Wednesday, January 27, 2010

No Pride

As you know my niece recently had a birthday.* Because she's always trying to get into my craft room, the dude and I gave her a list of crafts we could do together: craft cards, style a scrapbook, concoct candy, sew an Ugly-style doll, make Muddy Buddies, construct a wreath, fashion a fleece scarf, applique an apron, paint a pot, transform a t-shirt, brew up body products, jazz up a switch plate, stamp-a-stack, decoupage a decoration, can a jam, string a necklace, knead ze dough (bake bread), or make felt acorns. We thought she'd choose a couple at some point shortly before she came over to work with us.

But she was kind of excited: she sat down with the list and put checkmarks by the ones she really, really wanted to do; circled the ones she kind of wanted to do; and struck out a couple (wreath making, applique, stamping, stringing). The most popular was the switch plate, which I had put on the list to round it out, although I had seen directions for it in a couple of the books I flipped through. At first, she had to ask what a switch plate was. It turns out, however, she had just told her mother the butterfly switch plate she had to have when she was younger was "babyish." She's also interested in canning, bread baking, making a fleece scarf, and making cards.

This means of course, that we actually have to--ahem--be able to work walk in the room. Fortunately, craftzine is in the midst of showing how some professional crafters organize their spaces. I'm taking careful notes.

The title of this post refers to what I am about to show you. I want you to know that I come by my disorganization honestly. When I was growing up we had what we called "junk rooms." If you've ever watched Clean Sweep, you know exactly the kind of room I mean. When I was very young, it was our toy room--you'd be knee deep in toys until the hammer came down. In this (rather seldom) cleaning frenzy, we'd always discover toys we had forgotten. You would have thought we'd have learned from this. In our adolescent days it was the room that had the attic access. Things were always getting dumped there on the way to the attic. (And you've heard plenty about that attic lately**.) When the dude (not the tidying kind) and I lived in our two bedroom apartment in L.A., half the study was given over to the crap. There was a little path so that you could get around the outside of the room where the bookcases were. Now, it's the craft room. (Although the basement is starting to get out of hand too.) Here's what I need to fix up in the next two weeks:



So you see what I am up against. I do hope you don't think less of me...

* Though high pitched, the girls were really very good. I only had to use my teacher-voice once when one girl pushed another into the pool. And sissy gave a lecture on not being down on themselves for being "fat" (two girls were spinning around saying "fat fat fat fat" which "wasn't directed at anyone" but one girl--the tallest and hence biggest--was blushing, and taking it personally). Ironic since sissy refused to put on a bathing suit to chaperon because she "was feeling fat." I'm pretty sure if you're a size 6 you're not allowed to feel fat. No, you've got to be in double digits for that.

**Did I mention my parents sold their house? They put it on the market shortly before Christmas and sold it three weeks later, after the first open house! If you need a stager, call my mother.

18 comments:

xeyedmary said...

I WISH my whole house was as neat as your craft room. My daughter & her boyfriend are driving me NUTS with all their crap migrating and preocreating around my house. And I've never professed to be a good housekeeper. *SIGH*
I'm seriously considering moving, so I can leave everything behind, and NOT tell them where I've gone!
Anyway, I came to visit you because The Pioneer Woman is having a Smarty-Pants vocab quiz later today: http://thepioneerwoman.com/homeschooling/2010/01/smartypants-quiz-vocabulary-edition-study-up/
I thought it'd be right up your alley!
Happy organizing!

Anonymous said...

Can I come and play with you and your niece?

dd

Silverlotus said...

We had a junk room and a junk drawer when I was growing up. The room was actually the small enclosed back porch, which we only saw when letting the dog in or out. The drawer was in the kitchen and was always difficult to close.

Since I've been out of my parents' house, I haven't had the luxury of junk room. We just don't have the space. We still have a junk drawer though, and don't open the closet in the den unless you want an avalanche of stuff.

Jenna said...

Do you want to see pics of my teeny little craft room? It might make you feel better, or maybe not. You could make it a blog challenge for your readers to show their crafting spaces, as well. I have lots of shame factor when it comes to my mess, although you can currently see the floor, since I had to put all of the Christmas decoration boxes in there temporarily over the holidays. Plus the rest of my house is a friggin' sty. But then, you've seen it, so you know what I mean. I think your craft room has amazing potential and what looks like some good storage spaces. You just need a few days to suck it up and tackle it. You can do it; no problem.

doris said...

I have to have a junk drawer in my house ... OK, there are about five ... but I can't handle junk rooms. What I do have is the most hideous, disgusting garage. Watching Hoarders is about to cure me. I'm feeling the urge to purge. Good luck with your craft space.

Danielle said...

I can't relate, as I am a total neatnik, but have you ever watched the show Hoarders on A&E? Watch just one episode and you will feel MUCH better about this one room. Trust me.

Charlene ♥ NC said...

Hey, there are spots of floor in your craft room! What's up with that?

Michelle said...

We unfortunately have a junk room too. I wish we didn't, but we do. It's mostly inundated with our wedding china and crystal which are still in the boxes because I have no place to put them. Ugh. Good luck with the craft room!

Leah said...

Oh my, you have such a beautiful space. It's going to look awesome all spiffed up. Good luck!! Don't forget to show us after pics. :)

Chocolates4Breakfast (Terri ~ Boog) said...

Yeah, no worries - you got nothin' on some cluttered spaces I've seen (even mine from time to time). Getting it all organized is such fun though once you sort of decide on a theme and colors you want to incorporate. Your space has great potential - love the window and looks like some great cubed, shelf space. Your mom can come stage my house anytime!

Nic said...

Hey, that's neat - you can still see the floor!

Have fun crafting with your niece, it's one of the perks of auntie-dom :o)

Anonymous said...

I wish my apartment was as pretty as your craft room.

Ruth said...

Think less of you? Nah. Actually I'm wondering why you're worried... I see plenty of walking and work space in there! :)

mainely stitching said...

Whew, glad that craft room isn't my job. LOL. I have no doubt that you're up to the task, though!

Congratulations to your parents! We have also accepted an offer, but because I'm one of those annoying people who worries day and night, I won't celebrate till the money is in the bank. :0

Melissa said...

Just wanted to say I'm so glad to know that I'm not alone in the world of "piles and piles of crap". It's mostly good crap just an unorganized mess. Your room really doesn't look that bad and it looks like you have some storage. Take it one corner at a time and hey, do the flylady thing, one corner for 15 mins, you can handle that, one corner, one table top, one pile, 15 mins and then you get to go do something fun. Before you know it you will have one awesome craft studio!

Von said...

There are spaces in my house eerily like your craft room, like my garage, my daughter's room, and the closet under the stairs. All the other rooms aren't far behind in clutter. Keeping the clutter down seems to be an ongoing, all-consuming process. :D

Coral said...

Um, no comment, I must be a neat freak in comparison!

xxx

Miriam said...

I like to rearrange mine often, so I like to make a mess so I can have the joy of procrastinating by reorganizing.