Organizing Challenge Progress report.

I am pretty happy with where things are going with putting away thing in my new basement. I have Holiday desorations stored under the stairs, I emptied many boxes. Toys are on shelves, videos and DVD's are on Shelves. I unearthed the train table. Even though my boys have outgrown their Thomas Trains. they still find used for the table Hubby made for them. There are still some boxes of books and office supplies lying around. I do need to neaten them up.

Hubby did promise he start to work on organizing his workbench area. So I am at the point where I can go down and empty one box and enjoy the fruits of my labor. Having Monday off when the rest of the family had work/school was an immense help. I moved shelves, piled boxes, etc. I need to make arrangements to take the boxes back to the co-worker who loaned them to me.

Here are some before pictures. Boy some of these are small. I think because I uploaded them to facebook at home and downloaded them the display here. I am unable to make them bigger. The other ones were taken directly from the camera to my machine.



Here are some in progress pictures:























I purchased these shelving systems from Home Depot. They are by Closet maid. I love shelves. I want to install more, but that will have to wait until next month when I have an influx of more spendable cash.

My Original Post about participating is here.

Fall Organizational Challenge 2007

So I'm trying Org Junkie's Fall Organizational Challenge again. Last year I did not make it. But I am trying again. We moved in July and my basement is a sea of packed boxes.

I am a crafter. So I have lots of stuff. This is an unfinished basement. I have been buying shelving units. The type where you have tracks and adjustable brackets. I love them. I took before pictures, but I do not have them to post right now.

I purged a lot this spring when we put the old house on the market. As of this past weekend, I had all of my paper crafting stuff put away, My Husband had installed a piece of countertop for my craft workspace. He still needs to run electricty, hang a light and some peg board.

One big obstacle I have is that the basement is L-shaped. The short part is the mechanical area. It has large workbench that my Hubby had claimed and his stuff is still where it was set when it was moved in. I need to carve my space out of this area.

The Challenge I currently face is that I have 2 shelving units up and full already. One has all of my paper crafing and general crafting stuff. The other set has those household items You keep for special occasions. I still have three boxes of sewing supplies that I do not know where to put. I also do not know where to put my sewing machine cabinet.

Another challege is the lack of electrical outlets in the basement. My Dad promised to help Hubby run some outlets Thanksgiving weekend. Right now to get electricity to the main part of the basement. We have an extension cord run across the unfinished ceiling to the middle ofthe room where two desks are pushed together. This is powering the TV, XBOX, Computer and Monitor. I cannot rearrange that part of the basement until we can plug stuff in at reasonsalbe places.

But I am going to give it a try.

We moved from a house twice the size of our current one, but the old house had lots of storage. When I think about how much I purged, I am amazed at how I am having difficulties putting away the stuff I still have left.

Organizational Challenge

Laura over at I'm an Organization Junkie is conducting a Spring 30 Day Organizational Challenge. I particpiated in her Fall challenge and felt like I fell flat on my face. I was unable to accomplish my goal. My before pictures are posted here. (Ed: I fixed the link) But I finally accomplished my goal which was to clean up my craft area. I developed an accute case of TMS (Too Much stuff). I knew I should get rid of some stuff that I no longer have a great need for, yet when my 11 Yo had to build a model of a virus, I dug enough materials to create one. (Glass Christmas ornament, Pipe cleaners, raffia...) I like to be able to grab a couple of googlie eyes and doll hair.

However, I don't scrapbook with 12x12 paper anymore. But that can be cut down as necessary. So what to get rid of. Well I had duplicates of craft paints. I don't do much painting anymore. So why keep paints that don't fit into my nifty paint holders. So out went the extra paint bottles. Out went scraps of paper. I am using large scraps of my fabric stash to protect breakables in moving boxes. But here are my after pictures. Wouldn't you love to have this great craft area. It is right next to my laundry area.