1.15.2010

Is there a Hoarders Anonymous?

I know that there are TV shows that will come to your house and make you throw away or sell all your stuff, but is there a group program.  I guess I would have to want to get better and I’m not sure I’m there yet, I think I just want to get organized.

I sure it is no surprise to anyone who has noticed that the background in all my photos is always cluttered, but I really have a problem.  I am going to share some shocking photos with you guys today, because I know I’m not the only one with this dirty little secret.  My theory is that being creative requires a little chaos (I’m extra creative, so I need a lot, which translates to: I don’t have time to clean, I’m creating!!! )

Before we bought our new house in May 2009 we lived in a tiny apartment and kept a lot of our stuff in storage.  When we moved in here everything that was in storage got put directly into the basement, semi stacked, but mostly randomly.

hoarders anon 2 Um, yeah, so this is what my basement looks like right now, there is more, but I could only get this much in the picture.  About 60% of this stuff is mine, most of it craft related.  This space is supposed to be for my husband to have his little nerdy man cave, as you can see, he’s getting a lot of use out of it.

hoarders anon 1 This was, (yes was, I’ve been cleaning) the doors to my craft room, it is not that large of a room, but it does have a closet.  I have tidied up a lot and moved the furniture around and hauled up some stuff from the basement and now it looks a little better.

hoarders anon 4

Here is my sewing table and a large wall shelf that is holding all my gallon sized storage containers.  The middle shelf is not tall enough, but I have a lot of other jars and do dads to put there.  I’ve organized my sewing notions and they are all nicely tucked away in the drawers of the sewing cabinet that I got at a yard sale, I still have the old machine that was in it if anyone is interested.  (I have a collection of things that need to be put on a yard sale or donated to charity downstairs also).

hoarders anon 5 This is my crafting table, I found out that the three rolling carts (you can only see two here) fit perfectly under the table if I took the wheels off.  The real question is what to do with the wheels, so I can find them if I need them again.  Most of the drawers are still empty, which means that there is room for me to haul some more stuff out of the basement.  On the left in the corner is the shelf that is going to be my ironing center where I’ll be keeping all the equipment I need for pressing and probably current projects.  The ironing board will be along that left wall, where I can leave it out all the time.

hoarders anon 6

Here is a shot of the closet, it is packed to capacity with shelves, on the very left, not easily seen are the shelves holding my freshly folded and stacked fabrics, there is still a lot of room for more (and I have more waiting in the basement).  The center shelf will hold all of my containers for different crafts, I expect to find the rest of them in the basement also.  The right is a sweater organizer that is totally empty, not quite sure what I’ll put in there, maybe yarn.  Not pictured is a organizer of small drawers mounted on the wall containing all sorts of small bits and bobs.  That mess on the right is a gift bag and wrapping paper organizer that is going to be relocated upstairs.

I am slowly making progress, every box I open needs to be sorted through and organized and then put away, there was no method to the madness when we packed.  I’m starting to get really excited to finish, it’s going to be so nice to have everything put away and easily found.  I’ll share more as I accomplish it and hopefully I can avoid Hoarders Anonymous and avoid anyone calling a TV show to make me clean up.  Please tell me I’m not the only one with a clutter problem.

7 comments:

HB, The Impulsive Minimalist said...

You aren't the only one. I just posted about my horrible mess of a craft room the other day! I wasn't brave enough to do it when it was at it's worse, but even slightly cleaned up it's pretty bad. Come on over and see the mess and feel better about being a hoarder! (Plus, we're nowhere near the people on those shows!)

-Heather
www.luckystarlane.blogspot.com

RoboCat said...

“Chaos in the world brings uneasiness, but it also allows the opportunity for creativity and growth.” - Tom Barrett

Rev. Dorothy-Clare J said...

I will rent out my adult daughter, Helen, who visited me to help out when I had shoulder surgery on 12/18/09. Her mission, "if she chose to accept it" was to help me clear out this mess! I live in an "itsy bitsy teenie weenie" 2 room apartment, that, when she arrived looked almost as bad as your basement! (seriously!!) I live in a 100+ y/o building, with a basement that is probably condemnable due to mold & mildew from previous severe water problems, so I can store nothing that will absorb odors. Therefore, it is all in the apt. Helen was great--She did the whip-cracking, and the physical work, I sat with ice on my shoulder, and gave directions and made decisions, and we made tremendous headway. I am now waiting for an org. to come tomorrow to pick up all the stuff I am donating, and the rest is all tidy and organized. The only thing I have to do on my own is my file cabinet. Yikes!

RecycleCindy said...

Hehehe, I loved your post about hoarding and keeping stuff. Why would you want to throw something out or give something away when you might need it in the future, right? I see several things in your pictures that I would love to have or wish I could find at the thrift store. Remember creativity is key not necessarily a clean craft room or garage.

Rev. Dorothy-Clare J said...

Ah, yes...the need to get rid of some things comes when you have, truthfully, 1 chair to sit on (the other 2 are buried), so having a guest is out of the question, and my bed is a daytime storage place, and everything has to be moved to the 1 chair so I can sleep! With a cross-country move coming within the next year or so, I have to do this so I have room to buy more to get rid of when I actually move!
**FYI one of the greatest places to donate crafting/art/sewing items, women's and children's clothing is a treatment center for women with addictions. Please remember them. They all need help.

8~)

Crafterella said...

Thanks for all the support ladies!

Heather: it's the perfect time of year to get organized and it looks like your off to a good start. Also, this was not the real before picture this before was also taken after I had done some work.

Robocat, I totally agree with that!

Dorothy-Clare, thanks for the offer, but I'm such a control freak I have to do this myself. I have had a really productive weekend and have unpacked about a dozen boxes and started putting my books on to the shelves and I can see floor in the basement, yay! I will have to keep the women's treatment center in mind, I will also be having a yard sale this spring and I have several crafty friends that I may pass some supplies on to.

Cindy, you are so right, I might neeeeed it (in about 10 years), let me know what you might be interested in, maybe we can work out a trade ;)

DLSarmywife said...

You are very brave to share your 'hoard' You are most definitely not alone. I need to do a total re-org and clear-out of my stuff. My husband will be away for 3 weeks and since I don't sleep well when he is gone, I plan to use my time to get started on that.