I have a plan !!!

Not only am I a compulsive list maker, I am compulsive about things I use often having a place and that place have a label.  After years and years of CQ I had it all worked out...  Since I only did jewelry once or twice a year,  things were stored here and there..... work room and living room and in with CQ stuff.  There was never a designated spot and I was never serious about supplies as I usually was just upcycling  stuff.

   Years ago I started buying  beads by the kilo for about $5 ..(not available any more) and they were very nice beads with some slight imperfections.     I  had to wash the glass dust from them and sort but it appealed to me more than any thing I could buy at a bead store..   All these beads for $6 and I am sure they were swept up from the floor from some bead factory in India.


Over the years I have used them to make some of my favorite pieces of jewelry. There were rarely any two beads alike and that's what I loved... the same random eclectic concept as CQ.  When I first started ordering there were many larger fancy beads mixed in but as time went by the beads were all smaller and finally they were not available at all.  I still have two unopened bags.... enough to last me as long as I as I will be doing this I'm sure as this does not include all the used costume jewelry I've collected from thrift stores.




  Glass beads though did have a home of their own in the utility room in this old map chest where I used to keep art paper stuff...... gradually taking it over.. 

So where to consolidate all this jewelry making stuff?   In my work room I had these two tall chests containing MOP buttons and  CQ laces (lace flowers, lace leaves, lace motifs, fillet lace, colored laces, etc.) and ribbons (silk ribbons to dye, folded ribbon samples, novelty ribbons, ribbons from London, etc. ).  I emptied about 16 drawers into  bags, labeled them and put them in a laundry basket.  Out to the barn it will go and if I should ever need any of it, it will be easy to find.




I had a lot of drawer dividers already plus some new ones I found at the $ store which had a rubber lining.  So the big reorganization project commences.  I look for it to take most of the summer until I get it tweaked. I'm not relabeling the drawers until I have everything to fit my needs...

I felt pressured to get the necklaces off to Alaska before their season was over.  So now that is done and  I have a plan I can move forward and not feel so frustrated trying to find things and feeling so disorganized....  Let the beading begin?

Latest organizational solution.....

The only problem with crazy quilting is that it requires soooooooooo much stash and such a wide variety....and the long you do it the more stuff you accumulate.  I do like to be organized and love shallow drawers, bins and label but I am still constantly trying to get better organized.

When I have several projects going I keep them in ziplock bags for various parts and all go into a extra large ziplock and I was storing them   in wicker baskets which I could stack.. But I was still having to go through layers when I am working on several projects at once.  But now I think I have a good solution.  I buy these bulletin boards at the thrift stores when I find them...  I have been using them to block needlework and as a mini design walls...

But I have designated a board for a each project and when all the bags for that project on a board   it's easy to find just what I'm looking for.... and the boards stack against the wall taking up practically no floor space.  And since they are two-sided I can still use the back side for blocking.

Lately I have had some great solutions for keeping organized.... First was combining a revolving shoe rack with a floor lamp base to keep all my threads on rings... a system I admired at Judith Montano's and thought so clever. (although she has hers hanging on a wall which I do not have)  Now I did another for all my ribbons and love, love, love it.

The next one that really worked is keeping my ziplock bags organized in beverage carriers.  It is easy to sort them by height.  This works so marvelous that I wouldn't even look for another solution.  I've added another carrier and keep anything on a roll in it. 

My favorite and most beautiful are my bento boxes... sometimes called wedding boxes.  I got the first one at a thrift store and loved it so much I found two more on ebay.  Mine are just plastic so were only $10-12  apiece.  Again each set of boxes is for a specific project.  I keep threads in one tray, beads in one tray, and laces and trims in one tray.  When I want to clear the table I can do it easily and also move between projects easily with little mess.

I really like having several things going at once.  Sometimes I run our of ideas on a project or get tired of it and it helps to go to something else and come back refreshed with new enthusiasm.