Creative Storage Solutions

This is a good time to get your smart phone out and take a picture of ONE wall or area of the room. This will help keep other distractions at bay for now and allow you to hyper focus on just ONE area.   

The idea is to scan the area in a systematic way to find all of the problem areas.  Do this for one area at a time. We are looking for “problems”

Now scan the room again and look for “opportunities”,  like unused space or containers that can be repurposed. Beware: your brain may want to hi-jack this process and get you crafting a new wall-hanging system or painting an old shelf…resist this urge. 

Problems:                                                     Empty Space and Containers

 

• • Too many hats
  • Tangled cords
  • Craft stuff
  • Scarves
  • Magazines

• Crate with lid
• Unused space on top shelf
• Magazine rack
• Altoid tins
• Binders
• Baskets

Our next step is to let our minds wander and go nuts thinking about how we can turn the “problem” into a solution. 

The key here is to suspend judgment.  Don’t worry if an idea is good or bad just take a minute and consider all of the ways that you can repurpose the problem or solve with an opportunity.

Here’s an example:  I had an old bread box that wound up in my “containers” group.  It was old and dated.  I really don’t know how I kept this as long as I had. I also had some old pepper mills that were given to me when the manager of a steakhouse replaced all of the restaurant mills.

I took the mills and made four legs for the bread box. It became a central station by our most used door. It holds keys, sunglasses, and now fresh disposable masks.  We always know where to find our keys. They’re in the bread box, of course!

More examples of  “problems” turning into solutions:

• I had a few broken lamps that I had kept because I was going to “fix” them.  Instead, I scrapped the electrical wires and created some nice hat stands to display some of my handmade alpaca hats. 
• I saved the best example for last but I can’t take credit for this great idea.  When my friend Chris visited years ago. We were still unpacking and moving into our new home.  I was at a loss for where to fit everything.  He suggested I move an armoire, that was not being used, into the kitchen.  I can’t lie, I thought it was a ridiculous idea, but I’m open to trying new things, so, between the three of us, we managed to move this giant TV armoire into the kitchen.  Once it was there, I couldn’t bear to ask them to move it back.  This thing was very heavy, so I decided to try and make it work.

It is now my favorite part of the kitchen!  It had an electrical surge protector built-in and out of sight.  I moved my blender, toaster, and mixer in there.  I moved a bin of flour and it became a giant bread box.  I can proof my bread when I’m baking and all of the baking sheets fit perfectly in what was the VCR space. I am able to store them vertically instead of stacked, so I can get the pan I need without disturbing any others. This armoire also has two CD organizers that roll out for easy access. I placed a bin with some spices in there and they roll out far enough that I can see all at once. 

I think you get the idea.  This was a huge container solution for all of the gadgets that were cluttering my countertops. 

You can learn more about ADD and the decluttering challenge on my podcast.

Go to the Directory

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Make your Coping Cards

In a recent podcast , I talked about how I use Coping cards to get myself passed some impulse issues and negative self-talk that tends to get me stuck.

I started using index cards to get me unstuck after reading countless books on the topic, only to find that I just couldn’t recall any of the tools when I needed them most: during an ADD crisis.

The foundation of my coping cards were snapshots of ideas that I found helpful. 

I knew that I would lose my notes in the piles of papers on my desk and I wouldn’t find them when I was having a crisis moment, so I took a small stack of index cards, punched a hole in them, and used a binder ring to keep them together.

These questions helped me identify the trigger, if I was in a mis-belief loop, It identified my impulse response and the effects of that response.

On the first card I wrote:  1. What are you feeling right now? 

On the second card: What happened?

Third card: What did you do?

Fourth card: How did you feel?

As an added bonus you can ask: Is it based in truth? I cover telling yourself the truth in the same podcast.

The first few times were difficult, but I couldn’t lie to myself.  I didn’t allow for a card that said tell me all about your old hooks…

It was very specific to that moment. 

These may seem like a lot of steps, but I hope you will try them.  You can see an example of mine in the show notes.

This is just ONE of the coping card sets.  It deals primarily with my impulse control and negative self-talk tendencies.  It takes practice, but in time, you will be able to identify the routine and self-correct.

I still use them regularly.  I keep the ring attached to a clip board with blank sheets of paper so I can write down my process. 

This serves as a quick reminder that we can address the many issues that ADD brings along. There will be impulse control and fear and loss of interest, but we can plan for it and prepare. I encourage you to make the coping cards specific to your needs.

They are like a tiny therapist in my pocket.

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Join us Tuesdays

We are kicking off SOCKTOBER with some easy TOE-UP socks.  This knit sock class and KAL/workshop is Free and all are welcome!   

Join us on Facebook for our Sweet Deviation SOCKTOBER KAL group.  You will find all of the video, patterns and discussions there. 

We are also meeting Tuesdays from 7-9Pm at our store located at 15462 HWY 105 E in Plantersville, TX

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Every month we explore different crafting mediums including ceramic, chalk paint, paper and fiber from our alpaca and angora goat herd.

September’s featured craft is a shadow box with LED lights. This is perfect for a nursery or for special holiday decor. We will have three options to choose from and provide the shadow box, lights, cut outs and all instructions.

Our second featured craft comes in time for an early welcome to FALL and pumpkin spice everything season. We will be making decorative ceramic pumpkins building on techniques learned in previous workshops.

We offer 4 different projects each month and you can attend and do as many as you like. The price is $40 for the month IF you sign up in by the deadline. The deadline to register is September 4th.

Go to our workshop tab in the main menu to register.

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Knit your way to the Holidays

It’s September and the weather feels like we are in for another hot month. 

This might dissuade you from starting your Christmas gift making.   I completely understand that.   Seriously.  

That is why we are cranking up the AC at the shop for Tuesday Knit Nights. 

At the moment of this writing, there are 113 days until Christmas.  

Click here for Christmas Countdown

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