Until Death Do Us Part

Piles.  Were you surprised at what was lurking underneath all that cool stuff?   More cool stuff!   Was it 6’ under?   Isn’t it hard to part with?  Because someday, you know it will come in handy and you know that the minute you part with it, you’ll wish you hadn’t.   Did you bite the bullet and make some major evaluations of your stuff?   If you didn’t get to the “part with” stage yet, that’s okay.  Make a “maybe part with” pile but definitely part with the “until death do us part” pile.  You’ll be surprised once you get everything out at what you decide is worth keeping and what isn’t and all those wonderful treasures that were hidden and tucked away for a rainy day will still be there if you move it to the someday pile. 

Okay, let’s start at the beginning.  Hopefully you gave this endeavor some thought.  I’m assuming you did a quick check and now you know if you are just reorganizing within your space or if you will need storage bins and/or more.  Have you considered a budget if you need one?

Whether you spend time reading, drawing, coloring, beading, writing,  pasting, or listening to music, flexible storage solutions are a major factor to organizing a practical space.  Now that you have your piles and before you start buying stock in your local container store, consider your space and where you will store your stuff.  If it is on hand (closest) be aware of your surroundings and don’t get too big.  If it is temporary (tomorrow) will it fit under the bed, if it is an inactive but not yet extinct hobby (someday) will it fit in your garage or attic.  Are you going to need to put up shelving to house your bins in your studio or in your garage or attic?   Yes, you may ask your really cool neighbor if she will store some of your stuff, but have an alternative method in mind just in case she says "no."  Think it through.

Let’s take the weekend to finish up “saying farewell and thank you for coming” to our dried up paints, stiff brushes, a gooey stuff.   If you’ve decided to purge, take the weekend to donate to a charitable cause; if you need bins or trays, evaluate your space and decide on your décor.  It is much easier to start or add to something you love and doesn’t make much sense to add to something you are already having a difficult time living with.  And if you’re ready, by all means happy shopping.  If you are buying storage containers or bins color coordinating with your decor, always buy a few more than you think you will need because the new colors today may not be available next season. 

So how did you sort?  Was it by close, closer, closest or was it by color?   Or both?  Your choice.   Don’t forget to take before and after photos to keep track of your progress. 

Dale G. shares her before and after photo of her studio.

 

Before

Rick agreed to build me a work counter, desk and shelves if I cleared this room out.  Before that I had a bunch of 6' tables.  What a jumbled mess this room was. 












Now it is my super duper art studio.  It is amazing what a little

shelving and containers can do to help organize a space. 

After

My biggest tip: have a home for everything and label that

home whether it be a binder, file, drawer, etc

Only put same types of objects in one home. For example,

Keep  rubber bands in one container, paper clips in another.

Mixing the two makes things into a mess.

Quote:

"There it was, hidden, in alphabetical order."

Rita Holt

We're moving on.  Meet me here Monday.