#savetheteapot - a #FF perfect for #elevensestime

What the #*!#?
 ... is what you may be thinking!

But if you are a regular user of Twitter (or addict as we are sometimes known!) you may have some idea what I am talking about! I have been on Twitter as madebylolly for quite a while now and absolutely love it! I have met so many new friends through this social network and have also learnt a lot - as it is a super speedy way to share information!

Although each tweet is limited to 140 characters, you can use that space to post pictures or links to other more in depth stories. When people want to share a particular topic a 'hashtag' (the symbol # followed by a word) is used to 'tag' the tweet.

Hopefully this might be starting to explain the reason for the strange title to this week's Folksy Friday blog post...?! Well, either way, I shall explain!

#savetheteapot is a topic that has started trending on Twitter after a report was published that suggested most of us make our tea in mugs!

#FF or #FollowFriday is a way for tweeters to share a list of other people that they follow - a personal recommendation of people they think you might also like (it also has the same initials as Folksy Friday!)

#elevensestime is a way for people all over to share what they are doing at elevenses time!

So... today my Folksy Friday theme is Teapots - featuring some people I follow on Twitter and Folksy!

I hope you have time to enjoy this post while you sit down for your own cuppa at eleven - out of a teapot of course!

Teapot by Flossie Limejuice

Brown Betty Teapot Coaster by Kettle of Fish

Pottery Mouse Teapot by littlewrenpottery

Cheeky Blue Tits Tea Cosy by Dear Emma

 

Time for Tea Lino Print by Mangle Prints

Don't forget to take a peek at Twitter and follow some of these people!

Why not get involved with #savetheteapot

And if you want to follow me I can be found at @madebylolly

Happy #elevensestime!

Craft Room Makeover #2.... Nothing's ever perfect!

Getting a sense of de ja vue?

Remember me doing a craft room makeover not that long ago...

Craft Room Makeover June 2011

Well, you are absolutely right! Back in June 2011 I managed to persuade the OH to swap rooms with me and I had a grand old time setting up my new super-organised craft room 

(see here for the blog post!)

PERFECT!

Or so I thought...

But since then I have inherited hundreds of beads and had an extremely busy Christmas period which resulted in the ironing board being used as my packing table, and the entire house being used as my workroom! This led me to the conclusion that maybe my craft room was not so perfect after all! So after much soul searching, another visit to IKEA, and nearly a whole month, I have finally finished Craft Room Makeover #2!

So, as well as the hints and tips for a craft room makeover I posted last year in my
 Room Re-organisation blog post, here are some additional handy tips that may help with your own studio transformation!

I guess it all depends on what activities you undertake in your craftroom, but I would always suggest buying the biggest that will comfortably fit!

Also, try not to crowd the desk with too much storage - I find a clean, tidy, empty desk is a real invitation to get creative!

After much deliberation I paid in expendable legs for the desk so that it could be raised to waist height. This has got two benefits. Firstly, I can comfortably stand and work at the table... but secondly, thanks to some freak of providence, the old sideboard (minus the doors) fits snugly under the desk creating a fabulous storage solution for all my packing materials!

Craft Room Makeover Tip 2

Invest in storage!

But that doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune! There are lots of pretty and practical storage solutions that don't cost that much! In this picture you can see toiletry boxes that have been re-purposed as ribbon and button boxes!

Swapping all my buttons and haberdashery from the gorgeous glass jars into much more practical plastic containers means I can stack lots of things on top of one another, saving shelf space, but also means all my bits an pieces are more portable for when I need to take them to demonstrations and craft parties (email me at madebylolly@hotmail.com if you're interested!)...

...but never fear, the glass jars have now been put to use containing a fabulous selection of beads that I recently inherited!

I also managed to thrift a mini filing cabinet that once cleaned and tidied (and decorated!) was the perfect storage solution for all my sheets of felt

Craft Room Makeover Tip 3

Make space for personal belongings!

Having extra desk space and a home for everything means I also have more space for a few little personal touches...

And now it's all finished, I can't wait to get back into my room and start creating!
 I've had to put my new range 'Spring Dreams' on hold while I got this finished!

Right, I'm off  to test whether everything is as usefully organised as I think it is!
Please feel free to comment if you've come up with any more suggestions for a super-organised craft room as I have a feeling that once I get started on the new range I may need all the help I can get trying to keep my newly re-organised craft room tidy!