Containing the mess

Mess is something that drives me nuts.  Considering I'm lousy at housework, a bit of an obsessive hoarder as well, it's not a great combination.  What is even weirder is I love compartments, putting things in containers so that they are all together and have a lovely home.   Yet despite this, the accumulation of things of a crafty nature has got way out of hand and I've started tackling this terrible mess I'm in.

One of the many crafts I enjoy is card making.  My goodies include papers, card stock, pens, water colour pencils, stamps, tools, embellishments, ribbons, stamp pads, tape, scissors, cutters, punches, you get the picture.   Most things are stuffed in a plastic container, all higgeldy piggeldy which leads to a very frustrating card making experience.   I can never find anything and have to tip everything out on the table.  My paper and card stock has ended up lying flat on the floor in a bag which is not good. 

So you can imagine how excited I was when I discovered this storage item to house my card stock and papers in.  The pretty coloured drawers are a definate bonus.

O.k. I know it's only plastic but it does have wheels which I put on after this photo was taken.  How cool is this storage unit?  I thought I would have oodles of room for storing things other than papers and card stock but by the time I'd sorted them into colours and textures, it was full.

  So what was I going to do with these bits and pieces?

  

Check out these two gorgeous vibrant pencil cases which I found on sale with a 75% discount? Yes, 75%!!  :-)  Don't you love a bargain?

 

Problem solved.

There's a long way to go before the card making goodies are in order but it's a start.

 As I'm on a bit of a roll here when it comes to storage and containment, here are two more things I've done recently in a bid to become a bit more organised.  I saw this lovely idea for storing crochet hooks and knitting needles in a magazine, book or blog somewhere, I can't remember.  SORRY.  All the credit for this idea goes to an unknown person.  

Find a nice glass vase or even a big jam jar and some colourful glass stones.  Marbles or pebbles would work just as well.  Put the stones carefully in the base of the vase/jar and shove your knitting needles and crochet hooks in among the stones.  And there you have it, you've not only solved a storage problem but created a decorative item for your craft room/area too.

When working on a crochet or knitting project, I always manage to lose either the crochet hook, scissors, wool needle or stitch counter.  This pretty little zippered bag is perfect for these small items.  All I have to do now is remember to put the items back in the bag when I'm finished for the day. 

 

There's a long way to go before all is organised, contained, clutter and mess free but it's a start.  I'd love to hear your ideas for storage solutions that are functional and gorgeous.

Thanks for reading this rather long post.

Have a great day.

Anne :-)