I know it's unorthodox to take pictures of one's mess. I did this to illustrate the mayhem in my life that is leading me to the brink of a nervous breakdown. I can't exactly put my finger on why things have spiraled so out of control, but I am sure there are many factors that led up to the disorganization and accumulation of stuff. Having a baby certainly is a valid excuse - the gear involved is astronomical and short-lived. Plus the baby is a full time job and doesn't alot any time for tidying up. Additionally, we have a severe shortage of space. Our family has definitely outgrown our space. This, of course, is liveable, but only if we SIMPLIFY our lives and let go of our materialistic ways.My goal this summer is to order my house and belongings. This is going to be an enormous undertaking that involves much throwing away, much donating, and a few large rummage sales. At the end of the summer, things will be clean, orderly, simplified, and I will get my mind unjumbled. We will be able to use our back garage again (instead of using it as a storage shed), and I will be able to be productive in my office rather than getting a migraine just by stepping foot in there.
I started on this task over Memorial Day weekend. Saturday morning I came across an old, scratched up sewing desk at a rummage. It was sturdy and was a dream come true regarding the organized storage it offered, so I snatched it up for five dollars. I removed the hardware, gave it a light sanding, and put three coats of paint on it (paint I had on hand that I bought 50% off from the "oops" mixes). I also had some pegboard in the garage that I bought about ten years ago for a project I never got to in my old house. I dug that out and painted it the same color.
Midway through the desk restoration, I started feeling guilty about putting so much effort into making a workable space for my hobbies while poor old BA doesn't even have anywhere to keep his baseball cards. So I aborted my project for a few hours to clean out a large bookcase in our room. I tossed tons of stuff and reorganized the rest. I cleared out enough space to relocate all of his baseball books into there, thus freeing up a large storage unit (that he crafted himself in shop in high school - bonus!) for him to use for his card collecting hobby.
After taking care of my guilty conscience, I had to tackly my office. It was so overstuffed that I couldn't even walk in there. The kids (and BA for the most part) have been forbidden to enter that room for quite some time. They think it's because I hide fabulous prizes and gifts for them in there (and I sometimes do!), but it's really because it is not SAFE with so much junk everywhere, and also because it is downright shameful.
In order to have my dream sewing space, I had to first make room for my new piece of furniture. I set to the very daunting task of painfully sorting through things - LOTS and LOTS of things. I filled garbage sack after garbage sack and was very liberal about letting things go. I also relocated several items to the garage and began organizing them for an impending (within a month!) rummage. I stayed up past midnight for four nights in a row, because after Sophie goes to bed, I can get some hard core uninterrupted work done and really make progress. I am not finished and will probably be bleary eyed and completely sleep-deprived until I am.
I do have the desk in my office now, though. I plan to hang pegboard behind it to organize all sorts of sundries and tools related to sewing. Ultimately, there will be a space dedicated to sewing, a space dedicated to scrapbooking, a computer space, and a space dedicated to gifts/wrapping. I will be much more productive, creative, and efficient when this is all done. It will be a joy to spend time in my office tending to my hobbies. Right now it's been a nightmare, because I spend more time looking for things than I do crafting things.
I am posting "before" pictures (office and garage) as well as "mid-project" pictures. Stay tuned for some eye-catching "after" pictures. I'll also take suggestions, but am not open to criticism regarding the state in which I allowed things to snowball. I assure you I've learned my lesson.
Good for you, Jeni. Your office looks fabulous and I must admit I am slightly jealous. I have spent the last month cleaning and organizing my whole house, but bought only one storage unit (at the pricey retail store), so you did better than I did on that score. I thought I'd never get done and I have no kids or full time job to slow me down. It's a very satisfying feeling to have things clean and organized.
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