Crafting timelines- make and keep a schedule! Get lost in the craft!

As crafters, we sometimes get a little crazy. What starts as an innocent afternoon scrapbooking turns into a weekend where dishes aren't  done, homework isn't finished and the beds aren't made, but you have a gorgeous album from your latest vacation. Are you one of those crafters? Do you get lost in the act of being creative?

Sometimes a little organization is great for more than just your different brands and fasteners, though. Comparing crafts to daily activities should give you a good grasp on how much you can squeeze in while the kids are at school!

Here are some crafts that can easily take the place of something you need to do.

Grocery shop vs. Crafting an office organizer

In the same time it would take you to drive to the store and pick out your fruits, veggies and frozen meals, you could have made a tin can organizer for your home office.

To begin, start collecting cans that have been opened by a safety can opener. There shouldn’t be any rough exposed edges. Clean them and save about nine of them.

Once your stash has grown large enough, grab an old baking sheet and some metallic paint. Valspar makes a great spray paint designed for metals that will allow you to quickly paint each of your pieces. After you have the metal baking sheet covered in a single coat, set it aside to dry. Paint each of your cans a coordinating or matching color.

Wait about a day for everything to fully dry. You can decorate them further by tying ribbon around them or painting them more intricately. Glue strong magnets onto the bottom of the cans and then hang the baking sheet. Voila, you now have a place to stash pens, paperclips, business cards and anything else you could fit into a pencil cup! 


Study for a test vs. Making your own soap   

Instead of cramming all night for your school courses, take a break and create soap designs that are perfect gifts for new moms or those with allergies. Creating soap means you can control what ingredients make the cut, and they can be scented naturally or not at all. 

Teach Soap has a great list of possible ingredient combinations, but the basic soap recipe will call for canola, coconut and palm oil along with a small amount of lye and water. 

Craft stores also sell fragrance free soap bases that might be good for those who have never worked with lye before. Once your base is melted or created, add lavender oil, mint, honey or anything else you would like to make the soap more unique.      

If you do not want to invest a lot of money into the project at the outset, pour the soap into a cookie cutter that you have firmly sat on top of a wax-sheet covered baking sheet. You can also get even more creative and set them into the bottoms of small Tupperware containers to pick up a round shape. 

Watch 1/4 of your favorite television show vs. Creating a paper flower

In the time it takes to watch True Blood or Glee, you can create four paper flowers, perfect for displaying in a vase. They are sturdier than crepe flowers and trendier than silk. 

To create the simplest version of a paper flower, cut an irregular circle out of construction paper or a lightweight cardstock. Begin cutting the shape into a medium thin spiral, leaving a small circle in the middle. Roll the spiral starting with the outermost edge, moving in towards your remaining circle. Once your paper is fully rolled (not counting the circle), release the paper. It should end up looking a lot like a fully bloomed rose. Dab some hot glue onto the base of the circle to help it keep its shape.

Attach it to some floral wire and add a few cut-out leaves to get the full effect!

This is a guest article by Lindsey over at professionalintern.com.

What crafts are your favorite?