Clean house = clean mind?

Sorry to disappear like that, but the day I was redesigning this blog we had a death in our family. I've not felt very creative for several weeks and instead spent some quiet, therapeutic time reorganizing my craft room. I've also upped my dog-walking schedule and have lost a few pounds (I'll get that meter back up soon). The kids are now settled into their school routine and life is getting back to normal.

As I said back in August, a new name seems good. That first attempt was unwieldy. I landed on this one after thinking about a natural nickname for Nancy that has never quite stuck to me. There's even a children's book series my youngest likes called Fancy Nancy, but in reality, I'm not fancy. Never have been. There was a time where every single item of clothing I owned was black except for some white blouses for summer. I was never a Goth girl, but rather more of a "Hey, this won't show dirt!" kind of woman. I rarely iron. I have expanded my wardrobe over the years, but there's still loads of black. I've added brown as a basic too - gettin' crazy in my old age. Now the advantage is that black and brown make great backdrops for colorful knitting. Even lace doesn't look too fancy on me since I don't wear makeup and I have wash-n-go curly hair. My bigger challenge is not looking like a cross between Stevie Nicks circa 1975 and Professor Trelawny. A few weeks ago I put on my "dress" sandals with a 1.5" heel (i.e., not birks) and tinted lip gloss and my youngest said "Wow Mommy, you're so dressed up!" Enough said.

I've always been amused by the clean house = clean mind attitude. While I certainly have a reverential moment of silence every other Thursday when every floor and bathroom in the house is clean at the same time (it's only a moment, because the kids come home 10 minutes later), I'm not really bothered by messiness. Dirt and dust are inanimate, so once they've settled somewhere I figure they'll still be there the next time I look for them. I really miss my floor at the old house because that tile pattern could hide dust bunnies the size of Texas. But this floor is the same color as the dog, so there are advantages.

Yes, I pick my home decor like I pick my clothes - low maintenance and dirt-hiding abilities are critical. Anyway, all this defense for messiness aside, there is something to be said for having a cleared work space and organized tools and materials. So maybe rather than clean, I'll go with a clear. I don't really care to be too clean-minded (go where you please with that one), but I like the idea of clear-headed. With that attitude I rearranged my craft space.

I started nine years ago as a stamper. Added scrapbooking a few years later, then knitting and, finally quilting and sewing. Each of these interests brings STUFF. Lots of stuff. The biggest challenge has been figuring out which things can be tucked away knowing I'll know right where to look when I need them, and which things must stay in front of my eyes if I ever dream of using them. Also there's "How often do I use this?" followed by the "Would I use it more often if I could reach it easily?"

All the classic rules of organization apply - like with like and a place for everything. Oh, and I had virtually no budget. Enter IKEA and Target, those cathedrals of modern design to which so many of us make pilgrimages when faced with the soul searching question "How do I do this cheaply with a modicum of style?" As my budget was about $100 this was more about adding really useful details as opposed to new furniture.

The IKEA shopping list:

* Rail system with baskets and hooks.
IKEA has three or four systems that will force you to stand there for 20 minutes comparing and contrasting. I choose this one because of the baskets and cups, since having the paint and stamping supplies at my desk were at the top of my list. There's also a shelf system we use in the laundry room that I really like.

* Magnet board

* Round spice containers with magnet on back
First found the white and black versions on sale at Target, but they're lightweights compared to the IKEA ones (priced about the same) which have lock-down tops and much stronger magnets.

* Magnet hooks (sold next to the boards)

* Magnet clips and decorative magnets (these were from Target I think)

* Magnetized knife rail (super strong!)

* Wall-mounted magazine rack (yet to be mounted)

* Magazine boxes (I already had these, but love them)

These items allowed me to bring most of the things I wanted to be able to see and reach easily to my desk area without taking up desk top space.

Target:

* Small white 3-drawer box
Mine is old, but as must of us know, Target is the place for plastic storage!

* Michael Graves cloth-covered closet boxes (the insides are flexible but strong plastic).
Not sure what Graves had in mind, but these are perfect for folded fabric. I'll show you more as I finish folding my fabric. I've got three sizes to fit different shelves.

I love that folded fabric shows you more of the color and pattern at a glance, but I was having trouble with the stacks just loose on the shelves. Things would get wonky and pulling one out of the middle led to avalanches. In these boxes adding or removing from the middle is a breeze and I can easily take an entire collection to the dinning room where I plan quilts. LOVE LOVE LOVE these boxes!

That expanding letter file in the center of my desk has been in my closet for a while. Found it on the damaged table at the office supply store. You other scrappers know one of the biggest challenges is keeping your flat embellishments in some kind of order. Not sure this is the best, but I already had it, so that works for me.

There is a quilt for my youngest daughter in the works, but I haven't had a chance to sew the blocks together. Here's the layout. The one on the table is a carry-around quilt.

I always have helpers:

I will finish with a mouth watering photo. Sorry, none to share. This was the last serving of delicious homemade Texas jelly. Thanks so much Julia! And you didn't know it, but your cute little crafty buttons already had friends here. The artist gave me these to match my girls.

    

Comments

[Risa]

I like the new blog look and the name... same fabulous pictures and as always an inspiring read. LOVE the new organization. Clean? Not me, but you knew that having seen my old apartment ;) Organized is what I'm striving for!

[Octopus Knits]

I love your knew banner -- so colorful! I really enjoyed your post and all the photos are great (the dog-matching floor pic is priceless).

[juliet]

I'm so glad you're back and so very sorry to hear about the bereavement, I'm thinking of you. I love the name and banner - my mum is a Nancy and the daughter has Nancy as a middle name (because I love the name and my mum!), I have always associated the name with good and courageous qualities - quietly bloody-minded and very quirky and original and with an ability to focus on what matters and get things done with great class. I am glad you have Nancy in your banner - Nancys' should be celebrated and there should be more of them. The photos are all great - I'd love to have a nosey about in your workspace (wouldn't touch anything honest, just look) and the quilts are so pretty - and the cat sets them off perfectly!

[--Deb]

I LOVE organizing things. I find it so satisfying! Everything looks great.

[suzanne]

Oh! its gorgeous! You see both the order and the loveliness of the stuff that is organized!

[Jenn]

Looks so good! I am prone to the "If I don't see it I won't use it" factor...but alas, not everything can be on display ALL of the time.

Great space, it has a great feel to it!

[Julie Rappe]

I like the new look of your blog, and I really like the new name! It's so nice to have you back. :o)
My sympathies on the bereavement. Deaths set the whole world upside down in so many ways. Meant to tell you previously that I thought the twirly skirts in colors for school days were just great. Time to head to the big time and make yourself something. -Julie

[ellen]

Welcome back! It's great to hear from you. I love your new name and organized craft space. At my house the only really organized space is the knitting armoire; but the spice rack is not far behind. Everything I'm knitting now is a Christmas present, so the knitblog has gone into hibernation.

[moni]

Sorry to hear about your loss...Glad you had a restful time. We need those now and again.

Your a woman after my own heart :). I'm so not very fancy either. I was kind of feeling bad about it the other day and your post kind of made me feel a little bit better :)

[Julia]

Oh I love the new stuff! Name, banner, organized craft space. Please come visit me and tell me what to do with all my stuff! I don't scrap or stamp, but this knitting and sewing is taking over my life and house. My family is quietly ignoring it, but there will be company for the holidays and I might have to rent storage. I am delighted that you actually ate the jelly - it has become my favorite. I even planted the seeds here at my place so I'd have some easy to get to, but honestly those things grow all over the state and they are ignored for the most part. I'm trying to pull myself out of a non-blogging mood and may do it very soon. Been sewing more than knitting - considering my queue, that is very bad. Take care of you.

[Teresa C]

Glad to see you are back. And ummm. WOW.

[aija]

Welcome back! Thanks for sharing a peek of your craft room :)

[amanda cathleen]

sorry to hear about your loss.

dude! I love your craft table! Very inspiring.. very...
off plan my ikea trip ; )

[Anja]

Oh, it is so nice to see your creative place.
I also have many interests like cross stitching, knitting and patchwork. When the cildren became older, I got the little "babyroom" for me. I choose
a romantic wall paper, bought new not expensive furniture and my dream came true. I love that room. I love to organise my stuff. I like to find a clear
desk in the morning because it helps for a new start. And my cat likes to sleep near the desk side by side with a cross stitched cushion.
Thank you for the nice photos.
Greetings from Germany.

[kathy]

Love the fabrics in your quilt, I like the varying types of blocks, they all work together with lots of interesting patterns. I can't start a new project without a clean work space, it just clutters my mind too much. I don't seem to have the same problem with the rest of my house though ;)

[Mardel]

The new organization ideas are really inspiring and it is so nice to have you back.