Studio re-do (again!) and organization

So, it's actually been suggested that I bury my studio in stuff because I love to organize crap. This may actually be true... I have often thought that it would be fun to help people clear out clutter and get what remains organized - sort of like Clean Sweep (one of my all-time favorite shows - I miss it!). A big problem with that is I would end up bringing half of their stuff home! Also, I could only do it if there were a guarantee that I would not have to clean up anyone's filth (like you see on Hoarders... (I have tried to watch that show... can't do it! It makes me nauseous just thinking about it *gag*).

Anyway... I decided to tackle my studio mess this past week. I've been psyching myself up for it since the New Year and my resolution to put a moratorium on buying craft supplies or vintage stuff. Seriously, I AM NOT GOING TO BUY ANY ART/CRAFT SUPPLIES OR INVENTORY FOR MY ETSY SHOP IN 2017!! I'm doing my best to ignore the little voice in my head saying "yeah... right..."

I did take some "before" photos - I had already cleaned off the studio table, so they were "slightly-less-than-before" photos but I think you will get the idea re: the amount of stuff I have in a relatively small room.

Here is my table - usually piled so high with stuff that I can't see the top of it - amazingly clutter-free! Next to it is one of my favorite pieces of studio furniture: a 24-drawer steel cabinet I bought when a local store was clearing out their surplus office furniture. A literal steal at just $40 which I happily paid and whistled all the way home!

Here's a shot of it (or what you can see of it over the box of crap sitting in front of it!):

The drawers are color-coded and stuffed to the gills with pretty things like ribbon, lace, silk flowers, beads, etc.

 Here is a shot of the North wall - again, piled high with stuff. You couldn't even walk through because of boxes on the floor. I'm such a slob...

 Here is the walk-in closet. I keep inventory overflow in here as well as craft show stuff (tent, displays, etc). It's always a bit of a mess. Anytime I need the tent (which leans against one of the back corners) I have to move 10 things out of the way first. *sheesh*

 Here is my photo and shipping station. It also looks pretty good because I'd cleaned a bit before deciding to take some pics. Underneath are bins with shipping supplies, a file cabinet where I keep my accounting info (one thing I DO keep organized! Must be my banking background...) and a plastic bin where I keep the cordless drill, staple gun and yarn winder.

 My desk, elevated so I have to stand - it's easier on my arthritic body than slouching in a desk chair.

The "dog chair". Our dogs, Freckles and Ogie, like to hang out in the studio when I'm in there and this chair is their domain. It's a mess! Under the cover are layers of dog hair that I couldn't get out of the upholstery if my life depended on it. I threw some fabric over for a make-shift cover but it's all dug up - my dogs like to dig! Because of that, the seat cushion needed replacing a while ago - it's now just a pillow in a quilted sham.

Stuffed in next to the chair are my ukulele's which I never play because I have to relocate the dogs and the chair to get to them. Not conducive to practicing...

 I did finally get Ogie to lift his head to say "Hi" but, as you can tell, he wasn't too thrilled about it. He's much friendlier in person. :)

So, those are my "before" photos. Stay tuned for some "in-progress" as well as some "almost-after" to come later!

See you soon... :)