Saturday, October 24, 2009

"Workroom" actually has room to work!

Anybody who knows me, knows I'm not a very good housekeeper. It's not that I don't want to be a very good housekeeper, it's just that I have so many projects I'm working on, as well as finishing these last years of homeschooling our youngest (who happens to be celebrating his 16th birthday TODAY!!!) ... along with trying to make sure my elderly parents are doing okay ... which leaves me little time and even less energy to tackle the usual household chores that other people seem to do without a thought.
However, after starting my new routine of walking and swimming, I've gotten a burst of energy that doesn't seem to fade! It's fantastic! While this last week was exam week for my son (yes, can you believe it? It's the end of first quarter already), I was able to get to each room, one by one, and really clean it. The house feels so good now. I'm giddy with excitement! Really, I am! Even after a long, bad, tiring day, I know that when I open up that front door, it's going to be clean in there! And smell like spiced cider and pumpkin candles!!! (Because they have a great fragrance, even if you don't light them!)
Yesterday, I was able to clean the worst room of all! My little workroom. I can't call it a studio ... or even a junior studio, you see, as it's a very small room. It's just an extra bedroom that used to have a double bed in it for guests. I suppose the guests (when we have any) will have to make do with an airbed on the living-room floor or they can stretch out on a family-room couch, perhaps. Oh well, I'll worry about that later! (We don't get many guests, so it really shouldn't pose a problem.)
Now, before you look at the following photographs, you have to bring your expectations down a great deal. I don't have built-ins. I don't have lovely spool holders for all my threads and floss. In fact, it may not look like much to you, nor will you think it's even that tidy (it's still in progress, mind you!), but for me, it's like a little slice of heaven.
I first bought about six rubbermaid-type storage bins and sealed all my stuffing (both the polyester and the kapok), wool roving, and bits and pieces of cookie cutters, felting needles, etc., into these. I then invested in some GIANT (and I mean GIANT) zip-lock bags and stuffed all my non-wool yarn into these. (Why, oh why do I have so many skeins and balls of polyester-blend yarn???) I piled all the bins and bags into the closet and still was able to shut the doors! Okay, it's not perfect. I mean, I will have to drag these bins out every time I need something, but at least everything is in a bin!
I bought wire, stackable crates from Target, which are great for yarn ... and moved the big teacher's desk, some bookcases and the glass-top patio table (that had been at my parents' house), as well as an armchair into this room. It's a lot of furniture for the space, but I need it!

Here's a glimpse of the glass-top table. It's perfect for projects! Now I won't have to mess up the dining-room table anymore! Notice the doll house in the background. I always loved it more than my daughters ever did so now it has a permanent location in here. It's great for inspiration.

Here's a better view of some of the crates. I'm still sorting yarns ... but at least I know all of these are wool, so I won't ruin my felting projects. (Been there, done that and it's not fun.) Note my large gingerbread man. I've had him since kindergarten! He's one of the few stuffed toys that survived all the many moves with me during my childhood.

Here's the teacher's desk we bought at a school auction years ago. It's got plenty of room in the drawers for more things! I love having the old computer in here. Even though it's painfully slow, I can still type away in relative quiet.
I've put some of the old children's books I'm collecting here, as well as my gumball machine. Yes, I have consumed nearly all 10 pounds of gumballs before I even had a chance to put them into the machine!!! Must order more! I only have white ones left (and a few green). Ugh.
This is the Raggedy Ann door stop my sister gave me when I was 11 years old. She's the official greeter. The white board and the bulletin board beside her I hung last evening. They'll be my project-idea boards.
Here's my comfy chair! Perfect for knitting on a rainy afternoon! The plastic drawers in front of the closet have wheels, so I can move them out of the way. Right now, the mermaids are on top, waiting for me to finish them.

So there it is. My workroom in a nutshell!

2 comments:

Amybel said...

It's so great to get organized...it's like having a new FO! Congrats, it looks like a nice inspiring place to be.

Grandpa and Abi said...

Love the comfy, cozy feel I get when I look at your "stuff" and how you now have places to work with it. I can smell the autumn spices, the right aroma is so inspirational. So glad you are able to use this space to do your work. It is great to have a place you can go off into and not worry about dragging everything out in the middle of the dining room.
Can't wait to see it!