Pandora's Box

My God! What have I done?

The other day, as I was attempting to reach over the rat's nest in my sewing room to get some knitting needles, the whole needle organizer fell and needles went everywhere. Cursing as I fished around for them, I could hear my friend Lori's voice in my head saying "It wouldn't have happened if you cleaned up all that crap". So the idea to reorganize my room was born. I naively thought it would be a one day project. Hardy har har. Lori, I curse you!

These are the before photos. At first I didn't think I would post them because I was a little embarrassed at how bad it was. Ha ha ha! You think it looks bad here? You should see it now! As bad as it looks, for the most part, I knew where everything was. Well, most of the time. It wasn't always this messy. Of late, I've let things go all to hell.

I had this brilliant idea that I would pretend that I was on Clean Sweep and completely empty the room first. I began hauling everything out, but instead of spreading it on the lawn, I piled it in our bedroom (we only have 2 bedrooms and a bath upstairs). I started with the knitting stuff, and was horrified as it completely covered our full sized bed. Oh, it only got worse. Beading supplies, buttons, thread of every kind imaginable, books, cutting rulers and mats, sewing machines (yes, plural), irons (ditto), gift wrapping supplies, sequins (why do I have so many friggin sequins?), pin cushions, tote bags, cross-stitch supplies all piled in the bedroom, and the bathroom and the hallway. Here's the thing I didn't consider: on Clean Sweep they have helpers! Hello! I didn't even touch the fabric, photos, silk flowers, or scrapbooking supplies. I HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF!! It's a sickness! I am mortified!

After 3 hours, I realized that I had bitten off way more than I could possibly chew and felt completely overwhelmed and asked Mr. Strange to assess the situation. He pointed out that I had undertaken a huge project and that there was no way that I could possibly finish in one day. Oh, and that the bookcase I'd been using to store yarn needed some serious reinforcement before I could continue to use it. He also suggested that I try to do the job in sections. As much as I wanted to finish this weekend, I agreed, and went off in search for some way to inexpensively store my yarn .


Luckily, I found what I was looking for right away at Target : white modular grid cubes for $12.99 (6 cubes per set). I used a gift card leftover from Christmas and got 2 sets. They each hold a max of 50 lbs., which I think is plenty strong for yarn. I also found some fabric underbed storage bins at The Christmas Tree Shop and 2 fabric lined wicker baskets to use in the cubes. Here's the really twisted part: I was sorely tempted by some scrapbooking kits. BAD, BAD CRAFTER! NO!!!

Back home in the hell hole, after assembling 9 of the cubes, I realized that I needed another set to do the top. Back to Target.

Once I finally finished, I thought that it looked great. Light and airy and very roomy. Until I started filling it up with yarn.

I HAVE TOO MUCH YARN!!!

Sure, it all fits in the cubes, with room for ball winder and other notions, but the cubes are 14 inches deep, so I feel like I'm wasting space. Oh well, it looks pretty good. The books are another story. They are so heavy! Once I moved the bookcase, I realized that it was totally useless. Unfortunately, Mr. S is leaving for Virgina tomorrow and can't fix it before he leaves. I am so screwed.

After all that, Mr. S informed me that I had to clear everything out of the bedroom by bedtime. Everything!!! The noive!

So now all of that crap is back in the room, and I can't even close the door. You know that old saying about 10 lbs of crap in a 2 pound bag? What a mess. If I were on THAT TV show, some big meanie would make me get rid of things and would hold favorite objects hostage for stupid trivia questions. I know that I need to part with some stuff. How to decide? I might need these things! Like the green pipe cleaners or the googly eyes. Some day I might want to sew heart shaped sequins all over....something. I dunno.

The horror. The horror. The horror.

What a STUPID idea!!!

My plan B for this weekend was to have an at home spa day.