the january cure

I know it's February.  But last month, I followed along with Apartment Therapy's daily steps to decluttering your home:  saving the world, one room at a time.

I didn't get to each one, but there were a couple that were life-changers.  The first weekend, we had to clean the floors of the home...vacuum, scrub, sweep, mop...I thought it was an odd place to start.  That's usually one of the last things I do.

And my kitchen floor knows it.

It got an amazing hand wash by me (and the kids pitched in, too!).  We could actually feel the difference on our feet!  We were gliding around and felt like we were walking on clouds, that floor was so clean.

But then I got thrown off course when they asked us to choose one of our big projects we had listed and start on it.  My big project:  declutter the bookshelves in our craft room/library/sunroom/playroom.  You know it's bad if a room has that many names.

I knew this was going to be one that got worse before it got better.  Yes, the shelves were a jumbled mess, but at least you could see the floor.

Let's get a close up of the jumble o' stuff.

Photo albums...notice recycling and odd bits on top of shelves.

Craft baskets filled to overflowing.

There are some glimpses of organization in the past...see those crayon jars sorted by colors...yeah, but look at the mess of papers below.

The books!  They actually are somewhat organized here, but I was going to have to be brutal in purging these, keeping only the best of the best.

And one last before:  a blurred mess of paint, ribbon, tape and who knows what.

So then I got started.  And basically, everything that was once on the shelves came off and on to the floor.  There were piles here and there with destinations known only to me.

But slowly some shelf space started to appear.  The key to organized shelves is really SPACE.   And early on, I decided I was tired of them being flat against the wall.  I've really always hated these shelves because they're so tall, but this was a money-free makeover so I need to think creatively.   I decided to turn one and create a little craft alcove.  At least the shelves are open so it doesn't block the space completely.

I finally got the piles out of the room.  (Really, they were just moved to another room ready for the upcoming children's consignment sale.) 

Ready for the after photos?

The craft space now has a box for everything.  One for glue, one for scissors, one for sharpies...so much easier to clean up after projects!  I also moved the printer here.   Since we use that a lot for crafting, it makes more sense.

I came across these dollar store alphabet cards I had bought long ago.  And wouldn't you know, they fit perfectly on the side of that bookcase.  Unbelievable.

Our new reading area, along with our calendar board.   I enjoyed using our many stuffed animals as decorations on the shelves.  They used to be piled high in a basket and rarely touched, but these were the first things grabbed off the new shelves by both Diego and Carmen.

Not sure why this shot is so blurry, but you get the idea.  A little box is home to more stuffed animals; some maps of the world and our globe for exploring; an empty wood frame surrounds one of Joaquin's weaving projects from school; and there's a basket of nature supplies for learning about the great outdoors.

Here's the other side of the room.  The mobile on the wall is made from a few watercolor pictures by Diego that were punched into squares.  It was originally going to be for Carmen, but they wouldn't hang right.  I love them here on the wall.

Oh, did you notice those hideous lines on our wood floor.  Of course you did.  Beware of those Pinterest ideas...have you seen the one where you take tape and make a track for matchbox cars?  Notice how they abruptly end (where there used to be a rug).  Don't put masking tape on your hardwood floors.  I'm sure you already knew that.

And one last view from the side.  That huge bucket is recycling for crafts.  The back porch is a project for another day.

So what do you think?

We've done numerous craft projects since the room has been finished, and I can truly say it still looks like this.  Even when it doesn't, a quick five minutes is all it takes to get everything back in its place.

Now on to the rest of the house.  I need a cure for each month of the year.