Organizing Sewing & Craft Supplies

How to Organize Sewing and Craft Supplies

Sewing and craft supplies are easy to misplace and lose. Get it all under control with easy and interesting ways to organize all your sewing and hobby items.

Sewing supplies as well as arts and crafts needs are not just always, in demand but also, always getting misplaced, resulting in panic, stress and buying things that you’re bound to find someday. The easy solution to this chaos is to organize all your sewing and crafts supplies so that each time anyone in the family needs to sew or make a school project, they’d know where to look. Moreover, you would be able to keep a tab on what needs to be bought or replaced, making a big difference to the family budget.

Collect Everything Together

The first thing to do would be to gather all your sewing and craft supplies and place them in front of you. Start putting them together into neat piles-colors, paint, glue guns and tubes, threads, needles, wool, cotton, buttons, trims, lace and anything and everything that you would use for sewing or arts and crafts. Take a good look at the piles you’ve made and see how many containers you would need for them. This would take you to the next step.

Use Divided Clear Containers

Since most of your sewing and craft supplies would include a lot of tiny stuff that would often, disappear when you need it the most, it would be a good idea to invest in a couple or more of divided clear containers. Use these containers to store all those sewing and crafts supplies that get lost when shoved into drawers or closets or large boxes.

• Use separate containers for sewing and craft supplies.
• In one divided container store all your buttons, hooks, lace, trim, ribbon and ribbon roses, thimbles, spare buttons that you get with your clothes, needles, tape measure and all other small sewing supplies. Also, put in a pair of scissors.
• For threads, use clear containers that come with spindles to hold sewing machine threads and invest in a plastic container that comes especially to store embroidery threads.
• Put all crafts supplies into another divided, clear container. Glitter, motifs, ribbons, and anything else that you use for school and crafts projects should go in here. Put a separate pair of scissors, a child-friendly one, in this container. Tubes of paint or glue can also, go into clear jars.
• If you do a lot of sewing and craft work, it would be a good idea to organize your supplies according to type- cross stitch, fabric paint, everyday sewing, quilting, knitting and so on.

Storing Paper and Cloth

Paper and cloth of all kinds is used for both sewing and creating crafts, so it is important that these be stored along with your other craft and sewing supplies. Both cloth and paper should be stored either rolled up and tied loosely or spread flat and smoothed out. If rolling it up, store it all in a tall container. You could use an old jar for this.

If spreading paper or cloth flat for storing, slide them into folders such as a CD folder or even, large Ziploc pouches, and label them, identifying what kind of paper or cloth they hold. So, when you’re looking for them, you wouldn’t have to open half a dozen folders.

Organize Storage Space

Once you have everything sorted, you would need to identify a proper space to store your sewing and crafts supplies. Wherever you decide to store them, ensure that you keep all of them together. So, your clear containers, paper and cloth rolls as well as folders should all be together in one place.

Keep a few small empty containers to hold any miscellaneous stuff. Store in a cabinet or closet or even, on a shelf but remember to put up a pen and paper to jot down anything that needs to be replaced to save you time and effort from going through everything when you’re about to leave for the store.

Keeping all your sewing and crafts supplies in an organized manner would save you a lot of time, effort and money. Knowing that you have everything at hand would prevent undue stress and bother over school projects, missing buttons or torn shirts.

So, take out some time now and organize all your sewing and crafts supplies to enjoy the results later.

I Finally Did It!

Yes - I finally did it! 

Here is (or soon will be) all of Carol's Tag Sale - from across the web to this one compact site. 

There is lots more to come soon! 

Right now, http://www.carolstagsale.com/ is still directed to my About Me page on eBay.  Before this blog, it was the only site with links to all my selling venues.  Believe me, this blog will be even better!  The hub of activity for Carol's Tag Sale - posting to Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, pattern & crafts listings on eBay and Etsy.  And - on the subject of Facebook - I'm setting up a real page.  I have been busy!   

Until this all gets set up, you know that you can still visit me at http://www.etsy.carolstagsale.com/ and http://www.ecrater.carolstagsale.com/ and http://www.ebay.carolstagsale.com/ for great deals on new and vintage sewing patterns and crafts. 

NEWS:  I have lots of new and gently used costume sewing patterns to list this next week.  You can see the costume patterns I have for sale right now on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/CarolsTagSale?section_id=7216682.  

If you are looking for a certain costume, just convo me through Etsy and I will see if I have it. 

See you soon!

The Cooking of Canton

Its name comes from the port city of Canton, capital of Kwangtung province in southeastern China. Of all the styles of Chinese cooking, Cantonese food is probably the most familiar to Americans.

From Canton came waves of immigrants in the 19th century, who introduced Chinese cooking to the United States. Many of the Chinese restaurants that first opened in America served not what they thought was best, but what they thought would appeal most to the local clientele - which was basic, simple Cantonese food, often enjoyed as much for its low price as its taste appeal.

With the popularity of more regional Chinese restaurants in the United States, Cantonese food has lost some of its appeal. It is time to think beyond chop suey and chow mein and explore the many delicious Cantonese dishes which show the greatest variety and depth of any of the regional Chinese cuisines.

Southeastern China has an unusual abundance of good food to cook. Its moist, tropical climate provides a long growing season for rice, vegetables and fruits, and the 1,000 mile coastline is rich with fish and shellfish. Fresh ingredients need few frills: Cantonese food is light and generally mild, with the emphasis on pure natural flavors.

Other influences upon the cooking of Canton through the centuries is from migrations from northern China during times of political turmoil, and also by commerce with the Portuguese, Dutch and other Western traders who first established contact with the Chinese, introducing foods such as peanuts, corn, tomatoes and white potatoes.

World-wide, Cantonese cooks have become popular for their wide variety of stir-fried dishes and for their expertise in preparing a multitude of snack foods. from fried noodles to steamed dim sum. Their favorite seasonings include Black Bean Sauce, Oyster Sauce and Lobster Sauce.

Wok this Way! (Part 4 of 5) Cleaning and Caring for Your Wok

Wok this Way! (Part 4 of 5) Cleaning and Caring for Your Wok
By Helen Fan

Non-stick woks do not require seasoning, and come with simple cleaning instructions from the manufacturers, while steel carbon and iron woks require seasoning. Cleaning a seasoned wok is a lot different than a non-stick wok, and this is what we will cover here.

We will start with an important reminder: Do NOT use a steel wool scouring pad (or any abrasive product) on a seasoned wok, EVER! It will waste all the effort you put forth in seasoning your wok, and will require you to re-season it again.

A freshly seasoned wok will need some extra tender-loving-care. Immediately after cooking each dish, rinse the wok with plain hot water only. It is important to not use any other cleaning product to avoid damaging the seasoning. Often, there will be some bits and pieces of food particles stuck on the surface of a freshly seasoned wok. To remove them, gently lift them off with a bamboo brush (highly recommended), or a non-metallic scrubber. Then rinse the wok once more with plain hot water. To dry the wok, instead of wiping it dry, put the wet wok on the stove and set it on high heat. Heat the wok until a faint smoke arises from the bottom, then either let it cool and store it away, or continue to cook another dish. It is a common practice for chefs in Chinese restaurants to immediately put the wok back on the stove, pour hot water into the wok, scrub it quickly with a bamboo brush, dump out the water, and then place the wok back on the hot stove while he/she prepares another dish. By the time he/she is ready to cook the next dish, the wok is already hot, dry, and primed to go. It takes literally seconds to go through the drill once you get some practice. This process allows the traces of grease from the last dish to settle into the carbon steel's pores, further seasoning the wok.

After you are finished cooking a meal, cleaning the wok, and ready to put the wok away, it is always a good practice to apply another thin coat of cooking oil. Store it in a dry, airy spot until you use it again (hopefully, very soon). Once the wok is well-seasoned, it becomes self-sufficient, and will not require re-coating again. As mentioned before, It takes time, care, and regular use before a wok develops a patina, where the wok becomes virtually non-stick, and the dishes impart that elusive “wok hay”. In addition, clean-up and care will be easy, requiring little time and effort, often only involves rinsing it with plain hot water and little scrubbing, as none of the food should stick to the wok.

As the black patina develops from frequent repeated use, it will also appear on the bottom exterior. It is also a layer of carbon from cooking at a high heat. In a household kitchen, where the stove does not reach as high a temperature as it does in a restaurant, this is actually a good thing. It helps conduct the heat faster, concentrates the heat to the bottom of the wok, and brings the wok to an even higher temperature. A nice bonus is that it also enhances the flavor of the dish. So, there is no need to scrub the exterior of the wok, either. Just a simple hot water rinse after cooking should be enough.

In Part 5, we'll talk about all the nice little friends that you can get along with your wok, the accessories.

Helen Fan grew up in a family that has owned various Asian restaurants all over North America, from Vancouver (Canada), Houston (Texas), Decatur (Illinois), to Chicago (Illinois). She, and the rest of the Fan family are now sharing their decades of knowledge on the art of Chinese cuisine at http://www.chinesehomecooking.com/

You can read more of our articles at

http://www.ChineseHomeCooking.Com/resources/resources.htm

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Urban Garden Design with Wall Fountains

By Elizabeth Jean

Garden and landscape design is a relatively recent art form in a modern sense that dates back to the 14th century Italian villas of the Renaissance for its cognomen and spiritual center. Designing a good garden requires knowledge of several disciplines, including topography, land usage, horticulture and architectural elements.

Designing for a small, urban space requires focusing a design on one or two aspects, and aiming for the overall goal of a harmonious composition of topographic, architectural and horticultural elements. Because an urban garden lacks the space to subdivide it into "natural rooms", and may have several competing elements from the surrounding city, wall fountains are a popular choice for any urban garden design.

Wall Fountains As A Design Element
Fountains are stand alone design elements (or abut the side of a building) that cycle water from a catch basin to the top, creating a sheet of water over a desirable surface - many designs include Indian slate for their backdrop, or granite, and even pebbled concrete fountains are used in some areas. The design goal of wall fountains in urban garden design is to provide the visual and auditory focus of the garden. They offer people visiting the garden an opportunity to listen to the sound of water rather than the bustle of traffic, honking of horns and the interminable chatter of cell phones carried by strangers.

Areas leading to [http://www.ckclandscapinginc.com/ ]wall fountains usually include a few key design elements - a walkway through the garden, and a leading tie in with trellis bushes and shrubs, which generally frame the garden. Planting beds, and regularly cycling through which bulbs get planted when, is a great way to keep your urban garden fresh in appearance and scent. And gardening and planting is a worthwhile hobby for many people.

Choosing good wall fountains means choosing one that can stand up to the elements of your current climate. It needs to be able to handle sunlight. If you're in a northern climate, it needs to be able to handle being shut off and drained in the winter. It's very important to drain your fountain before it gets too cold. A frozen pump or water line can shorten the life of fountains so you should therefore make sure all the water is drained and removed from the fountain prior to temperatures dipping into the 30s.

Water Fountains For You
Fortunately, buying and installing [http://www.gatewayconst.com/outdoor-design.html ]wall fountains in your garden is affordable and a reasonably simple process. Hooking up the water and getting the pump started does not take that much time and before you know it, your new water feature will be the eye catcher of your garden design project. Make sure you take into account details like the lay of the land, drainage patterns, the placement of planting beds, sunlight, wind path and shade trees (or surrounding walls) when setting up your garden as well as setting up your wall fountains.

Fountains offer the burbling of running water creating a nice peaceful atmosphere to your garden. Consider wall fountains as part of your next home and garden make over and so you'll be sure to be adding design elements that are appealing and enjoyed by all who take a stroll in your urban garden.

Elizabeth Jean writes water fountain and related articles for [http://www.garden-fountains.com]Garden-Fountains.com, the #1 destination on the internet for wall fountains, garden fountains, and distinctive water features.
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Wok this Way! (Part 3 of 5) Seasoning Your New Wok

By Helen Fan

Seasoning is the most important thing you can do to your wok. Only carbon steel and iron woks need to be seasoned. The purpose of seasoning is to remove the manufacturer's protective coating and coat it with a thin layer of oil. This creates a smooth cooking surface which enables food to shift and glide easily, thus preventing your food from sticking, discoloring, and picking up a metallic taste.

The initial step is to scrub it thoroughly. Take a steel wool scouring pad and scrub both the inside and outside of the wok with soap. This will remove the anti-rust coating that comes with most woks. If your new wok comes with some rust spots, don't worry. It is completely normal for unseasoned woks to develop some minor rust. Just make sure that you scrub out the rust before you move on. Rinse it thoroughly with hot water. Then, to make sure that you remove all the coating, set the wok on the stove, fill it with water, and boil it for 5 to 10 minutes to dissolve the remaining coating. Pour out the water and scrub the surface again with steel wool scouring pad and soap. New woks may cause a slight metallic taste to the first two or three dishes that are cooked in it, but after that, the metallic taste will disappear.

Reminder: the steel wool scouring pad is only to be used in this initial step prior to seasoning your new wok. Do NOT use a steel wool scouring pad on a seasoned wok, EVER! It will waste all the effort you put forth in seasoning your wok, and will require you to re-season it again.

Next, place the wok on the stove over high heat. You're ready for the next step when you sprinkle a few drops of water into the wok and they start to dance around the bottom. Then, roll up a few sheets of paper towel, or use a piece of cloth, and dip it in cooking oil. Peanut oil or corn oil are preferred because of their high smoking point, thus minimizing smoke fumes when you are seasoning the wok.. Naturally, turning on your stove top vent will help reduce the fumes, too. Using a pair of long wooden chopsticks, or tongs, wipe the soaked paper towel over the entire inner surface of the wok. Reduce the heat down to low, and let the wok sit for 15 minutes. This allows the wok to absorb the oil. If the surface begins to dry off, then wipe the wok again with the soaked paper towel. You want the wok to obtain a thin film of oil when it's seasoned. The bottom of the wok should be slightly brown. Repeat the above steps two more time, and the bottom should darken even more. Over time, the entire wok will turn black (that's good). Now the wok is ready to go.

But we're not nearly done. Ever wonder why Chinese restaurant dishes produce that mouth-watering aroma when they are served on your table? And ever wonder why you can't quite match that flagrant flavor when you try to cook Chinese food at home? They come from cooking food on an almost impervious shiny black coating in a well-seasoned wok. That black coating is called “patina”, which is essentially harmless carbon residue from cooking in a wok repeatedly on high heat. A well-seasoned wok cooking at a high heat will impart what Chinese chefs lovingly call “wok hay”. Its literal translation is “breath of wok”. Wok hay is so revered in Chinese culinary tradition that in China , especially in the Canton region (south), when a customer is served stir fry dish without wok hay, it is considered an insult or bad luck.

It takes time, care, and regular use before a wok develops a patina. There are no shortcuts. But having patina on your wok is still not enough produce wok hay on your dishes. It is imperative that you heat the wok on high heat to the point where you see some faint smoke coming from the bottom before you add cold cooking oil. The cold cooking oil cools down the wok slightly, and makes the food taste tenderer once it's done. If the wok is not hot enough, or cold (gasp!) when you pour in the cooking oil, the ingredients will stick to the wok (even with the patina) and inevitably burn, also leaving the ingredients raw inside. Not to mention you lose that coveted “wok hay”.

In Part 4, we will talk about cleaning and caring for you wok.

Helen Fan grew up in a family that has owned various Asian restaurants all over North America, from Vancouver (Canada), Houston (Texas), Decatur (Illinois), to Chicago (Illinois). She, and the rest of the Fan family are now sharing their decades of knowledge on the art of Chinese cuisine at http://www.chinesehomecooking.com/
You can read more of our articles at http://www.ChineseHomeCooking.Com/resources/resources.htm
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Chinese Chili Prawns And Rice

By Jon C

This dish involves a delicious combination of chilli prawns and rice. Either raw or pre-cooked prawns can be used. Though raw prawns are better for absorbing flavour from the marinade. The end result is very similar to fried rice, though a wok is not required.

Quantities shall not be listed in the recipe as I am an adhoc chef and just add roughly what I think is best. When you try this recipe, become an artist and add your own .

Ingredients

Prawn Marinade:
ginger
garlic
chili (powder, flakes or fresh)
sesame oil
light soya sauce

For the rest:
rice
water
onion
mushrooms
sweetcorn
peas
Bouillon vegetable stock
spring onion

Instructions

Prawn Marinade
Chop the ginger, garlic and chilli (if fresh) finely. Mix
this with the sesame oil, light soya sauce and ground black pepper.
Mix the
prawns in the marinade and set aside in a fridge for a few hours. If I'm
planning on serving lunch at 12pm, I'll normally prepare the beef at 9am.

Cooking

Rinse the rice in the rice cooker a few times, and fill with water until there's about a finger nail's breadth of water above the top of the rice. Add about half a teaspoon of vegetable stock to the rice, Chop the onion and mushrooms into small pieces. Add all the vegetables (apart from the spring onion) to the rice. Add the marinaded prawns to the rice. Mix everything up. Turn on the rice cooker start cooking. Chop up
the spring onion.

When the food is cooked (this normally takes about 30 minutes), turn off the rice cooker, add the chopped spring onion, and give it all another good stir.

I am Jon C, the head chef at http://www.dawjee.com/ I try to provide my staff with healthy meals using our limited cooking resources, which consists of a rice cooker, combination microwave oven and egg steamer.
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