Get Organized Week #3 Choose your Challenge. Boxes or bags to hold items you sort in your scrapspace, a notebook or art journal

Transcription

1 Week #3 Choose your Challenge Materials Needed Boxes or bags to hold items you sort in your scrapspace, a notebook or art journal The Challenge To decide on Challenge #1 or Challenge #2 and make a commitment. Set up a Design File. (BONUS) Welcome to Week #3 of Scrapbook.com s 27-week, Get Organized Challenge. By now, you should be excited and ready to get going on the space of your dreams! Before I start, I want you to know there is a TON of information this week. I think you ll find the information valuable and pertinent. You re going to make a BIG decision this week. This is a decision only YOU can make. You re going to decide whether you want to tweak just a few things that don t work in your space, or if you re going to completely rethink your space, fixing every organizational system within, and then relocating every possession into your newly organized systems and space. I ll explain. Get Organized Challenge #1 If your space isn t a mess, but it could use work in a few areas, or needs finishing touches, here is your Challenge: choose to address one problem area and start working on it immediately. Choose the area that shows up first on your Space Assessment Handout, or the one that bugs you most. For example, let s say you haven t found a good way to organize your stamps yet. Get all of your stamps together and put them into a large box or paper bag. Remove that container from your space. You won t touch this box until you ve read the material in Week #13, which you can do now, of course. It s best to leave other problem areas untouched until you conquer your stamp issues so your sorting messes are minimal. Once you are finished tackle the next problem area by accessing the information in this course that will help you. You ll keep working on the things that show up on your Space Assessment Handout until you are satisfied and finished. Challenge #2 If your space is a huge mess, this is your Challenge: go all out. You ll need LOTS of boxes, because you re going to box up everything in each of your problem areas (or your entire space), label those boxes, and take them out of your space. Keep specific items for specific jobs together, e.g. all stamps and ink pads in one box, punches in another, dies in another, etc. If you dump anything and everything randomly into boxes it could take a week or more to go through each of them when you want to locate items for an area you re focused on. Not good, or fun, so keep like items together as you box and/or bag. 19

2 Boxes will not be allowed back into your space until the organizational system for those particular items is in place. This means the system is functional, accessible and reliable, there are working and labeled containers and it s neat and organized. This means you might be without your supplies until you get your organizational act together--which may be exactly what you need. Which challenge should you choose, #1 or #2? Only YOU know what you can handle. If you are 100% committed to challenge #2, and want to completely reorganize your space; if you are the type of person who can complete a project, no matter how long it takes; if you don t get easily discouraged or sidetracked--i suggest challenge #2. GO FOR IT! HOWEVER, if you aren t sure you have the time, money, and interest to keep up with challenge #2; if you get bored with long-range projects easily, and lose interest; if you are casually looking for some ideas and not up for an overhaul just yet, I suggest you do challenge #1. You can always box up more problem areas later if you change your mind. Stacy has seen some truly horrid spaces in her teaching; scrapspaces that were a catch-all for diapers, out-grown clothes, boxes of artificial flowers and even a space where a woman couldn t locate her computer. If this sounds similar to your space, then it s time to suck it up and go for broke. Get LOTS of boxes. Go to Target or Big Lots where you can get them free for the asking. You re going to not only have boxes for your scrap supplies but I suggest you also set up five other boxes or containers with the following labels: 1 SELL 2 ATTIC/BASEMENT/GARAGE 3 DONATE 4 RELOCATE 5 TRASH/GARBAGE/RECYCLE As you dejunk your space, evaluate every item. Put items that will be organized in your studio into their own labeled boxes, and everything that doesn t belong in your space (or involve scrapbooking) into one of the five boxes above. If an item has a home in another part of your dwelling, put it in the relocate box. When that box is full (and only then) take the box from room to room and put the items where they belong. Waiting until boxes are full saves you time and unnecessary trips through your home. You may end up with several boxes in each of the five categories. That s okay. Stacy boxed up her Sell stuff and put it in her garage to tackle when her challenge was over. I filled my Donate box(es) and when I had several I called my favorite charity to pick them up. I was able to spend the time working on my space instead of driving to the donation center myself. I put the contents from the Attic/Basement/Garage box(es) in our garage as soon as they were full and labeled. The important thing throughout this packing process is to get the boxes OUT of your space, and not to stack them in another room causing another mess. Spend this week making your room a clean slate and keep the rest of your home clutter-free during the process. For the record, I chose Challenge #1 and Stacy decided on Challenge #2. I liked the paint color on my walls, my window treatments, furniture and most of my organizational systems. I couldn t go all out because I work every day from my studio, and I needed to keep systems in place, 20

3 making changes as able. As I worked and made decisions I used the information I d noted on my Space Assessment Handout. Stacy was in a position to go all out with her organization, furnishings and décor because she had just moved into a new home. She refused to unpack the boxes from her former studio until she had new organizational systems in place. She tackled one type of supply at a time, following the observations and suggestions on her Space Assessment Handout. She made a plan of how and where to store each group of supplies, tools, equipment, etc., organized and contained them, and THEN and ONLY then, they were brought into her space. Slowly her empty room filled up with clearly labeled boxes, and pretty containers full of supplies and equipment. Everything was exactly where she wanted it to be. It is easy to organize when you have a clean slate. With nothing cluttering your space you are able to see options and possibilities that weren t visible before. A clean slate also allows you to move furniture and possibly even change the location of your space within your home. It took Stacy about four months to get her room up and functional. She has done minor tweaking since, but no major overhauls. She hasn t needed to. If she ever does need to do an overhaul again, she says she won t hesitate to box everything up and repeat the process. Despite the overwhelming stack of scrapping boxes in her kid s room, it was definitely easier for her to do Challenge #2 rather than trying to work in a cluttered space where she d get sidetracked with other projects. I struggled and was often frustrated with the disorganization in our home during my challenge. Now that it s over and things are back to normal, I think it would have been better if I d packed up the majority of my studio and worked from a clean slate. I could have done my Scrapbook. com on-line work from a laptop, and my creative projects could have been completed at our kitchen table with totes nearby. But it s over now, and all is well. I have a special assignment for those of you who chose Challenge #2, the BIG challenge. This is the week to get your foundation established and functioning. Your space will be empty, so there is no better time to paint if you need to, change out the flooring, put up a new light fixture you ve had your eye on. Or, at the very least, vacuum, clean the carpet, dust and wash the windows. It s easier to do these things when the room isn t occupied. Also, if you have your space cleared, you can consider relocating or switching spaces. If you have a spare room and have thought about it for a studio, this is the time to make that happen. If you re in a corner, a closet or the dining room and there s space somewhere else, make the change now. Maybe you ve considered moving out of the basement and into the spare room, or moving out of the linen closet to a dining room armoire. You already have your things packed up. Why not make the change now? And since you ll be taking a week at a time to get everything back in, you ll have plenty of time to get your new space ready. So, please think about it. To help those who accept Challenge #2 there is bonus material included this week. It s a list of links that will take you to spaces that are spectacular. Not all are rooms--some are corners or closets. But they are so well done that they may inspire you to jumpstart your design file (that s a clue about the bonus handout). So, choose your challenge and start collecting boxes this week. Clear out your space or prob- 21

4 lem areas right away. I think you ll feel better immediately; I know I did. And please consider posting pictures in our Gallery and comments in our Forums. More Insight from Jill As I mentioned, I chose Challenge #1, which took almost six months to complete. Yep, there were times I wondered if I was sane. The more I organized and dejunked the more I found things that needed to be fixed, piles to sort through, and containers to label. Have you read the children s book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie? It s a great tale about scope and sneak--how you start out with one idea or goal and it grows into many more if you don t stay focused on the original. Well, that s what happened in my space. The more I organized, the more I realized there were areas that could be revamped to work better. So, while the house was in a bit of turmoil, (actually, a LOT of turmoil) I opted to address those areas and just get it done. In a way, I went for broke, doing a modified Challenge #2, because I chose to organize and revamp and I worked in my space only boxing things as I addressed them. The key to my sanity was trying very hard to keep the island in the center of my room clear. On the days it was clean, I breezed through processes and completed projects quickly. The days that space was full of clutter, and I had no place to stack and sort were THE WORST. I strongly, strongly, strongly urge you to use boxes or paper bags and get the clutter out so you can bring it back in in orderly manner. Below are the guidelines I use when organizing anything in my home. I posted them in the doorway of my space so I could view them as I worked. I also purchased a personal cheerleader, an EASY button from Staples. Each time I completed a step of my plan (whether large or small), I walked to my desk, pushed the button, and heard, that was easy, coming from the speaker in the button (in a funny, comical voice). I laughed, felt successful, and amazingly had more energy to keep going. Thrills can come cheap sometimes, and processes really did seem easy with this little boost. Here are some organizing guidelines (click here for printable version) 1. Be flexible with your system(s) and how you approach organization. There is always a better idea out there, so get a system in place that you think will work, and if you happen to find something better later, you can change it. Systems, supplies and tools change, as do our needs. What you put in place today may or may not work a year from now. That s okay and is to be expected. 2. Label every container. Labels help us find what we re looking for so we don t have to keep track of so much in our brains. Use a label maker to save time. 3. Find systems that work with how you think, and work. Then, be consistent with those systems. Study the systems of others; outline your ideal system from what already works and what you d like to see improved. 4. Purchase containers AFTER you have chosen your organizational system. Consider using open-topped bins when possible (they re easy to get in and out of, and there s no bulky lid). Know what you have and what you need. Take measurements of your totes and spaces before you go shopping. Take pictures with your phone and take measurements when you find something but aren t sure if it will work. An American dollar bill can serve as a simple measuring device if you forget a measuring tape it s about 6 long. 22

5 5. Put newly purchased items away as soon as you bring them home. Remove items from their original packaging (unless you have a Clip-it-Up storage system). Packaging adds bulk to your containers. The exception would be rub-ons or adhesive-backed items that could get damaged. 6. Avoid over-organizing and over-thinking. Keep it simple. 7. Easy to get out, into and reach. It should feel natural to reach for the things you use most often. Keep primary tools, supplies and equipment in primary locations within arm s reach. Secondary tools should go in secondary locations nearby. 8. When sorting, break everything into large piles and then into smaller groups. Example: if you have a two-foot-high stack of paper to sort, break it down into one-inch-chunks. It s easier to handle mentally. 9. Resist the urge to overfill containers. Allow for growth. If you run out of space, purge, get a new container, or put a moratorium on spending until you use some of what you have. 10. Upcycle or repurpose. Containers can be pricey. If your organizing budget is limited, consider asking for gift cards or cash for your birthday, or holidays. Have fun looking for what you need at thrift shops, garage sales, or in the garage, attic, or basement. Check out Etsy.com or Pinterest.com for ideas on how to upcycle or repurpose every day or vintage items into storage solutions. Paint, paper, fabric, or minor woodworking can transform something ordinary into something extraordinary, making it useful again. Organizing and repurposing is another form of creative expression. 11. Have a container stash. Keep one or two jumbo storage boxes in the garage/attic/basement where you place extra or outgrown storage containers. I ve been pleasantly surprised to open up one of my boxes and find the perfect containers for a new system. Check these jumbo storage boxes before you go shopping for anything new. Labeling will become one of your best friends as you work. Here s an article about labeling you might find helpful. Because my studio has a vintage vibe, I knew I needed to keep an eye out for special pieces to complement the look and feel of my space. We talk about room and space décor in Week #27, but I wanted to work on how I needed my space to LOOK from the day I accepted Challenge #1. Room décor was one of the areas I noted that needed improvement on my Space Assessment Handout, so I immediately read the information in Week #27 and set up a system for finding cool pieces. I found some shops at Etsy.com that carried vintage items and supplies that helped me set up my storage and decorate my space. I found my first island piece on Craigslist.com (the second piece I had custom made to match it). The first piece was fire engine red so I brought it home, hauled it to the back yard, checked it thoroughly for insects and painted it black. The wicker chair in the corner of my studio was found at a thrift shop, and my monster wall-unit desk came from a consignment shop. I love repurposing, so I check places like these first. But I m very careful about what I purchase and where it comes from. 23

6 Get Organized There are few things worse than a bug infestation in your home, and they re costly to remedy. Bedbugs and other critters can hide in crevices, recessed screw holes, cardboard boxes and corners of second-hand furniture, picture frames and accessories. If I m concerned after thrifting or antiquing, I inspect and clean everything BEFORE I bring it into my home. I seal smaller items in black garbage bags and leave them in the Arizona sun for a couple of days. Temperatures in the summer will reach over 165 degrees inside the bags, and that takes care of any hiding insects. I suppose if you live in colder climates, you could do the same and freeze the critters. Health and cleanliness are paramount and worth extra effort and precaution. Summary Sometimes things must get worse before they get better, and it takes thought and effort (sometimes EXTRA effort) to get the challenge we choose accomplished. This could be true of your new and improved studio, but, it IS possible and WILL be worth it. I ll see you in Week #4. We re going to start organizing PAPER (cardstock and patterned paper). Good feelings are on the way! 2013 Jill Davis and Scrapbook.com LLC 24

7 Get Organized Week #3 BONUS Space Ideas and More Create a Personal Design File Welcome to the BONUS for Week #3! This information is specifically for those of you who chose Challenge #2 who stood on the high platform of the Olympic pool and chose to dive, bravely, and completely, into their messes. But, it s also valuable for Challenge #1 participants. This is called a BONUS because it s not part of the main challenge and it s optional. Let s cover some of the basics of room design and space planning. If you have a blank slate to work with and don t know where to start, create a Design File. Now before you flip out or quit reading, understand that this won t be finished this week, or might never be finished, and that s okay. A Design File is simply a guide, a collection of things you find while looking for ideas. It took Stacy months to plan her space, with most of the planning done while sitting on the couch in the evenings watching TV. I started mine when I started the challenge and continued to gather ideas until I was satisfied with my studio. I still have my files and use them for other projects and to spark ideas in other areas of our home. If you don t know where to start to design your space, now you do. Look at it this way if you were going to remodel or reorganize your kitchen you d make lists and gather ideas in a file folder, or in a file on your computer. Your studio is just another space, but with a lot less silverware, and a Design File is simply a place to store your ideas and plans. Both Stacy and I know the value of a design file. Ours contained any and everything we truly desired in our spaces. You can start now by looking on the Web for pictures of spaces, styles and storage options that look and feel amazing to you. Stacy saved every picture of things she liked on her computer, and when Walgreens had their cheap 10 print sale, she printed them. She filed them in a 3-ring binder by topic - all photos of workstations, and paint colors that she loved went into a Room Design section. All pictures of neat ribbon storage ideas went into Ribbons. You get the idea. You can save a little money and keep your file in a digital format, but many of us are hands-on people and need the photos. I used a SMASH album for my design file. I love that the included pen has adhesive on one end and a pen on the other. I was able to literally smash (glue) an idea in the book whenever I tore it from a magazine, newspaper or printed something from the Internet. Don t limit yourself to only scrapping spaces. Any color combinations, non-scrapping furniture that would work, etc., should go into your file. If your home is a black hole for inspiration look online at: Target, Ikea, Umbra, West Elm, Land of Nod, Pottery Barn/Teen/Kids, Company Store/ Company Kids, Exposures, Grandin Road, The Container Store, Crate and Barrel, Ballard Designs, Pier One and World Market, to name a few. Each of these places has great ideas and the actual store is fun to visit. Consider taking photos in the store with your cell phone. Don t look at price tags, look at the possibilities and what inspires you. Getting your design file filled with scrapbook-related ideas and inspiration may be tricky. Most Scrapbook.com users know to do a search for scrapbook room in the Gallery. There they can 25

8 find LOTS of ideas for inspiration. There is also a list of links you may peruse at the end of this BONUS. Consider setting up a Design File (or whatever you want to name it) on your computer. Then add sub files of nearly every topic in the Table of Contents from this class. When you find an idea you like, right-click on the image, then save picture as... Find the applicable file it should go into, click to get into it, and then push the save it. Done! Good print sources for ideas include interior design magazines such as Elle Decor, Traditional Home, Real Simple, House & Garden, Renovation Style, Interior Design, Architectural Digest. These are all great for ideas. There are also a few scrapbook organization books out there that have room ideas. Check out your local library. Free is good! Your space design should emphasize the following 1. Function 2. Plan 3. Form Function First, it needs to function, which means it needs to fit YOUR style and the way you scrapbook. A standing island is useless if you prefer to sit when scrapping! Plan You re going to hear me mention this A LOT in this challenge. Anything you incorporate into your space needs to be thought out in advance and have a purpose (or many purposes). PLANNING is the key to this project. Where will your main scrap area be? What tools need to be close by (primary tools), which ones can be stored further away (secondary tools)? Do you have kids? Sharp tools might need to be out of reach, maybe in closed storage with child-safety locks. How about centers--one for stamping, one for die cutting equipment, etc.? These centers can be in mobile totes if you have a small space to work with. Keep these things in mind when planning. Once you have an idea of how your tools and supplies will be stored (it doesn t have to be exact--like you may want your ribbon hanging on the wall, but you don t yet have a hanger in mind), you need a room plan. Measure your space with a tape measure, noting door and window locations (obviously you can t put a bookshelf behind a swinging door, but you CAN put a short one under a window). Then transfer these measurements to grid paper. Choose a scale--maybe a grid block on paper equals one foot of room space. When you have your room designed, it s time to place the furniture. Measure the furniture you intend to use in your space (or if buying new, find the dimensions online). Draw them in the same scale on a separate piece of grid paper. Cut these pieces out, and you now have paper dolls to move around on your room diagram to see where things will fit best. You can do this if you are installing cabinets and you can find the dimensions online. Measure bulky furniture to insure that it fits through doors and hallways. This is an inexpensive and easy way to plan a space. 26

9 Allow for movement. Usually 30 to 36 for aisles is good, and 36 to 40 behind desk chairs to permit someone to scoot back from a desk. Remember to leave space for cabinet doors to open or drawers to pull out. Finally, note lighting issues and outlets so that while you are planning you will know where a computer, heat gun, glue gun or lights can be placed. Outlets can be tricky. If at all possible you want to avoid having to drag an extension cord across your space for your sewing machine or tools. If you do, cover cords with a cord cover. Set up your centers to fit your space plan. If you have a very small space to work with, maximize your area by going vertical. In Stacy s old house, she had a small corner, so she used a computer hutch and stacked 3-drawer Sterilite drawers about 4-high on top of the hutch. She had to use a stepstool to get to the top drawers, but she had her secondary tools and supplies there, so it worked. She had five boxes across for a total of 20 drawer units. Not bad for a small space. Closets are great for concealed shelves. Take out the hanging rod and you can go floor to ceiling with shelving. Consider that all of your stuff doesn t have to be in one space. If you have a small armoire unit in the dining room, you can use that; you can have a storage box under the bed in another room, or a mobile cart or two in a closet. Older photos, reference materials and completed albums can be stored elsewhere. Go on a house hunt and see what unused space you have. You might surprise yourself. Make note of these little hidden gems on your space plan so you will remember them. Form Your studio will be your creative haven. It needs to be uplifting, inspiring and a wonderful place you ll be comfortable spending time in. Don t stick yourself in the damp, moldy basement just to have a large room. If you want or need to be near the family, a corner armoire can function in the family room. Find a space with good, natural light during the day and adequate light at night. Consider using full spectrum light bulbs to achieve natural lighting. As you gather pictures for your Design File you will see a trend in the colors you ve pulled. Maybe it s blues, or greens, or black and white. These are the colors you may want to become the color pallet for your space. Treat your space like you would a layout. Choose your main colors and then have some accents (like embellishments!) that will make the room pop. Furniture is trickier. First decide on the space you have, and then look at what you have that could fit into the space. You might need to get a few new pieces, or get all new furniture. If you have a dream for your space but your budget doesn t match, focus on the most important pieces and save up, or start looking on Craigslist.com, at garage sales, or in consignment shops. Let your friends and family know what you are looking for and let those interested get involved. You could get an unexpected phone call from a family member or friend who has spotted something they think you re looking for. They can text or you a photo. If you do have the budget and are considering specialty pieces, or built-ins, know what you re going to have to store, and where you ll put it, before making final decisions. Stacy had her supplies mapped out down to which drawer her paints were going into, before she bought a single cabinet. What s the point of having a custom 27

10 space if you have to tailor your stuff to fit into it? Design really is basic. Figure out your methods or systems of organization, the supplies that will be in the systems, and then find stylish furniture and containers that fit your space, supplies and taste/style. If you have general ideas for what you want to do, that s wonderful. If not--hang in there through the rest of the weeks and we ll figure it out together. The key is to find a place, a system, and furniture so you will be happy and want to stay put for a while, and so you won t have to go through this challenge again anytime soon. Without committing to a Design File, you ve probably already considered a binder, or file to keep all of your ideas in. And you ve probably considered different options for your space. See how much progress you ve made already? Now it s time to combine the two and finalize your decisions. More Ideas from Jill I d like to mention centers again. They are areas within a space that contain ALL supplies and tools needed to perform specific tasks or techniques. Centers make it possible for you to stay in one place to work, without having to go from place to place to gather what you need for tasks. For example, I have a Stamping Center in my studio that consists of stamps, ink pads, stamping tools, embossing supplies, and Rolodex files with stamped samples of all of my stamps. Each of these items are used for layouts, albums and cards and are easily, and readily accessible when it s time to stamp. There is a feeling of order in my studio. It has form (reflects my personal taste and style), and function (is organized and has a work flow). Form and function are both very important to me so I worked hard on my planning during our brainstorming week to define what I wanted and needed in order to have a functional, inspiring and beautiful space. If you look closely at your Space Assessment Handout, you ll see that items are grouped into areas. These areas can have similar tasks performed in them and have the supplies and tools needed to perform those tasks they re the beginnings of a center. When grouped together, they can maximize efficiency. Visit Scrapbook.com for more organizing articles. 28