When a decision made seems easy, you can bet the work load to achieve the results to make that decision a reality is going to be full of opportunities to burn off a lot of calories. In the midst of arranging the studio shop, naturally, part of my easel broke. Thankfully, the manufacturer was prompt in sending the replacement part. In making things more convenient, heavy shelving and ceramic molds had to be relocated and items that were no longer useful were discarded. In trying to bring order to our ceramic mold collection, we had to do a physical inventory. In times like this, having my daughter-in-law’s help was quite the blessing. Moving and dusting off ceramic molds and checking out shelving contents aren’t a fun job. That being said, Anitra did a great job in helping me to catalog and relocate ceramic molds for easier retrieval. She, our son and grandchildren are thrilled that we are moving ahead with our company web site.
July has always seemed the perfect month to take some time and organize craft supplies that are used to create holiday decorations, school projects and personal gifts. On a really hot summer day, being in a cool area, sorting and cleaning craft items is a relaxing way to make sure all your supplies are ready to be used. If you have children who love working with crafts they will enjoy helping Mommy get started. Our Allison, who is seven, loves to help us put colored items in their correct stacks. Austin, who is twelve, is great in placing items in their correct bins and rounding up any of the craft supplies that have been misplaced and getting them back to the craft area.
Any artificial flowers or natural materials can be dusted and checked to make sure they are still in great condition. Supplies of colored construction paper can be evaluated to see if extra colored sheets are needed. I like to test the hot glue gun and make sure that plenty of glue sticks are available. If paint brushes are used, they can be washed and checked to make sure that paint has not be left to dry in the brushes. If that has happened, it usually means trash can the brushes and pick up a new pack. When working with children on painting projects, I recommend using inexpensive brushes. It doesn’t take long for acrylic paints to dry. For paint brushes that’s a bad thing. I try to have several water containers that have ridges in the bottom so that it’s easier to remove unwanted paints from the brushes. How many times has a youngster surprised us with “Hey, guess what they want us to do for a school project?”, and we learn we have a limited time to pull resources together. By having annual dates to inventory supplies and restock and clean up clutter and toss junk items we are sitting on “go” for last minute projects.