At the moment I am facing a dilemma. It is 4:30 on Sunday afternoon. Today I nursed my little girl who is down for the count with a sore throat. I created a menu plan for the week. I invented a new set of school lunch ideas for my picky kindergarten kid. I did a big Costco shop. I made 10 dozen meatballs to freeze. I made a huge pot of Roasted Tomato Soup to freeze… and now… I am trying to figure out if I should sit down and craft a brilliant blog post for you all to read (because believe me I have a great idea for a post that I’ve been wanting to write for awhile, but it’s not a post to be rushed) or if I should go back to my sewing studio and continue yesterday’s big project.
I opened an online store in 2009 selling appliqued shirts for kids. After a few years I transitioned my shop over to Etsy (if you want to take a peek at Lilikoi Lane on Etsy it can be found here). We moved into our current house 1 week before my due date with Turtle. My studio space got unpacked but I never really felt that it was the space that I really wanted it to be. When I started my blog things got even crazier and though I use my studio every single day… it still wasn’t entirely the space that I needed it to be.
In October I sat down and took a serious look at my life. With too much on my plate I had to re-evaluate and find out what truly ignited my soul… unfortunately selling shirts on Etsy was no longer doing it for me, so I decided to put my store on vacation mode.
For the next couple of months my studio remained a storage space for Lilikoi Lane. HUNDREDS of blank shirts filled every possible storage area (well the storage areas that weren’t being filled with fabric) and all of my things for blogging (craft supplies, boxes of product to try from brands I’m working with, paperwork, etc) was being piled on top of it.
Last weekend I decided I had enough and that I needed to get started reorganizing my sewing studio. I started a big purge that continued into this weekend. Blank shirts got stored in storage totes and moved to the storage room of our garage. Papers got sorted and recycled or thrown away. Craft supplies were moved into the totes that used to house the shirts. And I once again started feeling good about my space.
The color has GOT to change and the lighting is horrific… but it’s starting to feel more like me.
I now have a tote with all of my felting supplies in it. I have a big storage container with yarn and a tote on my shelf with current crochet projects. I have a series of small plastic storage containers with things like foam brushes, paints, markers, crayons and pastels. Everything has it’s place, I know instantly where to find something… and I couldn’t be more excited.
I love the storage cube system (left hand side). Great for organizing my crafts by theme.
Things that still need to be done:
- Organize my sewing table
- Paint
- Hang cork above my sewing table
- Install new lighting
My Blue Bird Amigurumi found a home, nestled among my fabric and favorite craft and sewing books.
Hence my dilemma… the room is 3/4 done being organized (It still really needs to be painted too, the color is left from the last owners). So do I write my brilliant blog post for tomorrow? Or do I share with you the space that I’m getting so excited about? If you’ve read this far, I think you’ve found your answer!
The Hubs bought me the washboard for Christmas. My family looked at him like he was nuts… it was one of my favorite Christmas presents. I use it for felting and now it has a spot to hang on the wall when I’m not using it.
Tell me… Does the new year get you excited about making changes in your home? What area of your home needs the most love right now?
Wrapping fabric around comic book boards is a great way to store fabric on a book shelf. No more digging through big storage containers.
P.S. A year ago I started the task of wrapping my fabric around comic book boards for easy storage so that you can see your fabric and not have to hunt through tubs. I LOVE it and would highly recommend the storage technique.