I have been dreaming about giving my craft room a complete overhaul. A radical makeover….
Source: hviturlakkris.blogspot.com via Marianne on Pinterest
In my mind I was tearing down walls, installing wooden boards, whitewashing my laminate flooring, removing pipes, replacing radiators, painting all my furniture white….
In my mind it was starting to look like this:
Source: 79ideas.org via Marianne on Pinterest
Or maybe like this:
Source: juliasvitadrommar.blogspot.com via Marianne on Pinterest
Keywords: white and airy, organized and uncluttered, with lots of beautiful storage. Vintage furniture, industrial touches, walls that look like a beach cabin, interesting lighting and did I say no clutter.
Oh I was so ready to start ripping my craft room apart and starting over…
And then….
Reality Check……
On any given day my craft room looks more like this:
Or this….
With piles like this:
Unorganized clutter everywhere.
So last Friday I was so done with it. I literally had the keys in one hand and the door knob in the other, ready to go to Ikea and get myself a nice big Hemnes dresser to contain the clutter.
- When I realized that Hemnes dresser isn’t exactly cheap…
- And you never go to Ikea without spending a hell of a lot more than what you came for…
- And I can think of a gazillion other things I could spend that money on….
- And organization doesn’t start with storage, it starts with decluttering….
- And no matter how nice I make my walls look, and no matter how nice my furniture is, if I can’t control the mayhem my room will never look nice…..
So instead I decided I need to get myself into action.
I need to stop procrastinating and DO SOMETHING!!!
And last year taught me, that I need a good challenge to get me moving.
So here it is, my own personal craft room challenge:
Use it, or…… lose it, toss it, donate it….
My craft room is so full with stuff I bought ‘to make something with’, with stuff I didn’t throw away ‘because I can repurpose it’, with stuff I am hanging onto ‘because it might come in handy one day’, with things I found that were just so cheap ‘for that price I can not not buy it’.
So starting now, I am putting this challenge out there for myself, and for anyone who wants to join me.
Every month I am going to tackle something I have laying around in my craft room and I am either going to come up with a use for it, or it is getting out of here….
Starting with this pile:
I blogged about this pile of new winter fabrics exactly a year ago exactly two years ago {updated I was off by a year!!! OW!}. I had big plans for it. Not much has happened then. One pair of trousers got sewn. And then I lost a button and I haven’t worn it since. One blouse has been started but never finished, another pair of paints are about 50% finished. The rest is still just fabric.
So here is my challenge for me. As you are my witness:
Next month I’ll be here with a small, highly personal Fashion show, showing you what I made with these fabrics…..
Or how I donated them to a good cause…..
One of the two but they WILL NO LONGER BE A PILE OF FABRIC IN MY CRAFT ROOM!
‘Got that, mrs Songbird?????’ “Yes, got it….”
I’ll be sharing my progress on my Facebook page. Feel free to cheer me on, or even better join in. Let’s get those craft room UFO’s finished and accomplished….
You are so brave Marianne! This post took a lot of guts to pubicly announce your challenge for yourself. I admire your courage. Thanks for the honesty too. It is so encouraging to see, even the talented successful bloggers have their “issues”. I can totally relate to the clutter bug. I keep and aquire things for all the reasons you mentioned. Maybe I’ll follow suit and do something about it! I’ll let you know. Thanks again for being you.
Thanks!
I can only be one thing, and this is totally and whole -heartedly me.
Yes please join in, so we can encourage each other!
Hmm how did I miss this one. Thanks for calling me a talented, successful blogger.
!!!!
You go girl!! I’m doing something similar… I’ve given myself a “zero dollar decorating” (both whole room redo and individual projects) challenge to use up my considerable stash of stuff.
Zero dollar! Now that is a challenge. Good luck to you. Let’s be each others cheer leaders.
I am right there with you. My craft room currently looks like the dumping ground for all things people can’t find a place for in the house. Little by little I have been organizing it, but I really need to get things moving along a little faster, especially as I continually find myself purchasing or tossing even more and throwing it on the ‘pile’ that has taken over the middle of the room.
“The pile that has taken over the middle of the room” LOL. Been there, done that. Together we can beat this monster. The comments on this post show that we are definitely not alone.
I know exactly what you’re talking about…well, sorta. I have a craft / guest room….Boy! does it need some work!
I’m just chugging along.
I’ll be watching your progress…and maybe be making some of my own.
Pat
Well let’s just strike that ‘maybe’ out of your language. Of course you are going to do it, and I’ll be there to cheer you own, and you can hold me accountable and then WE WILL DO IT!
I think you are so on the right track, Marianne! There are probably a million crafty people out there that could be doing what you are doing. But sometimes we just get carried away with the things that give us inspiration…like your fabrics, and that’s what keeps those dreams alive!
XO,
Jane
Oh yeah, in my mind all of my ‘stuff’ is beautiful, it just hasn’t reached its full potential yet. But that is what this project is all about. Use it, or give it to someone who will make it come alive again. Of course one of the hardest parts will be not the add to the stash with other beautiful stuff that is so full of inspiration….
Yay for you. Remember: if it’s rubbish – it’s rubbish in the bin or out. Better in the bin than out. I can’t believe the owners truly think their rooms are craft rooms. Obviously they have just done a big de-clutter and tidy or the do not craft. Cherrie
Hmm what owners are you talking about? The owners of the rooms in my inspiration pics? Yeah you are probably right,those pictures don’t show the mess that has been shoved outside the camera’s view. But a good inspiration picture is just that, inspiration to get moving and work on your dream. At least it is to me.
Hey, don’t forget to check craig’s list and kijiji for Ikea furniture – you might get exactly what you want for much less than you’d buy at Ikea. I personally love the photo with the brick wall… Good luck with your re-org!
I’ve been looking…..|
Just have some odd dimensions in my room to deal with, but I’ll find some extra storage soon and then I’ll organize the heck out of it
Wow! I thought I was the only one with a room that looked like that. My problem is I’ve become almost paralyzed with inertia. It seems so daunting…
Nope, you are not alone, just read the comments in this post.
Just start somewhere, with a little project that is not scary but gives instead satisfaction and a feeling of accomplishment and then let that fuel your next move. That’s how I am going to do it. First sew on that button and have one ‘project’ finished. Haha.
Way to go!!
I have lots of stuff that end up sitting in a pile too. I resolved to sew something every month, so that I can slowly work on diminishing my pile.
Good Luck with your plan!
Yeah!! Show me when you have finished something and I’ll cheer you on to the finish line (if there ever is one).
You know what? I have a five year old Hemnes dresser just like that one, in white, and all the laminate (?) along the edges of the drawers and the thin strips between them recently started falling off, all at once. And it’s SHARP. Nothing a bit of a glue can’t fix, but it’s only five years old. Plus it had begun to collapse down the middle of each side, and my husband had to take it apart and add extra screws and hardware to tighten it up so the drawers could close properly. So don’t lust after it too much. Really.
We actually needed another dresser so we just got the tall Hemnes one last week (you know, the one with the two small drawers at the top?) but I got a solid wood version (grijsbruin – I’m going to paint it). The solid wood one is actually cheaper than the MDF covered with laminate version! I don’t get it! But if you decide to get one at some point, I recommend doing that – then you can choose your white, or do a chippy paint job, or whatever you fancy.
Oh Marianne, this post had me laughing out loud!!! Have you seen my craft room?!? It’s in the same sad state! It’s my long term project for this year too. And I have given myself a similar challenge. Great minds think alike!
Oh, how familiar I am with this feeling! But I wonder how many piles of stuff they pulled away before taking those pictures? I’ve tried to declutter my workspace for a loong time now. It almost impossible. I would gladly join your challenge and post pictures of my studio. And I will post a picture of my pile (embarrassing). thanks for leading me to the right direction!! Hugs
I think I’ll be joining you on this one. I think every honest crafter will admit to this same problem. I’ve often looked at the crafter room magazines and thought ‘So how long does that room truly look like that.’ It’s time my craft studio takes on some order.
You go, girl!
I committed to finishing our kitchen and we’re a day away from the reveal!
Setting a date can really move mountains~
Can’t wait to see your progress!
Next week, since our kitchen will be done, we’re starting our bedroom.
I’m so excited!
~
Your challenge could be mine. Thank you for posting your craft room “as is.” Mine usually looks the same. I have so much fabric, so many plans, and nothing gets done. Maybe I’ll join in with you, challenging myself to use up the fabric I have.
Yeah one more!! Gosh I couldn’t have thougth there were so many ‘craft room challenged’ crafters out there. Good to know that all of you are just as ‘hopeless’ as I am
So funny that you are doing this. That is my top priority this year. I have been going through my craft stuff and being very honest and brutal with myself. If I do not use it I must lose it. I have a bag of stuff to go to Goodwill and more to come. I may join you in your posting of monthly goals and what you do with the stuff you decide to post on. Thanks for the push.
Yes please join us. There is a crowd of us gathering. Seems we are all in the same boat. I’ll be posting my ongoing process on my FB page. You can let us know how it is going there too.
Go Marianne, Go!!!
i could have written this very same story……have you been hidiing in my craft room? lol
I’m in
Although…I don’t even have a craft room, but I sure have tons of unfinished little projects strewn all over the house ( and in my head). Nothing beats a good de-clutter and this was just the reminder I needed to get going! Gotta go… I have a date with old pots and a can of spraypaint right now 
And can I just say that I absolutely love your blog design!?
Thank you!! And yes join in. I hope to share my first bit of progess on my FB page later this week. I’d better get cracking cause this fashion show is happening in three weeks. Eek!
Hehe, good luck! Social accountablility is a great motivator
I ‘like’ you on FB now; looking forward to your updates!
You go!!! Hee hee. I’m trying to do a similar project in my craft room — I just can’t have the piles and bins and stuff in here another year!!
I’m also doing the fix-up, too, though, because I really want to ahve an inspiring room. In fact, I just pinned YOUR craft room as a part of my inspiration post series! Ha!
~Angela~
I just moved into a new home and finally have a designated “craft” room/office. I started moving in all the things I have kept to “re-purpose” and realized that I will NEVER get it all done. I am ACCEPTING your challenge and from this date (Feb 10th) forward, I will make 1 thing each month from items I intended to re-purpose!! Hopefully, I’ll get to post these to my blog as well. I will link back to you as I get them done each month!
Help! I haven’t even started my own challenge yet. Can you please come over and give me a kick in the booty? I’ll do the same for you
haha, this is day 5 and i’ve made….NOTHING hahaha But I guess it doesn’t help that I’ve not been home. Ok, home today, GET SERIOUS time. lol No really, I was home yesterday, but allowed my husband to monopolize my day … being that it was Valentine’s
C’mon Marianne, we can do it!! 