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Purging/Organizing - Who Knew It Could Feel So Good?
So, I've finally started on my quest to organize my stamp supplies. I have a lovely bonus room that is primarily for stamping (nominal desk top computer use, but primarily stamping), and I've let it grow to unwieldy proportions. Now, after reading all of the advice/stories in this forum, I've taken the first step (get a bin, start putting in stamps [supplies come later] that I haven't used in over 2 years and begin to sell/donate). I feel so much freer. It will be a long journey (sort of like losing weight - it didn't all happen overnight, so change takes time). I just wanted to share with people that would understand.
I'm on a mission to do the same this weekend--removed all of the wood from the last year or two of stamps, reorganizing all in Stuftainers, and creating a new index.......great Superbowl weekend project.
we have lots of room on the boat, it is a yacht, and when we get done purging we are going to take a crafting cruise. just imagine.....the more the merrier.
keep at it. you will be so glad you did. I ususally quite about 2/3 of the way through but this time I kept at it and wow! it is a great feeling to keep it clean too
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
Remember that movie "What About Bob", where Bill Murray is the patient of a psychiatrist. At one point, he keeps repeating to himself "baby steps, baby steps". That is my mantra (especially as I think my husband my have gotten a concussion this afternoon when he tried to get something off the top shelf of the closet in the craft room - to be fair I did warn him not to try, but that warning sort of coincided with a bunch of embossing powder containers and prima flower containers tumbling on top of him). Just remember, we CAN do this.
I would be willing to do some purging if I get to go on that crafting cruise after. Maybe we can all bring our "unused" item and do some swapping on that cruise.
I'm on a mission to do the same this weekend--removed all of the wood from the last year or two of stamps, reorganizing all in Stuftainers, and creating a new index.......great Superbowl weekend project.
Weekend Project? Are you serious? This sounds like month long project to me. I wish I had your energy and optimism. ;-)
My DH was away on a rare business trip this week, so I had the house all to myself from sunday to friday. (no kids, no pets, just me!) I spent every afternoon after work in my dedicated studio. I had planned on simply re-arranging my furniture and calling it good, but once I got started, I realized it was time for a major purge and clean! BOY, what a process!! I estimate that I probably put in 50+ hours of work into that room this week, but I am SOOOO happy with the results. I feel like I can breathe in there again! We're renting, so I can't put much, if anything on the walls, so storage has been a big issue for me. I finally found some really cheap shelves at Zellers (they are actually shoe racks) that I put in my closet and that really helped with having a place to put everything. I plan on taking some photos today, and if I do, I'll put them in my gallery!
It felt so good to be done... Friday morning before I went to work I went into my studio and just looked around and it made me feel so calm and relaxed! Now I need to get in there and get some stamping done!!!!
Good Luck to everyone who is in this huge boat!!! It's SOOOOO worth it!!
Weekend Project? Are you serious? This sounds like month long project to me. I wish I had your energy and optimism. ;-)
It is more than a weekend project--but it must be finished! I've spent some time in advance planning and buying supplies for this weekend of organizing.....but the darn internet keeps flashing in front of me, calling me over...........
My DH was away on a rare business trip this week, so I had the house all to myself from sunday to friday. (no kids, no pets, just me!) I spent every afternoon after work in my dedicated studio. I had planned on simply re-arranging my furniture and calling it good, but once I got started, I realized it was time for a major purge and clean! BOY, what a process!! I estimate that I probably put in 50+ hours of work into that room this week, but I am SOOOO happy with the results. I feel like I can breathe in there again! We're renting, so I can't put much, if anything on the walls, so storage has been a big issue for me. I finally found some really cheap shelves at Zellers (they are actually shoe racks) that I put in my closet and that really helped with having a place to put everything. I plan on taking some photos today, and if I do, I'll put them in my gallery!
It felt so good to be done... Friday morning before I went to work I went into my studio and just looked around and it made me feel so calm and relaxed! Now I need to get in there and get some stamping done!!!!
Good Luck to everyone who is in this huge boat!!! It's SOOOOO worth it!!
Way to go! I'm still a bit in the chaos stage (the closet incident has convinced my DH to avoid the room for awhile), so I will continue to plug away.
Weekend Project? Are you serious? This sounds like month long project to me. I wish I had your energy and optimism. ;-)
So it did get to be more than a weekend project..........but I will finish it very soon with most of my stamps unmounted, organized in Stuftainers by Stampendous, along with a very nice binder of stamps by theme, and by company.
I have started trading here on SCS and it's addicting. I just completed my first trade and will be in the p.o. this Saturday for three more. At this point, I figured I'd trade first before selling since I still have a lot of SU punches and dies that I like but don't have and I have quite a few stamp sets that need to go to other homes now.
Good luck and I agree when you say it's a very liberating feeling.
__________________ Tina
- I love someone with autism. -
I have been tackling this project since January as well, and I think I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. SU! sets are in Stuftainers which saved me a ton of space. Verve stamps are in Univenture snap boxes (similar to those found on Gina K's site). PTI sets are all in a Jetmax 4 drawer cube. All these set have been cataloged into 5 1/2" x 8" binders.
All my nesties and PTI dies are on magnetic sheets in the Univenture snap boxes. I have cataloged my PTI dies and included them in the binder with the PTI sets. I'm not planning on catloging my nesties, as these are not set specific like some of my PTI dies are.
The next step of this project will be purging, organizing, and cataloging my remaining stamps from misc. companies (Hero Arts, Tim Holtz, etc).
Don't give up ladies! I can tell you that it definitely looks worse before it gets better, but it will get better! I've gained a lot of drawer/shelf space so far, and everything is looking less cluttered and chaotic.
__________________ Kathy
Theatre is life, film is art, television is furniture.
Good to hear that it gets better - right now I'm tackling paper. Not scraps of paper (I long ago stopped hoarding those and have a monthly discard/keep sort). I'm talking all of the DSP that I've bought - it's not that I don't use it exactly, it is that I tend to purchase it because I like one sheet (but not the 11 other sheets). Or, I thought it would go great for this one project (which it did), but now I have 8 sheets left. I have at least stopped buying DSP for now, but it is actually physically painful to see how much I've accumulated (it's easy to overlook when you have a stack here, and stack in the drawer, and a stack in the closet, and a couple of stack on the shelf).
I'm on the baby step plan myself. When I had to move my craft room AGAIN (but a grandbaby so it was well worth it!) I got rid of tons of stuff. I went through papers and just kept SU! stuff (some other but mostly SU!). Called a niece who scraps and is always broke and she and the kids came and took it all away. I had some regrets right after but that went away fast! I have not missed one thing that I got rid of.
Stamps is another story - I did pull a lot to try to get rid of but never really tried to get rid of them. They are all stored in a big rubber maid bin and I have scheduled April as 'get rid of stuff again' month in my house. So I'm going to try to sell/trade what's in the bin (as well as other noncrafting items in the house).
But it really is nice to not have to worry about that stuff that you get rid of.
pictures is my next project. Yikes! Way too many, going back when my daughter was born 25 years ago. Sorting those and the new ones and figuring out which ones to scrap is such a project. But baby steps on that one too I guess.
Location: along the bluffs of the Upper Mississippi River
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We just built a new home and I had to go through a home I lived in for 27 years....that was a big job!
I was forced to go through my stamping stuff. Got rid of a little. I've stamped for five years and finally just now have a enough variety of supplies to stamp easily, so I wasn't about to throw too much!
I just don't have tons of stuff. IT was good to get rid of the little I did throw.
I moved to a house with a big, beautiful stamping room! I always liked my cozy little room over my lilac trees, but now I have a speclacular view of the bluffs along the Mississipp River.
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
I don't have a lot of stuff either. I am really picky and frugal when I buy things. I made a nice craft room for me & my DH last year. After I got the craft room done I was crafting more since it was so beautiful. Then I realized my whole style changed and I have grown as an artist.. I am purging too and I love it.
Ah, the joys of purging!!! It does feel good to get things to where they are manageable and to know you'll use what you have.
I started with stamping about 4 years ago and went through several phases. . . a few purges later and I'm finally at a point where: A) There's a place for everything, and everything's in its place; B) I know what I like and will use, and rarely make purchasing errors anymore; C) I know what I have; D) I love what I have.
Sometimes it takes a process of stumbling and learning before getting to a really comfortable place with such a tempting hobby! I think sometimes people don't want to purge because they feel wasteful or guilty, but if you learn from it and it gives you peace of mind, then it's a good thing! If I hadn't gone through purges, I would've given up the hobby because I would've been overwhelmed.
You are so right, OP, it is a journey -- congratulations on taking those first steps!!
Purging/Organizing - Who Knew It Could Feel So Good?
