Killin' time
Fri, 10 Aug 2012I have been on holidays these past 2 weeks and dear gawd did I need this break (at least from one of my jobs). Since Tuesday I've been pretty much stuck at home during the day which I welcomed, because it meant getting lots of things done I have been putting off - including several tasks involving organzing something or other. Yesterday, after walking to the post office to pick up some hot boots, it was time to organize the bookshelves in my bedroom. I really don't like having all this book storage in my bedroom (to me it's like bad feng shui - too much visual stimulation for a room that's supposed to give me tranquility), but it was the only free wall in my tiny house that could house my magazine collection and some books. I threw some of the older magazines out because holy smokes I have far too many, and made the piles neat again. Once the contents were organized (and shrunk down a bit) I went out to the storage shed and dug out some apple baskets and a couple wooden crates I had purchased some time ago at an antique shop out in the boonies. I am a FREAK for rustic/industrial storage options, and these, along with my vintage metal locker baskets, helped in the wrangling of my crap. I'm a happy camper now, and I think I can sleep a little better tonight knowing it's not a disaster. (P.S. Before the hubby moved in, the shelves looked like this, and after when I de-feminized the space, the room looked more like this).
Reader Comments (10)
Now that's ogranization!
"...de-feminized the space". Love that. I think you can get a room spray that does that. :)
Nice organizational work! I looked back and it was SO girly before.
Aside: do you look through a magazine again that you save? Or an article?
Some magazines are excellent and/or beautiful and I can't bear to part with them so save them...but then they never move from the shelf until I do what you just did.
When I read a shelter mag I use those sticky tab things to mark off anything interesting that I might want to refer to later. Because I do that I end up going through them on occasion.
Magazines can be a real problem. I am a total magazine junky and subscribe to 4 or 5 and still buy more to get my fix. I found they were taking over ALL my shelf space and yet I could never find anything when I wanted it. So I came up with a solution. I found a basket (about the size of a bankers box) with three compartments in it. Each compartment will hold about a year of a magazine. The front two compartments are for my two main magazines; the back one for the less important and occasionals. Now I read my mags cover to cover when I get them and then put them into the basket. They stay there until I want one or until there is no more room. Then I schedule a morning/afternoon/evening when I can sit down with a cup of coffee/tea/glass of wine and I pull out the oldest 6 or so issues. I then flip through each magazine and tear out anything (and I mean ANYTHING) I think I might want to see again. This reduces the pile quite a bit because there are a lot of ads, duplication and just plain dreck in all magazines. I let the pile of torn out pages sit for a few days and then go through it again. I usually toss out a couple more pages. Once this is done, I stick the pages into file folders I have created - Christmas, Centrepieces, Candles, Hallowe'en, Built-in Bookcases - you get the idea. This may seem like a lot of work but I have found that it means I really enjoy my magazines a minimum of two times (the second is actually my favourite) and I can find the inspiring item that is the reason for the magazines when I want it. Anyone can do this. Just designate a limited-space spot for your mags and when it is full - cull. And no, I am not as OCD as this implies - you should see the rest of my house:). Three kids, only 1 cat and a pack rat husband! Not pretty!
Everytime I organize and throw out some magazines, I prommise myself I won´t buy anymore.... But then I can´t resist temptation! Love what you did! The whole look is great, the baalance of wood and tin. I love rustic industrial too.
Love those metal boxes! looks great kim!
Deb - I used to tear out pages of interest and stash them in a file folder all organized like you, but then I realized I really like having stacks of mags on hand since I don't have a large collection of books. Your process doesn't sound to OCD so no worries. :)
Thanks Cata and LD!
Really nice organization idea with the baskets. I like how we both have birds near our storage area as well - I have a crazy owl perched on my bookshelf
Okay, it's going to sound odd, but I think your personal design ethos got stronger after marriage. There's a tougher edge that really works better.
Thanks rooth! (the decoy was a wedding gift from my inlaws)
Oregonbird - I think getting older and wiser worked in my favor. ;)