Brief Showers of Attention April, 2011

[Harmony]

Hmmm 10 x 12 is a decent size. How big is the room you're using now? And is there a closet in there? I'd go with TV myself, but sometimes I have mine on just for noise, and the feeling of not being alone. It's a learned habit. Yes, definitely a nice little chair for DD. Perhaps there will be one surface somewhere she can use for homework if she wants to join you out there...will make it seem like more a part of the house for sure.

Curtains are a great idea, I'm thinking something like a nice roman shade. Down for privacy when you're not there, up for view when you are. Boy, I wish I had this room down here!

Nancy, I had toys in a low cabinet when my kids were little. Great idea!

[Indiana]

Your new room sounds wonderful Harriet.

Instead of a curtain how about a (I don't know the real name) valance with a angle piece that comes down. I have one in my office, bathroom and back door. It lets in a lot of light and frames the window. I also have blinds in the bath and office and sheers in the office.

Mine are similar to this:

valance

Your new sewing area sounds so exciting.

[Harriet]

Dd12 and I worked in her room today, just general decluttering. We need to get into that closet and into the underbed storage and start some serious paring-down.

I'm leaving an approx 12x12 room with a coat-closet, but it also houses some things that aren't related to sewing. The new space measures 9.4 x 11.5 (so that shows the difference between an exterior and interior measurement, of course, since exterior was given at 10x12). I'll be leaving behind a large desk that takes up a lot of space and is better suited to dd's homework than my sewing. Also I won't keep trying to house our family's books anymore, so that's a few bookshelves worth. I won't try to bring any completed quilts out there to store, and so that saves some space - they need to find homes with the other linens.

HRH has changed his mind about shelving until I've lived in it a while. We'll go with tall bookcases we already own and see where/how I really want things placed before we make holes in the walls. That puts us on a faster track, since there's less to wait for now. But dd31's family arrives Friday so I don't see much project-time this week. I have a feeling it will be harder to keep this space looking neat since I'm going to need to use every inch efficiently. The window is tall, but only 22 inches wide. Now it has occurred to HRH that I might be out there after dark sometime, so he insists on blinds. I don't know what he's worried about. Sammie would never leave that deck if I were in there.

[atlanticflyer]

lol was reading but got hung up on Nancy selling her books i declutter a little each day, helps keep me focussed. i stopped saving empty containers like yogurt and cottage cheese and immediately toss them in recycling after they are washed

[Dove]

Harriet, your new sewing space sounds so delightful! HRH is very thoughtful . I like your idea of a storm door for more light. When we replaced ours a few years ago we got one that has a rolling screen on it. For warmer weather the glass can be hidden in between the bottom door panels, & the screen rolls down in its place. For your window I vote for mini blinds hidden under a valance since you will be sewing all different times of the day, to help with both sun glare & privacy at night.

Taking a break from the attic. Started working in a long sleeved shirt but had to switch to a T shirt. Days are getting much warmer here so I am pushing to get as much done as possible. Spent a few hours up there yesterday & today. It was really fun to uncover items that could go right into the newly labeled containers ! This bookcase was so crammed with odds & ends it has been slow going through it. By the end of today's session I was able to separate things into boxes in several categories, like tools (glue guns, pliers, etc) storage containers ( I have a large box full of shoebox sized & smaller storage containers in several shapes), autumn themed supplies (silk leaves, mini pumpkins, ribbon, etc) & fortunately only one (slightly overflowing) box of misc. Tossed a lot & filled half a garbage bag.

Was able to throw lots of glass jars into recyling bucket. I was into those gift jars a while back where you layer all the dry ingredients to cookie & soup recipes, then give as a gift with the recipe attached. If I do that again in future I'll use the canning jars I have stored in the basement.

All that is left on the bookcase now are 4 or 5 cardboard holders of craft magazines & some misc catalogs, plus a portable file box FULL of misc craft articles/ideas/project instructions I gathered over the years. I really don't want to stop & deal with paperwork. I will probably toss/recycle a lot of it, but I want to go through it first. Think I'll put them all in a box & move it close to the staircase. That way, when it gets too hot to work up there I can bring a little at a time downstairs to go through. I'm hoping to leave the bookcase as empty as possible so I can put books on there in future. (Shhhhhhh -- don't tell my dh that! )

Way to go on your decluttering, everyone!

[Harriet]

Thanks everyone for helping me think!

miscellaneous - I think there must ALWAYS be some containers for miscellaneous, Dove. Life just doesn't always fit into categories. Try to stay cool up there.

Saving little items - I used to save yogurt cups atlantic flyer, because they are about the right size for starting plants. But I really don't do that any more, and if I ever do, some kind of cups/pots will certainly pop up for use, so I let them go. Actually a little hard to do!!!

I found a bargain on a set of 5 rubbermaid-style containers that are, I guess, shoebox size? Using those and some consolidation in all the others to try for getting all fabrics containerized and all containers labeled. Washed down bookcases.

[Nancy]

Today I cleared out the utensil drawer next to the stove too everything out.
Found four ice cream scoops!

We do not even buy ice cream any more so have put one aside for just in case, two
others for dgd to play with and the rest are in w/ the declutter stuff this week.

Spring cleaning was on the local news with organized home web site being mentioned.

[Dove]

I'm in the home stretch with the craft supplies in the attic. Put all the clay & clay tools in a container & labeled it, same with the beading supplies. I've tried different crafts over the years & am excited that now it will be so easy to grab a container with everything I need for that craft in it. This will come in very handy when the temps are too hot or cold to be up there -- I can just grab what I need & bring it all downstairs to play with.

Found some kits (soapmaking, making a stuffed bunny, rubberstamping), vinyl tablecloths, & a laundry basket full of yarn. More than half the yarn belonged to dmil, from when we cleaned her home out after she passed away. I didn't want to throw it away back then even though I wasn't fond of most of the colors. Went through everything & kept only a few skeins; boxed up the rest to bless someone else with.

Found two hanging pocket shoe holders & instantly remembered LisaB's great idea to use them to store fabric. It will work well for all the smaller misc pieces. Thinking about using the other to store seasonal flags in. Right now those are rolled up & piled on a shelf in a cabinet & it is always hard to find which one I want -- they slide around so much.

Got a bit sidetracked in two large storage cabinets yesterday. Realized that if I put Easter & Spring decor in a container it will free up an entire shelf that would work well for fabric. The other cabinet holds extra blankets & quilts, & I realized that a huge body pillow has been taking up an entire shelf for years but we never use it, so out it goes & there is another empty shelf .

There are two boxes left, both labeled "Misc craft stuff from dmil's". Unpacked one of the boxes & started sorting through it; haven't opened the other one yet. Started feeling overwhelmed by the first box so ended the session & came here with a cup of tea. Will go back after lunch & see if I can't finish up this afternoon.

[Harriet]

Some fabric being reorganized, some staying in the current container for the sake of speed to get things finished. Purchase of a set of 5 shoebox-sized Sterilite containers at Tarjay put to use immediately. Today going through mags and books to make sure I'm storing them in order and the way I want.

Trip to Goodwill this morning with the equivalent of 3 tall kitchen garbage bags donations gone. Only brought home one pair of shorts for dd12. Win Win.

[Dove]

The portion of the attic wall that was once a cluttered, topsy-turvy mess of craft supplies & misc storage is now decluttered.

So phase one is done -- everything has been removed & looked at, & a "stay or go" decision made about it. Next I will empty onto the table both boxes of misc that I filled up during this process & put duplicate things together. Then see if I can cull any more & get it down to one box. I also need to sort through a tall plastic bin on wheels with 4 drawers full of ribbon that will end up against that same wall.

There are two large storage cabinets up here that I have been thinking about, the ones mentioned in a previous post. If I rearrange what is in those, I can have one for out of season blankets, quilts, and bath rugs & the other can hold the fabric I found in the craft bins. The bottom shelves in one of them already holds several bolts of material & batting as well as a few bags of fiberfill. I would love to have similar things all in one cabinet.

Was able to fill another trash bag, plus another box for donation. I also have a box of misc bowls & cat carriers for the animal shelter, & the book donation boxes (that have really been in my way during this process). I would like to go through the bookshelves once more & see if I can't find more to donate. Hopefully the used bookstore that buys books is still in business.

So far the wooden bookshelf & rolling cart are still empty . There are labeled plastic storage bins on the two metal shelving units, plus a few empty ones. If I can find room in the cabinet for the fabric I will hopefully be able to fit all the craft supplies in bins on the two metal shelving units, & leave the wooden one for books. I have many books in the office that I would like to move up here.

It's funny how I often find myself thinking about this project when I am not up there working on it . In the back of my mind I am often processing ideas & thinking through how to arrange things & best use the space. During the fun parts it has been easy to work for several hours; other times, after getting overwhelmed, just a half hour at a time really made a difference. It has also motivated me to work on cleaning the whole attic, even if it takes the rest of the year, by focusing on one area at a time.

Indi, do you have much left to go through before your move? It has been inspiring to read in pwyc over the last several months how you have been sorting & packing & blessing others with what you are not bringing with you.

How's the craft room coming along, Harriet? Have you had any time time to play in there yet?