Next up we will look at gathering relevant tools, materials and coming up with a playlist J. Music is very important for the soul, especially the creative soul and I make sure I always have some on in the background while I am crafting.

Since we already have a staycation program ready, all we have to do is go over the program and make a list of all the tools and materials we will need.

Since all my projects are mostly paper projects here are the tools and materials that I had assembled on my work table:

My diecutting machine complete with all dies and embossing folders
A few favourite stamps (I think narrowing the choice down helps one to craft, otherwise I sit for hours trying to figure out which stamp will look best. Making this decision before really helps!)Request Feedback
Inks and embossing powders
Glue
Scissors
Acrylic Paints
Embellishments and Ribbons
Decorative Scissors

The other materials that I wanted to use were all assembled project wise into little kits. For example my Card Making Kit contained:

A few blank cards
A couple of CDs with cases
Scraps of paper (I wanted to use up scraps instead of cutting by 12 by 12 sheets)
Stickers (All birthday themed since I wanted to make birthday cards)
A few stamps (Again all birthday themed)
Pop dots

Similarly my Victorian Paper Shoes Kit contained:

2 sheets of coordinating paper for each shoe
Template
One sheet of card for each shoe
Some ribbons and brads for embellishment

My Inchies and ATCs kit had:

All sorts of fabric scraps
One large sheet of card for the background
Felt backing for the inchies

My Scrapbook/ CD Book Kit had:

Lots of old cds, both clear and the usual kind
Some chipboard pages
One binder ring
Coordinating sheets of paper

This kit contained no embellishments or stickers since I wanted to make a blank book and wanted to customize it closer to the end of the year when I want to turn it into a ‘Year in Recap Book’.

Now that you have all these examples you can see that it is pretty easy to assemble craft kits according to the projects you wish to do during your staycation. It helps a lot to actually pick and materials you want to use before you start a project as it cuts down considerably on the time it will take you to make a project. Otherwise I usually sit and stare at my crafting pile for hours trying to match paper and embellishments. Sometimes striving for perfection can be very tiring and takes the fun out of the creative process.

After I assembled my kits I started making a list of all the music I wanted to listen to. Since music is a subjective matter I will leave it to all of you to make your own playlist. But be sure to make one since it is highly relaxing J