“Organize your life around your dreams – and watch them come true.”
And that quote is precisely why I’ve been more then a bit lackadaisical in posting here…
“20 Will Not Come Again”– For Sale Here!
One of a Kind Collectible Art Card (ACEO)
2.5″ x 3.5″
by Raleigh, NC Outsider Artist – Chrysti
” Don’t agonize. Organize. “
~Florynce Kennedy
I’ve been sticking to my goal, of tackling all the organizing my life needs to move ahead. I am beginning to see a small, visible difference, and slowly I am feeling the effects of my efforts.. while I’m nowhere near done, my motivation level is high – A shame to waste that! Since I was a child, I’ve had a passion for arranging things, organizing them, and displaying them… a love I never really lost, just an interest I lost time for. Now, I’m making the time! Fabulous!
I used the ‘no time’ excuse for far too long, now – on days where time is too short — I simply set a timer for 15 minutes, and focus on one area.. it is truly amazing what you can accomplish in 15 minutes! Give it a try if you haven’t already!
The added bonus, is that I’m beginning to feel in charge of my own life again – sounds so simple, but it’s a huge feat for me. Not only does it boost my confidence and lighten that perpetual load I carry… but it allows me to make decisions that give me control – instead of letting all the things around me, dictate that.
“If you can organize your kitchen, you can organize your life.”
~Louis Parrish
Since I still have full day’s work ahead of me, and it’s already 4:30 p.m. .. I thought I’d simply share some of the pretty things I’ve seen around to help organize. They keep me inspired to keep sifting through, sorting out, and tossing the items I don’t use, want or need. I plan to reward myself with at least one of these items when all is complete!
This is the main storage unit I’ll be getting for my art studio ( the larger one, in white)… I don’t want supplies too visible, so I’m searching for containers, bins, etc to use on it! Though it’s not my dream storage, it’s functional, looks nice, and affordable. I’m thinking of a yard sale to sell off all the old plastic drawer units that I detest so much.
I’m also on the hunt for pretty, clear, affordable glass jars (for ribbons, buttons, etc) I can buy in bulk… any suggestions?
3 Pretty Things To Organize With
Things to make pretty for organizing!
Which leads me to today’s giveaway… share your ‘pretty things to organize with’ links in the comments section.. I’m craving suggestions, and unique products! Everyone who does, will get an assortment of ATC’s I have thinned out from my personal collection! I’ll contact you privately within a few days to get your address :-)
“Guide to Romance” – For Sale Here!
One of a Kind Collectible Art Card (ACEO)
2.5″ x 3.5″
by Raleigh, NC Altered Artist – Chrysti
“If you only do what you know you can do- you never do very much.”
~Tom Krause
Isn’t it time that you too tried something you didn’t think you could do?
-Chrysti
Filed under: ATC & ACEO, Bipolar Disorder, Contests, Organization, Quotes | Tagged: home, organization, shopping, studio |
Art By Chrysti 
Love the art…your art just gets better and better and its amazing to watch it evolve(spellin) and watch you grow as an artist and who you are! You go girl! Love the quotes!!! Especially the one If you can organize your kitchen you can organize you life….well my kitchen is very organized…so I better get busy with the rest lol…..Dont have alot to work with but with an imagination possiblilities are endless……..”If you always did what youve always done you will always get what you always got” cant remember who wrote this…it makes sense dont it?! Much love to ya darlin! HUGS Hey!! are those wings I see growing hehehe
Gorgeous, gorgeous art card!
I do the same thing with a timer. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the mountain of stuff that needs doing, and using a timer really works for me. Sometimes I even time myself doing one of the chores that seems to take so long, just to prove to myself that it really isn’t long at all. What a surprise to discover that it hardly takes any time at all!
OK, office stuff….not quite sure what style you’re looking for or what your budget and time constraints are, but here’s what I’ve got…..
-Michaels has plain glass jars that are smooth, no words on them. They’re about the size of a medium pickle jar. Good thing about gettings them at Michaels is that you can get them in whatever quantity you need
-Michaels also has those cardboard photo boxes, which you could paint to your own specifications. They are frequently on sale, which helps when you need to buy a lot
-Anahata has a lovely little suitcase on her desk to hold stuff. It would be fun to decorate one of those. Heck, even the right colour of spray paint would do wonders on a flea market find
http://anahata.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/05/after_seeing_th.html
-Corey has those white Ikea boxes. I have them too and absolutely love them. I was in Ikea the other day and noticed that they have them in pink now. They would look great in any colour, and I’m going to suggest spray paint again, wallpaper, some kind of collage.
http://www.picturetrail.com/coreymoortgat …..go down to the bottom, look for her ‘closet studio’
-Here’s Donna’s new studio…
http://donnadowney.typepad.com/simply_me/2006/06/room_evolution.html
-Pottery Barn has great ideas
http://ww1.potterybarn.com/cat/index.cfm?src=shpcaccstrstr%7Crshop%2Fshpcaccstr%7Crshop%2Fshpcacc%7Crshop%2Frmscrommed%7Crrooms&cid=accstr
-check out the subcategories: Wall organization, Home Office organization
-if that link didn’t show up in its entirety here, go to Potterybarn.com, click on Accessories, then Storage and Organization
-You’ve probably also seen Alicia’s darling studio that everyone’s been oohing and ahing over…
-Here’s the ‘Shabby Princess’ studio
http://shabbyprincess.typepad.com/shabby_princess/2006/01/quotes_and_more.html
Hope this was helpful. I’ll let you know if I have any more ideas :)
I just left you a whole long list of links and when I pressed the submit button, my comments disappeared! Oh, this moody internet!
I’ll see if I have the energy to do this all again. In the meantime, here’s a lovely pic from the Shabby Princess…
http://shabbyprincess.typepad.com/shabby_princess/2006/01/quotes_and_more.html
Hi Christi! Love the art and I, too, love all the quotes! I don’t have any links to pretty things to organize with as I mostly find things at garage sales and thrift stores, but here are my ideas. I use wicker baskets, I love wicker, for all sorts of things. A basket looks nice on the shelf, on the mantle, or even in a corner. I’ve got my current art projects, knitting projects and balls of yarn in baskets all over. Jars, like you mention, are great for putting pretty things in cause you can see them. Hat boxes are great to display and fill with supplies. Little ceramic flower pots are on my shelfs, some with paint brushes, some with markers, pastels, knitting needles. Don’t hide your supplies away, display them!
Hi Chrysti,
I really love your art, it’s always visually interesting and colorful. Now, tell me….are you a ‘flybaby’? The “15 minutes and the timer”?? Well, you’ll know what I mean if you are! It’s a special challenge for artists like us, those who use recycled materials in their art to work with the “you can’t organize clutter, you can only get rid of it” theory. Which I agree with, but….when you look at everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, and you can see it has possibilites because of its particular color, or shape, or message in some future piece of art….then what separates clutter from raw materials? I’m struggling with all of this now also…small house, no storage space/closets, too many interests. Hats off to you for plowing through it. I’m glad to hear it’s making a difference. I’ll use you as ongoing inspiration! As for storage ideas, nothing too new here. Think vertical….I have, for instance, a couple of vintage cardboard (?) chests of drawers (small) sitting on top of a shelf I ‘built’ (ha ha…this means I put some cement blocks down and balanced a painted board across them, repeated that once more and then stapled velcro across the front of the top board. Then sewed some matching Velcro to some curtain lining fabric (it’s cheap, white, sturdy, opaque…perfect) and voila: curtains to hide the supplies! ). So the top of this unit holds my serger, my ironing press, the aforementioned cardboard chests, a vintage pie safe (for storage), etc. And on top of the chests I put smaller units of one sort or another. The other thing I like are tins…I get them at tag sales, thrift shops, etc. If you do this long enough, you end up with a very colorful ‘collage’ of interesting storage containers for buttons, patterns, paints, brushes, small findings, you name it.
Good luck and keep us posted on progress.
Valerye
I too love your art and I as well am partial to old baskets, cigarboxes, old tins etc. It gives my studio the feel I need….I hate those clear plastic boxes, while they are practical looking at them all day can be boring. I usually know what is in my storage containers but if i dont it becomes a tresure hunt and I just might see something that I can use that I was not planning too! Thanks for the inspiration!
Hey Chrysti, Your work is great and I am inspired by your endeavors to organize, albeit it sometimes i waste too much time organizing…lol.. the thing that has really helped me in my studio is pegboard, you can get the 6″ plus pegs and hang lots on them, you can get the pegs that make shelves.. i have to think vertical bc my studio is so full… it is hard to deal with the “cool stuff” that won’t hang, lay, etc… someone mentioned baskets, they can work really well in that unit you are going to purchase and make it look neat and tidy also.. i have some plastic drawer units at my lss (I have semi-permanent) studio there also, as i help the girls out for time off and they are ok in some aspects, but i always feel i am not unilizing the space… we use new pizza boxes for large papers too and they can be marked on the outside. oh, my husband built some little narrow width shelves in his studio to set his paints on and mounted it on the wall.. overall tho, if you can get it pegboard is my vote, because you can always change it around to suit what your needs are… buncha hugs, ruth
HI Chrysti, I really like the look of the Ikea Expedit if you want your studio to be attractive, but I have to agree with Ruth about pegboard. It’s not too pretty (although you could always paint it pretty colours first) but it is fantastically adaptable. One of the other lists I belong to has recently been discussing how best to organise studio space and pegboard came up again and again. I’ve included a link to show you what one person did with their space, but it won’t be “live” as I’m not sure how to do that – you’ll have to copy and paste it into your browser.
http://www.outsidethemargins.com/studio.html
It looks a lot some a blokes workshop but I’m sure someone with your creative talents could make it much more attractive. Glad to see your motivation is so high at present and hope this helps. Thanks for all you give…. Amanda
hi Chrysti Glad to hear your hard work is paying off. Loving your art – you sure are productive! It all looks great.
Did you know there is a Flickr group called Pretty Organized? It is here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/prettyorganized/pool
It has lots of great inspiring photos of people’s pretty organizational bits and pieces. I love looking through it – I hope it gives you some good ideas.
Jen
Hi Chrysti–
Ball Mason jars are available at local craft store chains. I got mine at http://www.acmoore.com/. Don’t know if they sell online though. You can get them by the case there. They are usually a dollar a piece and decent quality.
I also found some Fabulous ceramic topped jelly jars at a local dollar store! they often get some great things for storage. I will post a pic to show you on flickr.
Another place I go to get quality jars is at Kmart from the martha steward everyday collection. Link is:
http://www.kmart.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=131163&Ntt=jars&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&N=466&Nty=1
Excellent and sturdy top with big opening.
And finally, I save (wash out) the jars from my fave jarred spaghetti sauce, http://www.bertolli.us/indexlg.cfm?cl_id=&interface=&landing=.
I have buttons in those. Vinegar and water washes those out good. They are kinda like the mason jars. I love the sauce inside too! I add it to my meat sauce. Buy when it’s on sale!!
p.s. I love to give you any tips you want on organizing. I’ve already gotten a free goody, so don’t count me on that because you’ve already added so much to my art life!!! Hugs, Lia
Chrysti – thank you for sharing so many tips with us!! I’m new to the ATC world and particularly with mixed media, so I’m soaking it all up!
I’m not a very organized person, but I have a couple things I like! I bought a “paper sorter” from an office store. It has three columns with dividers. I sort all of my papers into this. It helps to have them divided into types or colors. I am a paper fiend, so I have lots to choose from!
I also LOVE cardboard stackable drawers. I decorate the outside (for the pretty part) and then cram them full on the inside! This way I look more organized than I really am!
Chrysti, your work is just stunning. And consistently wonderful!
I use a couple smaller cube-form shelves (the 9-cube models http://www.stackashelf.com/product_catalogue/Cubeicals1.asp I bought mine from Target; I’m going to add a table top like the Bedford setup at Pottery Barn http://ww1.potterybarn.com/cat/pip.cfm?src=schi1%7Cp1%7Cwbedford&pkey=sa1s00bedford&gids=p5716 ). Bulk glass jars can be found here ( http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/StoreGroup.aspx?GroupID=588&GroupName=Glass+Jars ) or here ( http://www.specialtybottle.com ).
And Room Service Home ( http://www.roomservicehome.com ) has all the pretty organizing goodies you could need!
P.S., mason jars come by the case (I think 24) and are super cheap. Readily available at the supermarket!
Chrysti–I posted some pics on my flickr for you to see the jars.
–Lia (artjunkgrl)
Hi Chrysti!
Love reading all the suggestions! I blogged a little bit about my favorite storage piece and posted a picture on my blog. I make a huge mess when I create (because I need everything all the time) so it is good to have place to put back all those things when I’m finished. I dream of having a studio (with doors that can close it from eyes of the rest of the world) and a very big table in the middle of the room so that I can work on several projects at the same time (and so that I don’t have to clean up all the time).
hi chrytsi! so glad to hear you’re on the mend! been thinking about you a lot. hope all is well. you are an inspriration to me… your good attitude and your persistance and perserverance through junk (ha ha… literally and figuratively) i love organization! in my house with 4 little boys, i need to be. so, i try to stay as organized as i can in as little space as i can (i don’t have studio space… i work in the dining room between meals … ha ha!) i aquired some brand new paint cans from a friend… (i wonder if you can get them from a paint store… like sherwin williams… sorry i’m not much help in that area) but, that’s what i use. they are clean and shiny and uniform. (looks nice on my kitchen counter :) i have them labeled so i know what’s in them… brushes, buttons, paints, stamps, etc…
i enjoyed this post! thanks!
sarah
So, if I can’t organize my kitchen, then…?
I can’t recommend any specific products for organization – I have a bunch of wooden boxes my dad made for me, some old cookie tins I got at a garage sale, and a lot of cardboard boxes (some of which I’ve decorated, but I haven’t gotten around to “prettifying” them all yet).
I’m new to your site. I’ll definitely come back – and it’s fun reading through old entries, too.
I am an organizing maniac! I too hate those rubbermaid storage containers. I love architecture & also cabinets. So I go to TJMAXX, Ross, Marshall’s, stores like that & look for those nice old looking cabinets & curios [kinda shabby chic looking] & store my liquid pearls & radiant pearls containers in them. Although, the other day, I took apart my rubbermaid container: removed the drawers & decoupaged it with oriental papers & used copper acrylic paint-it actually came out pretty nice. I’m sure though that’ll be discarded once I find more cabinets.
woops,4got, I’m screamymimi on flickr. Jennifer Sanders :D That last entry was me!
Lots of great organizing tips! Like many, I love to use antique canning jars with their see through qualities. Lots of smalls fit in them and I like the serendipitious things that emerge. Having spider outbreak, I am using more of the plastic containers than cardboard, although, I find the scrapbook photo storage boxes cheap and handy. I love the way my vintage/antique luggage stack and have such yummy colors. I smile alot when I open these vintage items. Thanks for allowing us to share!
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