My (Very Real) Craft Corner

I’ve been on an organization and cleaning kick for the past couple of months, cleaning out our closet for donations, our shelves for books and movies to sell, our kitchen, because it’s bare and needs some sprucing up, and most recently my little craft corner.

I tend to do my work on the couch where it’s comfy, but sometimes I need table space, and don’t want to clear off our dining table. So, I brought in a little folding table we had (and rarely used) in the laundry room downstairs, and put it by my sewing table. I removed the wire shelving I had behind our couch, where I stored all of my craft supplies, and moved the supplies into our corner cabinet, and made a curtain to hide them. Now, I have a nice little nook where I can work and take pictures for the Etsy shops.

It’s no Martha Stewart Living feature, but it’s practical!

Everything tucks (sort of) neatly behind the couch.

That corner cabinet is packed with labeled plastic shoe boxes and bead organizers. I had to do some serious downsizing to make sure everything would fit, and it came out just right! Now I just can’t buy any supplies for a while …

All of my frequently used supplies are at hand in a few cute containers on the table. The cute crocheted own (made by my talented mother in law!) is filled with embroidery thread, the blue container holds current projects and items that need to be photographed, and the green container holds scissors, drawing and writing supplies, and other small items like a tape measure and pins.

In case you’re wondering, all those containers that look like they’re going to topple over underneath the table are filled with sewing supplies: fabric on bottom, patterns in the middle, and thread and other supplies on top. Next to the stack are embroidery supplies.

I even made a dust cover for my machine from a couple of dollar store place mats and some ribbon. Here’s a similar tutorial using a tea towel. The rolling drawers are filled with supplies we use when we do arts and crafts shows: packaging on top, business cards, labels and tags in the middle, and general supplies on bottom. My sketch and note books, and my inspiration binder are all on top, waiting to be grabbed.

That pretty, funky lamp above the sewing machine is a Loomi Light. It’s made from cardstock pieces that you can alter and assemble yourself; I painted mine with watercolors. You can find the kit here.

So, that’s it! It’s not particularly pretty, but it’s a colorful, functional, organized space with a ton of natural light that inspires me to work. That’s really all I need.

Gentle hugs,

Chels

How to move like a boss (with chronic illness.)

The apartment is a little crazy right now, with some things in boxes, and some things being sorted out for donations. While I’m in moving mode, I thought I’d share some tips to make moving cheaper and easier for you, especially if you have chronic health issues.

Start packing in advance. Rather than waiting until the day of, or even a couple of days before, your move, start packing things as far in advance as possible. Pack a little bit at a time, beginning with decorative things, or things you rarely use. Pack up your kitchen with the exception of a couple of plates, cups, and necessary utensils, that you can use for the next few weeks. (You may even realize that you don’t need all of those plates and cups, anyway.) Starting several weeks before you move means that there will be nothing to do but move boxes on the big day, and it means that if you have a flare or an especially bad pain day close to the move, you won’t have the stress of trying to get everything done while you feel awful.

Donate, donate, donate. You will find, as you start packing early, that there are some things you forgot you even had. As you pack, designate a few trash bags or boxes for donations to your local Goodwill, church, or mission. This year, our donations are going to a friend who’s organizing a yard sale fundraiser for her friend’s son who was recently diagnosed with leukemia. If you’re unable to take your donations to the charity of your choice, see if they’ll pick them up at your home, or if a friend or family member can take them for you. By donating, you’ll save yourself time and energy moving things you no longer need or want.

Our donations (so far!) Notice I only used a couple of boxes; the rest is in trash bags.

Sell, sell, sell. Moving can be expensive, even if you’re frugal. There are application fees, deposits, possible repair costs, and you may have to pay to set up internet or utilities. So, if you have some “big ticket” items you’ve decided you no longer need, sell them! Furniture, new clothing and shoes, electronics, and gently used tools are good examples of items that are sale-worthy. All it takes is a couple of good photos, a price, and Facebook or Craigslist. (Be sure to let people know if they’ll need to pick up whatever it is you’re selling.) I posted pictures and information about our chest of drawers on Facebook, and within an hour, it was sold! If you aren’t sure what to price something, take a look on Craigslist or Ebay for similar items. Put that money aside to be used specifically for moving expenses, and your wallet won’t suffer.

Organize as you go.  This is a life saver. While you’re sorting out your donation and sale items, you may as well organizing what you’re keeping, right? Making sure like items are together, putting them in organizational containers, and labeling them as you pack will save you a ton of time and frustration.

*If you find an item in your bedroom that should go with your bath items, resist the urge to go ahead and throw it in with your bedroom things! Make a pile to the side of items that don’t belong, and when you’re done in one room, take them with you to their rightful place. It may seem like you’re saving time by just tossing unlike items in the same box or bag, but you’ll be so glad that you didn’t when it comes time to unpack.

*Utilize space-saving containers, like plastic bins that can be slid under the bed, or rolling plastic drawers that can be easily moved, as you pack. It’s wonderful when your office, bath, kitchen, and/or garage items are already packed in their respective clear or color-coded storage containers. You can also use vacuum seal bags or Ziploc bags in various sizes to store out of season clothing, or small craft supplies to save room. The money you may spend on new, more durable storage containers will be offset by the money you won’t have to spend when you move again, or when you decide your space needs to be more organized. There’s less to pack and unpack, the containers are easy to identify, and quick to store. Hint: Dollar General, Dollar Tree, and Family Dollar are gold mines when it comes to small and large storage containers. Think outside the box for small containers, too, like ones for organizing drawers, and check out the kitchen area, where plastic trays, bowls, and cups are just waiting to be used.

More Dollar Tree containers hold all of my craft supplies on wire shelving. Labeled, of course!

These are my embroidery supplies, in a container from Dollar Tree, and the floss is separated by color in Ziploc bags.

*Label everything. If it’s going in a box or bag, label with box with what’s inside, and which room it belongs to with a Sharpie. If you’ve organized your belongings in the aforementioned awesome storage containers, invest in a label maker to identify what’s inside. Use sticky notes or plain old paper and tape to mark to which rooms the containers go, and you can remove them easily as you go.

 

My handy label maker put to good use!

FREE is good. Use what you have. After you begin organizing your things in plastic containers and drawers, you may find that there’s not a whole lot left that needs to be packed in boxes. To avoid making an extra trip and spending more money, use things you have around your home to pack the rest. Use trash bags, plastic and reusable shopping bags to contain pillows and bedding. Use spare, clean blankets and towels to protect fragile items, like collectibles, plates and glasses, or even furniture. (You can also put an old blanket under a piece of furniture to easily slide it across the floor when moving.) If you need boxes, check Craigslist.com’s “free” section, or utilize your Facebook page to see if anyone has spare boxes you can use. While you’re at the grocery store or dollar store, check to see if they have any boxes they’re throwing away. They’re usually more than happy to let you have them.

Plastic and reusable shopping bags to pack up the craft room, and an old bedding package to hold all of my fabric scraps in one place.

Make a list. If you easily get distracted or forget things, like I do, create a list. Need to turn in keys? Need to have the old place cleaned by a certain time? List things in order of importance, and you’ll be less likely to get stuck scrubbing the bathroom by yourself at 11:45 p.m.

Ask for help! Now is the time to decide if you want to hire movers, or enlist your family and friends. Sometimes it’s more than worth it to hire movers; look for a company that only charges you to move, so that you can do the packing yourself. That way, you don’t have to do any heavy lifting, but you’ll know where all of your things are once you’re settled into your new place. If your friends are helping, see if you can incorporate a truck or two in the mix. Larger vehicles = fewer trips, and that makes everyone happy. If no one you know drives a large vehicle, rental trucks are available through moving companies, but sometimes you’ll find a better deal at a hardware store, so don’t forget to check yours. Remember that more volunteers to move your stuff isn’t always better. Depending on the amount you’re moving, 4-6 people will make the time fly by, and there’ll be less confusion about where your furniture and boxes should go.

I know some of this may seem like common sense, or maybe even a little anal retentive, but it’s all helped us keep our sanity in the past, so I hope these tips help ease the pain of your next move!

Gentle hugs,

Chels

Traveling through the fog – maintaining order through illness

I’m not necessarily a neat freak, but I do like order. I’m a planner, a note taker, and … a forgetter.

Folks, sometimes the brain fog gets so bad that I just have to laugh. Sometimes I have to cry, too, because it can be so frustrating. There are days when I just don’t know if I have the energy to make one more trip to the other end of the apartment because I forgot one more thing. So, to make it a little easier on myself, I try to maintain some order to my routine, and to our living space.

FlyLady.net is a great resource for developing and maintaining a cleaning schedule, as well as maintaining order in other areas of your life. I have to confess that I’m not able to keep a very regular cleaning schedule with our unpredictable schedule here at the student center, but splitting up chores on different days helps me not wear myself out and end up in extra pain. We are notorious for letting the dishes pile up in the sink since we moved into the center’s intern apartment, which doesn’t have a dishwasher, but every time the dishes DO get done, I think of Fly Lady’s tip to give the sink a clean while I’m at it. It really does make a difference. The sink is already wet, and I already have the scrubber in hand.

I came across this next link on Pinterest this evening, and I think I’ll give it a try. There are tons of printables to use, from meal planning to important contact info, and you can pick and choose which ones you want to use. I’m especially fond of the list for contact information for different service providers. If that can keep me from searching for a bill to find a customer service phone number, I’m all for it! The theory is that if you put all of your important information in one binder, you won’t have to hunt for that info ever again. Unless you lose the binder, of course.

Obviously, if it’s helpful to organize your schedule and important information, it’s also helpful to organize the rooms in your home to keep from having to search for important items. If everything has a home, you’ll almost always know where to find what you need. A while back, I made a key rack for our entryway, because I would spend several minutes each time I needed to leave trying, frantically, to find my keys. So, now I’m in the habit of hanging them up as I walk in the door. If I forget to do it, I don’t put the keys down just anywhere – I walk back to the rack. It’s saved me a considerable amount of time and frustration. While you’re organizing, you can arrange things so that they’re more easily accessible. If you’re vertically challenged like I am, or if you have trouble crouching or bending over, you may consider using an over-the-door organizer. The plastic dollar store shoe organizers work well (you can even cut them in half to hang from smaller cabinet doors in the kitchen and bath,) or you can try any one of these genius ideas:

Take things one area at a time. Not only will it keep you from overdoing it, it will give you a satisfying sense of accomplishment once you’ve finished. Have two or three bags or boxes nearby for trash, recycling, and donations. It’ll keep you from putting anything back that you no longer need or want, and the space will appear less cluttered, which can also keep you from finding what you need.

Once you get to your closets, you may as well do a little editing. Keep those same bags or boxes nearby, but this time for trash, donations, and cleaning rags. Single socks whose mates have been lost to the dryer make great cleaning rags – just put your hand inside the sock and go. My grandmother used socks specifically for furniture polishing, and guess what I loved doing as a kid as a result? (When you’re not cleaning, the sock doubles as a puppet!) For a little help deciding what to keep and what to toss, follow the flow chart below.

Remember to take things one area at a time, and set realistic goals for yourself. It may take you a week, or it may take you a few months to organize your home. The key is to stick with it once you’ve finished! Things won’t be perfect all the time, and you’ll still forget things, but if you maintain just a little more order than you started with, you’ll maintain that much more sanity.

Gentle hugs,

Chels