Week 1 Progress Report: Emptying Binders and Other Things

Right after I decided to join the challenge to transform the Area of Utter Chaos in my basement into a functional crafting area, I spent some time down there looking after the low hanging fruit.

Then, of course, I didn't do anything at all again until yesterday.

I decided to tackle this area.

These old IKEA pine units (between the filing cabinet and the dresser) have been in my life since they held record albums in my Mom's house when I was in High School. They're great for old scrapbook binders and photo albums.

I unloaded the entire thing, one shelf at a time, and sorted and piled on the bench.

I emptied quite a few binders=--and found a few in categories I've seen before:



"Home Management" --This was chock full of print outs from Fly Lady's site and a few handritten sheets detailing my "ideal" morning and evening routines. Everything went into recycling. I'm pretty sure I may have another just like it (only different) upstairs in my bedroom.

"Garden Inspiration" --full of clippings from magazines and a few notes on various plants. I have another upstairs 3x as big. I tossed 90% of it.

"Scrapbook Idea Book" --sketched layouts, lots and lots of notes about how to assemble albums, etc. I went through it page by page and kept only my own page layout schematics. I'll put the sheets into the binder I have for this upstairs.

To my utter horror, (I have spent a lot of money on page protectors) I found not one, not two, but three binders full of 8 1/2 x 11 page protectors. I knew I had them, too. But I wasn't entirely sure. I'm not sure whether to keep them--not because I'm afraid I'll buy more--but because the thought of filling them up with stuff makes me shudder.

Here's how the cabinet looks now:


I'm not done with it.

I want to go through all that stuff on the top and figure out how to store it better and I have a bunch of punches and some craft paint to go through, today.



The punches will be hard. They were expensive and some were never even used.

But, most importantly, how am I tracking on the plan for week 1?

1. List the punching bag for sale. done.

2. Clear out the area by the lat pull-down machine for a picture and list it for sale. cleared out. Not listed, yet.

3. Decide whether the Rocking chair is repairable.
According to my husband, it is. When I asked him if he could do it in the next few weeks, he didn't anser me. It broke just a few days before Christmas.

4. Decide whether to keep the upholstered platform rocker.
This is it:



I dragged it out of the basement, washed the vinyl and vaccuumed the upholstery. Then I threw a blanket over it. I think I will add recovering it to my long list of things to do.



5. Decide wehther to insulate the wall over by the lat pull down machine this month (my husband has another vacation week coming up)
We talked about this. I can't remember what we decided. My husband did say it will be nice to have a week off "without a big house project." I don't think it will be getting done any time soon.

6. Put up hardware for curtains in the laundry room. done!

7. Talk to my husband about what needs to be done to finish the laundry area. done!

8. Put away items which really do have a home, like these on the bench. done! But of course, it is full of stuff again!



Decisions, decisions!

Check out more fabulous and challenging projects at Org.junkie.