The Hasty Crafter

Organizing the (Somewhat) Hasty Way

2013-07-29T17:08:00.002-05:00

I've read many, MANY books on organization over the years, in an attempt to bring myself sanity. Or something. I've found that they all have their methods, but the basics boil down to the following:

1. Like goes with like.

The spices should be in one cabinet. The measuring cups and spoons all in one place. All the instruction manuals should live together in harmony. And so forth.

2. Real Estate--location, location, location.

Frequently used items should be the easiest to get to. Moderately used items should be moderately easy to get to. Rarely used items should be on top shelves, in attics, in the back of closets, etc. Sometimes this takes a little evaluation, but it makes for a more efficient home.

3. When in doubt, toss it out (don't hoard it!).

If you're unsure about how useful an item is, box it up and put it away for six months to a year. If you don't use it, you probably don't need it, but maybe someone else could.

4. Be flexible, be firm--do your maintenance.

If a location or a system isn't working, take the time to evaluate it and think of ways to improve it. Don't be afraid to change it, BUT don't ignore it.

5. Communication.

LABEL EVERYTHING. Then no one has an excuse for putting things in the wrong place.

Also:

Set goals--take care of your organizing in small chunks at a time. It's very easy to get overwhelmed.

Pace yourself--be content with achieving a little bit. A little bit is better than none at all.

Get rid of stuff--as you sort through a room, have three boxes labeled Keep, Toss, Give Away. Sometimes I'll add a To Be Fixed box, but that's it. Everything should fit into those categories. If you're undecided, go back to Rule #3.

And last, but never least:

Take a moment to enjoy your accomplishment!

How to Fold a Simple Gift Bag

2013-07-29T17:01:00.000-05:00

So the Dollar Store carries fun wrapping paper, and I picked up a ton of paper on clearance after Christmas at my favorite Hobby Lobby, and suddenly I'm awash in paper and remembering that I don't actually like to wrap gifts! Oh, the silliness.

But my daughter had a birthday party coming up, I didn't want to spend exorbitant amounts on decor and gift/treat bags and so forth, and the pins I found on making your own gift bags out of gift wrap just weren't quite cutting it for me. So I worked it out on my own. Or I stood on the shoulders of giants and worked out a simpler way. One of the two.

You'll need:
- a roll of wrapping paper
- scissors
- a glue stick
- pinking shears

First, cut a piece of paper into a 12 inch by 15 inch rectangle. My wrapping paper came with the fun little squares, so I didn't have to pull out the ruler. Yay! If you keep your rectangle at a 4:5 ratio, you'll end up with a proportionate bag. Trust me.

Now, fold your rectangle over by a third (on the long side). That is, in the case below, I made a fold in my paper at the 5 inch mark, or thereabouts, on the 15 inch side.

Glue stick time! Run your glue stick up and down the printed edge farthest away from the fold. (And remember, folks, always keep your cap on your glue stick to keep it from drying out.)

Now fold the other edge over to OVERLAP the edge you just applied glue to. RUB FIRMLY to help the glue stick. (Ha! No pun intended.)

I love using a glue stick. The glue dries so quickly! Anyway, now fold your bottom edge up by a third. In this case, I folded the bottom up about 4 inches. Crease it well.

Now comes the origami-like part: Open up the two bottom edges of your bag while maintaining that first fold. (Yes, you must stick your pinkie out to accomplish this properly.)

Align the crease you see in the triangle that's forming with the crease on the inside of the bag, then firmly press down the edges of your triangle. I like to smooth mine out with my thumbnail.

Do the same on the other side. Then take the top part and fold down a flap JUST OVER the middle line.

See that little line in the middle of the bottom of the bag I'm making here? That's the line you want to cross (not those pesky lines in the sand...). Firmly crease your edges.

Now fold the bottom up to overlap the first flap that you made. Crease it, then open it out slightly and apply glue liberally wherever the two flaps meet each other, meet the paper, etc. You want this to be sturdy (well, as sturdy as gift wrap and a glue stick get, anyway).

Now, see that little diamond created by your flaps? Use it as a guide. Fold the side edge of your bag along the middle of the diamond (you can see the crease I made to show you). Fold it all the way to the top and crease it well.

Now, to make your life easier, flip the bag over and make that last fold go the other way.

Repeat on the other side.

Crease your folds really well--these will be more noticeable and need to fold in other directions to give the bag its shape.

See? That's a beautiful crease. (My nine-year-old is taking the pictures at this point, using my phone, and neither of us are photographers. Obviously. I'm still teaching her the fine art of focusing.)

Reach into the bag and push it open.

Now the magic happens! Open out all the folds you made on the side and push the middle in a bit, just like a real bag.

I prefer the pinch-and-crease method, myself.

Now press down on the sides and make those folds fulfill their destinies with a good, solid crease!

Et voila! A treat bag! (Focusing lessons are SO on the list for that child.)

It took more time to read this blog than it did for me to make the bag itself--it really isn't hard, with a little practice. You can get creative and attach a handle or bows or decorate it with stickers or what have you. Personally, after making eight gift bags in an hour, I was done. But this qualified as a Hasty Craft, and so I share it with you!

It's Only Been Two Years...

2012-11-06T16:39:00.003-06:00

...since I last posted, but I wanted to share the process by which this pie was produced:

First is the crust. This recipe was given to my mother eons ago, and I copied it down and took it to college with me. I love it for its very non-fussiness.

CRAZY PIE CRUST

Combine in a medium bowl:
1 cup shortening
2 cups flour
Use a rubber spatula to mix until like clay.

In a small bowl, mix:
6 T flour
2 T sugar
1 tsp salt
Mix well, then add 6 T water to make a batter. Pour over the flour/shortening mix. Cut in with a knife or a pastry cutter until the batter disappear. Set aside for 10-60 minutes.

After pie crust dough has rested, place half of it on a floured surface. Roll into a circle about 8" in diameter. Cut into quarters. Stack the quarters together and press. Flour both sides and roll out. Repeat for other half of dough.

The recipe makes enough for a double crust plus a few pie crust cookies.

Next comes the filling, found on Allrecipes.com (Apple Pie by Grandma Ople)

1/2 c unsalted butter
3 T all purpose flour
1/4 c water
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c packed brown sugar
5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (this is a change from the 8 the recipe calls for)

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer. Take off heat and stir in apples.

(You could replace some of the water with vanilla extract and add cinnamon and other spices, but we didn't and the pie was still spectacular!)

Last is the streusel topping, also found on Allrecipes.com (Dutch Apple Pie with Oatmeal Streusel)

In a medium bowl combine 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, and 3/4 cup rolled oats. Mix thoroughly, then cut in 1/2 cup butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle on top of pie filling and press in slightly.

It was a lot of work, but we did it as a Family Home Evening activity and had a good time. The best part was eating the results for breakfast with a little Cool Whip, because that's how we roll.

The Easiest Cookie Recipe EVER

2010-08-04T16:46:00.003-05:00

My favorite cookie recipe goes something like this:
1 box of cake mix
1 egg
1 stick of margarine, melted
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

See? Easy. Hasty-rific.

Anyway, I'd seen this recipe while looking at food blogs (something I try not to do very often--drool is not kind to a keyboard). The idea of a root beer flavored baked good was intriguing, but I didn't want to put all the work into the fancy recipe. So I hauled out my favorite cookie recipe, used a vanilla cake mix, and added a tablespoon of root beer extract.

Yum. So very yum.

And it's popular with the entire family. I made a 29-cookie batch less than 24 hours ago. While a number of them have been eaten by my most appreciative self, I have not been alone in their consumption.

It's easy to add other goodies to this recipe--butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, M&Ms, etc. Tell me what mash-ups you'd make, using what cake mix and what goodies?

Flowers!!

2010-07-29T10:40:00.002-05:00

Told you I'd be back!

So I came across these "boutique" flower tutorials during my daily trolling through the projects at One Pretty Thing. It caught my imagination. I made one. I liked it. So, in typical Karie fashion, I went back and cut out the material for eight more. Overboard much? Yep.

Now for the changes I made. In the Lipstick and Laundry (LaL) tutorial, she says to cut the flower shapes any way you want--just make sure you have a variety of sizes. In the Overdramatic Party Girl (OPG) tutorial, she cut circles--in various sizes. The key is the various sizes. I didn't want the regularity of shape the circles produced, but I wanted more layers than what LaL came up with. So this is what I did.

1. Cut a square of synthetic material.

2. Fold it in quarters.

Promise yourself that someday you'll learn how to use the camera you've had for six years.

3. Trim off all the corners.

4. Unfold and admire funky flower shape.

Don't worry about unevenness--it'll take care of itself over the flame.

5. Singe the outer edges.

Remember that directly over the flame is the hottest part. Think of the heat as a pillar. Manipulate material accordingly. DO NOT PUT YOUR MATERIAL DIRECTLY INTO THE FLAME UNLESS YOU LIKE BLACK, SHRIVELED FLOWERS.

6. Singe the inner edges. Do it sideways to make the petal curl.

Ta da!

Layer (8-10), sew together with a bead:

And back with felt for easier attachment of safety pins or brooch pins or what have you.

Enjoy!

The Hasty Life

2010-05-18T13:49:00.002-05:00

This poor little blog. I started it with so many good intentions and I have so many Hasty Crafts and Hasty Tips to share! But my time is limited, and as Sister Beck said in this last Conference, sometimes we moms can want to do many good things, but we must prioritize and do those things which are the MOST good and will bring us and our children closer to Christ. I may be paraphrasing here.

Am I shutting down the blog? Absolutely not. But my posting will happen in the dribs and drabs of my free time, instead of every three days. Or even every week. So keep your eyes open and your smiles ready--there will be more posts soon!

Until then, be well.

Hasty Updates and Admissions

2010-05-07T10:13:00.002-05:00

This Hasty Crafter's life has been turned upside-down for the last week and a half, but I'm doing my best to stay on top of things! Think of this post like a clip show from your favorite sitcom, but without the laugh track.

First, from the bleach pen experiment:

Here's the result from Enthusiasm's shirt. She loves that the bleach turned the design pink instead of white. My fingers are itching to try it one more time and see if I can't get some white inside the design. I definitely need to do that to my blue pants--I'm not fond of the subtle look there.

Now on to the admissions:

That's my desk after it's been cleaned. *hangs head* I fought the paper monster, and the paper monster won. BUT! The coordinating drawer fronts and fleece over the chair help it a little bit. There is *some* cohesiveness to my life! And I decided to try something similar for my figurines shelf:

Some 12x12 scrapbook paper, some double-sided sticky tape, and voila! Emphasis on my eclectic collection.

Last, but not least, the Hasty Idea Basket:

This is the place where I keep materials for the small projects that are perpetually in the back of my mind--dishcloths, crocheted hair ties, ribbon hair bands (tutorial next week!) and so on. I believe my method is called Organized Chaos. I'll take it. At least I know where everything is.

The Not-so-Hasty Crafter: Emily

2010-04-30T08:47:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time I lived in Arizona. *gasp* I KNOW! I can't believe I survived it either! I made many good friends there, however, so the experience wasn't completely wasted. One such friend was Emily, who came up with a rather clever idea: a onesie that was also a collared shirt! Genius! Now that I have a little boy in my life, I find that her idea is also applicable to me.

Adorable, are they not? Go here to order one for the little guy in your life!

Other People's Hasty Crafts

2010-04-29T10:30:00.000-05:00

It's amazing, the Hasty Crafts you can find out in crafty blog world if you look hard enough. Or often enough. For example, we have this fabulous BHC-approved project from Ashley at Little Miss Momma:

Stapling the ribbons on! I would have never thought of that.

The Hasty Desk Organizer

2010-04-26T22:10:00.003-05:00

Remember how I said that my computer desk is so messy I'm embarrassed to post pictures of it? It still is, but this Hasty Organizer does help (as do the three pencil cups, the odds-and-ends organizer, and the five small drawers and plastic shoe box. I think I need to rethink my organization).

Made from a #10 can (think food storage) and using the cheat known as hot glue, I dug through my stash of home dec fabrics, found some samples that I bought years ago (25 cents for a square of pretty material! How could I resist?), and glued them on. Added the flowers to disguise the uninspiring rim. Ignore the badly glued ribbon around the bottom. It was glued in haste (imagine that) and since it's on the curve, it didn't turn out pretty. But who cares? It's on the bottom.

Anyway. Inside:

I made the divider from some latch-hook grid leftovers from this project (recognize it, Sara?), attaching them with brads. Easy peasy. The round section is for receipts that need to be accounted for in the budget. The straight organizers divide the bills from the "I need these for reference" pile. As for the Loving Your Disposal and Toilet flier, well, let's just say that my apartment complex has been blaming their bad plumbing on the residents. In some cases, true. In our case, not so much. Ah well.

The Not-so-Hasty Crafter: Lisa

2010-04-22T09:36:00.003-05:00

I believe I've mentioned the talented friends I have. I have no jealousy of their expert craftiness--indeed, I'm happy to promote it! People who have the patience to create such perfect things with so many details have my admiration. For instance, I do crochet. In one color. With very little in the way of pattern. It's the Hasty Way.

Now take my friend Lisa, on the other hand. She crochets exquisitely. I mean, look at her afghans!

Such texture! Such pattern! Such ability not to drop stitches and not notice until three rows later! I applaud you, Lisa, I applaud you.

So go visit Lisa at the Ladybug Crochet shop on Etsy. You won't be sorry.

The Hasty Office Makeover

2010-04-20T10:30:00.000-05:00

Do your office drawers look like this?

Do you have banks and banks of them? Do you get tired of looking at all that mess? I did. I needed a Hasty Craft to cover up the random papers showing in all my files. (Hasty does not equal organized, I'm afraid. This is why you won't see a picture of my entire desk. It's just too embarrassing.)

Turns out that Hobby Lobby carries scrapbooking papers! Who knew? (Probably everyone who scrapbooks. I realize this. But I like doing things digitally, where I can get an immediate result. Ergo, no scrapbooking for me and I get to be constantly amazed at the variety of papers that Hobby Lobby offers. I like a little wonderment in my life.) I found some I liked and did this to my drawer fronts (resisting the temptation to do every drawer in a different cool paper. Uniformity was the goal here):

And the rest of the office:

I happened on this serendipitous piece of fleece in Joann's as I did this makeover:

Matches nicely, don't you think?

All I did was cut the paper to size and drape the fleece over the back of the chair, but I'm happy with it! Here's to Hasty Crafting without repentance. *happy sigh*

Other People's Hasty Crafts

2010-04-17T12:26:00.000-05:00

As I troll through the crafting blog world, I often come across projects that are approved by the Board of Hasty Crafters (BHC), also known as me.

This cute blouse refashion definitely gets BHC approval!

Jenn from Making it My Own demonstrates this project so clearly, so cleanly, that I am deluded into thinking I could do it for myself!

The Not-so-Hasty Crafter

2010-04-16T11:53:00.003-05:00

Let it be known that this Hasty Crafter has friends. Talented friends, even! Friends who are patient enough to get things right the first time and can actually provide products to friends, family, and customers without putting their hand over a goofed-up area and saying, "Just ignore that part. You'll never see it anyway."

Not that I've done that.

Anyway, my First Follower (ooh! I'm starting a cult!) is one such patient person. She is the mad genius behind Elk Dresses, comfy dresses for infants and toddlers and her name is Woman of Steele! Or if you're feeling formal, you can call her Mrs. Steele. No relation to Remington that we know of.

Drools-in-Happiness is comfortable in his masculinity and would be happy to model an Elk Dress. The Hub won't allow it, however, so this picture will have to suffice:

How cute is that?

So go find the Woman of Steele at her Etsy store or her blog and say hello!

The Hasty Bleach Pen Experiment

2010-04-15T10:30:00.002-05:00

One thing about Hasty Crafts is that I need to be able to complete them, well, hastily! With an infant around the house, I don't have long stretches of time to focus on making things. As it was, Drools-in-Happiness thought this craft wasn't hasty enough. It was an experiment and I didn't know how long I'd have to let the bleach set.

You know that freezer paper stencil craze that's buzzing around craftdom? It sounds pretty cool, but I thought it was even cooler when someone tried it with bleach. My conniving little brain thought that a bleach pen would expedite the process. It did, but I sacrificed clarity for haste.

Here you see some of my favorite pants. They're made of a light chambray, perfect for summer, but somehow they acquired a mystery stain right in the lap area. Tragic.

(Drools-in-Happiness claims total innocence. I believe him. For the moment.)

So I went to my stencil stash (What? You don't have a stencil stash?) and found some butterflies of appropriate size to create a relative trompe l'oeil in the area of the stain.

I had tried the experiment first on a pink shirt that I wasn't all that fond of and had managed to spill honey mustard dressing on. It was a rather strategically placed spill, and just bleaching the area would have been . . . eyecatching. The stencil worked out well. And it makes me hate "Charity Pink"--the advertised color of this shirt--a little less.

After I got the bleach gel on, I let it sit until there was a distinct change in color. Blotted off the excess with a towel, threw them in the washer in their own load (I don't need to be practicing my Hasty Craftiness on my entire wardrobe, thank you), then dried them in the dryer.

I *think* I like the soft edges to the stenciling--I'm a casual gal and my clothes tend to reflect that. However, I do wish I'd let the bleach sit longer on the pants for a greater color contrast--repenting at leisure again. But I'm going to have to wear the pants a few times and see what I think before I act on that thought.

The craft was a success, though. Enthusiasm wants me to repeat the Celtic knot stencil on one of her little shirts. No problem! Drools-in-Happiness is fairly certain that only doing ONE stencil meets Hasty Craft time requirements. I'll post an update when I do it, as she's chosen a dark blue shirt and I want to get this timing figured out.

The Hasty Binky Clip

2010-04-14T10:09:00.004-05:00

I have a 5-month-old. He's completely adorable and no, you can't borrow him. But he does have this habit of taking the binky/soothie/paccie/pacifier/what-have-you and calming down, then spitting it out when he's done. This leads to one of two reactions on my part.

1. Great! He's not dependent on it!

2. Great. Now I have to wash the dang thing again, since it is now bouncing around the doctor's office floor/the store floor/the parking lot.

I happened to be at Hobby Lobby when this happened for the LAST. DANG. TIME. so I opted to pick up a pack of mitten clips and make something useful.

**Other handy things to know about me: The 5-month-old (Drools-in-Happiness) is not alone. He has two sisters, 6-year-old Persistence and 4-year-old Enthusiasm. And we homeschool. Calm and ordered my life is not.**

We were running out the door that night when the perfect Hasty Craft dawned on me--I could hand-sew a binky clip as we drove! So I grabbed the clips, ribbon from my stash, a small elastic, and my sewing kit (home to random bits and bobs like thread from other projects, needles, pins, and tailor's chalk. TAILOR'S CHALK. I use that when?)

I had the clip nearly finished when we got to the library, and by the time we got to the next stop on our list--Braum's!--I was done. I slipped it on the boy's binky, clipped it to his drool bib, and we proceeded inside. I did the ordering while The Hub wrangled the children into a booth.

When I came back, The Hub held up the clip. "It's too long. It could wrap around his neck." Oops. BIG oops. This is not my first child. This is not my first craft. I know better.
*sigh*
Lesson re-learned: Measure twice, cut once.

We came home and I rethought my Hasty Craft. This is what the binky clip looked like in its original form:

Don't let my photography skillz (read: lack thereof) fool you--that's satin ribbon. If I do this again, I'm using grosgrain. Also, my hand-sewing needs practice. Lots and lots of practice. I make Dr. Frankenstein's handiwork look refined. Anyway....

Being my own special brand of lazy, and nursing Drools-in-Happiness at the time, I decided to play around with the ribbon. Half the length was still too long, but one third of the length was perfect. So I folded it in thirds, found some awesome perle cotton in my sewing kit that actually MATCHED the ribbon, and hand-bound the edges. Sturdier and prettier! Repenting at leisure accomplished.

At one point The Hub looked over and said, "Wouldn't it be easier to cut the ribbon and resew a new loop around the clip?" Sure it would. And it would look nicer if I dug out the sewing machine instead of doing it by hand. But here we are.

It even has a super-secret pocket for the boy to hide more drool in! More importantly, hazard eliminated and clip created. The End.

Introduction

2010-04-13T21:52:00.004-05:00

Confession #1: I am a crafter. I have random supplies eating up valuable living space in our tiny two-bedroom apartment.

Confession #2: I am not very patient.

Confession #3: The above two confessions make for interesting and/or boneheaded decisions on my part when crafting hastily. And I don't always take the simplest route when fixing said mistakes--or so I've been told.

Ergo, learn from my mistakes. Or enjoy the ride. It's up to you.