Sunday, February 6, 2011

Not for the faint of heart….

 

If you are easily upset by confusion, read no further. If you think you can keep reading with out screaming, keep going. Remember we are friends!

I was looking for something and got carried away. And with my goal of accomplishment, the time had come. I needed to clean my sewing closet and my studio. When I clean, it gets really bad before it gets better. It is not to late to go back.

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Are you still with me? To get on with the search, I needed all the available space in the guest bathroom.

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Plus, I was embarrassed. Jack had friends come to visit and he showed them around the house and he showed them this closet and he turned the light on!!!!

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So, what’s a girl to do. I had to tackle all parts of the room.

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I sorted, I folded, I Goodwilled, I tossed, I packed a box for a friend up north, I arranged….You can get the idea. Every once and a while I would stop and visit a blog or two. I listened to music and my embroidery machine was working full time making lace hearts.

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I never found what I was looking for but I did find some things I had forgotten about.

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This was my mother’s sewing box. It was tucked away on a bottom shelf. I googled the label but there was not much to find out about the manufacturer. There were some wonderful items inside.

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Now, I am supposed to be “working” but my mind is saying, “mosaic, mosiac…..”

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Sewing box collage

However, I have been making progress.

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I can actually work in the sewing corner now. I am participating in Donna’s Mug Mat swap. If you would like to see a beautiful blog, visit Donna at Brynwood Needleworks.

The banner is from Mary Hastings of Very Merry Vintage Style and was a fun project.

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Now maybe Pottery Barn will let me back in the store!

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The guest room is back. Of course today I will start sewing and playing again….I will make a real effort to be neat and organized. The bed folds back up into the wall and it will be back up there as soon as I start working on my projects.

I am joining Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday and Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday. Please stop by and visit these two blogs.

I hope you all have a great week.

36 comments:

Unknown said...

You are TOO cute, Carol! I do believe we've all been there one day or another ... love the end results.

Have a beautiful PS weekend ~
TTFN ~
Marydon

Giveaway ends Feb.11th

Leslie said...

Phew! I nearly fainted looking at the closet, but held strong and thought you did a great job cleaning! I am a clean freak so if you ever need any help with cleaning, call me.. BTW, my mother has the same sewing cabinet.. with some of the very items you showed in your pictures too! Nice post!

Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes said...

Thanks to my husband, my guest bedroom is a storage room! I long for a guest room that looks like yours! I'm very envious of your sewing room! What nice space to organize your materials. I also love your mom's sewing chest! Have a wonderful day!

Vee said...

You've done beautiful work! What a lot to get accomplished. My own home looks much like this because of all the extra things hauled in from elsewhere. My sewing room is a disaster and, just saying, if John gives anyone the tour and dares to turn the light on, he'll probably not be eating for a week. LOL!

http://jackieinsurrey.blogspot.co.uk/ said...

Hi Carol

I suppose that is a good thing to be useless at any crafts, that I don't have all that clutter!! Love the new font on your blog.
Have a good week, Jackie in Surrey, UK.

Kathleen said...

BUT...you found some things you had forgotten about! That's the best part.
And I wasn't scared at all. I have a one that looks just like it! :)
Love those hearts! I still have tried my machine that I have had for years. Very bad!

Olive said...

Very well done. I love your fabric collection♥

A Garden of Threads said...

Carol, creative people are not neat...they are too busy creating. Love the mosaics. Have a great week.

Claudia said...

Congrats! You did a great job of cleaning and organizing. A pain to do, but what a nice feeling when it is all done!

xo
Claudia

ShirleyC said...

It's just hard when you sew and craft to keep everything neat. I usually have a big clean up once or twice a year, and it's still a mess.

Cathy said...

Oh, I feel your pain, Carol. About twice a year I have to redo my sewing room because it becomes a hopeless mess and I can't find anything. I spend days getting it whipped into shape and then start the process of messing it up all over again. It would be easier to keep it clean as I go, but that never seems to work for some reason. I envy your storage space.

Life Images by Jill said...

oh my goodness, I need to clean up my "study/come workroom/come sewing corner/come writing-photography centre. It looks like yours did when you started. I have a book tossed in the pile called "decluttering" and my husband suggested I start there!

A Bit of the Blarney said...

I'm in the midst of that very thing, but I see no end to the MESS for at least three, maybe four more weeks! Well done!! Enjoy, for I certainly will when my kitchen is back in the kitchen and not the living room, family room and bedrooms! Have a wonderful day playing! Cathy

Renée said...

I just moved and all of mine has to be unpacked and put away. My spaces are different now too so I am feeling your pain! Hope mine all turns out as well as yours did Carol. Can I come for a night before the bed goes back up in the wall? ;) It really does look beautiful.

Confessions of a Plate Addict said...

Hi Carol...I just felt right at home because that's what happens when I clean, too! lol It's always worse before it gets better! Now you've inspired me to go clean out a closet...after my coffee...maybe...lol Happy week!...hugs...Debbie

Maggie said...

Congratulations on knuckling down to it, how neat & tidy everything looks now.
I have to do something like this to my attic crafting room soon but It's too cold up there at the moment!!

laxsupermom said...

You're so brave showing us your sewing room. My craft room is an absolute disaster. I think part of the creative process for me is pulling everything out so I can see it all. I'm so jealous of the embroidery machine and the walk in craft closet. Your progress is looking terrific! Thanks for sharing.

JennyO said...

WOW this is crazy. Love all of the interesting things you found in your quest for organization - reminds me of how I clean, and actually the last time we went through my Mom's sewing room, all of the memories are so wonderful - and yea we hardly ever find [if we even remember] what we started the quest for! Great job! And very fun Mosaics!

From the Kitchen said...

Sorry, no time to comment as I have to rush to my closets and drawers and....! It's the perfect time to get in and weed out and straighten up. Why have I not done more? You have spurred me on. Good job!

Best,
Bonnie

Glenda/MidSouth said...

I can so relate. My house looked a lot better before I started decluttering.

The Quintessential Magpie said...

looks so nice, c. perfect. i'm like you when i'm sorting. it's messy then gets better.

dropping by to wish you h-ppy v-d-y. you know the code. ;-p

xo,

sheila ;-)

The Quintessential Magpie said...

p.s. the geek tried to do something to the computer, but it didn't work. must be the rubber thingies under the keys. our other computer did this, too. sigh.

Bill said...

Hi Carol,

The "after" looks wonderful, and the "before" looks familiar! I know exactly what you mean about looking for one thing (which remains elusive) and finding wonderful, long lost/forgotten items.

Hope you have an enjoyable week.
Bill

Sheila said...

I loved this post - I think having a cupboard like this would be fantastic. What impressed me the most was your lovely quilt on your design wall. I have a desk for sewing in the corner of the family room but I have a chest of drawers, big baskets, covered baskets, plastic bins and boxes full of fabric in the guest/computer room. I would love to have it organized on open shelves. Happy quilting!

Pondside said...

Good for you! I should take a leaf from your book!

My Dream Canvas said...

This is great!! Good for you. I am hosting a Giveaway on my blog and would love for you to stop by.

Be Colorful Coastal said...

Loved it all. I have a space just like this but haven't had the guts to "drop my pants" and show the really messy side of me. I guess creativity and tidiness just don't go together well. When you are in the zone it is too much of a bother to pick up after yourself. I get it. :)
Pam

xinex said...

You must have been relieved after you put everything away. It looks so much better at the end. Good job organizing, Carol! Whew!...Christine

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Me again. :D Thanks for stopping by and reading along.

Natasha in Oz said...

Carol, that must have taken ages to sort out! I am very impressed and you have inspired me to get off my chair and go and do some more cleaning, sorting etc at my house-thank you!

Best wishes always,
Natasha.

PS That is brilliant that you found your mother’s sewing box. That alone must have been worth all the hard work!

Nancy said...

We all know that being creative makes a little mess. I can't ever keep my work table clear! But you got it all sorted out. Did your fold up guest bed come from Pottery Barn? I need one like that in my studio. I hate to give up the space but it is the only private space available in the lower level where you can close the door and we need another guest space.

Martha said...

Don't you love it when things are back in order! It always makes me feel so good!

Yasmin said...

Well congradulations on cleaning the place! It looks fantastic! How long will it stay like that?!?! Just kidding :)

I know I share a similar situation of getting worse before better, but surely the end justifies the means in this situation?!?!

Lynne (Lily's Quilts) said...

Wow, I felt much better at the end of that post than in did in the early photos, they were stressful.

Anxiety Cause said...

I think you need some time to de-clutter things! I love your sewing kit by the way!

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

A great post with a happy ending :) It always gets messy on the way to improving and organizing. You were a busy beaver and accomplished much! So nice stopping by to visit!

Kindly, Lorraine

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