From Mess to Best

I tend to put off organizing projects. It always turns into a huge “looks like there was a struggle here” mess. When I do decide to delve into a major revamp of my little world, I go whole hearted into it. 

So yesterday my plans were to list my new jewelry on my Etsy shop, but when I came into the studio I had the energy and drive to do some organizing. 

This area is used for art and paper crafting. The cart by the table

was a 50% off purchase from JoAnn and I really like it. 

It has all my paint, sketch books, markers and crafting papers.

I did bring in a smaller folding table to do all my art projects on. The glaring white top wasn’t a happy look for me so I decided to grunge up the top with alcohol ink. This was a gamble but I felt it would be a good look. I put the ink on the table surface then smeared it with a plastic glove like you do dishes with.

This area is used for packaging up sales for mailing. 

I also keep a few photo props on the shelf under the table.

Those are my antique sewing machines on the shelf.

I took the big plastic folding table out and now I'm using this small

wood table for the computer. This was my computer table for a 

good while till I moved one of the craft show tables in here so 

there would be room for my Cricut. 

I have put the Cricut into retirement till

I decide if it's a keeper or needs to find a new home. 

I have my Etsy mail scale and jewelry tray on the filing cabinet. 

This is where I price my jewelry, post it to social media and

add items to my Etsy shop. 

My bench didn't change too much, just more sorting and organizing

my materials as they come in and grow to need more space. I did

replace my lighting a few months ago when JoAnn had a sale on Ott Lites. 

These are much smaller but put out a lot of light. 

So now each section of this little room serves a purpose and has been streamlined as much as possible. I do have a lot of craft supplies. I "need" them cause I never know which direction my creative efforts will take. 

I might decide to use my mixed media supplies in jewelry or my wire in a fiber art design. So it all needs to be accessible. So that is the problem - too much stuff in a small space. I have a 3 bedroom house and 2 bedrooms and parts of the garage are full of crafting supplies and tools. Yes, I’ve gone over the normal limit and into crazy crafting overload on materials. I have no problem with it either. 

Olivia isn't too happy with the smaller computer table. 

She still has a perch by the window for bird watching

with a comfy blanket. She needs to be right in the middle

of near everything I do. Yes I've spoiled her bad. 

When she jumps up in the middle of the desk or bench

I just stop and pet her. Then when she is happy again

she goes to play or nap. Alls good.

Keeping It Organized

The last thing I do each year is look over my inventory sheets and save a new version for the new year. Some old designs will be benched, which means I'll take them apart and they will become just bits and parts again.  Every once in a while one that didn't sell might have been a personal favorite and it becomes mine. It moves from the sales case to my jewelry box. 

I don't really mind taking my jewelry apart,

it is almost refreshing. I guess it's a way to release it. 

I also review my supplies at the first of the year. Sometimes it seems I have such a huge amount of supplies. If I overthink that then buying new beads etc. carries some guilt. I recover from that pretty quickly thou. I just must have a good supply of yummy, beautiful things that make me want to create. Some times just looking at a bead makes the entire design spring to life in my mind.

I see all my crafting supplies like this. The closet full of quilting fabrics, the piles of art supplies. They are make me happy and fill many hours of my life with joy. I have a friend who said she might just like collecting craft supplies as much as crafting with them. 

I do have to have my supplies pretty organized thou. I've had people make fun of my bench and the way I keep it, but it works great for me. I'm not saying it always looks like this. In the middle of a creative spree it's a hot mess trust me. Then I have to stop and try to get it back under control. The last time I did major organizing it looked like a bomb went off in here and took a full day. I try not to let it get that way often. 

There are lots of these fishing tackle boxes on the shelves above my bench. 

TIP If you buy these at a craft store you will pay a good deal more 
than you will at the Walmart fishing dept. The quality is as good or better. 

I normally use all the dividers that come with one of these boxes.
I do have boxes for larger beads, and they stay together.
All elements stay with their friends, metal in a box as is glass.
Semi precious has several boxes, they are separated by size and type.

One thing I've had a harder time getting organized is the completed jewelry. I've always just put it away in a sales case after it's photographed, tagged and added to the inventory sheets. Anyone with better ideas please let me know. With a normal inventory of 150+ it's not a quick thing to find the watch pendant that just sold on Etsy. I wish I had room for one of the big old paper cabinets. They cost a fortune too, so that won't happen. 

For now I put all the trays from the sales case on the kitchen table take a photo 

then place them on a letter size layout and keep the printout next to my computer. 

Haven't been drawing too much this past week, 

but I did finish this little drawing. Ink and watercolor pencils.

Olivia and I need to get back to the bench. 

Have a great creative day and

remember you are special