Organizing: The Domino Effect

We recently ordered a new mattress for our guest room. Long story short: To better accommodate the new mattress size, I got the idea that we should swap the furniture in our guest room for that which was in our daughter's old bedroom.

So we spent one long day this weekend doing that. The bookcases had to be unloaded to move them so of course that started me thinking: Would it be feasible to move all of the genealogy stuff currently housed on those bookcases into my craft room? That's where I use it, and it would be great to have everything housed in one spot -- especially in case of an emergency.

One thing led to another -- the domino effect! -- and we ended up at Home Depot. Instead of the shorter wire rack I thought I needed, Spouse convinced me to get a taller one which is about the same height as this one that currently holds my 12x12 scrapbooks.

Turns out I had PLENTY of family history/genealogy stuff to completely fill the new shelves! I moved all of the genealogy stuff from the guest room bookcases and onto my new shelves.  In addition, I moved all of the boxes of loose photos and slides which had been on the floor of the guest room to the new shelves as well. That made a huge difference!

After we got the bedrooms put back together, I spent some time organizing the new shelving unit. Now all of my grandma's genealogy binders are in one spot, along with old family photos and completed family history albums. I can see at a glance what still needs to be done. Answer: A lot!

Since this shelving unit sits in my craft space, I wanted everything to be somewhat coordinated with my room. Having things organized this way feels more settled/less chaotic to me. So I moved the photos and memorabilia to containers I had on hand that better match the colors of my craft space. I didn't have to buy any new containers -- I just re-purposed those I had been using elsewhere in the house.

I'm really happy to have all of this family history/genealogy stuff in one place rather than in a mess on the floor and shelves of the guest room. Now I don't have to move all of it when we have a guest, and it will be so much handier to have stored it right where I use it. Everything is freshly labeled so it's easily accessible. 

With all of that done, it makes me feel ready to tackle another spot. Next up: The Linen Closet of Doom!

A Clean Craft Room!

 

I'm a terribly messy crafter. That fact might surprise people who know how much I love organizing, but it's true. While I'm working on a project, it looks like a hurricane hit! And when several projects are in the works, every surface in my craft room -- including the floor -- is covered with stuff. Unfortunately I've been in such a funk lately that I've been working on projects and not really cleaning up between them, resulting in a lot of stuff lying about. The end result was a very cluttered space with no clear surfaces. AND...this is a first: I actually bought the SAME COLOR OF INK PAD TWICE last week because I hadn't put the first one away!

In my craft space, I want (and need) everything put back where it belongs. It's too easy to accidentally throw something away -- like a stamp or a die -- if it wasn't put away properly. When it comes to my creative space, there are few things that make me happier and more productive than CLEAN AND ORGANIZED! So over the weekend, I finally spent a few hours putting everything away, re-organizing a few things, and giving the craft room a deep clean.

As a side note, I've noticed that especially when I feel out of control with life's circumstances (such as right now with Tinsel's very sad situation), organizing stuff makes me feel a little bit better. For me, it's about controlling a tiny part of my environment and creating a more peaceful space for myself.

So here's a bit of what I worked on this past weekend as well as some thoughts on various organization systems!

After a few years of working in this space, I still enjoy it. There are a few things I might do differently, but I don't feel strongly enough about any of them to change them at this point. Case in point: My Target cubes are functional, but they're not super-sturdy as they're just made of particle board. As a result, they wiggle a bit. But they're good enough for my craft room and they do hold a LOT of stuff.

I started with two sets of cubes but added an additional two which sit back to back. Since the cube backs are unfinished, having a second set allows me to put them in the middle of the room instead of against a wall.

 

This past weekend, I emptied and dusted all of the cubes, then I moved all of my ribbon and small baskets together and grouped the canvas bins in one area. I have a similar set-up on the other side.

 

When I first got the cubes, I struggled with how to make them functional and still work with my color scheme. I don't like a lot of stuff stored out in the open as I find that visually distracting, so I decided that anything that is on display has to match. So my ribbon jars are covered with coordinating paper so you don't see the various colors of ribbon inside. It's weird, I know...

 

I also struggled with how to make the best use of the canvas bins that fit in the cubes. I could not imagine just tossing stuff into them, so I found containers that could fit down inside to keep like items together. At first I thought it might be a bit cumbersome, but I've grown to really like the system.

This is what it looks like inside my "embellishment" canvas bin. Most of my embellishments are stored by color family in these containers.

 This is my "ink" bin. The canvas bins, when organized this way, hold a LOT of stuff!

 

I took measurements of what I needed to store and bought these containers (called Really Useful Boxes) at Office Depot. They stack together very nicely. 

 

 All of these containers fit in the "ink" bin with room to spare.

 

 If I were to do things over, I might look for a bigger table but this one works for most of my projects. When I'm making kits for a class, however, I usually have to move to the kitchen and dining room tables.

 

I recently decided to bite the bullet and replace my post-bound family albums with 3-ring binders. I had several that were "in process" with chronological layouts, but the inconvenience of that format has been a real barrier to finishing them. If you're a scrapbooker, you probably know how much more convenient binders are to work with than post-bound albums. In order to add different sizes of page protectors to that type of album, you have to completely dismantle it. Binders make it SO MUCH EASIER!

 So I sold several of my albums and replaced them with binders. Now I can easily add in the memorabilia that has been sitting around for YEARS. Woo hoo!

 

 

Dismantling 10+ albums and moving all of those pages around created a big mess. I took time this weekend to organize everything so when I get back to it, I'll be ready to go. This bin has all of my blank page protectors and pocket pages.

 

 See those black tubs in the back of the closet? They are filled with memorabilia -- school papers, programs, other non-photo items -- which needs to go into my binders. YIKES!

 

 I've also been working on a heritage album project and that stuff was scattered all over the floor. I finally gathered it all back up and got it organized so that it's ready for when I get back to it. SO MUCH BETTER.

 

Last year I re-purposed this old cart which came from my dad's garage. The black baskets hold tools and other items for upcoming classes, a simple system that has been working really well for me. After I'm done creating class projects, I put the tools into the basket so they're ready for when I make kits and teach the class.

This part of the closet has remained pretty much unchanged since the first day. The computer cart (which was going to be tossed!) at the bottom of the alcove is on wheels but I never need to move it. The middle shelf, which houses my dies and embossing folders, pulls out which is very handy! 

 When I'm done with a personal project (like the Christmas cards I made in December), I often have leftover die cuts or punched pieces that I opted not to use. I keep those pieces and use them on future projects. Over the weekend I sorting them into baggies and added a piece of scrap cardstock to keep them standing up straight in the basket instead of flopping over. It's a little thing but it makes me much happier!

I found this "wood grain" vintage metal tray at Goodwill recently for 99 cents. One can never have too many trays! I use them all the time to organize supplies for projects and this one will be great for seasonal decor in other parts of the house, too. (You can see the basket with my extra die cuts in the photo below.)

 I still love my simple paper and scrap organization system. Cardstock and papers are organized by color, and the scraps are sorted the same way in the drawers. I had a huge pile of leftover papers and cardstock to put away this weekend. I vow to do better with my cleanup! It would save me so much time to just put things away after each project.

All in all, cleaning and organizing the craft room was time well-spent. I can be much more productive if everything is put back where it belongs, and I finally feel like I can breathe again with everything tidied up. I only wish I were more disciplined at KEEPING it that way! Maybe these photos will inspire me! HA!

jp

Genealogy Binders: Organization

 After a few evenings of sorting though photos, obituaries, and random family records, I finally got Grandma's genealogy binder in relative (bad pun alert!) order. The binder is HUGE and represents just my dad's father's side of the family. Grandma also researched her own family but I have yet to delve into those materials.

I'm a big believer in getting stuff organized and in this case, it was time very well spent. As I mentioned in my previous post, having a tab for each family member makes all the difference. I used the "extra wide" tabs which extend out beyond the plastic sleeves. Best invention ever! :)

My great grandfather was one of 12 children, so one of the tabs belongs to him. He in turn had seven children (my grandfather being one of them) so that particular section of the binder is the largest. I'm mainly interested in my direct lineage so it's the most important section to me.

I separated Grandpa's section into seven parts, one for him and each of his siblings. I used Post-It notes along the top to create tabs for each one so their information could be organized a little more clearly. In the process of looking through the binder, I learned that Grandpa had two siblings who passed away -- he lost an infant brother and a sister at age 8. I'm sorry I didn't know more about his family while he was alive.

   I found a very handy document in Grandma's binder called a Descendancy Chart. I wish I'd known about this chart years ago! It would have helped me figure out who was who around our town and how people were related to me, something that has perplexed me throughout my life. This chart lists the patriarch of the family as "1", his children as "2", their offspring (and spouses) as "3", etc. I wish I'd found this chart earlier in my organization process because it makes it much easier to file information when you can quickly scan for a name!

I made a separate binder for the correspondence Grandma had with far-flung family members. One relative has done quite a bit of research and provided a chart which takes my great great grandma's family line back a generation to Prussia. So I now have the name and basic information about my great great great grandma and her parents.

 

I even found a map of where she lived! I'm anxious to connect with this gentleman on Ancestry.com and see what else has been learned. Discovering my "roots" is what interests me the most in this process.

This photo of my great great grandfather is likely the oldest one I have for this side of the family. For now, I've just tucked these photos into temporary sleeves. Obviously the newspaper articles will need to be copied as well for preservation purposes.

Although when I started this project my intent was to make some heritage scrapbooks, I'm so happy I took the time to organize Grandma's genealogy binders first. I can easily draw from this information to create meaningful scrapbooks. In the process of organizing Grandma's information, I've re-affirmed my interest in learning my family's history. I will be a good steward of Grandma's records, and I know that would make her very happy!

jp

DIY Scarf Holder with Shower Curtain Rings

As we finish up our bedroom decor update, I've also been tackling the closet. I used to just randomly drape my scarves around the shelving. But in re-organizing the closet, I decided that my previous scarf situation just made the space look messy:

 

So I started looking for a scarf organizer. I eventually settled on this one from Target:

But when I loaded up the scarves, I didn't like how they ended up layered over the top of each other. This made the hanger quite a bit thicker than I anticipated it would be, making it take up more space in the small area where I wanted to hang it.

So I turned to Pinterest and found a few ideas for making your own scarf hanger using inexpensive shower curtain rings. On a Goodwill run, I happened to find 2 rolls of brand new rings for just 99 cents each so figured it was at least worth a shot!

 The first option was to just hook the rings on a hanger, filling the hanger full enough so that the rings don't slide around. Well, that didn't work for me as I wanted separate my scarves into two different color families, so there weren't enough scarves on the hanger to prevent sliding.

THIS DROVE ME NUTS WITHIN TWO SECONDS!

Of course, I'm not the only person who couldn't deal with those sliding rings, so some clever DIY people came up with the idea of positioning the rings across the hanger and duct-taping them together. You could make a scarf hanger with as many rings as you want using this method, but I only wanted one row so the scarves would not overlap.

It's easy to make a scarf hanger like this. Just cut a piece of duct tape about four inches long, cut a slit in the center of one end and tear the piece in two. (Duct tape is designed to tear straight -- don't try to cut it as you'll never get it straight!) Wrap these duct tape pieces around the shower rings to attach them to the hanger. Next you'll need to tape the rings to each other. For this step, I cut two slits in the four-inch duct tape strips, then tore the duct tape in three pieces to create slightly narrower strips. Be sure to squeeze the duct tape tightly so that it doesn't pull loose on the ends.

My first scarf hanger turned out pretty well and the scarves hang just the way I want them to, in a single row/layer.

Once I got the hang of wrapping the duct tape and keeping it straight, my second hanger turned out even better.

I hung the scarf hangers in the area of the closet next to my dresses and they don't take up much room at all. It's easy to remove a scarf and put it right back in place when done.

Time will tell, but I think this easy DIY scarf hanger will be a good solution for me! 

jp

New Use for Old Cart

I recently shared that we rehabbed an old cart from my dad's garage. I put it in my craft room, not quite sure what I would use it for. But after just a couple of days, its new use revealed itself to me: Corralling class supplies!

I use baskets or boxes to contain the tools I need for my classes, so I always have mismatched containers sitting around my craft space, depending on how many classes I have in the works. As soon as I create my class projects, I load up the basket or box so it's ready to go when it's time for me to prepare my kits and actually teach the class. Several weeks go by between the time I prepare a class and the time I actually teach it, during which time I tend to misplace my containers or empty them out in frustration looking for stuff I've misplaced.

Suddenly it dawned on me: The cart would be perfect for corralling all this class stuff! I gathered up four identical baskets from various places around the house and labeled them for my next four classes. Each basket contains the supplies I need for each class, like dies, punches, paint, or ink. Each basket will sit on the cart until I need them for kit prep or class, then I'll empty it and re-use it for the next class. If I've misplaced a tool, chances are it will be in one of these baskets. (Unless I've thrown it away, which has happened lately...)

This may seem like a little thing, but it has already helped a TON! Instead of being scattered around the room in various types of boxes or containers, all of my class tools and supplies will now be gathered in one place, neat and tidy!

Bathroom Remodel: Closet & Drawer Re-Org

 While we're finishing up the wallpaper in our bathroom, I've finally moved everything back into the new cabinet and closet. This took way longer than it should have because:

1) We had WAY too much stuff crammed into the old bathroom AND

2) Everything was coated in dust! This was totally my fault for not completely unloading the bathroom closet at the beginning of the project.

Now I can say that we're actually using the new bathroom, instead of running back and forth between the other bathroom and guest room, where everything had been stashed!

So rather than just bring all of that stuff back into the bathroom, I took the opportunity to really sort through and re-organize everything, only taking back what we actually need and use. While Daughter was home over Christmas break, we started a similar process with her bathroom (i.e., the guest bathroom, if we ever had a guest!), so I finished that up at the same time.

As a side note, a friend recently told me about two missions supported by her church, and I was excited two deliver two full bags (soaps, lotions, hairbands, etc.) to support their work. I always, ALWAYS try to donate before throwing things away!

Unfortunately, I failed to take any "before" pictures of the drawers and closet, but you'll have to trust me when I say they were BAD. We had stuff in the bathroom which dated back to our daughter's pre-school years. I am not kidding! Obviously, this process was WAY overdue!

--- CABINET ---

The biggest change with the vanity/cabinet is now we have six drawers instead of three and two side cabinets instead of four. The overall space is probably about the same, but it's just configured differently. When planning the new cabinet, we chose more drawers instead of cabinet space because with drawers, the space is used more efficiently. With cabinets, unless you have a shelf midway up, you can lose a lot of functionality.

Now I have one set drawers and Spouse has the other. I placed small baskets inside the drawers for the items we use each time we're in the bathroom. After paring things down, everything fit nicely into these drawers, with room to spare.

I applied new shelf liner and put back only the items we actually need in the bathroom. I wish you could have seen the cabinet areas before! DISASTER AREA!

--- CLOSET ---

 I've spent most of my time on the re-organization of the closet. I truly believe a closet can be both functional and enjoyable each time you open it, and that was my goal for the bathroom closet. It was previously an eyesore and far from functional due to the fact that I had ignored it for so long! You may remember when I re-organized my craft space a few years ago that I spent a lot of time on the closet, and it still remains my favorite (and the most functional) part of that space!

So back to the bathroom! The wire shelving makes it a little hard to set things directly on the shelves without tipping, so most everything is now contained in a basket or box of some sort.

For the most part, I used containers we already had on hand, picking up just a few white baskets at the dollar store. I wanted to be sure that every container was white or tan, unlike the mismatched containers which were previously in the closet. When the containers match in color, it can give even mismatched contents a more pulled-together look!

A few years ago, I bought these white boxes at the dollar store. They're still very functional but I found that I wasn't using them very efficiently. Two or three of them contained medicine and first-aid items, and we were constantly having to dump out the entire container to find what we needed. Now I'm using the boxes for items we don't need quite as often, or items that might leak if stored horizontally.

I moved the medicine, first aid items, and soap (we have enough soap for the next century, even after donating a LOT!) to a large stacking drawer system. Now you can just pull out the drawers and easily see what you need!

I ended up putting this container on the floor of the closet, which you obviously WOULD NOT DO if you have children in the house! It may not stay there long-term but right now I don't have any other use for the floor of the closet, so we'll give it a try.

 I had been keeping this set of drawers since we cleaned out my dad's sister's house. I'm glad I was able to find a use for it. Now I think of my late aunt each time I use it.

 

I also went through all of our towels and bagged up a LOT to take to our local animal shelter. Towels are badly needed for kitty cages and comfort and I am only too happy to support the work they do. Thanks to a lovely gift from our daughter, we now have completely matching towels and washcloths for the first time since we've lived in this house (that would be 22 years)! We actually have a few more than this, except that they were in the laundry when I took this photo! :)

 

I also made a few quick labels for those white storage containers which is another way you can make even inexpensive containers look a bit more custom. But labels mainly make it easy to find what we need and put things back where they belong, which is not my strong suit. I kept myself under control and did not label everything in the closet, but I can't promise you that I'm done labeling!

So far I think the newly organized bathroom closet and drawers are a breath of fresh air! When we tackle our bedroom (next on the list), we'll also be tackling our clothes closet which is actually part of the bathroom space and was left untouched with this project. Now THAT will be a major test of my organization skills!

jp