A Clean Room = Creativity....Hopefully

I keep cleaning up my rug hooking room and it just won't stay clean. This room is where I spend most of my time when I'm home- I do all my rug hooking (try to keep the wool dust in one room!), watch movies and TV, my laptop is in there, and of course the kitties are generally with me in here. It's not a big room and seems like I'm forever stacking things and it becomes a catch all for whatever doesn't fit anywhere else in the house!

Well Friday night as I was sitting here watching TV and doing some stitching, I was looking around and felt so claustrophobic and closed in and just didn't want to be in here. So Saturday morning I got up and decided enough was enough! I had to do something - I didn't know what - but I started pulling almost everything out of the room except the big stuff and totally rearranged things and organized.

I'll show some pictures of the "after" - It will never win any "house beautiful" awards and I'm sure I did the first thing decorators tell you not to - lining things up like they are under arrest on the walls - but what I did was just that - it opened up the room and it feels so much bigger - and I even added a piece of furniture! LOL

This is the corner where I used to have my antique cobbler's rack - I pulled my pie safe over there and pulled out all the wool in the pie safe, refolded and restacked and there is so much more room. I have that big old basket up there full of tiny pieces of wool - you know those pieces that just aren't big enough to keep with the folded ones. Then under that quilt is 4 of those metal cubes stuffed full of wool of course. On top of that is one of the large wooden boxes I found at a thrift - it's filled with paper patterns and such - and of course there is a basket for the kitties - they love laying near the window looking out. And yes, that is a large piece of wool rolled up at the base of the window - it's so cold out and we desperately need new windows - there was actually ice on the inside! On the floor is a tall cheese box that is filled with more "stuff" and my spare chair. I won't even go into what is in that closet!

Over in this corner (which is the other side of the window) are shelves with more "stuff and supplies", my sewing machine, a toy chest filled with more "stuff", and my cordless vacuum which is used daily in this room!

Then of course next to that is the daybed which has to stay on that wall since the TV is on the other wall which has to stay there because of the cable). Anyway - i moved the cobblers rack (which holds all my hand dyed wool over to this wall and then I moved this big cabinet to this wall - This used to be in front of the daybed and had the TV and cable boxes in. I took those out and put the printer in there (which used to precariously sit atop of my metal cubes which used to be on this wall and are now dismantled), and also int eh big section put in some of the metal cubs and filled them with wool, and then also have all that pesky stuff like my filing of bills, rulers, scissors, tape, stapler, envelopes, paper, etc. I put the other large wooden box that I got at the thrift store on top of the cobbler's bench and filled that with more "stuff", On top of that I filled my old baskets with wool strips (of which I have way too many) If you notice there is a lot of empty space on top of the hutch - well that's because a certain tiger named Riley loves to sleep up there - so not sure if i will be putting a basket or a quilt up there. You can't see it but on the side of the white cabinet is this old weird table that doesn't have a flat top but sort of a "V" shaped - perfect size for CDS or DVD's -s o i have that filled with movies and things i want to watch- i had crackle painted this years ago - fits perfectly there between the hutch and the door.

Then in the spirit of using what I had, I brought a black bookcase up from the basement and put my TV, VCR and cable box on that. Oh and that's my new 26" flat screen TV I bought myself with some of the money I made from the Folk Art Sale this year (I was so happy to have sold almost everything!) Also one of the shelves holds all my stitching supplies (thread, patterns, linen, etc.) and of course there is cat treats stores on one of the shelves too! LOL My hooking frame is there too and I can pull that straight across to the daybed to hook -


Like I said - no awards for beauty but it sure feels good in here - I feel like I can breath again. There is room to finally be able to get things done - I was able to pull out my roll of linen and just toss it on the floor to cut a piece for my next hooking project! And after that the sewing machine was actually set right up to sit and sew on without a huge production, and if that wasn't enough, I was able to transfer my pattern right there in the room too since the table was on hand! Wow - usually i'm dragging things all over the house to find room! Just felt good everything was in a place that made it much easier than spending half the day looking for this and that and setting up this or that!

Anyway - that's what I did on Saturday - I didn't sit down all day but it was worth the minor aches this morning1

This evening I found Riley sitting on top of the white cabinet. So I went and got an old quilt and threw it up there - notice that lump....

Yep that's my crazy man Riley! And don't you just love those colors of that quilt - That's practically an antique - that's one of the first quilts my Mom made way back in the 60's - my room was yellow and green and she made that quilt for my bed - It's in sad shape but it's so funny - my husband and the kitties love it - it's so soft and well worn and still cozy to curl up in - as you can see1

This pic is from Friday - I was shocked to see them all together and touching butt to butt!

Hope everyone had a wonderful day and wishing everyone a very happy first week of February!