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Organizing Check in: 2023 Wrap up (Oct/Nov/Dec)

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Oct '23 Gluemore Girl

We are in the final stretch of this year long organizing project!
Use this thread to help motivate you in making your space inviting and functional.
Each of us has a different style of organizing and I only learned about mine that when I found Cas the Clutterbug on YouTube.
Now that I understand why lids and containers I can't see into don't work for me.
If you are just joining, take the quiz: https://clutterbug.me/what-clutterbug-are-you-test

For me: I have some new papers and dies to sort and put away and still need to work on my stamps. Also have photos to sort.
Fingers crossed I get to those.

Welcome and Happy scrapping!
~Maria
Oct '23 Toni-n-tn

I still want to tackle my pps. I have way too many and a lot I probably will never use.

Maria - I do want to thank you all though because I've started using some stash up, and I
probably never would have if I didn't join this group, And the things that i have done,
it's so much easier to find what I'm looking for. Thanks again.
Oct '23 Dawna.s Place

Morning Maria, I had to dig through my Mixed Media Utility Cart the other day and pulled some moulds out. Now I can't get them back into their spot as a bunch of other stuff collapsed onto their space. I think I'll take a before pic and see what I can do about tiding my cart back up. It's just out of control with supplies!

Lis if you haven't watched Cas the Clutterbug on YT, it's so worth the watch. She's very informative and it enabled me to embrace my "natural" organizing style. I'm a butterfly. I need to "see" my stuff, so I like clear containers and open baskets. Labels and lids are too fussy for me to mess with. I'm a macro organizer. I gather like items together and into a bin/basket they go. I would prefer to dig through a basket for a few minutes rather than organize the contents. Labeling drives me crazy (except for my dies).

Toni good luck purging your papers. I did mine a few yeasrs ago, but I'm sure there is more that I can get rid of. It's just not on my radar yet! lol
Oct '23 Sewflake

Morning all
I have been letting my papers get slightly out of control again as well as my dies. I have get the new ones labeled and put away. It has made it so much easier to locate when I want to use them that I will continue to label, it just takes me awhile to get it done.
My ephemera has never been organized so that needs to be my main focus, plus getting the house ready for the holidays.
Oct '23 Sewflake

Paper, for me, it the hardest to purge. I keep thinking I can find a use for it, especially if I still like the colors or design. I love the fact I can shop my stash and always come up with paper that fit the style, color, or theme.
Sometimes I am surprised that when I use the last of those 25 sheets that are just alike but they were such a great deal!

Ephemera is on my list for this quarter!
Oct '23 Lisn2cats

For this last quarter, I'm focusing on purging. In cleaning out one of my craft Elfas, I found THREE (3!!!!!!!!) Making Memories toolkits (you know the ones with a hammer, eyelet setter, tweezers, etc.). THREE!!! THREE!!! Argh.

I also need to be okay with throwing away my bits of die cutting leftovers (I filled a half-gallon baggie with 1/2” or smaller punched flowers. Some of them don't even look like flowers because they got squished. I may try to use them for a giant shaker. I also need to part with my Crayola crayons, pencils and chalks since I've “moved up” and will never ever use up the new products. Plus I had to glue together some of my chalk just so I could use them - while looking at a brand new palette (which was bought 5+ years ago).

Feels soooo good to purge, use up what I have, and organize everything so I can get to my supplies. My feet are actually on real flooring (not piles of stuff) AND I have a whole 24” cleared workspace. Very exciting though the cats are confused. They don't know what to do with all the floor space.
Oct '23 Christiescraps

I'm the same as Toni and Sharon.. I need to purge paper and get it better organized. And I still haven't got the ephemera organized so be good if I could get to that too! I REALLY need to get busy using up some of my stash! I'm sure that would help some.
Oct '23 Gluemore Girl

RE: Toni-n-tn: I still want to tackle my pps. I have way too many and a lot I probably will never use. Maria - I do want to thank you all though because I've started using some stash up, and I probably never would have if I didn't join this group, And the things that i have done, it's so much easier to find what I'm looking for. Thanks again.

So glad that you found this thread helpful and that you joined in.
Oct '23 Gluemore Girl

RE: Lisn2cats: For this last quarter, I'm focusing on purging. In cleaning out one of my craft Elfas, I found THREE (3!!!!!!!!) Making Memories toolkits (you know the ones with a hammer, eyelet setter, tweezers, etc.). THREE!!! THREE!!! Argh. I also need to be okay with throwing away my bits of die cutting leftovers (I filled a half-gallon baggie with 1/2” or smaller punched flowers. Some of them don't eve...

Omg, I can relate to having multiples of tools AND stamps AND die cuts AND... you get the drift.
My BFF has a notebook with all of her supplies categorized. I know I'll never do that but it does make sense.
I've been eye-balling Christmas stuff and don't dare order until I dig into my box and see what I have.

Hug Sam Sam and Squeakers for me.
Oct '23 Gluemore Girl

RE: Dawna.s Place: Morning Maria, I had to dig through my Mixed Media Utility Cart the other day and pulled some moulds out. Now I can't get them back into their spot as a bunch of other stuff collapsed onto their space. I think I'll take a before pic and see what I can do about tiding my cart back up. It's just out of control with supplies! Lis if you haven't watched Cas the Clutterbug on YT, it's so worth the...

Oh no on the collapsing! I find when I out grow a space, I try to purge something OR find a new place or way to store them.
Oct '23 Dawna.s Place

Maria I don't think I have any other choice but to straighten up my cart and try and condense what I'm storing on it. It houses all my paints, sprays, waxes, mixed media mediums and all my mould making supplies. I really don't have a spare inch in my craftroom for anything off my cart, so I'll see what I can do with it, hopefully today.
Oct '23 Gluemore Girl

Got it Dawn, I know you use that cart frequently too. Maybe a bigger cart?

Still need to get my craft/guest/home office room back together. DD was here for 2 weeks and left a trail.
Plus, I pulled some wreath making supplies out of the closet to bring to my friend's house, threw some purses in the closet to give my DD hanging space on the door, both desks are a mess and the bed linens need to be changed.
Have not put away any of the purchases I made over the summer so that needs doing.
I'll try to do a little bit each night and tackle it on Saturday. I think it'll be rainy so that might be a good day to do it.

Hope the week is good to everyone!
~Maria
Oct '23 Dawna.s Place

RE: Gluemore Girl: Got it Dawn, I know you use that cart frequently too. Maybe a bigger cart? Still need to get my craft/guest/home office room back together. DD was here for 2 weeks and left a trail. Plus, I pulled some wreath making supplies out of the closet to bring to my friend's house, threw some purses in the closet to give my DD hanging space on the door, both desks are a mess and the bed linens need to ...

A bigger cart??? I don't think I have room in my office for a bigger cart! LOL Mine is a bright red standard sized shop utility cart that's 16" x 30" with 3 shelving tiers. I didn't get to it yesterday. But I did get a pic of it to share in all its messy glory!
Oct '23 Gluemore Girl

There was conversation about storage pieces and it got me thinking of HOW MANY storage pieces I've purchased over the years! My daughter actually accused me of having a "problem" b/c I had so many. I bought all the cute boxes, bins, cases, etc. I have to say that understanding my style of organizing: need for quick access and visibility, will help me from impulse buying all the cute containers moving forward.

I will tackle my desk and work table this weekend! I also really want to scrap and don't want to deal with my stamps just yet.
Oct '23 Toni-n-tn

Morning all -

I haven't done any cleaning of supplies lately. I am trying to scrap, and I am trying to use up some stuff
I am also trying to get to some older photos to scrap since I seem to forget about the older ones, LOL. Not
sure why.

Stamps are not something I've had to worry about too much. I have two hanging wire tiers on a wall and most
of the stamps are placed in there. I do have a drawer of older ones that I rarely use. Also a bin with some
wooden ones that I also barely use. But the hanging wire tiers have worked wonders for my stamps. Of course the
Gina K., Altnew and Tim Holtz' stamps are in their own bins along with their stencils and dies.

Now pps, that's a whole other ballgame. Really need to work on that. Like Sharon, though, I see some of them and
think I'm pretty sure I could use this at some point, and back in the drawer or shelf it goes for another time.

Anyway, off to try to get something done before work.
Have a great day everyone.
Oct '23 Sewflake

Not much organizing/ purging going on here lately.
I have been taking some fabric to my quilt group to share and have another couple of boxes in the car ready for goodwill. It doesn't seem to make a visual difference as I just get more boxes from the attic. Now it has made a difference in the attic with space…but then that is getting filled with empty storage bins!
Going back in my closet to see if I can pull out more to make room for the stuff I plan on using. Going to be more realistic on what I will get done!
Oct '23 Gluemore Girl

Annoyed that I can never seem to get to my space for my hobby. By the time it's clean and organized, someone is coming to stay and then I need to get it back together. (Vent over ).
I have been granted a hybrid work schedule so hoping that gives me more time for what I'm not really getting to lately: exercise, crafting and a bit of cooking.
Today is going to be a perfect fall fair day so we are going to that and maybe meet up with friends.
But first, I plan to switch out my summer clothes and tackle my craft/guest room/ home office and maybe later I'll tackle my craft desk.

Toni, I'd love for you to come organize my stamps!!!

Sharon & Toni your posts got me thinking about the "Guilty Clutter" (paper and fabric we buy and never seem to use but keep b/c we bought it) and that lead to "Fantasy" Clutter and I'm so guilty of that. (The terms come from Clutterbug Cas and 2 other organizers.
My friend does all kinds of crafting: scrapbooking, wreath making, etc. So of course, I see what she does and we shop together and before I knew it, I had all kinds of wreath making supplies. I made my 2nd and 3rd wreaths at her house last weekend and just realized that I love her wreaths but I don't love making them. I gave her a bunch of the supplies I'd accumulated and saved enough to make 1 or 2 wreaths.
I'm still working on a crochet project and I have all kinds of scrapbooking and card making to get to but there are only so many hours in a day.

What is your Fantasy Clutter, Guilty Clutter, Homeless?
Here's the YouTube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xCOQiQ4diM

Have a good day all! Sorry for the novel.
~Maria
Oct '23 Gluemore Girl

Off yesterday's list:
The guest/craft/office: desktop is cleared, bed is made, DD's clothes are folded and put away in the small chest of drawers and storage bench, closet is emptied of what did not belong.

We did not go to the fair as the traffic to get there was insane. We turned around in the line of cars to leading to the parking area and went to lunch instead. I then toured and signed up for a gym near my house.

Still to do: craft desk, swap out my summer/winter clothes.

Happy Monday!
~Maria
Oct '23 Christiescraps

I am definitely fantasy and guilty clutter.
No organizing or purging of craft supplies here yet either. I did manage to go through fall/winter clothes and get rid of what I needed to there.
I'm hoping to go through my paper soon and get it purged and organized. I did make a couple of cards. But no major headway on much else.
Hope everyone has a good week!
Oct '23 Dawna.s Place

Good Morning Ladies!

When I first started purging and organizing this past spring, I bought a bunch of clear panty style bins, for quick and easy access (visually) to it's contents. They have worked wonders for keeping all my cupboards organized. One of my best organizing tools so far. I did get to my MM cart this week and got the the overflow organized back into it. I took before and after pics to share, but even straightened up, it still looks out of control. But, I can find everything on it, so that's the important part!

Let's see my Guilty Clutter would definitely have to be partial paper collections. I've got 4 ea 13x13 large baskets brimming with paper, but 80% of it is leftover from projects. I keep it thinking that I've got enough to do another project! In most cases I do, especially if it's for a lo. So, I keep hanging on to all the leftovers. I can't bring myself to get rid of it because I bought them! lol

Maria sorry you missed the fair. Boy you really took your room to task this weekend! I'm sure it feels good having things neat and tidy again. What crochet project are you working on? I'm mid way through crocheting a baby blanket. It's always my winter project.

Toni glad to see you scrapping! I'm working on Christmas cards this week.

Sharon your Christmas cards look like they are coming right along also. I sure know what you mean, purge stuff and I swear what we keep, just seems to multiply on us! lol

Christie purging your clothes can be a big chore, good for you! I still need to switch my summer and fall wardrobe too, But, hey it was a 100 here yesterday, so still a little early for me yet.

My sister is coming into town tomorrow from GA this week for a wedding over the weekend. We've made lots of plans, wine tasting, dinners out, a friendship gathering, so I'll be entertaining all week. We spent the weekend catching up on house chores, so today I can relax. Enjoy the day ladies!
Oct '23 Lisn2cats

My Guilty Clutter is definitely the many I stacks of finished LOs. I love the creating process but hauling out my albums makes me go GRRRR. Also all my jewelry-making supplies. I spent SO much on semi-precious stones, beads, silver findings, etc. and I haven't touched them in years. Same with my cross stitch supplies (because of my need to have full sets, at one point I had bought every single floss color that was available. And my sewing supplies. I loved to sew but haven't fired up my sewing machine in almost 8 years!)
Oct '23 Gluemore Girl

Good Morning and Happy Hump Day!
I started sorting out the mess on my desk and finished a card on my desk. That's all I had the oomph for last night.
Tonight I am going to the gym I joined for a yoga class. So excited!

Lis, you love all things crafting! I loved cross stitching for a few years and then gave it up and all my supplies to my friend's DD who liked it. I sometimes miss it when I see a little sampler but restrain myself, lol.
I guess the thing is, you decide if it's something you really want to keep and work on one day? At some point, when you retire, do you see yourself doing all these hobbies? Is the stuff easily replaceable and is it taking up valuable real estate in your home?

Dawna, have a great time with your sister! Sounds like a fun week you have planned. Yeah, I have a lot of guilty paper.
In January I go to a weekend crop and I plan to bring a whole bunch of paper to the swap table.
I'm working on a blanket for DS. My first project was a throw for DD. I only started for OT for my wrist and it helps.
I've only learned the basic stitches: single, half double, double and triple and only go in a straight line. I taught myself using a You tube video in 2019.

Christie, my summer winter clothes never got swapped out last weekend. It's going to rain (again) this Saturday so I'll have opportunity. Paper is an ongoing organization project, (b/c I keep buying it!).

Have a good day!
Maria
Oct '23 Christiescraps

Good Morning!

Toni, I'm going to do the same as you...try use up some stuff! But it never fails I'll end up buying things before I can use up what I already have! Then I'll get overwhelmed trying to decide what I want to use, Lol. it's a vicious cycle lol.

Sharon, how's it going with your closet?

Dawna, it's been in the 70's 80's here during the day but getting down to 40's and 50's at night. Sounds like you have lots of fun plans!

Lis, I don't even know how to do much else. I wouldn't even know where to start with sewing!

Maria, you will get around to the clothes! You got your desk sorted and a card finished so that's good!
You will have to let me know how you like the Yoga class. I've always wanted to try it but to chicken to actual go to a class

Hope everyone has a good rest of the week!
Oct '23 Sewflake

Good Morning
For the most part I had whittled down ALL of the crafts I have tried by the time I retired and just held on to the stash of the ones I could see myself doing the rest of my life.
Still those two, paper crafting and quilting can take up tons of space! Plus having held on to my stash has saved me $$ especially when you see the cost of products now.
Too bad you can't get the monetary value at todays prices for your supplies, my kids would have a big inheritance! 😂

Christie you asked about my closet…I'm not sure how to answer that. I can walk-in my walk in closet but it doesn't look much better than before. I still have an old wooden library chair in the closet, it matches the one I have at my sewing table. I still have just as many bins of fabric but the attic has less big bins of my stuff…and you can't see that empty space. And I have removed part of the fantasy clutter.

Maria hope you like your yoga classes. It always look so much easier to exercise that way but I know it's not as you need to hold the poses for periods of time.
Or is that in Thai Chi? I know in Thai chi the accuracy of the pose is as important as holding it.
Oct '23 Gluemore Girl

Good Morning!

Jury Duty for today got canceled but decided to keep the PTO day just for me!
The yoga class was great. I loved the instructor. I am very weak (RA and foot surgeries) and have zero balance so my goal is to work on that. I have to modify ALOT but that's okay. The stretches felt good (sort of) and the calm it brings me is priceless.
I'll go to my next class on Saturday with the instructor that I had back before the pandemic. I can't wait.
I'll make this a habit every Wednesday and Saturday moving forward.

Christie, our weather sounds the same. I am lucky today is going to be a beautiful fall day: sunny and mid-60's. If you are interested in trying out some yoga at home first, I'd recommend Yoga with Adrienne on YT. She is very good and has all different sessions: beginner to advanced and some just for morning and evening.

Sharon, yeah, I've been a crafter since I've been a kid (remember Romper Room???). I'd love running around the house gathering up supplies I needed to make whatever craft they were doing. I always said I'm going to do a scrapbook page about all the crafts I've tried and loved. One of DH's friends saw me coming home from a weekend crop and said, "You could have bought another house with all that stuff!". Luckily, DH has his own hobbies and spends on them so we are good. Sharon, I think yoga has so many levels that anyone can do it. I used to do a chair yoga video with my cardiac rehab class every week. It's a matter of starting wherever you are and modifying what you need to. Reminds me that I need to check out a web page I saved for yoga pose modifications... I'm gonna need a refresher! DH loves Tai Chi which is more about breathing and flow without the position holds. I like it too but like yoga better.

Dawna, hope you are having so much fun with your sister.

Well, I'm off to see what is next for this morning. I may do a few chores then take my sweet old girl to the park for a walk.
It's her favorite thing.

Have a good day everyone!
Oct '23 Dawna.s Place

Good Morning Ladies,

Yes, I'm really enjoying my time with my sister and BIL. They are here for a wedding on Sunday this week, so we are spending a few days palling around together. Yesterday we went to 3 local wineries and had a great time. My BIL signed me up for a wine club and bought my first 4 bottles of wine! I made out like a bandit! And I found a gorgeous fall scarf that I just couldn't live without. I'm already scheming outfits to wear it with. lol Today they are coming over after breakfast and we're going to wrap their wedding gift and make a wedding card. I'm going to let my sister play with my Empress to do the card. She'll definitely enjoy that.

Maria I love crocheting too! I have a baby blanket in progress that I hope to finish this fall for my DGGD Aubrey. And, yesterday I bought all of Aubrey's Christmas gifts since it was Amazon Prime Deal Day. I even bought a fold away high chair for when she comes to visit. Yep, my strategy for when she's here while momma and I scrap, is to corralle her with a cookie! LOL Even though I've lost some weight (26lbs) I am currently so far out of shape, that I'm sure I couldn't even do chair yoga! I'm contemplating walking, just to start getting some much needed exercise.

Sharon my sister is a huge quiler and every square inch of home has bins of fabric in them all over the house! Even when she purges and donates a ton of fabric to make pillow cases and blankets for the kids during the holiday, the bins take over! I think she's all but given up on having a tidy house.

Christie this weeks weather is going to be in the mid 80's all week. I'm so delighted that it will be so nice on the patio when I entertain over the weekend.

Toni I can't seem to create fast enough to out pace my paper buying obsession! I am trying to get better at buying any new collections, by only buying the sheets that I love. 49th and Mintay are my current favs, but OMW I love pretty papers and just can't seem to stop buying them! I honestly probably have enough paper to last me the rest of my life! It's an obsession for sure!

Wishing everyone a great day!
Oct '23 Lisn2cats

Like Dawna, I've tried just about every arts & crafts form there are - bookmaking, stained glass, pottery, all things yarn / fiber, etc. I got rid of all the tatting-related supplies - I could never see what i was doing with that tiny little crochet hook, which is now repurposed as a safe poke tool, dress patterns (because who am I kidding - my figure has blossomed since my 20s), and almost all of my mosaic stuff because I actually hated working with grout. These days I do mostly paper crafts though earlier this year I finally finished knitting my lap blanket and crocheting my ginormous granny square blanket (one big granny square because I couldn't remember how to finish a square!). I still hand-sew quilt toppers - I am failing at actual quilting. Someone suggested an alternative so will do that instead. Since I'm still trying not to spend, this year I'm making earrings/necklaces for a few friends as Christmas gifts and maybe I'll do some bead weaving since I have millions of seed beads.

I just finished swatching most of of my inks and they look so pretty in my binder. I'll post a pic later after I swatch my ink sprays.

Happy crafting and organizing to all!!
Oct '23 Carrie640

I decided I MUST move my cubes around to be more "efficient". 🤣🤣🤣🤣. Remind me to stop make these types of decision. I'm too old for this! My Apple Watch is blaring whistles that my heart rate is up!! I'm beat! 2 pictures...

Time to STOP being motivated!!
Oct '23 Lisn2cats

RE: Carrie640: I decided I MUST move my cubes around to be more "efficient". 🤣🤣🤣🤣. Remind me to stop make these types of decision. I'm too old for this! My Apple Watch is blaring whistles that my heart rate is up!! I'm beat! 2 pictures...[gallery=7041321]

This made me laugh.The only way I know how to organize is to take everything out and spread it around...then about 30 minutes in, I'm done. I just resign myself to climb over stuff and nestle in. I finally realized that what motivates me is people coming over - like the HVAC guy who would need to get to the closet. I never cleaned and organized so fast and hard!
Oct '23 Carrie640

RE: Lisn2cats: This made me laugh.The only way I know how to organize is to take everything out and spread it around...then about 30 minutes in, I'm done. I just resign myself to climb over stuff and nestle in. I finally realized that what motivates me is people coming over - like the HVAC guy who would need to get to the closet. I never cleaned and organized so fast and hard!

I didn't realize how much work it is! I haven't done this since we moved in! That was in 2016. After this, no more. Done! No more ORGANIZATION THREADS!!! 🤣🤣
Oct '23 Gluemore Girl

Oh my goodness Carrie & LOL on your Apple Watch yelling at you !
So sorry this is stressing you! I wish I could come over and give you a hand. It's a small space so I can imagine you feel a bit overwhelmed right now. Is it possible to put some things in another room OR create a huge pile on one side of the room to give you space to work on the other?
Once it's done, you are going to feel soooo good about it. Pinky swear!

Lis, you crack me up. I can whip the house together for company in no time flat but otherwise, yeah, it can be messy.
I also take everything out when I organize. I sometimes set up a folding table to give me extra space for sorting and purging.

Dawna, what fun on the winery tour and the club membership! Sounds like you are having a blast.

Did not get my fun day off as I was pretty under the weather. Today was an online seminar that I watched from home but it was done by 4. Took a walk with DH and our dog, made dinner and we watched a movie. I am actually working on a LO now but took a break. Trying to use my scrap easel but it takes up my whole desk. I wish they made a 12x12 single easel. It does save my neck, literally, so I'll make it work.

Anyway, that's all she wrote. Have a good night!
~Maria
Oct '23 Carrie640

RE: Gluemore Girl: Oh my goodness Carrie & LOL on your Apple Watch yelling at you !So sorry this is stressing you! I wish I could come over and give you a hand. It's a small space so I can imagine you feel a bit overwhelmed right now. Is it possible to put some things in another room OR create a huge pile on one side of the room to give you space to work on the other? Once it's done, you are going to feel soo...

It's not terribly small. It looks that way because I've got stuff everywhere just from rearranging. And, I've gotta have things (most) within arms reach...so I require drawers and the like on top of me. Literally, out of sight=out of mind for me so if I can't SEE it, it doesn't get used (and that's bad). I moved stuff out of the closet to avoid a mess in there. It's all almost put back together but NEVER again! I'd lift a cube and drawers would fall out leaving a mess on the floor...🤣. Then I'd be stepping on thumbtacks, straight pins...I broke the glass of a framed record album... HOT MESS. I guess I could have moved everything OUT of the room before putting it all back together? Thats a concept. 🤓🤔
Oct '23 Gluemore Girl

RE: Carrie640: It's not terribly small. It looks that way because I've got stuff everywhere just from rearranging. And, I've gotta have things (most) within arms reach...so I require drawers and the like on top of me. Literally, out of sight=out of mind for me so if I can't SEE it, it doesn't get used (and that's bad). I moved stuff out of the closet to avoid a mess in there. It's all almost put back togeth...

Glad your room is bigger than it looks. I work in a very small space (corner of a bedroom with a closet full of most of my supplies) but can add a folding table to work on some other project. Plus I have a rolling cart for any kind of mixed media/die cutting/etc. I would love to have octopus arms to have everything in arms reach! And like you, I'm out of sight, out of mind. Hang in there and hope you find it so satisfying.
Oct '23 Gluemore Girl

So I keep overcrowding my work top.
I added the scrap easel and it really cuts into space. I need to figure this out this weekend.
I work on an Ikea island (this is an older photo).
Currently on top of it is the lamp, FB portal, Spinning organizer, Mug, pencil cup, Big Shot, container of dies, set of blending brushes and the scrap easel (picture 2 12x12 easels side by side.
Some thing(s) have to go. I'd like to keep the Big Shot (it's the most sturdy surface for cutting) and I don't have to lift it.
Suggestions?

Desktop Area
Oct '23 Lisn2cats

There are two wonderful things I bought that are working out great for me. One is an over-the-door jewelry/mirror cabinet. It has drawers, hooks, and little shelves. Perfect for storing my reinkers, tubes of watercolor paints, little jars of what-nots, and I squished cute knobs into the ring holder and use them to hang strands of twine, etc. The bonus is when the cabinet is closed, it's a mirror! The other product, which I just got for crafting (I have one for my linen closet), is an over-the-door (I really don't have much floor real estate) closet organizer. It has nice deep pockets (with mesh at the bottom) and inserts to make the pockets sturdy. It holds SO MUCH. Since I like using large mason jars and vintage containers, I have each filled with things like twine/threads, enamel dot packets, etc. I plan to use 2 pockets for the containers, one pocket for my 6x6 and 6x8 pads, one pocket for tools, etc. I'll just keep the door open while I'm crafting (since my crafting Elfa is in the closet) and just close the door when I'm done.
Oct '23 Gluemore Girl

RE: Lisn2cats: There are two wonderful things I bought that are working out great for me. One is an over-the-door jewelry/mirror cabinet. It has drawers, hooks, and little shelves. Perfect for storing my reinkers, tubes of watercolor paints, little jars of what-nots, and I squished cute knobs into the ring holder and use them to hang strands of twine, etc. The bonus is when the cabinet is closed, it's a mirror! ...

I would totally use this but don't have door space, lol. Love it, Lis!
Oct '23 Carrie640

RE: Lisn2cats: There are two wonderful things I bought that are working out great for me. One is an over-the-door jewelry/mirror cabinet. It has drawers, hooks, and little shelves. Perfect for storing my reinkers, tubes of watercolor paints, little jars of what-nots, and I squished cute knobs into the ring holder and use them to hang strands of twine, etc. The bonus is when the cabinet is closed, it's a mirror! ...

Oh YES!!!! I saw those on Amazon!!! I had one in my wishlist for my daughter for school (college), but the more I saw it, the more I wanted it! The one I had saved is no longer available, but there are others out there. I think this would be great in the bathroom!
Oct '23 Carrie640

My mess is DONE!!!! WOOT! Now, I have the issue of trying to remember where I stowed things. LOL! I think part of the problem in my room is the desk. A few years ago, our friend gave me this huge sewing type of desk. It's HUGE. I couldn't put it against the wall because of my cubes. And then the other wall is the closet. So, I have to leave a few feet of space for the closet, obviously, so this desk is right there..facing the closet with the gap. There is a small walking space on the other side of the closet and the door so it allows a bit more space...but that desk is a monster. Maybe I should size down?
Oct '23 Dawna.s Place

Good Monday Morning!

Well 2:23 am came awful early this morning. We dropped my sister and BIL at the airport at 4:00am. I was able to get two cards done and out in the mail before breakfast. With my sister here, I haven't done any crafting all week, so I'm ready to start a new project today. But first I need to tidy up my desk. I see you glas have been very busy!

@carrie640 Carrie congrats on getting your space back in order! You had a huge task! Job well done! Do you feel better about your space?

@lisn2cats Lis love the over the door hanger that you shared. Looks like it would hold a lot of stuff.

@gluemore girl Maria what purpose does your "scraprack" serve? I used to have a huge scraprack. It was one of those big racks like you see in the autoparts store stuffed full of catalogs. Mine was about 3 feet wide and stuffed full of page pocket protectors in a variety of sizes. It held a ton of embellishments. But it was humongous and it overpowered my space. I wound up getting rid of it because it was just too intrusive. I couldn't move around my craftroom because of it!

Wishing everyone a great day!
Oct '23 Sewflake

Carrie, congratulations on getting your space organized, he will have to show after pictures.
I keep thinking about your humongous sewing desk in your craft room.
Does working on it work well for you or do you find it to be ( like Dawna said about her over the door hanger) intrusive?
I can imagine getting something smaller will have its pros and cons.
I like my six foot “desk” top held up with storage cubes.
While not always ideal nor what I had envisioned in my craft room but it does the job with work space and I can move it around easily enough.

Dawna, you didn't get much sleep last night. Do you nap after such an early start to the day?

There have been some pretty cool looking over the door storage shown here. It almost makes me wish I had a closet and doors! Almost.

Busy cleaning my scrap room now that I have taken out the supplies I'm taking to my crop. The car will be packed tomorrow but it's all staged by the back door.
Oct '23 Carrie640

RE: Sewflake: Carrie, congratulations on getting your space organized, he will have to show after pictures. I keep thinking about your humongous sewing desk in your craft room. Does working on it work well for you or do you find it to be ( like Dawna said about her over the door hanger) intrusive? I can imagine getting something smaller will have its pros and cons. I like my six foot “desk” to...

LOL well, if I were to downsize the table/desk, I'd have to find homes for everything on it!!! hahahahaaa...It never ends!!

So, I do have a question since you jumped on the topic. How do you know what to take to a crop? I went to one way back when. I, literally, took just about everything I had back then. Granted, it wasn't as much as I have NOW, but I hauled out 12x12 drawers of paper, my sets of small drawers with my florals and embellishments in it...I mean, EVERYTHING! It was a lot of work. But, I make layouts on the fly. I wouldn't know HOW to even being to plan a page in advance. is that what you do? Plan ahead?
Oct '23 Dawna.s Place

Sharon no napping for me. Once I'm up, I'm up for the day I did have a rather low energy day though and went to bed early. Which is why I was awake at 3:30 this morning. lol Still a few cups of coffee and I'll be good to go.

Cristie when I go to crops I do plan ahead and make page kits. I put them in the 12x12 Iris cases so they travel easily. I like the cases rather than envelopes because I can cram all kinds of embellishment options in each of them. I pack my basic supplies (glue scissors, pop dots, hand tools, etc) in a handy carrier bag that I have and I usually pack an Iris case with a variety of cardstock colors as well. One of the things you'll find out about crafters at crops is most ladies love to share. So, if you find yourself needing something that you didn't bring, usually someone is willing to give you or lend you what you need. Some crops (depending on the type of crop) even has a small store of basic supplies. That can come in handy too. Are you going to attend a crop this year?
Oct '23 Christiescraps

RE: Dawna.s Place: Sharon no napping for me. Once I'm up, I'm up for the day I did have a rather low energy day though and went to bed early. Which is why I was awake at 3:30 this morning. lol Still a few cups of coffee and I'll be good to go. Cristie when I go to crops I do plan ahead and make page kits. I put them in the 12x12 Iris cases so they travel easily. I like the cases rather than envelopes because...

Dawna, good idea on the Iris cases so you can get the embellishments in the same case with what they go with! How many PP do you usually pick for a kit?
I don't have any plans to attend a crop this year. It's been years since I have been to one. Seems like either something always came up or I didn't want to fool with packing up my supplies, lol. They are fun though!
Oct '23 Dawna.s Place

RE: Christiescraps: Dawna, good idea on the Iris cases so you can get the embellishments in the same case with what they go with! How many PP do you usually pick for a kit? I don't have any plans to attend a crop this year. It's been years since I have been to one. Seems like either something always came up or I didn't want to fool with packing up my supplies, lol. They are fun though!

When I'm crafting lo's, I tend to take an entire collection of pretty papers, along with coordinating die cuts and chipboard with me, per kit. I generally chose about 5 pages to work with for framing, distressing, cluster work, inking, etc. That way I'm not wondering if I brought my favs from a collection. But, I'm a slow crafter so it usually takes me a day to create a lo. So, I usually only take about 5 page kits with me, and even then, I don't always get them all done.
Oct '23 Sewflake

Christie I have been where you are/were. I still remember the first crop I attended and left there not getting even one page done!! I don't know whether I was mad about wasting the $$ spent to attend or embarrassed because I got nothing done! It took me quite awhile before going again!

Now I do much like Dawna…in fact reading her descriptions of the crops she has attended it sounds like crops are all very much alike. People are more than happy to share their products and you always find someone that has what you need.

I also do the same as she - plus carry it even further. I have 16 pages ready to go…

I put my “page kits” in those extra large (reusable) plastic bags. Along with, quite often, a sketch I have drawn out utilizing the pictures I will be using on that page.
Did I tell you I love all aspects of scrapping so I can get several page kits ready in a day with drawings, papers, notes, and embellishments. Sometimes even titles, if not cut (size is difficult to determine) then at the least written on my drawing.
Why I do all that advance work… I have a group of ladies that I met on this site that we try to get together at a crop periodically and when you're flying there is not much you can take with you.
Your very basic supplies, the page kits, may be a few dies and a couple of ink pads.
There is always one person that drives so they bring extras…the heavy stuff.
This year it's me! I'm taking my Silhouette, big shot, dies, inks, and scrap paper boxes. Plus picking up two ladies at the airport to travel an hour away for our 6 day retreat. 4 days of scrapping and a couple of just being together!

Now, I have a lot to do today and a car to pack!!
Oct '23 Lisn2cats

A while back, I used to go to overnight crops with a five or sixfriends from work. Even with 2 large SUVs, space was limited and I filled one of those roll-aways to it's busting point. And used, like, an eighth of what I had taken! For future crops, I made a list and, with my friends, we agreed on who was taking what bulkier items or tools so we could share. Like Sharon mentioned, people are usually happy to share if you wanted to borrow a specific ink color or stamp/stencil. I am not kit-maker but I've seen others haul out their kits and went straight to work - how I envied them!

1. Find out what the crop host will provide (the ones I went to had a Cricut, large paper slicer, products for sale, trade table, wipes, heat gun station, etc.) Since I knew if I didn't have the "right" paper or ephemera and could probably find something on the free table or purchase, it minimized the need to pack my entire paper collection (which would fill a bus).
2. Baggie or container of essentials (tape, scissors, ruler, cutter, pop or foam dots).
3. Photo box (the 4 x 6 kind) of photos I might want to scrap (I always needed choices since I scrap whatever I'm in the mood to scrap). My friend used to select her photos and create kits around them; I was never that organized! Sometimes I wrote LO ideas on sticky notes and stuck them to the photos.
4. Essential papers (I always took extra white paper because, if all else fails, you can just start cutting card bases!)
5. Favorite inks (ink pads, pens, pencils, and so on). I know what my go-to colors are and I always took my watercolor pencils since they do double duty and a couple of water brushes. If I had a specific idea in mind, I'd take my embossing ink, clear embossing powder (since it takes on whatever color you use it over).
6. One stamp set with lots of sentiments because if I didn't feel inspired to do a LO then I could make cards to get going.
7. I never left home without my own die cutter - even if someone else but taking theirs. (I have a Cuttlebug, which is perfect for dies of all sizes.) Of course, if you're taking a die cutter, you'll need dies - I usually packed only "fancy" dies I planned to use because I knew others would have basic shapes.

Since the crops I went to were 3 day/2 night ones, sometimes I'd just spend half a day taking photos and wandering around getting ideas from peeking at other people's projects. I've also had those times that I scrapped nothing; instead, I made ephemera clusters, borrowed stamps and dies to create a hoard of images/die cuts for future use, etc. On occasion, instead of my box of photos, I took my Selphy (photo printer) so I could print photos that struck my fancy or photos taken at the crop to scrap.

I miss going to crops but I don't miss the decision-making when it comes to packing!!!
Oct '23 Gluemore Girl

Hi Everyone!

Carrie, congrats on getting your space organized. I would try to label anything you can't see the inside of. My most frustrating moments are when I know I have something and cannot remember where it is.
As for crops: you learn to pare down over the years: take page kits, some card stock, basic tools and ephemera. I now bring a small rolling tote for the page kits/card stock/large tools. A smaller tote for embellishments/ephemera and another small tote for what I keep on my desk: adhesives, pens, photos, etc. If you don't have everything, you can usually borrow it, buy it, or wait til you get home. Nicole 911 on YT has a cool process for making page kits based on color. I do a version of what she does and it really works. I try to take about 12-15 page kits (photos, papers, and some coordinating ephemera or stickers).
As for desk, I have an ikea kitchen island. One side has 2 shelves that I keep plastic drawer units on. It works for me b/c I like to stand when I work. It tucks into the corner of the room nicely I forget the dimensions but I'd say ~ 2.5x4 feet of work space.

Dawna, the scrap easel is an magnetic easel for scrap pages. It opens up to a double easel (for a 2 page LO). It saves my neck from looking down too long. I can design the LO using the magnets and then take it down just to adhere everything.
It's been around a long time it's just that b/c it's a double easel, it takes up a lot of space. I think I've got my work table in a good place now.

Well, gotta get ready for bed.
Have a good night!
~Maria
Oct '23 Christiescraps

RE: Gluemore Girl: Hi Everyone!Carrie, congrats on getting your space organized. I would try to label anything you can't see the inside of. My most frustrating moments are when I know I have something and cannot remember where it is. As for crops: you learn to pare down over the years: take page kits, some card stock, basic tools and ephemera. I now bring a small rolling tote for the page kits/card stock/large tools...

I can relate to you liking to stand when you work because it seems like I'm up and down. Have to stand up to get a better look or make sure something is lined up like it should be. Then I sit down, then back up...LOL.
The scrap easel sounds like a handy thing to have.
Oct '23 Gluemore Girl

Christie, I'm heading to a long weekend crop in a couple of weeks. It'll be a bit of a cheat b/c I'm bringing the wedding album so my supplies will be more laser focused. I will probably bring the same # of bags. I'll take pics so you get an idea.
Oct '23 Christiescraps

RE: Gluemore Girl: Christie, I'm heading to a long weekend crop in a couple of weeks. It'll be a bit of a cheat b/c I'm bringing the wedding album so my supplies will be more laser focused. I will probably bring the same # of bags. I'll take pics so you get an idea.

Sounds good!

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