Jolly Jars

Craft supplies are easy to hoard, but if you have too much you can't always see what you've got in your inventory. This is where decorating with craft supplies comes in.

I started by gathering all my empty glass jars.

Next, I gathered my craft supplies.

I like to have both colorful and neutral items displayed to balance each other out.

 

I also like to add a lot of natural elements, like the cinnamon sticks (that add some wonderful scents to the room if you leave the jar lid open for a little bit) and the miniature pine cones.

Now that you know how much jar you'll need for each item, you can choose accordingly by size and design and start stuffing jars.

Once all the jars are stuffed, you can group them and create a pattern to display. My general pattern was color, natural, non-color, but I had a few add-ins that didn't fit the pattern. So, the pattern idea is really more of a suggestion, less of a mandate.

I put them on my wrap-around shelf for display.

From this vantage point you can see them from anywhere in my room.

 

What are some of your favorite, most show-case worthy craft supplies? Happy crafting!

Ribbon Rod

 

So, my first installment in my new series on how to decorate with craft items is here. Today I am making a ribbon display, both to show-case my lovely finds and to spread out my collection so I can see what I have and make a better decision on what to use. Before this craft, my ribbon was stored in a box, and I often just used the ribbons on the top layer.

 

To begin with, you need a box cutter and a suspension rod. The ribbon holes are smaller than the suspension rod, so I used the box cutter to make them larger.

 

 

 

I cut an eight-sided octagon shape, like a stop sign, with the box cutter. I cut lightly for fear that the knife would get out of hand and poke the ribbon.

 

 

 

With the light cut, it's very easy to just press in the cut and push in the piece. Repeat on the other side.

 

 

 

Now you can "string" your ribbon onto the suspension rod. I chose an array of colors that complement my room, and I used a larger suspension rod in my craft closet to hold the rest of the colors.

 

 

 

Hang up in desired location. I used a small shelf that sits beside my bed.

 

 

Now I can see all of my ribbons and cut pieces off when necessary. Happy crafting!