My craft stash is getting out of control

I have recently come to realise that my craft stash is starting to get a bit out of control. I don't feel that I buy very many crafty things (apart from trips to the US that is!) There's a Hobbycraft within walking distance but I usually only visit when I have a voucher - last weekend they had a £5 voucher promotion and I walked out with £5 of products for free, I didn't spend an extra penny! I think I'm just very lucky to have lots of generous family and friends that think of me when they are having a crafting clear out!

But I'm starting to realise that my craft supplies are adding up. Earlier in the year I wrote about working through my fabric stash, and I have been doing pretty well at this. Last week was all about the tote bags - I made my own sea themed tote bag and then went on to make a few more which I am intending as gifts for smaller family members. 

I also sorted through all my smaller scraps of fabric which I couldn't bear to part with. I tried some crazy patchwork but I couldn't get the hang of it so I made myself a template 7cm square and cut out as many squares as I could from leftover fabric in shades of pink, before being ruthless and throwing away the leftover pieces. I used the squares to make a little patchwork drawstring bag to hold my sewing machine pedal and cables. It's not perfect, and I really need to get better at lining up the squares before I sew them, but it does the job and it made a dent in my fabric drawer!

I don't have masses of stuff to be fair. But my stocks of fabric, felt, buttons and ribbons are now bulging out of their storage containers. I've collected quite a few Hama beads in both the mini and the midi sizes, and I also have plenty of paints, brushes and sketchbooks. So I really need to do something about it!

A few weeks ago I found it really helpful to put together a list of ten craft projects to complete by the end of the year. I've already ticked off six and have another one nearly finished! So I'm going to challenge myself to come up with a nice long list of craft projects that I want to make, based on the supplies that I already have in my various stashes. Then my intention will be to have a 2023 filled with crafting but not craft shopping, buying only the very basic supplies that I need for a project like glue or cotton. 

I've made a start already with a couple of inspirational Pinterest boards for my fabric and felt stashes, and next I want to turn that into a written list of specific projects. Then I'll aim to gather the supplies for the first projects together so that I can get going. I'll be sharing my list towards the end of the year, so stay tuned!