Almost There

I think I will be finished up today!  All I have left to do is to glean pages of text from about 20 books I have been saving.  And why do I need to save the whole book?  I can't possibly use ALL these pages!  Yes, they are pretty cool books; one is a math textbook with lots of diagrams and numbers and formulas, one is an old atlas, one is a very old child's book of poetry.  But to save the entire book is a waste of space.  So I intend to tear out a few pages and then recycle the books.  If I can't bear to tear the book apart, then I will save the book, but keep it in my library.  Now THAT makes sense.

This whole experience has taught me a lot.  I had to make decisions about how to store things so they would make sense to me. For example, I had a lot of circle shapes in various sizes and of various materials.  And they had been stored in 4 or 5 different places.  Now I have a bin of "Circles and Circle Makers."  How cool is that?  If I want to add a circle, I can find one the perfect size, paper or metal or wood--OR I can use a template to make one OR I can use a circular shape dipped in paint to make a circle.  All my choices in one place.  (big sigh)

I also have an area dedicated to Works in Progress.  It holds substrates and frames, but it also holds partially completed projects and altered books.  Previously, these items were scattered in various places.  Now I can instantly jump into a project if I'm in need of inspiration.

Which is the other thing I still need to finish--my inspiration board.  I had a bulletin board, hidden behind the door, that held all kinds of stuff I never looked at.  Now, after a coat of bright pink spray paint,  it will be behind my chair, and will contain visuals and words to inspire a new project.  Much more functional.

Speaking of bright pink, I was also intentional about what I used for storage.  I realized that I need to SEE what's in it, OR it needs to be bright and attractive.  And everything, absolutely everything, is labeled with either a sticker or a tag.  Just seeing the visual label will remind me what I have.  Yes, I found stuff that I had forgotten that I had.  Really cool stuff!  Now it will be readily seen and therefore used. If it wasn't really cool and I hadn't used it, it will get recycled.

As I sit in my fresh, new room, I feel a sense of order and calm.  And peace.