Hello and welcome to The Craft Room Podcast. I’m so glad you’re joining me today, as we are talking about forgotten gems. If you’ve been crafting for a long time, like me, then you likely have a LOT of amazing products and resources. Back in Episode 40 I talked about The Craft Stash, and this is kind of an extension of that episode. Usually when people talk about forgotten gems, they’re referring to old movies or television shows, paintings or travel destinations. But this is a craft podcast, so, of course, we are going to be talking about them in the context of crafting.
At the beginning of the year I jotted down some ideas that might make good podcast episodes, and when I added ‘Forgotten Gems’ to the list, I was particularly thinking about products we buy, or techniques we learn, and then forget about. Originally I planned to talk on this topic later in the year, until I received an email from the lovely Marianne … and decided to bump it up to this month’s topic.
Marianne was telling me that she had a paid subscription to a Facebook group, where she could watch videos on replay, touted to have lifetime access … so no rush, right?! But they announced that it was closing, and she referred to that lifetime access as ‘a trap of complacency’, and honestly Marianne, you are so right! When a course or membership offers lifetime access, that’s not your lifetime … that’s the lifetime of the course or membership. In most cases, when a business, course or membership owner decides it’s time to close it down, you get some notice, which gives you time to go through all of the material so you don’t miss out. But what if the owner becomes ill, or passes on … there’s no notice given. The hosting will expire, or be shut down, and all of that information is just … gone! And let’s not forget that Facebook recently made a change to live videos, and they are now automatically removed after 30 days. It reminded me that forgotten gems aren’t just that cool paper pad or sewing pattern that we bought, used once, and put in a box and forgot about … sometimes they’re virtual or digital.
So, today let’s talk about the different types of forgotten gems that might be in your crafting toolkit, as well as what you can do to find them, and make them easier to access. I would recommend having pen and paper handy, because I’m going to list a LOT of things, and hopefully it will spark some memories and ideas that you can jot down.
In thinking about this for a few weeks, I’ve found that forgotten crafty gems tend to fall into one of three categories … physical, virtual/digital and techniques/knowledge.
1. Physical Products
I started listing out physical craft supplies, and there are literally too many things to make a comprehensive list. However, as I was working on that list, I noticed that physical products seem to fall into three sub-categories – Consumables, Tools and References/Resources. Let’s start with …
Consumables
Technically speaking, consumables are the product that get used up in the making of any crafting project. Obviously these will vary from craft to craft, and be different for everyone, but I have a few examples.
For card makers & scrapbookers, it will be things like paper, cardstock, adhesives, embellishments and inks.
For those who sew or stitch, it would be things like fabric, sewing thread, embroidery thread, bias binding, elastic, buttons and zippers.
For those who knit or crochet it will be yarn.
For those who paint it will be paint, mediums, varnish, brush cleaner and canvases.
There are so many more items, but hopefully that gives you the gist of it.
In my own experience, the forgotten physical supplies seem to be the oldest supplies, usually because I’m more interested in the shiny new goodies that I just added to my stash. When you have a lot of products, like I do, the new items go on top, or in front, and the older items at the back of the shelf or bottom of the tub are simply forgotten. As someone who has worked in the craft industry for over 20 years, I have a lot of products given to me for demonstration purposes, as part of the Design Team experience, products from Scrap It TV sponsors and samples from suppliers when I had the shop. I simply ended up with more goodies than I had time to use, and while I have more free time now, and I am crafting more … it’s a lot!
Honestly, the reason I put ‘forgotten gems’ on my podcast list for this year is because of some of the craft supplies I found when moving my papercrafting stuff from my hot mess craft desk & cupboard into my office. My embellishment boxes had a decent amount of dust on top, I found chipboard shapes, a binder full of stickers, another binder with coloured pre-cut images (like frames, titles, journal cards, etc), yet another binder and boxes of swap items, and boxes and boxes of pocket scrapbooking cards! I haven’t even finished going through that cupboard, so I know I’ll discover more. Which leads me nicely to …
Tools
These are the things we can use over and over again to make our craft projects, and I have a few examples.
For card makers & scrapbookers, it will be stamps, dies, stencils, trimmers, cutting mats, die-cutting machines, punches, blending brushes, bone folder, wax tip pick up tool, etc.
For those who sew or stitch, it would be sewing machine, overlocker, scissors, pins, rulers, rotary blades, bobbins, embroidery hoops, etc.
For those who knit or crochet it will be crochet hooks, knitting needles and stitch markers.
For those who paint it will be paint brushes, water jar, brush cleaning tool, palette, etc.
You get the idea.
Looking at my own craft tools, I was surprised that I have more forgotten gems than I thought I would! Mostly it seems to happen when I upgrade a tool, and don’t move on the tool I’ve just upgraded from. For example … I have 5 sets of crochet hooks. I started with plastic hooks, moved up to metal hooks, then tried bamboo hooks (didn’t like those), upgraded to metal hooks with plastic handles, then finally found the Red Tulip Etimo red hooks with soft grip handles that I absolutely love. I still have all of my old hooks! Another example is die-cutting machines. I started with the old school Sizzix (remember the red one with the pull down handle?!) and the big bulky dies. Then Thinlet dies came out, and I got the little converter plates that worked with them. But then dies evolved and were no longer built into a case, and it was a hassle cutting a large die using tiny converter plates … so I upgraded to a Sizzix Big Shot, and of course I started collecting the new types of wafer thin metal dies. Then electronic die-cutting machines were all the rage, and I was gifted a Cricut machine by a company that I was doing some designing, teaching and demonstrations for (we’re talking the original type of Cricut that uses cartridges). Of course I started collecting the cartridges, because when you buy a die-cutting machine, you have to feed it. At some point I was also gifted a Gemini, and then I picked up a Brother Scan N Cut from Facebook Marketplace … and now I have 5 different die-cutting machines, because I didn’t move on the older machine when I upgraded. I had forgotten about the original Sizzix until I found the dies when moving things out of my papercraft cupboard.
Lastly, let’s talk about …
References/Resources
Again, these vary from craft to craft, and person to person, and the longer you’ve been crafting, the more of these you’ll probably have.
Patterns & Templates … Commercial patterns (like dressmaking, homeware, cosplay or toy patterns from brands like Simplicity, Vogue, Burda, McCalls, etc). Then there are the Indi patterns (like quilt patterns, toy patterns, cross stitch or embroidery patterns, crochet, knitting or macrame patterns, bobbin lace patterns, stain glass patterns … anything you can buy on Etsy or Ravelry). For the papercrafters consider templates (like One Sheet Wonder, Card or Scrapbooking sketches). This includes any pattern or template where you bought (or were given) a physical copy, or you printed a PDF … it exists in a tangible way in your home. They might be in document holders, binders or resume folders … or maybe they’re just jammed into a bag with materials, or are floating around your desk. Oh, and I think that recipes fall into this category too, particularly baking, because I consider that to be a creative way to spend one’s time!
Books & Magazines – I don’t know about anyone else, but I have accumulated a decent number of books and magazines over the years for a number of different crafts. They’re great for Inspiration, technical information and education, patterns, and who doesn’t love a step-by-step or how-to book?
Then there are the videos & DVDs. Anyone own a Scrap It TV DVD (or two? Or three?)? And what about those tv show segments you recorded but never went back to watch.
I recently pulled out my box of commercial sewing patterns and there are some in there I’ve never used! And when I was thinking about crafting books I own, I suddenly remembered that somewhere in a box stored up high I have a couple of Japanese sewing books from the 80’s. I didn’t understand them at all, but I loved them SO MUCH as a high school textiles & design student. They are definitely my biggest forgotten gem in this category, and I’m inspired to find them and add them to my bookshelf so I can enjoy them again.
Now, let’s move on to …
2. Virtual / Digital
While virtual and digital crafting assets might sound like the same thing, I consider them to be different. Virtual is online … essentially hosted, and consequently controlled by someone else, whereas digital is on your computer, and whether they stay or go is under your control. Let’s start with some examples of …
Virtual
In fact … let’s start with the OG … blogs! Remember when blogs were all the rage, and we would bookmark our favourite blog posts, always with the thought “I’ll come back to that later”. Now might be the time to revisit your bookmarks and see what gems are waiting there for you. Similarly, if there’s a bookmarked blog post, recipe or project you refer to often, check to see if there’s a PDF download. I learned the hard way to download that recipe PDF because one time I went back to the bookmark, and the blog post that included the recipe had been removed!
And let’s not forget videos. So many videos! YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Vimeo … there are crafting videos, long and short, pretty much everywhere. Again, we bookmark or favourite, or subscribe or follow a channel or account, with the intention of watching them later, then we forget or find it impossible to keep up.
Don’t forget about summits! I would also include classes, courses and memberships in this category as well. ‘Lifetime access’ to replays, free bonuses, VIP bonuses, checklists, live craft-along opportunities or live Q&A sessions.
Because these things are online, they are out of sight, and out of mind.
Then there are …
Digital
Again, starting with the OG … your own digital photos. They might be on memory cards, your home computer, an external hard drive (or 2 or 3), your phone or tablet. For those into scrapbooking, your photos are a key ingredient for crafting! And don’t forget the photos of your finished craft projects, photos you took to use as part of a project or for inspiration. I would also include screenshots in this category … those things you saw online and didn’t want to forget, so you took a screenshot.
Then there’s software. These days it’s pretty rare to ‘own’ software, but I do have Affinity Photo (which I bought outright before Canva took ownership and made it free) downloaded to my laptop. I also have Audacity, which I use to edit this very podcast … but it makes me wonder what other software I might still have kicking around on an old hard drive.
My favourite in this category are the fun things we download, some paid and some free. Digital papers, digital stamps, clipart, fonts, SVG files, colouring pages, laser cutting files, embroidery machine files, PDF patterns, templates and printables from Summits.
And, as I create a LOT of content I have a LOT of digital assets that most people don’t, like YouTube videos, TikToks, Copic Subscription Box, Scrap It TV projects, Magazine projects, live classes, product demonstrations and Summits. Every worksheet, template, materials list, photograph, sketch, pattern and instructions … I’ve kept it all … and it’s a LOT. I’m guessing it would come as no surprise to anyone that when I eventually get my external hard drives organised, I’ll be finding a lot of forgotten gems there. I remember teaching a class about alternative uses for the Anywhere Hole Punch over 20 years ago, and I’m looking forward to finding those class notes so I can get more use from that versatile little tool.
In order to get the most from your virtual and digital crafting assets, it’s important to have a good filing system. For example … photos. Create a folder on your computer for photos, then sub-folders for each year, and inside each year create sub-folders for each month … and most importantly, label your photos with information (dates, locations, names) and put them into the relevant sub-folder. Do this every month so you don’t have to sort years worth of photos when you upgrade your phone. Same goes for the things you download. I have folders for crochet patterns, summit freebies, digital stamps and especially for all the amazing goodies I download from Creative Fabrica. When you download something, don’t just leave it in the download folder … it will be near impossible to find when you want it, or more likely, you’ll forget about it. So when you sign up for a summit, or are about to download anything, take a moment to set up a proper folder so you can move the downloads into the appropriate place. And if you’re starting this from scratch, consider how you would search for something, then set up a great filing system that will make it easier for future you to find those digital gems.
Now, let’s consider our final category …
3. Techniques / Knowledge
Again, this is one of those categories that will differ from person to person. If you, like me, have been crafting for several decades, and especially if you are into a number of different crafts, then over the years you have probably learned and forgotten more than someone who has been crafting for only a year or two. Sometimes I get stuck in a rut with a product, using it only one way, when there are actually different techniques that I’ve simply forgotten about. Let’s take Distress Inks as an example. When I first started using Distress Ink, all I did was ink around the edges of paper or cardstock. Then I learned about splattering water droplets, and smooshing, and all sorts of clever techniques I could do with these magical ink pads. And then over time, those techniques fell away until I found myself planning a workshop for Picture to Page last year. In an effort to make the class as interesting as possible, I rediscovered those old techniques so I could pass them on to others.
The internet gives us access to so much knowledge, so we’re constantly learning something new from videos, summits, Instagram and Facebook groups. But if you’re of my vintage, cast your mind back to those craft classes you used to attend at a local store or big craft show, magazine articles or just crafting with friends.
And as part of a bigger picture, I love that people are starting to take an interest in traditional and heritage crafts that are in danger of being forgotten, like bobbin lace and folk art painting. And on the other end of that spectrum there are the crafting fads that may have been short-lived, but still fun. Someone showed me a loom band bracelet that a student gave them a couple of weeks ago, and it reminded me that just because it was a quick craft trend that seemed to fade as quickly as it arose, that doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy it!
So … what can we do to uncover our forgotten crafting gems. Well, before we talk about that, I would like to remind you of one important thing. If you were out in Lightning Ridge mining for opals, not everything you dig up is going to be a beautiful gem. There’s going to be a whole lot of rubble, and, let’s be honest … there’s going to be some dirt. The same applies when searching for forgotten crafting gems, in your stash, on the internet, on your computer, your phone or in your memory. Be prepared to find a few things that you look at and wonder ‘Why did I keep this?’, and I suspect there will be some dust, and potentially a dead bug in there somewhere.
The easiest way to find anything is to look for it. Now, let me be clear … this does not mean that you should pull out absolutely everything from storage tubs, shelves, drawers, cupboards or rooms all at once. Oh no! If I’ve learned anything over the years it’s that the potential for total overwhelm and decision fatigue is massively increased if you try to do everything at once, which usually results in all that stuff being jammed back into the tub, shelf, drawer, cupboard or room and being in an even worse state than it was when you started. Instead, we need to consider the time, energy and space we have available, as well as any deadlines that may be upon us (like moving house to downsize). So, I’m going to walk you through some different approaches you can take, starting with low time / low energy, and then stepping it up. You know yourself best, so jump in at whichever approach will work best for you in your current circumstances.
1. LOOK
If you just want to dip a toe in for a memory jog … maybe just look. Open the tub, open the drawer, open the cupboard or walk into the room … and just look. Everything might have been there for so long that it’s become invisible, so taking a fresh look can remind you of what you have.
2. TAKE A CLOSER LOOK
If you’re feeling up to it, dig around in that tub, drawer, cupboard or room and have a better look. We’re not sorting or organising … just taking a closer look. If that’s all you can handle for today, then you’ve done the most you can do.
3. SORT
For this one, you’re going to need a couple of empty boxes, one labelled ‘Donate’, the other labelled ‘Bin’. Grab one box, bag, tub or storage container and take it to your table, kitchen bench or living room floor … and dump out the contents. We’re a step above looking, but not organising … we’re sorting. Everything you want to keep goes back in the tub. Everything that’s still good, but you no longer want, goes into the ‘Donate’ box. Anything that’s damaged or unusable goes into the ‘Bin’ box (that includes dust bunnies and dead bugs).
You can take this step a little further by taking a photo of all of the box contents before putting them back into the box, followed by a pic of the box when you put it back in place.
You can take this step even further by printing that pic and sticking it to the front of that box.
You can take this step further again by uploading the pic to your Google Drive or a secret Pinterest board, nabbing the URL and creating a QR Code that you print out and stick to the box. Then you just need to scan it with your phone to see what’s inside. If you’re into RFID tags, you could do that too.
The sorting pinnacle is to take those contents and sort them by craft. If you have a tub containing supplies for more than one craft, you could sort them so that each different craft has its own tub, with a label. Now those scrapbooking supplies are separate from crochet, and when you dump your next tub and find that crochet hook that’s been missing for 18 months, it can go into the crochet box you already set up.
Regardless of which level of sorting you choose, you’re not organising … you’re sorting. This will make it easier to remember what you have, and hopefully also remember where it is.
4. ORGANISING
There is a reason that I prefer to sort before I organise. Until I know exactly how much stuff I have in any craft category, I cannot set up a proper organisational system. In fact, if you sort things into categories, you might find that you don’t need to organise them!
Let me give you an example of two different craft categories in my home … cross-stitch and crochet.
When I sorted all of my cross-stitch and embroidery supplies, I found that they fit happily into 1 large and 2 medium tubs. The most organizing I ever did (and it was many years ago) was to wind all of my DMC embroidery threads onto cardboard bobbins and put them into proper storage containers. Everything else just gets added to the tubs. I didn’t bother organising, because it takes very little effort to look through 3 tubs for thread, fabric, hoops and patterns. Maybe I’ll refresh my memory and maybe photograph the contents one day, but for now, I know where to look for what I need. But crochet … that’s on a whole other level. When I moved some shelving out of my office last year, I sorted a lot of my yarn into the guest room wardrobe, separating it by ply. Now all of the worsted yarn is together, the DK is together, and the amigurumi cottons are together, which makes me incredibly happy … but I wasn’t done. Over the Easter long weekend my Mum came to visit, and while we were chatting, I figured I’d pull out the 4 tubs of yarn from a Kallax unit that I’ve been procrastinating on sorting. I found some forgotten gems like beautiful merino and alpaca yarn (I kept some, and I sent mum home with the rest to take to Yarn Exchange Day at her knitting group), I found some rubble (acrylic yarn that I’ll use to make nests for a local wildlife carer) and I found some dirt (literal dust bunnies and, yes … a dead fly that had rendered some printed patterns I had in the tub completely unusable). I took the opportunity to destash and organise, and whittled four tubs down to two and a half. I’m not done, but by working through my yarns by category, it’s more achievable, and each time I free up space by moving on, or using up, the yarn I no longer need or love.
I had the same experience when I started moving the contents of my papercraft cupboard into my office. I didn’t move everything at once, and that was for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I didn’t have the energy, and didn’t want to wreck my back by moving everything in one day. Secondly, I wanted to put one category of items in place, then see how they worked in the space. That strategy has paid off because not only have I found loads of forgotten gems, I’ve been able to move things around so that it’s easier to use them. In the process I’ve put quite a few things in the donate/sell box, and binned a few items that are no longer usable. The best thing I did this year was swatch all of my ink pads, watercolour products, pencils, embossing powders and markers. I not only found those gems, but I’ve been using them, and that is the whole point of the exercise!
I will also say this … not everything forgotten is going to be a gem. Gems are in the eye of the beholder, and sometimes we forget things because there is a newer, better thing, or way to do things … or we have since found other things we prefer. For example … I found some old decorative scissors, and I plan to donate them because while I don’t consider them to be a gem, someone else probably will. And I know that when I start going through some of my older external hard drives, I’m going to find a bunch of digital papers and embellishments that I won’t hesitate to delete. When I first started digital scrapbooking, I was in a phase of life with a very tight budget, so I downloaded every freebie I could find. At the time they were amazing, and I absolutely considered them to be gems, but as with every craft, the products started to get better and better, I found designers that I really liked, started buying better quality files, but never got around to getting rid of the old stuff. I reasoned that it wasn’t taking up any physical space in my house, so why bother, right? Well … I’m in a different phase of life, and more confident in my likes and dislikes around my craft, so I feel more confident in keeping the real gems, and letting go of the rubble.
Over the last few years, when I have designed a product, class, workshop, course, template or printable, my goal has been for it to be valuable to my fellow card makers. It’s the same for this podcast and my YouTube channel … I cram a lot into a single episode or video, and hope that if you ever re-listen or re-watch, you pick up something you may have missed the first time. If it has my name on it, I want it to be educational or useful to you in a very practical way, particularly focused on helping you get more use from your amazing craft stash. I still have some great tools for card makers in the shop on my website, and links to where you can find classes and courses. And of course, there’s the Craft with Dawn Lewis Facebook group, where we are all focussing on using our amazing supplies (remember to answer the 3 questions when applying to join so I can approve you straight away).
If there’s anything I hope you take away from this episode, I hope it is this …
* It’s worth pressing pause on bringing new things into your home so you can take some time to look at what you have, decide what you love and curate a craft stash that is a true treasure chest.
* Keep track of your virtual and digital gems so you can enjoy them before they disappear. Block out some time to watch that video, look at old bookmarked pages, work your way through that online course or print those checklists and templates and use them.
* Sometimes we need to clear the rubble and the dirt (and the dead fly) so our gems can truly shine. One crafters rubble is another crafters treasure.
Mostly I hope that you find great joy in your craft stash, and if you find a truly amazing treasure, please feel free to share it, maybe in the Craft with Dawn Lewis Facebook group. Enjoy the gem hunt, and happy crafting!
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