What a Difference 11 Days Can Make.....

When I set my goals for the year (err... I'm really hoping they'll become "lifestyle" changes and not just year long goals that go by the wayside on 1/1/2012), I didn't realize how great they really would be for me.

And really, for my family too.

My studio is well underway to becoming a tidy haven again. How I've missed the peace I can find in a tidy creative space. I can get in there, make things (AND tidy up my mess), and feel refreshed. I can hang out in there and know that when my adventuring son stops in (his room is RIGHT across the hall), he's not going to impale himself on a glue stick. He enjoys bringing his sweet (to him) treasures in (make that lots of little matchbox cars and Thomas the Train friends) and playing with them on the floor. Really... it's heavenly.

I've done well with some of my other goals as well. I'm pleased!

A few interesting things that surprised me while working on organizing paper in my studio this week:

  • Apparently I have a huge affinity for the color green. I have twice the amount of 12x12 cardstock than any other color. Green is quickly followed by blue and then yellow. Honestly, I knew I liked the color green, but thought I preferred red to it. Hmm. And, I am honestly shocked by yellow. It is a bright happy color for sure, and I must have continued to subconsciously purchase it for cheeriness.
  • Another observation is that I did not realize the huge number of differing adhesives that are available on the market. One day, I decided to review the adhesives I had in my "unopened" bin. (These are glues, glue sticks, sprays, tapes, and other types of adhesives that I procured for later use). Dude. I had 69 different kinds of adhesives. Different. Kinds. (I'm not even going to go into how many duplicates I had of those 69. SCARY day.) I'm bummed thinking about how many of them have dried up.  (Yes, for the record, some dry adhesives do dry to a point where they are no longer usable.
  • It's a very good thing that I'm trying to not purchase any craft or hobby supplies this year. It's definitely a GREAT thing that I'm really trying to not purchase any patterned paper. I have a sorting method that works well for me and when sorting out patterned papers, I realized I have entirely too many pieces of paper with just stripes or dots on them. For real. I also have a HUGE affinity for the scrapbooking manufacturer Scenic Route. I have by far more of their papers than any other manufacturer. Time for a clean out there, for sure. 
I've realized that I will never use quite a bit of what I have. As I go through things, I'm setting aside the things I know I will never use but are in new condition. I haven't decided what I'm going do to with them yet, but seperating them out from the rest of the items is helpful. It reminds me that I set a great goal for the year (more on the guilt of the goal later) and that I am on the right track.

Be sure to check in on my goal blog (Organizing my Life...One Week at a Time) to see how I did this week with organizing and to see the photos. I think it's quite impressive!

4 comments:

chantal johnson said...

Love it..I can soooooo relate...Thanks for sharing.

Lisa said...

You might consider donating some of your excess stuff to a place like Ronald McDonald house or perhaps the women's shelter. I bet it would bring a lot of joy into their worlds.
I'm trying to get organized right along with you - so "thanks!" for the inspiration.

Wanda said...

When we were getting ready for our PCS the other day...I gathered up all sorts of stuff (arts and crafts, toys, videos, etc) and dropped them off at the local elementary school. His Special Needs teachers are going to split everything with the rest of the teachers. Everything extra comes out of their pocket and they can always use more stuff. The art teacher got my leftover SB stock. :)

Unknown said...

Are you sure that you are not describing my craft room when you use the term "impale on a glue stick"....??? I have been straightening up my hoarding nightmare of a room for over a year now....