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My name is Linda and I am a craftaholic. My craft room had become so cluttered that I could no longer "craft" anything. I had a path from the door to my chair and a 2 foot wide space on my desk to work. :confused: I do other crafts too, not just paper crafts.
I have the 'Clearance bin, coupons, and buying the lesser quality thinking I was saving money only for it to sit and gather dust because it made my projects looks crappy' problem!! Oh and lest I forget, the supplies from "friends" who gave me stuff that they thought I could find a use for crap!!
I had tried purging stuff on my own. I thought I needed to sell the stuff I was getting rid of to at least get something out of the 'good stuff'. I have been doing that for the past two years and have actually sold NOTHING!! I just had boxes of stuff sitting ready to do something with and it never made it's way out of my craft room.
I got so stiffled creatively that I bit the bullet and had my sister come to my house and help me with the purge. She is a use it or get it out of here type. My sister is also not a crafter of any kind whatsoever so she had no problem with me getting rid of anything.
As we began to take everything out of the room, I had to tell her (and tell the truth because she knows when I am lying!) that I actually use something on a regular basis, really like it and would be using the supplies and completing unfinished projects in the very near future. She made me be realistic about how many unfinished projects I could reasonably expect to do and how many different craft genres I could do. (I still had all my counted cross stitch supplies even thought I haven't done any for years and can't anymore because of my eyesight.) Did I mention that she is my older sister?
The stuff to keep was put into catagories in another empty room. Otherwise, it went into a box to donate and each full box was immediately taken to the car. As soon as the car was full I was sent to deliver it to the Salvation Army.
The first carload of stuff was painful to part with I will admit. Oh yes there were several trips. I had about 20 years of accumulation. I kept worrying over the money that had been spent on the stuff or the money that I could have gotten for selling the stuff. But as each box was taken out of the house, I began to see the light!! It also helped each time I delivered a carload of stuff to get a receipt for the donation for my taxes and tell myself how much someone was going to enjoy finding that stuff at the Salvation Army store!
Now I'm so excited!! Everything is so organized and easy to find! The room is so uncluttered and it feels good to go in there and work. Sometimes I just walk in there and look around amazed. I haven't missed anything that I got rid of. Now I am dedicated to keeping my craft room this way and not get into the mess I was in ever again!
This might not work for everybody, you have the have the right person to give you the push. But it worked for me!
Congrats!! Don't you feel like you've lost weight!! I do when I go through my stuff. I hope you're able to show us some of your new creations as a result of your purge!!
This is so great. It does feel so good to get rid of stuff that has been sitting around for years that you don't use, and to be able to give it to someone that can use it to help others is so much more satisfying than pocketing the money and spending it on more stuff you don't need, plus you get to use it at tax time as a right off. I have an older sister that is taking a professional organizer course and I get the benifit of her organizing and purging my whole house, one room at a time, all for the cost of cookies or other baked goods. Enjoy your new space and remember that buying something that is on sale or less expensive does not always mean that it is a good buy, and only buy what you know you will use within the next few months otherwise it can be a waste.
When you have retired from crafting (if that ever happens), you should be a writer!!!
I was laughing so hard at your comments. You have made my day.
I am so glad your room is more organized. My Spring Cleaning mode kicked in the other day and I am just in the process of hitting the road with a box to a Christian thrift store.
so where exactly is the Salvation Army that got your stuff??
(only kidding)
I was thinking she could have given us a "heads up" before hand....*says the person with the one foot scoot sidesway to the 12x12 inch crafting space ;)*
Glad you feel so free! It probably has gotten all your creative juices flowing again!:mrgreen:
Last edited by RiverIsis; 04-24-2009 at 08:13 AM..
OH! flwrldy3...would you loan me your sister?? LOL
Congrats on the "purges." Painful at first...but it does help. I, personally, cannot work in disorganization and mess...it makes me crazy and blocks any kind of inspiration.
Unfortunately, my craftroom is getting WAY too crowded, too. And probably should take your efforts as incentive!
__________________ Jansy The one who dies with the most embellishments wins! www.gingersnappedgirl.blogspot.com
every once in awhile I just pack up a big box of stuff and give it away. Or have a sale. It is so freeing to know that someone else can enjoy the stuff!
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
flwrldy3...how much does your sister charge for her "purging service"? I may need to hire her (quietly closing the door on the craft room after tucking another something or other inside).
I have a sister like yours and unfortunately she lives in TN! I know I should purge (especially that DP that I have tons of!) but I always think "but what if I need it..."
I have been doing a gradual purge...some goes to a friend who has just started the stamping craze...some goes to the kids at the church, some gets sent off as RAK's to ladies here and some gets sold on Ebay. My room is looking so much better these days...
Blessings.
The same thing happened to me and I couldn't stamp for over 2 years due to the stuff jammed into my craft room. Thanks for telling your story since I thought I was the only one who had as much 'crap' as you did. It took me at least 4 months to dig myself out. I was able to sell stamps are would never use again or had never used on EBay and made about $900-$1000. Thank goodness my DH got everything ready on my computer for selling on EBay. I couldn't have done it without him. I know diddly about computers. I gave vast quanities of stuff to my sister for her grandkids and huge containers (that took 2-3 people to carry) of CS to my work. You are so lucky that your sister helped you. My family was over for Easter and you won't beleive that we ended up gathering in my 'Paper Workshop' (that's what I've decided to call it) to visit and I showed them my CB and how to use nesties/EFs. Everyone was fascinated and it was alot of fun for me. Now I just have to paint and put up window coverings.
That sounds great!! I have a small space and purge things every couple months. It does feel good to get those things you will never use out of your space, doesn't it? I give some to my kids, my sisters, and my nieces. I donate some to my son's preschool (mostly just patterned paper) or to the soroptomist. So nice to get those boxes of stuff out of my hair. I've also become a much smarter shopper. Because of my frequent purging, I am better at looking at a product and knowing if I will really use it instead of just buying it because it's cute or a good deal. (It's not a good deal if you never use it no matter how cheap it is! )
This is the EXACT reason I don't have pictures of my scrap area in my gallery! LOL!!! I seriously only have 12x12 square left on my table to work on. I can't get to half of my stuff without tripping on anything!
So I thought about cleaning my area and then I said to myself I could just go to the store and buy another table! My hubby about fell over from laughter!
so where exactly is the Salvation Army that got your stuff??
(only kidding)
You are too funny, Joan!
Congratulations to flwrldy3!
I am a sucker for a sale, and for clearance. I really need to learn to think more carefully. But, I'm having fun in the mean time. I, too, have counted cross stitch stuff that I haven't touched in several years. Papercrafting is so much quicker! I can see it if I take my glasses off.
That sounds great!! I have a small space and purge things every couple months. ... I give some to my kids, my sisters, and my nieces. I donate some to my son's preschool (mostly just patterned paper) or to the soroptomist. So nice to get those boxes of stuff out of my hair. ...
Ya' know, there aren't too many words I have to look up, but "soroptimist" was one. I can't even say that I would ever think to use that word knowing now even what it means. LOL.:-D
__________________ Brenda
<-My sibling kitties, Milo and Rousseau
Ya' know, there aren't too many words I have to look up, but "soroptimist" was one. I can't even say that I would ever think to use that word knowing now even what it means. LOL.:-D
hee hee Our local soroptomist is similar to goodwill where you can donate stuff and then, they turn around and sell it for pretty cheap. Then, the money they make in turn goes to help things/people in the community. Like they donated to/helped a family that lost their home in a fire. That type of stuff.
Thanks for all the encouragement!! My sister would probably help you out for the right price, but beware of what you ask for!! She loves to purge and organize. I think it is probably a lot less painful and fun to purge someone else's stuff.
As for where the Salvation Army is located, that shall remain a secret!! I am in "recovery" and can't be an enabler. I guess I should confess that I did entertain the idea of going there a few days later to buy back some of the stuff!! Just my addiction talking.... don't give in... let it go..LOL! I really haven't missed anything.
I'll try to get some photos done and up in the gallery!
I have also sold some things on ebay, magazines were a good sell, also; if checking first to see how many were selling the same thing. I also take contribution reciepts for tax
donations, that helps. Our library has book sales and I donated books and bundles of magazines for their sale for a tax writeoff. Now, I still have this problem of 40% off coupons I can't pass up and use to purchase more supples, so, I will always be
purging more, I guess. I just can't purge to the amount you did, though
__________________ Carolyn
my avatar: (such desparation), Dear God, if you can't make me thin; make my
friends fat"
I was thinking she could have given us a "heads up" before hand....*says the person with the one foot scoot sidesway to the 12x12 inch crafting space ;)*
Glad you feel so free! It probably has gotten all your creative juices flowing again!:mrgreen:
Oh my gosh - I laughed so hard at this post! That's so me. I was thinking "Wow I'd love to check out that stuff she got rid of." Then somehow my mind cleared and I thought "Just where do you think you would put it - you can hardly find a place to sit now!" Thanks for the chuckle!
When I realized I would be moving to another town (after living in the same place for 31 years), I started purging relentlessly! I used to save everything, thinking I'd be able to use it at some point. I would cut and flatten soda cans (they can be used to sharpen your punches, plus make cute accents for cards); save styrofoam trays (they work great for painting); envelopes (brayer over the inside for patterned paper); cardboard (a multitude of uses); well, you name it, I saved it. And then I started packing. I could have used an entire moving van just for my craft stuff. Forget the furniture! It was overwhelming. I realized that having so much stuff was really just weighing me down.
The new me took over: I sold a lot of stuff on eBay, gave away even more, took even more than that to the recycling center. Wow, I could breathe...
I donated tons of scrapbooking supplies and magazines to Head Start in my area, which was serendipitous, because the parents had just selected scrapbooking as their new project. My sister is the Director of Head Start where I live now, and I got to go to one of the parents' meetings last month, and actually teach a class on scrapbooking. To see the kids and parents working together on their scrapbooks, and seeing my donations being enjoyed and put to good use - well, it felt so great, I'm ready to go thru my stuff again.
No regrets except for 2 stamps that I sold on eBay. The best feeling? I went into Michaels' the other day, and actually came out empty-handed!
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
I can't wait to read all of the other replies but I just had to chime in my congratulations!! Isn't it wonderful!?!
I have only been stamping just over two years and I've purged a couple of times... I have limited space and can't stand to be overwhelmed by *stuff.*
It is fabulous to hear your story - your sister is a treasure! - and I'm proud of you and I don't even know you LOL!!
The last time I purged, a bunch of it went to my sister who just started doing fabulous scrapbooks. Just the other day, I took the NUM or mounted SU stamps that I didn't want to deal with selling (and mailing! all my other sale stamps are unmounted only) but didn't want anymore, and gave them to the church secretary who I recently discovered has gotten hooked on stamping. I was going to sell them to her - but on the spur of the moment just decided she could have them. It felt good and she was so grateful!
Now I have a relatively small box of stamps, all in CD cases, and it will be so much easier for me to sit down and price/list them in BST here. . . a small change but it made the task more manageable for me. And I don't have a big ol' plastic storage container sitting in my room full of stamps to sell and mocking me every day !!
Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy ~ you have now freed up your space for your creative spirit to come alive again, doing the things you love most with the stuff you love most!! Good for you !!
I read this thread and thought that I could be the person who first started it. I am looking for someone right now to come in and help me purge and empty out my craftroom. If I ever get it empty, DH is going to paint, put in more outlets, and put down the new flooring we bought. My problem is that I procrastinate. I have made it into an art form, LOL! I actually packed up a couple of boxes on my own but then I ran out of steam. You would think with that with the paint and flooring as incentive I would be inspired to "git 'er done", but nope. I just sit here and dream about what it will look like "someday"!
That's exactly the position I was in. I kept trying to do it on my own and just couldn't seem to make any headway. I am so lucky to have my sister to push me into getting it done once and for all.
If you don't have a sister do you have a friend or cousin that could help? Maybe you could help them with their hoarding problem with clothes or kitchen gadgets.
Good luck and just know that once you bite the bullet and do it, it is so freeing and feels so good.
Thanks, flwrldly3! I actually have an ad posted at our local high school to see if a couple of strong teens would want to earn some cash just helping me empty the room out. Then when it is done I can just put back the things I want to keep and deal with what is left.
I recently cleaned and organized my craft space, moved my lap top in there out of the bedroom. I have to say its changed my life, changed my productivity in every area of my day! Since I work at home, it is providing me desk space to work from and then I can "take a break" and turn around, start scrapping to release stress and flip my chair around and work again! I'm living in the best of both worlds! Who says there isn't heaven on earth! In my little corner of the world, it often feels that way.
My Craft Supplies Intervention!
