I've been reading all those Organizational hints on Pinterest and it got me motivated. The bubble tub room became my cleanup target. We rarely ever use the bubble tub (even tho I HAD to have one) and the room became a dumping ground, when we were just too lazy to find a home for things. Now that we have an attic in the garage, there is no reason not to store stuff out of the way.
Once I emptied it, the light bulb turned on and I thought about that armoire full of art and sewing supplies, which I also don't exactly need at my fingertips. It was in the hallway by my studio and made getting past it a tight bit of maneuvering. Why not put it in the bubble tub room? It's on wheels, since Dave added them when he painted the hallway. First I needed to empty it of things that I saved for no good reason, and found I have three empty or nearly empty drawers. Hurray! While I was at it, why not take stock of my knitting drawers, full of scarves, hats, shawls and cowls. I have condensed those too, and found I have a big empty drawer. Doncha just love the idea of a drawer to fill?
The knitting drawers were in this quilt closet, which also had some stuff that could go in the attic, leaving me with lots of floor space for two ladders, an ironing board and the easel, which was always in the way when not in use. This cleared some floor space in the studio too. Such a satisfying feeling. Everything is still easily accessible, but out of the way.I still have to deal with mountains of magazines, some of which I actually have saved since before we moved here. Grrr. Why can't I let go of them?
I vow that I will.
I was on a roll and seeing as how it is now the season to heat the house with our gas log fireplaces, I had to rearrange my room or deal with being wakened by firelight everytime the gas goes on. It gets really BRIGHT. The sofa goes against the railing, blocking most of the light. And my bed snuggles into the alcove under the window. Funny thing, it was super cloudy for several days, with rain and mist and fog, and then about 10pm, the wind blew away the heavy cloud cover and revealed a hugely full moon, so bright that it looked like daylight. It woke me up and I was certain we had left the porch lights on.
Here's the shot of the two seconds when there was no dog on the bed.
You may not be able to get rid of magazines, but you did a magnificent job with that closet. And the colors of the room are luscious as ever! ..funny "two minutes without the dogs!" : )
ReplyDeleteYou are SUCH an inspiration! I could use some more storage bins to house my fabric stash! As for your magazines, I know how hard it is to let them go. Here's a thought - most hospitals have waiting rooms with donated magazines or books... might be a place you could drop some off. Or if they are quilt-related, maybe that quilt group in town might appreciate them? I hate throwing magazines out, but they do take up space, and I rarely do go back into them for some reason!
ReplyDeleteYou have inspired me to clean up my sewing room. Right after I get back from Houston. I'll have to revisit your pictures for more inspiration because there will be so many new things in my head that I want to try.
ReplyDeleteWhat a good feeling to have 'new' space. It's so hard to get rid of magazines, but I have to tell you I recently took armloads full to various donation sites and it felt like a weight off my shoulders! Go for it!
ReplyDeleteBEWARE...the storing of things out of the way.....
ReplyDeleteRegarding the magazines - I used to flag the pages of an article I wanted to get back to or a photo. Now, I use a binder and page protectors. I take out the pages of the magazine I want to keep, put them in a page protector, so all the pages I need are together and get rid of the rest of the magazine.
ReplyDeleteI have more than one binder now, and I had to organize those, patterns, articles and photos for inspiration.
Mary
Love your change up and clean out! As for the magazines. I got down and dirty. Pulled the pictures/pages I wanted, threw away the magazine carcasses, then cleaned the edges of the pages/pictures and taped/glued them into spiral bound notebooks.
ReplyDeleteI did this over a number of sessions. I didn't prettify the process. I plunked the pages in one after the other. My thinking is that one page juxtaposed to another would spark new connections and ideas. I am down to 4 quilt idea books.
Think of it as an old-fashioned Pinterest! Getting rid of the bulk, cutting and pasting, and fondling the new books each have their own rewards. Cheers, Beth
Hi Melody,
ReplyDeleteJust started reading your blog. SUCH a cheerful place on the web! You are an inspiration and I love the way that one project led to another. The quilt on your bed is gorgeous, and such an upbeat room! Looking forward to reading more!
Judy
I also save magazines but I do go back and look at them. I sometimes find an idea for a quilt in a magazine that I've had for years, but when I saw the article the first time, it just didn't "resonate" with me---didn't have the skills, or I didn't like the pattern (and didn't realize, then, that patterns can be changed...) or didn't want to do something that looked so complicated. I have a little more time for quilting now, and I'd like to think that my skills have improved. I subscribe to AQS, Quilter's Newsletter, Quilt Life, and Quilting Arts (and I really miss Quilter's Home!) So far, I still have space, but when I do feel that I have to clear them out, I will cut out what I want and put in in page protectors and then into three ring notebooks. Even three or four large notebooks will take much less space than years of magazines. Congratulations on cleaning and reorganizing your space!
ReplyDeleteYour room looks like a wonderfully cheery place.
ReplyDelete