Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Sewing Peace by Cutting Clutter

I have been having withdrawals from my sewing machine.. I have so much I want to do.. Fun just waiting to be had, but I can't bring myself to concentrate on anything like that.  Why? Clutter!  Aaaaccckkk!


Clutter can be just as much of an "energy vampire" (thanks Rebecca Lynne for that genius term)as any person or situation or drama.  


Today, I hit my tipping point where the clutter in this house was driving me insane!! So armed with an idea of how to declutter our coat closet, for starters, I set out to buy some cheap (and I mean CHEAP) plastic shelving and whip this mess into shape!
I feel kind of naked posting a pic of my big mess!  Sadly, this isn't the half of it.  I don't know how it all fit in there!  Stuff just kept coming.


You see, our coat closet in the hallway has generally been the catch all, place for the vacuum (when it fits in there), random coats that are so old they haven't been worn in years, plastic bin of gift wrapping stuff, my wedding dress box, and.. the kicker.. ALL of my sons games and puzzles.  


Recently the games and puzzles have taken over.  I frequently stack them and restack them, trying to make room for the other things, but every time he gets one out, here come all the games and puzzles tumbling out into the hall floor like an avalanche.  And there they stay until I muster up the courage to restack everything, knowing that the next time he goes to get a game out, it will all tumble down again. So frustrating. *sigh*  It is probably draining your energy to just read about it! (stick with me though, the after pic is worth it!)


It took the better part of the afternoon to sift through, reorganize, and whip this closet into shape, but I did it!! A few trips to the trash can and recycle bin, and a pile to donate later, here is my now organized coat closet.

I actually can breathe easier now, and I think I'll be able to sleep better tonight!  Now he can go and get a game or a puzzle, he can see what's there, and they will be easily manageable. Ahhhh.  I should have done this a LONG time ago!
And there was room to sit a small lamp in there, since there's no light in the closet.
The right side of the closet is fairly empty, leaving plenty of room for the vacuum (yeah!), and room to walk in and get things off of the shelves.  A few things were relocated to the garage, which led to more cleaning out there, and overall, I feel 20 pounds lighter.  Just from losing some clutter! *whew*


Excuse me while I go and sit in the floor of the closet and soak up the organized serenity... ;)


Really.. I should've done it a long time ago!  What things make you feel less stressed and more peaceful?
Gonna head on over to and link up with my Drama Free 2012 partner in crime and her Thursday Think Tank.


Happy Thursday! xo

16 comments...:

sunny said...

Yay you!! Doesn't it feel wonderful? Maybe 'll take on my coat closet tomorrow. Let me know if your really did sleep better!

LuAnn said...

Great job on the reorg of the closet. I recently got rid of a few things in our hall closet. Just like yours it is just a catch all place. We still have our bowling balls in there, and we haven't bowled for lots of years. I'm sure the bowling balls have shrunk, too, and our fingers won't fit in them any more. Hope you do sleep better.

JoAnne said...

Hey, congrats on the declutter! I'm almost a bit ashamed to admit it, but I love tackeling those sorts of problems. Isn't it funny how they tend to creep up on us until it gets so bad?! I like to find great problem-solving ways to fix the situation, and I think you did marvelous with the shelves that your little guy can reach. I also like the lamp idea! While reading your post, I remembered somewhere reading an idea about game storage--where you take the parts and pieces out of the box, but I don't remember the "genius" solution. Maybe I'll have to google.
Aloha!

Maria said...

WOW Kelli your coat closet looks great.
Would you like to come and do my cave??? ( Sewing Room )

Ellen said...

I feel the same way about clutter - it really overwhelms me. When the mess in my sewing room gets too out of control I feel blocked.

Aaaahhhh so much better!! Great job Kelli! The toys will probably get played with more now too, wonderful!

jen said...

Wow! You did a great job! We have many areas of clutter around my house. Most of the time I walk right pass and think to myself that one day I will conquer it, and I do, when the spirit moves me. I always know that I will eventually get to the point where I just can't stand it anymore!

Wow! What a transformation - well done! I can't believe I'm feeling inspired to rush off and do housework :)

Peggy said...

Decluttering, even a drawer, is often a panacea for me too. Your closet looks great!

Remington said...

Isn't it nice to have everything in order....such a good feeling....

Oh doesn't it make you feel so much better after a good clean up? Clutter can be so oppressive, and will utterly stifle you, now you've got room to breathe again :o)

Raewyn said...

Your cupboard looks great - such a sense of satisfaction from doing something like this. I cant settle to concentrate either when I don't have order around me. It sounds like you had more clutter to conquer before you can get back to your sewing?

Anonymous said...

Being that I suffer with cdo, ahem... ocd... I HATE CLUTTER.. truly takes my energy and sucks it right out of me. It's exhausting. You did a fine job cleaning up that mess by golly. Now you can reflect and KNOW your day was fruitful!! Hugs.

It really does bring you peace to get that clutter out doesn't it? Good job.

It looks great! A good tidy up and declutter always makes me feel calmer...mind you so does a cup of tea and a biscuit!

As someone who vacuumed her stairs today to get into a better mood (seriously it was so satisfying) I totally understand what you were feeling!!! When cleaning is voluntary it can be so therapeutic. Good call partner! Of course, now the challenge is keeping it organized right? Hahahaa. Xoxo Becca

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