Prepare the Tools

     Greetings fellow adventurers. If you've been here for the start of this chaotic and dusty journey, welcome back. If you're just tuning in, let me catch you up. Back in January, I explained in my post New Year, New Journey that I'm making this year my Organization year. The goal is to get rid of things that I don't need, reorganize my supplies and products, clean, and just overall reclaim my life from the debris that piled up in the past year. The goal is with the cleaning and reorganizing, I'll be able to be more productive in my work and that the trend of reclaiming my life will continue on to other parts of the house and just my life as a whole. So far, those who have been following along, have been giving me a lot of positive feed back so I thank you.

When in doubt, build it

     Besides the plethora of cleaning that I've been doing and the sorting of the piles I have at the moment, I have a few other things going on. As I mentioned previously, I have already been able to tackle the reorganization and dusting of the 3 book cases that I have the majority of my research and reference books for my work housed. This mini library is filled with random information stretching through across subjects of art, history, theology, botany, weapons and vehicles. You never know what you might need for a project and I enjoy the subjects that I've collected material on. I've also mentioned in my post Where do I put this? that I have acquired several different storage units for my supplies and products. So what's next?

     If you have a small work space like I do or a space with strange angles, you may have the same issue that I've come across which is there's just not a particular item the right size you can readily purchase to fit with what you need. Well if you're a maker or have maker friends/family, you're going to have to make it yourself. My wonderful father is helping me with perhaps the most ambitious part of this project. A sort of shelving unit which will house both 

Base of shelving unit

my scanner and printer. With some careful measuring taken of the size of the pieces of equipment along with my filing cabinets on which the entire unit will be on top of, off to the garage he went. One of the good things about living in a household of makers is that we tend to have the materials we need on hand in some form or another for various projects. Using some scrap wood we had in our recycled wood pile, he was able to make the initial base over a couple of days of gluing, cutting, sanding and putting a couple of coats of polyurethane to protect it. Shifting my filing cabinets over a few inches, we plopped the base on top and made sure that that everything was level before we temporarily put my printer back into position. Next step we get to problem solve is the shelf which be put above. The entire assembly needs to be strong enough for both pieces of equipment but sturdy enough to handle the slight wobble a printer or scanner does when in use. The last thing that I need to worry about is the assembly collapsing and two rather expensive pieces of equipment ending up damaged.

     So making little steps of progress in the overall scheme of things while figuring out. A few

Slow progress of space

ideas which I initially had at the beginning had to be set aside once I began this journey mostly because of impracticality of them along with discovering that there were better solutions. Of course those bits can be discussed at another time.

Where do I put this?

As I de-bury myself from sorting through the various piles of debris that have been in my workspace, I welcome you all back to another installment of my continuing journey for this year. As I said previously, doing a serious deep clean is usually the most time consuming part of this kind of situation. What do you need? What is just trash? Is this recyclable? When the hell did you purchase that? It's like excavating an archaeological dig sometimes. For those who are in the various arts or are makers, this is even so. So that you aren't completely overwhelmed with attempting to do this all at the same time, spread the work out into smaller piles to be sorted and tended to. This way you aren't straining and inadvertently injuring yourself in the process.

Storage Solutions

If you are doing your own clean-up and organization, you are probably entering the “Where the hell do I put this shit” part of the process. Welcome, my friend! You've reached the most eye opening part of the journey; when you're seeing how much or how little space you have to work with. I have also reached this point so I understand what you may be going through. For those who aren't familiar with how artists/crafters/makers are, we have a LOT of small things. Pencils. Markers. Paints and inks. Tools of various shapes and sizes. A seemingly endless cornucopia of tiny baubles and components. All scattered on desks and shelves or plopped into cups and candle holders for easy access. This makes having workspace while also items within easy reach a little difficult. Personally I had things in random shaped cups and jars but attempting to find things that didn't fit a little more difficult. Let me share some of what I've come across that might work for you and ideas for alternatives.

Talenti brand gelato

Mason Jars, Candles & Gelato

Yup, you heard me. For those of you who are on a shoestring budget and needing something to hold things while you save up for a better solution, these items are absolutely perfect. Mason jars come in various sizes which helps with various sized items that might be in bulk such as pencils, pens, paintbrushes and beads. Another option, if you can't get a hold of mason jars, is jars of pasta sauce or jam. Once cleaned after you've used up their contents, these resealable glass containers work handy in a pinch. Candle holders, especially the tall glass ones typically used for cemeteries or shrines work well for taller items. The last one is perhaps a bit more surprising to many people but there are a couple of brands of gelato which come in clear plastic containers with a resealable lid. So not only will you have a sweet treat to enjoy but once the container is cleaned out, it can be used for storage. An alternative to the gelato container is actually clear vitamin bottles.

Metal Mesh Pencil Holder

I had my pencils, pens and paintbrushes separated into nearly 15 different cups and was having moments of “now where did I put this” repeatedly along with having something

Marbrasse Mesh Desk Organizer

fall between the cups and not know it went. Wanting to fix this issue, I recently purchased 2 of these metal mesh pencil holders that I had found on Amazon. They're sturdy and with the things being at a slant, I can easily see where items are. The bottom tray on the holder works perfectly for keeping erasers, tiny tools and small staplers. Alternatively, there is acrylic versions available. However I cannot vouch for the durability and sturdiness of the products since I haven't picked any up.
Marbrasse Mesh Desk Organizer ($20.99)

Acrylic Makeup Holder

I think that by now, you would have noticed that the theme of all of the containers that I've pointed out so far are either clear or at least has a way to keep items within view. The reason for this is for me, which also might be true for others, is that if I don't see something in a container, I will forget that I even have certain items. Very much the whole “Out of sight, out of mind” scenario. This how we end up having so many random items scattered to the 4 corners of our work spaces. So what's this about acrylic makeup containers? These little storage containers are clear, sturdy, and come with a little non-slip/non-scratch padding for each

Sorbus Acrylic Cosmetics
 Makeup & Jewelry Storage

drawer of the container. With a wide range of sizes along with different holders to go with them, they work great for tiny bits for makers and crafters. Currently I'm using one for small bits and baubles while a second one I just recently got in will be dedicated for small product storage. However, as a heads up, this particular storage solution is a bit more of an investment compared to the others I listed depending on what type and size you get.

Sorbus Acrylic Cosmetics Makeup and Jewelry Storage ($19.99)

BINO 5Drawer Acrylic Jewelry and Makeup Organizer ($19.99)

BINO 5 Drawer Acrylic
Jewelry & Makeup Organizer

Like with any of these, be sure to measure the space you have available to find the best solution for you. As I continue with my adventure, I'm sure that I will discover other things that may help with keeping things organized. With such discoveries, I will be sure to share.