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Good morning all! Here is your assignment for this week to help us find the items we need, when we need them, and the space to use them!
1 - Finish this sentance...... I want to get organized because...........
2 - Finish this sentance...... Being organized is going to help change my life because.........
3 - Get a large box, and put everything from your 'work space' that does not have a home into this box. This means everything that is sitting on your desk that is preventing you from stamping/scrapping. Just put it into a box for now.
4 - Get an essential tool 'box' Think more along the lines of a divided pencil holder, or a cutlery tray for a desk drawer. This is where you will have all your essential tools - tape runner, scissors, glue pens and glue sticks, pens and pencils (not the markers, those should be stored on their sides) You might find yourself adding items as you go along. I also have my pliers in here as well, along with all my adhesives and postage stamps so I can find them.
5 - Get a 'put away' basket. This does not have to be a large one, just one that will hold about half a sheet of paper wide and deep. This will help with the biggest problem of 'putting away' things when we are done using them. When you are finished, simply put the item in the put away basket. When the basket is full, empty it by putting all the items in the basket into their proper home. So, scraps of paper, extra fiber bits, the spools of wire, the little bottle of hair gel for gel cards, pearlex, ect.... you get the idea. So when you are finished your card or what ever you were creating, everything will either be in your put-away basket, or your 'essential tool box' Nothing will be left on your workspace escept the item you just finished working on.
Remember what SPACE stands for:
S - Sort - see what you have
P - Purge - keep only what you use and love
A - Assign - make a home for everything
C - Containerize - seperate and beautify
E - Equalize - refine and maintain the system
So, lets get started!
As for my answers to the first 2 questions"
I want to get organized because.... I dont want to be stressed by my environment every time I sit down to stamp or scrap. Right now, when I am stamping (dont really have room to scrap! Too messy!) I am thinking in the back of my mind - you really should clear off the table first - will make this easier and more fun.
Being organized is going to change the way I live because.... I will be able to work comftorably, will do it more often, have more fun at it and hopefully I will be able to find things when I need them. I also will not be stressing as much about how 'I really should clean up my stuff' as I share the office with David - and he is a bit of a neat freak! Yikes!
I will post pictures of my essential tool box and my put away basket later today.
I want to get more oraganized, because I want more time to stamp. My stamp area is over crowded with items that need a home. I can't work in that kind of enviorment.
Being oragnized will give me a place to stamp and a plan for all the left overs.
'Thanks for sharing this challenge I am going to get started. :lol:
1. I want to get organized because I hate working in a mess!
2. being organized will change my life because I'll have more time to stamp when I don't have to clean up first. I'll be able to find things while stamping, and stamping makes me happy. so I'll be happy more!
3. my "homeless" things are still in the basement waiting to be unpacked. they have to stay there till my room is done, and I can move in. my current room is too small
4. my "essentials" are all in my tool turn about, and a small drawer on my table
5. I wonder if I have something that will make a good "put away" basket?? I'll have to find one today.
Ok - here are pictures of my essentials box, and my put away basket.
The essentials box is actually an acrylic utensile holder I got from Sears a few years ago. It is for countertops, and stores the utensils upright. This works great for me.
The put away basket is something I got for christmas that was full of bath products - never did use them - but the basket has come in very handy over the years.
"Charmed" - Thank you SO much for doing this - I LOVE the idea of the essentials and put away baskets. Inspired by your original post (as to whether or not we needed this challenge) I went out and bought a craft cart from Wal-Mart so that, as you said, everything would have a "home". I am going to incorporate your ideas from this week's challenge - thanks again!
__________________ Liz "There is a very fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'." ~ Dave Barry
1. I want to get organized, because I I can't find my desk top, let alone be able to sit down and stamp a card (even my desk chair has stuff on it)
2. Being organized will allow me more stamping time that I will enjoy rather than finding it a chore to clean my desk!
Thanks!
Liz***who is the little boy in your avatar? He looks just like my older brother when he was a boy. Too cute!
__________________ My Husband said either the stamps go or I go. I'm sure going to miss him!
Thanks for the great tips!! It is helping me to get organized. I love the idea of a put away basket...Good thinking!! Can't wait to see what happens next week.
1. I want to get organized because it will clear my house of stamping clutter and I will be able to stamp more efficently.
2. Being organized is gonna help change my life because I will be less frantic when searching for that tool or item I need and it is somewhere..if I just keep looking. I guess it will change my life because I will be stamping rather than looking for what I need.
I haven't posted to this thread yet, but I have been watching it. I have really been trying to get organized this past year. It is a slow and painful process, it seems.
I think one thing that holds me back is that I will get it organized, but then I don't put things away....even though there is a place for it! LOL! Another is that I don't plan any space for *more stuff* that will be coming in...there is always new stuff, right??
So...something I have been working on in addition to organizing is to try to take 2-3 minutes and clean up and put away EVERY time and also to leave room for the new stuff that I can't live without once I see it.
Charmed, keep up the great work! I for one love the encouragement...together, we can do this!
I missed this post on Sunday. I didn't think it would be posted again until Thursday.
I just found it searching for the Ways to use it challenge.
I want to be organized so the I can calmly sit and stamp and scrap, not in a mess. I also want ot stop feeling guilty about doing a project when I should be cleaning the room.
Being organized will enable me to do the things in my reason why.
It's funny that you posted this on Sunday, because yesterday I found th top of my desk and rearranged some things into groups so that I could find a home for some new things that I have bought in the last month.
I can't remove all the things that do not appy to stamping though because I share the room with the family, but I am organizing them so that things of like subject are in the same areas, not all mixed together.
And just to let everyone know, that with the planed BIG site upgrades on Thursday, I will be posting challenge #3 very EARLY! - about 8am - very early for me at least!
So.... I hope the past two weeks challenges have helped get you started towards a happier, easier more ORGANIZED stamping and scrapping experience.
And there will be a bonus challenge with a PRIZE!!!
Oh thanks, Karin! It is so nice to know someone's real name too!
Thanks for keeping us going with the organizational challenges...maybe between your inspiration and the flylady thread, I *will* get (and stay!) organized. Have a great day!
1 - I want to get organized because........... I can't find anything or get to anything easily to use. Stamping & Scrapping is not as fun anymore because of the overwhelming feelings.
2 - Being organized is going to help change my life because.........I will be able to catch up my scrapbooks and I will be able to use up all this stuff I've been collecting. I will also be able to get cards & gifts done on time. It will also give the space & opportunity to work on some projects for different charities. I will no longer be feeling overwhelmed by stuff.
I'm working on clearing off my desk. I'll post pics of my toolbox & basket when I get those figured out.
__________________ Suzanne "Wear fabulous underwear even if you are the only person that is going to see it"
1- I want to get organized because the stress I feel when I see my work areas cluttered and messy is unbelievable and can change my mood almost immediately. I feel like a failure that everywhere I look there is MESS!
2- Getting organized will change my life because it is something that deep down I have always wanted to do for myself and my husband would like me to do it for him too! It will ease that stress and help me feel more at ease.
Michaels had baskets on sale 40% off so I got a set of three. My essentials box is not divided, but it will still work and look cute.
My put away basket is one of the 3 of the set I got. It is square and can't fit an 8x10 piece on flat, I figured that this way, if it won't fit- I have to put it away. I used to use some metal in/out bins for paper scraps, but they fit any size and it just kept growing!! Now with a smaller basket, I will not be able to store too much stuff to put away.
On to week 3! WHOOO! Can you believe I spent part of Mothers Day doing all this?!?!? I acutally feel really good!
Will post pics tomorrow of my baskets and the cleaned desk top!
I want to get organized because....my desktop (currently work space) is really small and I'm afraid I'm going to spill coffee all over my things. I want to get organized so I don't "loose" things on my desk - which is REALLY ridiculous!
Getting organized will change my life by keeping me SANE! By making my desktop less cluttered so I can actually stamp - I love to stamp, hate to clean!
I've been looking for an "essential toolbox" for a while and just haven't found what I want.
Love the idea of the "put away" basket - I'm sure I have something here I can use.......(searching) - FOUND! Now back to clearning a spot to PUT it!!!
__________________ I stamp ~ therefore....I work!
NavyWifeArmyMom Come Visit Me At ... A Work In Progress
Last edited by NavyWifeArmyMom; 05-20-2005 at 01:24 PM..
Reason: found item
Hi. I've just discovered this forum this evening. I wrote a message in the first week's challenge. Trash goes out tomorrow, and I'll have a couple of big bags from my stamping room to pitch.
This week's tip (I know I'm weeks behind, but I hope to catch up at warp speed) is fantastic. I actually don't need an essentials tool box because my desk has seven big drawers, and I can dedicate one for tapes and rulers; one for glues; one for basic black and VersaMark pads, pens, erasers, straight scissors, etc.; one for baby wipes and emery boards (to smooth stuff, not nails); one file drawer for ideas and basic card stock; one for CS already scored and cut for cards, in both white and off-white. (I'm missing a couple of drawers, but that's okay.)
The idea, however, of a put-away basket is positively brilliant. As organized as the drawers sound, you'll be less impressed that, when I'm through with a stamp or roll of ribbon, I literally throw it across the room (and it's a big room!) in the direction of the appropriate closet that it goes into. Then when I head toward those closets and have time, I pick up the debris on the floor and put it away. The put-away basket sounds so much more civilized.
I want to get organized because ... I want to still my mom's critical voice in my head and be proud to show off my fabulous space (God is so good!) and, most important, SHARE it with other stampers. (I have such plans for all-day stamp-til-you-drop fests, and classes, and just FUN with friends.)
Getting organized will change my life by making me a calmer, more fulfilled person (no guilt!), allow me to enjoy my stamping "full out," not feel like I'm sneaking away for some surrupticious, unearned pleasure -- and hopefully allow me to be more creative. And I'll feel like I'm in heaven entertaining and stamping with others.
I took the pix of my areas. (If you don't look at my previous message, be forwarned that it's absolutely ATROCIOUS now.) I'll post them tomorrow, when I get help from my DH on how to download from camera to 'puter.
__________________ ~ Sue Howland
Fort Washington, MD
Ok, I'm trying. I did the first week's challenge, even found a box w/hinged lid to put my current project(s) in. but still have a lot of misc stuff floating on my work space. It's the E in SPACE that I have a hard itme with!
1. I want to get organized because with four kids I don't have much time anyway and I am too lazy to have to look for things everytime I sit down to stamp. (Then I lose my ambition)
2. Being organized is going to help change my life because it will free me of frustration and give me more time to do what I want with it.
3. Just did this...I need another box...
4. I see the point of storing markers on their sides now!
5. I love this idea!! This will help big time!
Thanks so much Karin.. Maybe I'll do week three today as well!
Martha
1 - I want to get organized because....being unorganized makes me feel out of control and ashamed of having company over. It also make me stressed out because I can't find stuff and then I hear my husband say "if you'd just put it away"...
2 - Being organized is going to help change my life because.....It will fix everything in #1! I will be able to get things done instead of spending all my time looking for things I lost!
My husband just put shelves into my new closet and I spent all of last weekend going through my boxes and boxes of "stuff". I purged a lot of things! Lots of stuff I've held onto "just in case"! I consolidated things, got rid of excess. It felt so good to get to the last box of stuff and then look around and see it! I put everything in the closet. I want to make pretty labels for all my storage boxes, but that will come soon! I'm so excited!
P.S. The inspiration for "purging" was CLEAN SWEEP the TLC TV show!
1 -I want to get organized because...........I would like to be able to scrap at a moment's notice and I want my bedroom (where I work) to be a peaceful place.
2 - Being organized is going to help change my life because.........I will be able to take advantage of small snippets of time and make some progress towards the scrapping goal I set for myself this year; plus enjoy my hobby!
3 -I was finally actually able to clean my work surface and put it all away. :-)
4 - This was a great idea! I read this thread about a month ago and made this box--I LOVE it. I put my regularly used adhesives in here, along with some basics like silver and gold mini brads, an adhesive pick-up square, post-its, my "handmade by" stamp, a dye black ink pad, and a pencil sharpener. Underneath is my trimmer (just a bit too big for the box, lol).
5 -I'm actually not doing this part. I'm putting everything away after I finish a project. If I have to stop working on a project for the day, all the parts goes in its craft keeper folder. I have to do this; my space is too small, and if I began a put away box, I'd never actually put stuff away, and it would overflow, and I wouldn't be able to find the stuff that I put in the put away box, lol.
Well I am making some headway. I just finished week 1 yesterday and am on to week 2. or at least I thought. I just looked in the kitchen at my desk and there are a bunch of dirty dishes left by DH. That non craft items in space is going to be a killer for me.
Anyway I want to get organized because...........I want it easier to find everything when I need it, I want the place looking nice not only for visiters but for ourselves as well, and if I leave I mess my two year old will make it worse.
Being organized is going to help change my life because... I'll know where things are, I'll be faster and be able to get more done in the time when Lavinia is sleeping. I will be happier, my husband will be happier.
Organizational Challenge - Week 2
