messy tour: part 2

Remember my messy tour of my scrapbook space? Well, I have updated photos! It's been about 3 weeks since that post and my room had stayed pretty much the same.....until yesterday. I decided to finally start clearing out some of the mess. I set my sights on the three floating shelves and cleared them off.  As you recall, this is what it looked like.

Before

After

I cleared all the shelves as well as the top surface of the cube shelves. In the process, I think I broke the cable modem because we had shoddy internet after that and then it just quit working on us. The cable company sent someone to look at it and they quickly replaced the box. Of course I still have the ugly cables to contend with.

But before he came, I was slightly mortified at the condition of my room so I busied myself with at least cleaning the part of the room the cable guy would be walking through. He would still see the mess of the rest of the room, but at least he wouldn't trip over anything on his way to the cable modem. Which brings us to the next photo.

Before

After

You can see the beautiful hardwood floors and the rug! Some toys, my vacuum and endless boxes of stuff still there. Maybe if I got rid of all the boxes and just dumped all the stuff on the floor it would look like less stuff. Probably  not.

Before

After

This cube shelving unit did not change that much, but the floor in front of it sure did!

Before

After

The pile in this part of the room got taller! Half of the desk stayed the same and the other half....

Before

After

Nothing major, but I cleared off this side of my computer desk. I definitely need a place to hold pens/pencils and other often-used items.

The rest of the room looks the same so no updated photos there. Hope you enjoyed my big  tiny makeover-to-date! I will probably tackle the other side of my desk next. Small steps, people!

p.s. If you have any organizing tips to share, please leave me a comment! I'd love to hear your advice.

in the scraproom: messy tour

Usually when an artist, scrapbooker, crafter etc. gives a tour of her scraproom, it's to reveal a makeover, redesign or newly organized and prettified space. To share advice and tips on how to get her new look. Links to her favorite products.

Recently, I've been reading lot of DIY blog like this and this. These are professional bloggers who live and breathe home dec and DIY and who have "handy husbands" who help them realize their dreams. I love their blogs and day-dream of learning how to use power tools, heck even my dust-collecting sewing machine. But that's not me. I'm lucky enough to put together a prefabricated bookshelf from Target or hang up a curtain rod (which I did today....with hubby's help). My vintage, garage-sale and thrift store finds lay strewn around my house. Never quite turning into that DIY gem that I'm sure is hidden underneath.

But I do like a good makeover. Which brings me back to my scraproom. My craft studio. It has always been a complete and utter mess. It's the room where all my supplies end up. My girls' toys. Cast-offs that accumulate and awaiting that garage sale that I keep say I'm going to have. It's the land of forgotten craft supplies.

Inspired by this little video tour of her "messy" house, I thought I would share my train wreck of a craft space. Why? Several reasons.

1. To shame me into cleaning it up!
2. So I have a dramatic before photo.
3. To show my progress of my gradual transformation
4. To shame me into cleaning it up.

So here's the first photo. It's what you see when  your first walk into the space. If we have company, this door is CLOSED. LOL.

Yikes! Am I really showing you this?

As you can see, I have a nice-size window that lets in lots of light. That is, when the sun is actually shining. I live in the Pacific Northwest after all. Sun is a luxury here.

I have hardwood floors that were newly sanded and finished when we moved in the house.

I already have my furniture and storage in place: An Ikea desk. Expedit bookcases (a must-have for scrapbookers because they fit 12 x 12 albums). Three more bookshelves from Target (they do not fit 12 x 12 albums but are good for books and other items). Three floating ledges (probably from Ikea) that the previous home owner left behind.

Mostly empty, but already painted walls in colors I like.

But I am poorly organized. I have tons of things I don't  use. Too much clutter. I don't put things away after I use them. It's my dumping ground of all things crafty.

If I could only purge the junk and organize what I have, I could have a really great space!

So these are some of my goals for this space and what I am planning to do over the next year.

• Sell unused tools/supplies on craigslist.
• Donate papers to daughter's schools.
• Create little kits to sell on Etsy, namely vintage supplies I've collected over the years.
• Get rid of anything I don't love.
• Stop buying more stuff!
• Artfully arrange everything I DO love.
• Create collections of things - buttons, mini albums,
• Put more of my work on the walls to remind me what I have already created
• Create a space for my daughters to create/play with me.

So I hope by posting here, I will work towards organizing goals!

p.s. Do you like that font above? Thanks Anilu for pointing it out in one of her recent blog posts. It's Pacifico.

a new layout

I love the Early Bird line by Cosmo Cricket so when I saw that Kenner Road had some of it in its June kit I had to pick it up. This layout is about our first BBQ at our new house.






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Today, I spent the better part of the day cleaning the house. Actually picking up the house. Putting toys away. Doing laundry. Folding laundry. Getting stuff off the floor. The reason? Well, we decided to try a new housecleaner. She makes her own green cleaners. Baking powder for the toilet. Vinegar for the kitchen. She cleaned the floor, not with a mop, but on her hands and knees. She spent a good 4 hours getting our house a lot less dusty. And little more green.

I also made a HUGE improvement in my scrapbook book room. You can actually see most of my floor. It's still not organized, just a lot less dusty. Also I have Zara's playmat on the floor so she can hang out with me in here. All I need is a nice comfy loveseat or chair and more storage.
Note: We just back from Target and got some more cubicle shelving :) Zara's first trip to Target.

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Return of the nap?

Jamie made a deal with Sofi. If she naps in the afternoon, she can stay up later and thus spend more time with Jamie after he finishing working. Brilliant! I get a little break during the day. Sofi gets more quality Daddy time. And is less cranky at night. This also enabled us ALL to go to Target together after getting some gyros at the mall.