My Version of Lent

I've started following FlyLady again--the wonderful Marla Cilley who wrote Sink Reflections and managed to indoctrinate into my mind that "I can do anything for 15 minutes".

Since I have developed health issues and am having to change my diet (i.e., fewer packaged foods and more fresh, healthy food), I've realized my kitchen needs re-worked so I can cook in smaller portions.  I've also realized I'd started collecting books in the hope I would read them someday (no matter that I have both a Nook and a Kindle LOL).  Let's not even think about all the craft supplies I have purchased because I like them and hope to use them "someday"...

So as I look around, I find more and more things that are taking up space but that are not used or that I purchased on impulse and don't totally love.  Hence the need to be "fly-washed" once more ;-)

We are currently decluttering for forty days--disposing of something no longer needed each day.  So far I have gathered up Pyrex bakeware I have not used since I purchased it in 2006 thinking I would be doing a lot of entertaining now that I am back in my hometown (insert laughter here).  I've thrown out "only good enough to wear around the house" undies--you ladies know what I mean, and we should love ourselves enough to wear decent underclothes daily.  I'd been storing up used mailing envelopes to re-use and that made sense when I had an active Paperback Swap account, but now that I have closed that account for the time being, I no longer need two large shopping bags full of used padded mailers LOL.

I'm taking fifteen minutes a day and disposing of something and I already feel better about the way my home looks.  If you suffer from any degree of CHAOS ("Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome") come join me and thousands of others around the world as we learn to FLY ("Finally Loving Yourself").

The Single Life

I love being single--I can eat breakfast at dinner time (Chocolate Cheerios, anyone?) or dinner at breakfast (Domino's pizza is even better cold out of the refrigerator LOL).  And I need not tout the advantage of having only one person's laundry to do, right?

Yet, there are times when a second strong back (or even a second set of hands) would come in handy.  Take yesterday, for instance.  I was running coaxial cable from one room to the other through a hole punched in the wall.  Had a person been in the other room, all the coax would not have mysteriously vanished into the wall cavity and somehow tangled itself around the already present Ethernet cable.  Hence, I now have a much larger hole in the wall and a smashed up finger to boot.

Then let's talk furniture assembly.  I've been Blessed.  I am now in the position to replace the bargain-basement and dumpster-dived furniture from the early post-Katrina days with real wood pieces (albeit the RTA type).  My cherry-finish TV stand for the bedroom was time consuming to assemble but looks fabulous.  The oak bookcases for the bedroom (yes, I know--two different finishes, but the oak finish has a decided reddish tint and they coordinate well; when you are needing free shipping to your second-floor apartment, you sometimes make those compromises)--well, let's just say, they aren't particle board LOL.  I had to open the box in the living room and carry the individual pieces into the bedroom.  And, due to the fact the edges are finished the way they are, you need tons of assembly room--the pieces slide into one another (think tongue and groove assembly).  I still need to nail the backing this morning, then I get the honor of trying to pick up and position a 100-pound bookcase against the wall so I can attach it to a stud (there is not a single wall in my bedroom that is level). 

It's times like these that a man could prove useful LOL.  I have several male friends--most of whom are single.  One of my girlfriends suggested I cultivate at least one of those males and for the price of a home-cooked meal (or two) a month, I would have a personal handyman.  The thought rolled around in my head for a while last night, and again this morning as I nurse my various muscle aches and pains.  Would it work?  Possibly.  Is it worth it?  Probably not.  I don't do well with the whole "damsel-in-distress needs knight in shining armor" thing, primarily because I am lousy at asking for help.  And I really don't want the care and feeding of another human being (see first paragraph above LOL).  Besides, once I do manage all the assembly work and the revamping/redecorating of the apartment, I will have the great sense of personal satisfaction that comes from a job well done.

Yeppers, it's the single life for me...now, where did I put that blasted screwdriver?

Gearing Up for Fall

How I wish fall was in the air--it's still 100 degrees outside and it is after 7 PM.  But I find myself gearing up for autumn--usually happens this way when the school supplies go on sale.  See, I'm an office supply junkie.  Nothing excites me quite like new #2 pencils, pristine notebook paper and a brand new box of Crayola crayons.

The office end of my new studio is pretty well finished--I've hung the curtains and put "bright light" bulbs in the lamps.  I've set up my bill-paying/household hub area and set up a filing system for current papers.  I finally purchased my autographed copy of "No Plot? No Problem!" by Chris Baty, the genius behind National Novel Writing Month (AKA NaNoWriMo, which is actually international in scope now).  My copy came yesterday, and I can hardly wait to hunker down and read it this week ;-)

The lamps over my sewing table and my crafting table both have daylight bulbs, so even without an overhead fixture, I have task lighting where needed.  My crafting supplies have been severely decluttered, especially any non-Stampin' Up! products, to the delight of my granddaughter, some crafty friends, and the Salvation Army.  I realized that I am a collector of "stuff"--five years from Katrina and my house was crammed to the rafters in crafting supplies and books, all of which I fully intended to get around to "someday". 

Well, there are only so many hours in the day for anyone, especially a working writer, so I am being ruthless this time in only keeping what I truly love and will use consistently.  In crafting, that's Stampin' Up!  In reading, I happen to have a wondrous library less than a mile up the street, so only my research materials and those books I re-read periodically need to grace my shelves on a permanent basis. 

My books are being sorted into piles--Paperback Swap, Friends of the Library/Salvation Army, and keep.  I've already lowered my TBR mountain by over 200 volumes and want to pare the remaining 500+ by another third or so before Labor Day.  I had to put my Paperback Swap account on hold because of the number of hoarded books other members are wishing for--I need to replenish my postage account there in a big way before I can accept requests LOL!

So, just a bit more to do before the big reveal here, and I hope to be finished by September--then even if it stays 100 degrees plus here, my house will be decluttered, clean, and ready for fall ;-)

Office Relocation

Here's what I did this past weekend (with tons of help from a BFF who brought her hubby and son along to manhandle furniture)...you can see the before pictures on a prior post. 

Here's my new office desk.  The small table to the right shows where the studio part of the room begins--it holds my die-cut machine on top with various accessories and my current Stampin' Up! wood mount stamps are in that cart as well.  The desk itself is from Staples and the husband/son combo mentioned above were my knights in shining armor to put it--and its twin--together.  I love my balance ball chair!  The ergonomics are superb and I can also use the ball separately for quick stretching sessions on my breaks ;-)  The small cart to the left is under the window and holds my paper shredder, my "to be filed" papers, and my boom box (gotta have classic rock while I work LOL).

Then, here's my "personal" side of the room, where I handle household business.  It is set up in such a way that I can easily do research for my novel and also work my SU! business.  Since the room is bigger, the claustrophobia is gone and I no longer want to run from the room when my work shift is over LOL.  It is also amazing what having matching furniture in this room is doing for my self-confidence.  I already feel more professional about both my writing and Stampin' Up! as a part-time job.  And I have to mention the printer--it duplexes!  I've posted before that I am an old-fashioned researcher who highlights research materials and rough drafts.  Well, being able to print in draft mode and auto-duplex is a great way to save paper and ink! 

In case you are wondering, the network cabling went off without a hitch--I still need to hide it under the carpet as it runs through my bedroom and the living room, but the distance from the modem to the router was no problem after all, which was such a Blessing!

The part of the room to the left of my personal desk will eventually hold my sewing table (I hope to get that part of the room organized next weekend).  Then comes a shelf unit with various crafting supplies.  The closet is a walk-in and is currently transitioning from my clothes to general storage so may be photographed later but certainly not yet ;-)  Between the closet and the bathroom door (this room was designed to be the master bedroom), I have placed a shelving unit and my fan.  I'll add those pictures to my next post so I can show off the studio side of the room...

Office Relocation, Phase One

You all know I work from home.  I'm in the same room of my house from 6:30 AM to at least 4 PM and if I am using my personal desktop, it is even longer. 

So, these are two corners of my universe:

and then of course, my crafting studio is in this room as well, so if I should be trying to make cards, sew, quilt, etc., I am in the room even more.  There is a small window with a bakers rack full of junk between the two desks, but since it looks directly into the patio and living room of the apartment across the way, I don't always have the blinds open.

As this is the smallest room in the apartment and the one most full of "stuff", it is hot, cramped and crowded...and I am miserable.

Especially after I was having A/C problems the first time (last month), I began looking for solutions.  I hate the mismatched desks.  I hate the fact they are 1) both corner desks, 2) they are neither one actually set into a corner, 3) the style of the desks preclude storing items the way I like to store them...in short, they may have been cheap solutions at the time, but they aren't working appropriately for my lifestyle.

So, as I started looking for better desks, I asked the advice of some friends.  They know me--they know I collect office supplies and craft supplies and have a large research library.  They also know I keep my A/C set on 80 to control my electric bill.  Their solution?  Switch my office with my bedroom.  What a concept LOL.

See, my bedroom is much larger.  I cannot put a ceiling fan in my current office because it would blow stuff around on my crafting table, but if that room was my bedroom, a ceiling fan would be an option.  The closet in that room has double sliding doors and would be more than sufficient for my small wardrobe, while the walk-in closet in the current bedroom would allow for storage that would NOT have to be out in the open.

When I first moved in, I did not consider this a viable option as I was having to run Ethernet cable along the baseboard and punch holes in the wall simply to hook up my work PC.   I was fearful of the distance and what it would do to my signal strength.  Now, however, with a state-of-the-art modem and wireless router, moving my work equipment another 15 or 20 feet should pose no problem. 

I'll post more pictures soon--especially the wonderful new matching desks I found!

Studio Status--Will I ever stay organized?

Well, the studio was clean for a moment or two LOL! My office half has stacks of papers (novel research and magazines and bills to pay and filing and "stuff") while my work table has six partially finished projects (no one else works like that, right? )

One organizational tip I discovered is taking a plastic basket (like the ones sold to divide drawers) and using it to hold the current project pieces. I am trying to emulate my friend Beverly who makes more than one card at a time, so if I want to make a small series of very similar cards, I can put all the cut pieces of cardstock or patterned paper plus the embellishments for that series in the basket until they can be assembled. The baskets I am using are pretty colors, from the dollar store, and measure about 6" x 10". They will nest inside each other and if everything in them is flat, they can stack on top of each other while being used. The size works well for most card sizes and for my bookmarks and ATCs too. The baskets also will slip onto my shelves easily so I can keep more of my workspace clear, especially if doing direct-to-paper or other potentially messy work.

Since I work from home and my studio shares space with both my personal office and the desk/PC/phone I use for my paying job Monday-Friday, I have found I need to remove myself from that room once I am logged off for the day.

With the basket system, if I want to work in front of my TV, I can grab the wooden TV tray, some adhesive, my non-stick craft sheet or self-healing mat, and some card/ATC/bookmark blanks. Voila! Since the embellishments are already coordinated with the papers and the pieces are already cut and stamped, I can assemble a project easily.

Does anyone else work from home and have other ideas on organizing a shared office/studio?

Clutter Chaos aka Craft Studio Run Amok

Anybody ever find that to clean up and organize means to mess up more first? I must have been insane to agree to help a friend re-organize her studio last weekend. I had torn my living room up the week before because of assembling my new elliptical and needing to rearrange the room to accommodate it. See, I know me--I will not exercise if I don't have a TV to watch while I am doing it, and since the only TV is in the living room, that's where the elliptical had to go.

So, crazy work schedule + torn-up living room (which also meant stacks of books in the bedroom and dining room while moving the bookcase) = a totally chaotic mess, which I left for a full day to help a friend. Started off by falling in the tub and banging my knee. We did get much of her room done and I did get a wonderful steak dinner from Texas Land & Cattle (a totally terrific steakhouse). I even got to stop and get my shelving unit plus two bookcases and a lamp (using various Walmart gift cards earned through my job).

The problem was, by the time I got home and got all my stuff into my upstairs apartment (banging my bad knee on the stairs in the process), I was way too beat up and tired to do my own studio. It has been relegated to fits and starts/bits and pieces. The shelving unit is up, the lamp put together and in place, the studio bookcase is in place. Some of my embellishments have been reorganized (thanks to sorting and winding while watching a PBS Lawrence Welk retrospective and remembering how much my grandparents loved that show).

Won't post pictures here of the living room or bedroom bedlam, but to give you just a hint of what I am facing in the studio, here are a few "before" photos.

You can't tell here, but there are dowel rods on the wall (see the stringy things hanging down at the top of the picture?) They hold my ribbons on spools, but are overcrowded and a bit off-kilter. I have purchased cafe rods that I am going to mount onto 1x3 boards and then mount the boards on the wall; same basic idea in the same basic location but will look better and stick out just a bit farther to allow the ribbon to spin better.

The white shelves holding my ink pads are Ink Pad Palaces from Mother Rubber http://motherrubber.com/ and I absolutely love them! They ship fast, put together easily, are stackable and wall-mountable, and as you can tell with one of them, drawers are available. Yes, they are white corrugated cardboard, but they can't be beat for the price!

This is my new shelf unit from Walmart. I was quite surprised to get it home and find the black uprights are actually plastic. (what should I expect for under $30?) My "good" sewing machine (for quilting, etc.) that was given me by a friend of a very good friend (they were de-cluttering, yippee for me LOL!) is on the bottom shelf. Eventually, I want a toaster oven on the shelf that sits table height (setting on a heatproof mat)--I'll use it for polymer clay, shrink plastic, etc. My melting pot is also destined for these shelves once the chaos is cleared; that way it may finally get used. Currently, the little rolling file under the table holds various magazines, but it will be repurposed soon for cardstock and specialty papers. Eventually, the white wire shelves in the corner will be moved on top of one of the short bookcases on the other side of the room; they can then serve as a hutch for my other tabletop. This table will then be cleared off to hold my everyday sewing machine in such a way that I can begin to use it at the drop of a hat--set up and ready to sew on cards, altered art, collage, etc. I should also have space for a small pressing board for techniques requiring a craft iron (I certainly don't have space in this room for a full-sized ironing board).

Okay, can't justify lengthening this post anymore. Time to stop talking about organizing and start doing a bit more. This was a nice rest at the PC, but back to work for me. I'll post part two later...