Necessity is the Mother of All Ingenuity

I'm always running around and stressing out because I have things to do, with short or long moments of nothing to do.  I switch out purses constantly, as I wear dark, plain clothes at work, and light-hearted t-shirts & jeans when I'm not working.

Since there's so many moments in a day when a person is doing absolutely nothing (waiting in line, 10 minutes till your shift at work starts, etc...), and I get so fidgety during those times, I've always got something crafty with me.  Even stuff I'm embarassed or shy about, like being a new knitter, or sewing.

The problem is, I always end up leaving my notions or other necessities "In my other purse (bag)"... This gets frustrating, as it's usually something important, and I end up waiting at the doctor's office pointing shifty glances at all the other sick people, or standing in line being grumpy.

SOLUTION:  Make sure I have my important craft-related items with me at all times.

Problem #1 to overcome:  Having a "Notions" bag for every backpack, purse, or craft bag I have can be expensive.  I can't afford a secure, high-end Notions case in every color for every bag, and not all of my bags/purses hold some of the clunky, big "Notions" holders out there.

Problem #2:  I am extremely forgetful.  There's a reason I have a loud looking wallet, and a neon case on my phone, and that reason is not that I'm incredibly tacky/tasteless.

SOLUTION: Why not find a way to have all the necessities on me at all times?

I did.  My boyfriend and I have a few SD card cases laying around.  These are small enough to fit in any bag I have, but noticeable enough that if it fell out of my purse, or off my desk, I wouldn't be afraid that Ben might get it.

Here's a little slideshow I made showing what I did, along with some notes that might help someone out if they wanna make one.




1.  I put two needles in my little case.  One is a regular sewing needle, and the other is a small yarn needle.  Since most worsted weight yarns can be weaved in with a crochet hook, the needle I have is for my portable, fingering weight yarn projects.  Also, be sure to add an extra layer of protection for the needles, in case they slip out the case.  Pre-thread your needles with the most common colors in your wardrobe.  So the thread doesn't get tangled, wrap the thread (tied side first) around a tiny piece of cardboard.

2.  Buttons, in a bag.  You know those really nice shirts/sweaters you get?  Most of those have a tag with a little baggie and an extra button.  Fantastic.  You've got a little baggie to put in your SD card case, and you protect your needles by putting them in the bag with the buttons.

3.  Bender Oak Gifts Gift Tag.  Because you never know when you can bestow a little gift to someone.

4.  Safety Pin:  Fixes embarassing "Wardrobe Malfunctions", and works as a stitch holder when you're in a pinch!

5.  Little accent ribbon and a stitchmarker.  I'm always one stitchmarker short when working on a project, or at the Doctor's office I'll be crammed between "Scary Old guy that keeps looking in my purse" and "Ill Behaved 3rd Grader whose parent's didn't teach him manners".  Since I know where this stitchmarker is, I don't have to make myself even more uncomfortable digging to the bottom of my purse.

6.  This card case fits in my wallet!  I don't have a super thin wallet, but it's certainly not fat.  I can stick this case in my change section, or underneath my Starbucks card.

7.  (Not Shown).  Tiny Rubber Band in case I need to get my hair out of my face.

8. Bright Sticker! Keep it interesting and Personalize it! I put a bright sticker on one side so it's obvious if I drop it. The other side has another cute sticker for this little kit's other purpose: Camping! Technically, you could fit some bare, bare essentials in here, like a bandage, flat gause, floss, a sterilized needle, alcohol pad and a match!

I've also published this on the popular site: CraftStylish.  Show me some love and visit the site by clicking here:

PS: Yes, I know everyone likes to make kits like these out of Reclaimed "Aluminum Tins that once held Tasty Mints" however, I can't fit that tin in my wallet or pocket.  Also, I made one of those once, and after a while, the hinges stopped closing tightly, and all that stuff (like sewing needles) would end up a painful suprise whenever I went digging for that tin.  I think this would be a better and safer idea for me.