Paper, paper. Coming out of my ears around here! A necessary evil, don't you think? Just a couple of minor projects for this time, both about PAPER CONTROL. I actually got them done a few days ago, but I've just been too busy to post.
FIRST UP: Relief Society Paper. Little did I know that along with my new calling in my church, I would also inherit an entire backseat of my husband's truck worth of PAPER! Everytime something gets copied, a little bit of that ream of paper is leftover, and it's been saved for future use. All different colors, thicknesses, etc. Here's how I received it:
Stacks and chunks of all sizes stacked upon each other in an old box and box lid. Kept in someone's garage and full of the creatures that come along with that! YIKES, how fun! The above picture was a poor choice of angle on my part. (I didn't realize it until after it was all cleaned up, so I didn't have another chance to take a better one.) What you don't see is the paper getting so mixed up, dirty, and crumpled that it would have NO HOPE of ever being fed through a copier.
If it gives you any idea, THIS was the "leftover" mess after my organizing.
And now I present my new Relief Society paper holder! Each "bird of a feather" is now happily sticking together. All of the colors, cardstocks, and so on near its own kind. It is nicely held by my new organizing bins from K-mart, only $12.49. (I even got another set of those babies for some other mess!) Gorgeous, no?
Note to self for next time: place organizing bins in their permanent storage spot and THEN fill them up with heavy paper.
Moving on! THIS is my current spot for the kids' scratch paper and coloring supplies. It's the bottom corner of a kitchen cupboard (hence the blender and waffle iron you see there, hee hee.) It's actually a good spot for us, but as you can see the "stuff" is not really accessible in that basket. It requires constant digging and messing-up of the basket.
So I picked up this nifty contraption at Staples for $5.00.....
...and here's what you see now! WOW, there's stuff you didn't know was in there before!
It was the perfect fix. And these little expenditures were totally worth it.
P.S. I KNOW how un-exciting these posts must be getting - already!!! I apologize. But I can't stop, it's really working for me to know that I have to post about it. I'm actually getting it done, and I'm driven to keep going each day! So hang in there a little longer. My house and I thank you, deeply.
P.P.S. I've heard from lots of friends out there (whether in comments or in person) how they have been inspired to do a little de-junking themselves. YAY! THAT is what makes this even more fun!!! So what is the "necessary evil" in your house? What do you have too much of, but you still need to keep it?
9 comments:
You my dear (and your posts that I await with eagerness) have lit an organizational fire under me! I have gone forth with such a fury that unfortunately I have not stopped to do before & after shots...maybe on the upcoming projects. : )
Thank you for setting such a good example AND for posting your awesome organizational finds...I'll be in need a few of those once my fury takes me into our too long forgotten office.
Carry on, carry on!
I really like your dejunking posts. There is something intriguing about a before and after picture. It like "extreme makeover" only on a realistic level.
(I had seen the RS stack years ago. . . I had no idea how it had transformed!)
Necessary evil in my house = stuff
I would write a novel about how awesome I think these posts are, but I am dejunking the boys dressers! Thanks for the inspiration!
I don't know if I would say they are evil, but my collection of books can be overwhelming...remember the very full bookshelves in our front room? There is more. Much more. I have a weird thing about needing to own every book I read rather than borrowing them from the library. It's like a very expensive compulsive habit that I can NOT overcome (believe me, I have tried) and it is cluttering up my house. Worse than that I cannot get rid of any of them. Everytime I start to "de-junk" my bookshelves I feel my soul dying a little. My books are my babies! What is a girl to do?
P.S. I love your posts about cleaning up and clearing out your house. Keep up the good work!
I, too, love these posts! I subscribe to a couple of different organizing blogs, but to see it with someone I know in situations I relate to is much more fun! Before & after pics are the best. I've been on an organizing binge lately too, but alas, haven't taken pictures. (It's usually because I start digging in when something is bothering me so much I can't stand it anymore, so much so that I don't even want to stop and go grab the camera!)
And I should also say that my "before" shots would be totally embarrassing!!
You're doing great! I need to attack my desk. It's a disaster. I don't even want to think about the boys' room. Ugh.
Post a Comment