This is as bad as it has ever been and I'm tired of maneuvering my way through it all. Day after day of seeing this mess is tiring me out and stifling my creative process. I can't go on anymore without cleaning this stuff up.
I don't have the heart to show you the entire room in it's current state but I will show you just a smidgen. I hope to show you shots of other areas as I tackle them (if I get brave enough). This is the floor on the left side as you enter the room. If you've seen this much, I'm sure you can just imagine what the rest of it looks like.
I have an extra closet upstairs in my bedroom which is crammed full of supplies. Whatever is in this closet slowly migrates downstairs to my room and never seems to find it's way back. Can you just imagine that this closet isn't as full as it usually is? Can't be true, right? Oh, but it is!
This is the left side of that closet. Wreath forms, wooden shapes, ribbon, wire, fimo, pompoms, magazines, styrofoam, rattail cord, contact paper, glass pebbles, wood roses, needle punch supplies, and so much more fill the left side of this closet.
This is the right side of the closet. Those cardboard boxes are filled with fabric. The lower 3 shelves are filled with mostly paints and painting supplies. There are patterns, lace and trims, beads, yarn, glues, cording, plastic lacing, paper ribbon, paper mache shapes, clear fishing line, jute, raffia, and a whole bunch of miscellaneous doodads scattered throughout.
Here's a piece of work. My desk, in all it's messy glory. This is where I sit when I'm not working on a project. It is located at the entrance of my craft/sewing room. I have difficulty typing because there are so many things surrounding either side of my arms. This will be the first place that I tackle. It's small and compact and I should be able to manage it within a reasonable amount of time.
If I had just one interest, such as sewing, this mess would probably be easier to control. Because I dabble in almost every craft known to man, I have an overwhelming amount of supplies. Y'know, a little bit of this, a little bit of that, just enough to drive a sane person mad.
I've thought long and hard about whether to show you my mess but you need to know why my creativity has somewhat come to a halt. Everything has gotten so out of control lately. I need to devote the time it takes to organizing it all. I mean, it has gotten so bad that I've even contemplated renting a storage unit. The one thing that has stopped me is that I wouldn't be able to access the things I need when I need it.
I will never have a pretty space to work in. It will always be very utilitarian. I am not complaining. I am very thankful to have the things that I do.
So, wish me luck. This is going to take a long time to get under control. If you hear someone scream, it will most likely be me as I dig myself out from under the mess or just purely out of frustration.
Have a good day!
Aloha!
19 comments:
I can relate, I like quilting the best, but still like to work with beads, do some woodcarving, a bit of scrapbooking......I hate to throw crafty things out because eventually I actually use most of it. Kind of a dilemma....
My craft area looks similar. (BTW, I just subscribed to your blog--love it!) I just read about some cool organizing tips on the instructables website. There was an interesting one on using some of those stackable water jugs to store all of those nice supplies against the wall. Not sure if this helps...
It looks like a place where a busy crafter lives and works, that's all. It shows that you enjoy what you do.
I can't do anything in a neat room! I'm so ashamed when someone comes in sometimes, but they usually smile and say, "So that's where all your pretties come from?" Good luck in tidying up, but don't tidy up too much! You'll never find anything! Michelle
Hi there! Thanks for posting this... It made me feel a little better about my own craft room. I'm not the only one, yey! LOL. I can SO relate to everything you wrote. I wish that the supplies grow legs when I'm done with them, and troop back to where I got them when I'm done!
I just subscribed to your blog BTW. I love your creative ideas! Thanks so much for sharing. =)
Lucky you to have all that room, I have only a section of the family room. Its the part w/slider that goes outside. Right side is for sewing, left is my computer. There is a window right in front of my machine, so I have very little wall space.Between slider and wall I have 3 shelves. I have baskets, boxes stored under sewing table and a couple of dressers. I would love to have a room but at present the other 2 bedrooms are occupied by my Grandson 13 and his sister 8 1/2. Their Mom has the back room, that was our deck. My hubby insulated it, put windows , dropped ceiling and paneling. As you can see we don't have a lot of extra room. Some dayyyyyyyyyyy.
Good luck with organizing...I seem to let things get pretty messy until I break down and clean...and then I do notice I'm more creative and get more done...but I always seem to let things pile up again!
Good luck Lettie. I too dabble in a million crafts and am obsessed with a handful of them. I don't know what I'll do when my 3 yr old needs closet space because his closet is currently my craft storage area.
Oh Lettie, You made my day. I thought for a minute that you had somehow sneaked into my "sewing" room and taken the pictures. I too, dabble in every craft known to womankind, therefore have supplies coming out of every crevice in order to be prepared for any occasion. On top of that, it also houses a huge collection of Barbie dolls. Something I should just get rid of, I think sometimes. I shared some of them on my blog a few months back, the Library asked me to display them for a month, and since they have come home, they remain in the bags I transported them in. more mess.
Thanks for sharing and being so brave. I too have to tackle my room to find order. I have to admit, the sewing has migrated to the dining room table. sigh. thanks for the great reminder to get on the stick and get cleaning.
Ooooh, lucky you, you have a room. All I have is a little section of the living room and ever since I brought home scraps from school (because the bin at school was overflowing), the fabric's been oozing over the floor, slowly taking up more space. I need to figure out a way to contain it.
Ooh you are brave to show pics of your space. I know how you feel, I have a whole building to use and it's still a mess! Maybe I'll show some pics on my Blog and you can see how bad I am- ha ha Kath in England
You go Lettie!!
I hear ya!! I am exactly the same...exactly..and I need to be in the mood to tackle it...or be unable to stand it any longer.
I'll be cheerin ya on!!
Start in one place and make it look great!!
Hugs to you!!
Robyn xx
Lettie, my craft room looked like that until I cleaned it last spring. It has been almost a year and it is still fairly organized, believe it or not. I think it took me about a month to clean mine
Good luck!
The good thing about organizing is the pleasure of turning everything in to a mess again, that means you're working and creating!
My sewing room looks very similar! Time for me to get organized too!
I'm wishing you a whole lot of luck. I'm right where you are right now and I'll tell you that as I get each thing organized I have such a huge sense of accomplishment. I'm like you and get into every craft known to man (but mainly cross stitch and quilting), so it hasn't been pretty. The hardest thing to do is get rid of things that you know you won't use, but are afraid to let go. Good luck.
I think everyone's craft area is a mess. But I do think at some point a little straightening up does wonders for your creativity! It gives you a fresh start. And I agree with you...start with your desk and work your way around the room! Good luck! :0)
I do not envy you, but I know you will be so much happier when you get organized again. Now if I would just practice what I preach! My sewing area is a pit........
I like a clean space too. Your computer desk area looks great. Keep it up.
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