, too.

During those two weeks I sat in the floor and let her play and get used to me.  I bathed her (as she was still too young to really do that on her own).  She doesn't really like getting a bath, but it still happens when she starts to smell like dog slobber (Cali loves to lick on her.  Thank God she's well now).

It's been almost two months since we inherited her, and she has done very well assimilating.  She has caught on very well, and is now allowed to roam the house instead of being locked in the bathroom.  We still have to watch her because there's renovation going on, but she stays out of trouble most of the time.

So, I guess a cat can be trained.  I think this girl is going to do very well in this house!

Fall Festival

Photos from Pinterest

I don't know about you, but I am getting the strong feeling of Autumn creeping in!    It's disconcerting because the little family and I moved to Florida, so while my body is screaming "Wear all the sweatshirts!", the heat index is screaming "Yeah, right, you still have more summer to go!"  I am certainly not going to miss the cold weather, but it's messing with my head.

I am able to celebrate Autumn, though, and I have the perfect excuse to get crafty, too!  The boys' new school puts on a Fall Festival every year, and I hear it's so much fun!

This year I am able to room parent in both of their classes, and I am super stoked to get to work my crafty magic And put Pinterest to good use while I'm at it!  Each class gets to set up a booth with games or food or face painting or whatever. 

I put together a board with some ideas for games (I'll be adding decorating ideas for it shortly).  Find the board here.

I also have a board for general holiday ideas, which may include something useful for the upcoming fall festival.  You can find that link here.

Do you guys get excited about Autumn?  Do you decorate your house, or do something fun like the Fall Festival?  I'd love to hear!

See ya!
Amanda

Hi, There!

Hi, there!

Bet you thought I forgot about you, huh?  Nope.  Just been super duper busy lately.  We moved in July, and my life has been a whirlwind ever since!

We moved, celebrated a birthday, hosted out of town guests two weekends in a row, school started on Monday, and we inherited a kitten.

Isn't she adorable?!

Not to mention my day job, which is to clean up and rent out the other unit if the duplex we bought!

I don't think I even have time to sleep!  I've missed blogging and being creative, but I'm slowly getting back into it. 

Hubby brought my yarn storage shelving out of storage, and I quickly found out that I have more yarn than storage!  I guess I need to get going on some projects!  Maybe I'll have some hats ready for the fall so I can open up the shop again!  Fingers crossed!

Well, it's snack and homework time, so I'm going to get going. 

See ya!

Amanda

Life/Shop Update:

The past year has been all about change for myself and my little family.  I'll keep it short, I won't give all the details yet, but...

We moved!! 

As a result of that and dwindling craft time, I've decided to close both of my Etsy shops (Beach Bird Yarnworks and Beach Bird Weavings) to focus on getting settled.  Don't worry, they'll reopen as soon as I'm settled in the new house and the new job and all. 

If you would like to place an order, or see any of our inventory, feel free to email me or contact me through Instagram (@littlebeachbird or @beachbirdyarnworks).

I'll also set up an inventory tab on the blog so you can check it out.

I'll let you know when I get settled enough to stock the stores and get rolling again! 

I'll also be posting more of our upcoming adventures, so watch this blog for more fun stuff!  It's been kind of a crappy year, so I'm ready for some fun!!

See ya,
Amanda

Summer Fun

We found a beautiful little
waterfall while exploring
a local park

Summer break is finally upon us!  Now the hard part begins.  How to keep the kids from saying the dreaded "B" word - BORED! 

I have spent years wracking my brain to figure out how to keep them entertained and not spend a fortune, so I'd like to share a couple of my ideas.

■  The pool.  A lot of neighborhoods have them, the YMCA is a good place to go, but if you don't have access to either of those, a simple backyard inflatable will do the trick.  (Of course there are safety procedures that should be followed if you get your own, so please be aware!)  This idea does have some cost, but I think it more than pays for itself!

■  Rainy day fort making.  The classic blanket/pillow fort is always a hit with my kids!

■  Geocaching.  This is a relatively new activity for my family, but it's so fun!  It's like a scavenger hunt, and the kids love it.  There are apps that will help you locate the caches, some are free, but all have a "premium" feature that you have to pay for.  We use the free apps, and have a ton of fun with it.  There's a ton of information about it online, if you're interested!

■  Rainy day movies.  My kids and I like to spread a blanket on the floor and watch movies.  We pop some popcorn and make some hot chocolate  (yes, even when it's scorching hot outside we enjoy hot chocolate) and binge watch movies.

■  Make juice or Kool-aid popsicles.  These can be done in a variety of low cost ways.  We have used ice cube trays and toothpicks, small plastic cups and popsicle sticks, and the store bought molds.  The method is up to you. 

■  Free parks.  Of course there's always the free local parks.  There are some in my area that have waterworks for the kids to play.

■  Field trips.  The kids can stay busy and learn about the area in which they live.  There's a field trip app that works off of your GPS location, and will bring up all kinds of facts and places to visit.  It's called 'Field Trip'.

How do you beat back the boredom during the summer?