slight digression

And I did have every intention of NOT buying storage supplies but...

There was a tremendous sale at Staples.  Those 3 binders for plastic plastic page protectors, of which I have many, were $2.97 and then another 25% off.   score!  The binders will have the  sheets of alphabet stickers, themes, etc.  I'll just flip instead of digging through containers  in various locations. Might try my stencils. The lidded boxes will be for all the loose stickers, a colour per category which I hope limits me to 5 categories.  The flat trays will be to corral stamps in the shallow drawers, I'm thinking. And all those stamps I'm saving for the grand kiddies will GO to the grand kiddies and their mother can store them!  lol   I was looking for magazine holders for scrap book paper. Got 3 cheap ones in our local print shop but just the smaller 9 inch size.  The gal at the Scrapbook store said the larger ones for 12 inch paper is hard to find but she found one to sell me.   One tip was to cut paper to preferred size anyway.  I'll go by colour and anything that doesn't fit will be tossed!  When I finally get mad I am okay with this much space and not an inch more. 

I sent our library a request for an organizing book by Marie Kondo, that will make me happy to throw stuff away! It seems to be a bit quirky but fun. Indeed, it kinda fine tunes the way I already think about organizing. 1) drag it all out, be horrified and then chose the best to keep.  oops, point 2 was don't buy storage supplies,  etc.  :{   Well, at least it'll keep me motivated.  I hope.  She also says do it once which I can't seem to accomplish.  I let go of most of the biggies layer by painful layer.  :(  I'm in the pursuit of the perfect work space but it is definitely a progressive process. 

The blank page does not stall me.  Mess and too many choices does stall me.  So nicely organized and easy to access supplies inspire me.

So far I have 'edited' stamps, especially those teeny ones I can't even decipher.  :(  I eliminated all the oil pastels and the oil paint sticks. The smell puts me off them and I've no patience to await drying.  Wrinkled, odd sized and ugly paper- trash.  The thrift shop can store magazines and old books and papers.  (I'm more and more amazed at the fact that if you need it the thrift shops somehow have it!)  Now all my mark making paraphernalia I've collected is going to the basement which is one step closer to the garbage.   Goodness knows it fairly easy to replace.  :-}

I eventually got to the place with quilting where I said, "enough"!  I don't buy much fabric anymore and usually it is in small amounts and with something in mind.   My mistake was thinking this mixed media phase of my life was different!  ha!  So it now has a boundary, a physical space and it is not allowed to encroach on my fabric space.  Fabric and mixed media do meet but it'll be on my neutral work table!  ;^)  There will be no more buying unless it can be used in the next 24 hour time period. 
Not quite done as I didn't fill the binders yet.  The small sampling of inspiration is still too big but I have got breathing room.
 

Now with things looking less stressful it is time to get back to the beginning; my default setting where I regroup and gather momentum to continue the life I luv!  And, no surprise, the simpler I make things the easier it is to start at the beginning and quickly move to the MAKING!  Shoot!  I even have some empty drawers.  :)

 Next up- my monthly project reports!