Allison: Making Room For Baby

Hello, and welcome back!  I really debated about what I wanted to post this week.  But then I spent some time in the future nursery of my unborn child, and inspiration hit.

When I was pregnant with my first daughter,  Isla, I couldn't get her space ready quick enough.  Her "nursery" was also the guest room, office and my craft space, but I really worked to make it her room.  Maybe it's the distraction of already having a child, but I haven't put as much effort into Norah's room.  Today, I decided that needed to change.  I walked into that middle room and anxiety hit.  It looked like a mini Joann's store had thrown up, with all my crafting supplies and half-finished projects.   Time to fix it!

I should take a second and fill you all in.  I'm a pretty organized person.  I have NEVER claimed to be a clean person, but organized, I definitely am.  I almost cannot function in a space that doesn't have at least a minimal amount of organization.  When you look at these before pictures, you may think they're somewhat organized.  But to me, they weren't functional.  I thought I'd share some ideas I have about organization.  I won't call them "tips" because that just sounds presumptuous.  :)

Ironically, my adorable daughter made this mess while I was writing up this post on organization.  I blame her father.  (Not really... he's pretty organized too.)

Yep... that's what an almost completely full pack of wipes looks like in a huge pile.  :)

1. THE MOST ACCESSIBLE SUPPLIES SHOULD BE THE SUPPLIES USED MOST OFTEN.
     *This seems like an obvious statement, but it is so true.  I hate when I'm constantly having to move things around to get to something that I need.  So today, I decided to de-clutter by getting rid of things that don't get used on at least a weekly basis.  Looking at the closet, I realized that I haven't touched the hanging fabric samples for months.  So... they needed to go!  I acquired those samples from a furniture store and have been looking for the perfect way to use them.  Since I still haven't found it, they can sit in my garage, instead of taking up valuable space in the closet.

I also realized that all my gift bags were taking up a lot of hanging space.  Knowing that I don't really use them that often, I decided to put them away in a drawer that was still accessible, but out of the way.


2.  PROJECTS THAT AREN'T BEING WORKED ON SHOULD BE IN A SECONDARY LOCATION.
     *If you asked me to tell you the projects I'm "working" on, the list would be a mile long.  I get so distracted when it comes to projects.  One day I'll be dead set on finishing a project, and the next, I want to put it away for a few weeks and focus on something else.  Apparently I bore easily.  :)  So today I decided to be realistic.  That huge stack of jeans will one day be an adorable denim quilt that my family will use for picnics and outings in the park.  For now, it's a stack of jeans that take up way too much space.  I was pretty proud of myself the other day for finally taking them out of their tote and ripping them into strips that can now be cut and sewn together.  But that's as far as I got.  Today, I put them back in their tote, realizing that I still have a baby quilt to finish, a long list of projects I deem more "important", and a baby to birth.  They'll be okay for a few more months in the garage.  :)

3.  DESIGNATE AREAS FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES.
     *I know from past experience, that babies have a lot of "supplies".  Naively, I thought I could just combine Isla and Norah's closets so that I could keep my own little craft space.  In reality, I knew that wouldn't be the best thing for any of us.  With both of them in different rooms, I'd be constantly running from one room to the other, and probably be irritated with myself each time for not having planned better.  So though it's small, Norah now has her own little space in her own closet.  I even sacrificed a couple of drawers for her, where her sister, Isla, wouldn't be able to reach.  The closet is still filled with crafting supplies, but has a designated area for baby.

The changing table also needed to be used for the purpose it was made.  No more stacking things on top.  I did use a little space on the bottom, but plan to add some cute baskets to the second shelf that will be filled with all those things I'll need access to while caring for my newborn.  Also, the drawers on the side will allow me to be more organized with clothing and diapers.  Perfect! 


4.  LABEL, LABEL, LABEL!!
     *I haven't been too obsessed with labeling, as I generally know where things are.  But obviously I'm a little infatuated with plastic containers, and occasionally forget what is where.  So I decided to finally add clear and legible labels to quickly access anything I need. 

5.  PUT LIKE THINGS IN THE SAME PLACE.
     *I love ribbon.  Can you tell from my ample supply?  But as I was cleaning up this space, I realized that I had ribbon in multiple locations.  I had recently utilized a Pinterest tip and organized a bunch of my supply on a multi-rack hanger.  But I couldn't hang all of my ribbon there, as some spools didn't have a hole in the middle.  So last night I took matters into my own hands, and made my own holes.  Duh... how easy was that?  Now most of my ribbon hangs together and is ready for me to use.  I love how organized it looks!!

There you go.  Just a few suggestions that I have found make me feel more organized and less stressed. I'm sure you're all not as crazy about organization as I am, but I'm sure some of you are.  :)  Now the space is organized, and ready for me to finish some of the decorating projects on my to-do list.  Look for those in upcoming posts.  Until then, keep crafting and have a great week!




Allison