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Messy Bead Room rescue tips and stories from readers
After editor Cathy Jakicic's messy bead room newsletter, readers share their stories
Published: August 23, 2010
Thanks to
everyone for the great tips, your sense of humor, sharing your stories and blogs – and the
anonymous poem!
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All I can say is — “THANK YOU” for bravely posting the photos of your bead room. I feel so much better!!! Mine is very similar looking, and I too have resolved to try to get it organized.
I have a few days alone in the house next week while my husband is out of town. If I could find my camera I'd send you a photo to make you feel better.
Alas, the poor camera is lost in the bowels of the craft room, and like many of the treasures I know are there, it is totally useless. My only tip is to find a time where you can pull the bulk of the items out into the hallway and give yourself room to organize the rest. That's my plan!
Good luck with your challenge, and I'll look forward to your after photos!
Donna
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Oh, you have no idea how much better you made me feel by posting your pics! My beads, trays, boxes, etc. have spread from my schoolroom (I homeschool my children), to our dining room and is steadily creeping forward. Would you also ask folks to send in their solutions to storage? Maybe something that is posted will help me out!
Blessings,
Shirley
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I feel for you, my room has and always will be a catch all for just about anything; regular maintenance is required!
As for the initial cleaning, I have found that rather than going in with the intent to tackle the whole thing in one day or even a small period of time; it is much easier to grasp the task by taking small steps!
Divide the room up mentally or better yet write down your game plan (then you get to cross off what you have accomplished).
Just work on a section at a time, sometimes the whole thing at once is so overwhelming that you get discouraged before you even get started.
And sometimes if you go in with the intention of working on just one small area, you find it ‘s not all that bad and you do more! Just give yourself several days to do the task rather than try to knock it out all in one day. And do something fun in between work times.
As with all projects, fixing one thing always creates something else to “fix”.
Good helpers: SHELVES! I love my metal, adjustable shelves with wheels, so I can change them around when I need to. Clear, plastic storage boxes of various sizes.
Good Luck!
Lori
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I appreciate the challenge that you have with organizing your bead room. How great is it that we have such a space in our homes?
I have tried many things but my best re-organization idea has been the following: I organize my beads in the in the typical bead boxes found at most bead I have a separate box for each color but also have boxes of just seed beads, just crystals, just focal beads and so on. I also purchased [from a local office supply store] a divided box like those typically used in an office environment to sort paper and forms
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These sorters come in a range of materials including
cardboard, metal and wood. I have the simple cardboard model with 18
slots and it has held up nicely over the years. Using the sorter helps
me to see the boxes more clearly and helps to avoid the need to move one
box to get the other.
By the way, when I
moved into this “system” I gave my mother, who is a compulsive organizer
and who was on my back about my disorganized beads, the opportunity to
sort the beads and set them up in the boxes for me. She was delighted
to show me how it “should’” be done and I didn’t have to do the tedious
sorting. If you would like I could send her your way – it might help to
keep her from trying to re-organize my kitchen cabinets the way they
“should” be!
All the best in your efforts!
Christine *** |
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The look is way too familiar to me. The only reason my room doesn't look like that is:
1. I have a harp and it need its own space in my bead room.
2. We have been showing our house to sell and it must look "lived in" but lived in by Zen Monks!
Truth be told, I'm enjoying the uncluttered look and feel so much, that I'm plotting to put things away in the new house, when we find it, in such a way that it will be easy to maintain.
I'm looking forward to your solutions. Wish mine could include a spiffy craft organizer, the kind that starts at about $500, but it is not in my future so I have to make do with bookshelves and plastic drawers.
I'm wishing us both luck!
Anne
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Wow…. finally someone with a larger stash than me!!!! LOL
There are a few organizers that I find completely invaluable – the Rubbermaid drawer system (mine has three deep drawers on the bottom, two skinny ones on the top) and those fabulous “meant-for-fishing-tackle-or screw-nails-bitnbobs” organizer units you can pick up from hardware stores.
I’ve got a couple of different models – my Swarovski crystals live in a small 30-drawer unit, my semi-precious stones and beads are in a 35-drawer unit, then for my findings, metal beads, etc. I’ve got two 33-drawer units (30 medium-sized drawers stacked over 2 large drawers and one huge drawer).
A 49-drawer unit holds my seed beads, threads, etc.
My very clever father-in-law put together a hinged bookcase system for me several years ago (two Ikea 6’ bookcases with a full hinge from top to bottom) that is amazing for storage and can actually be closed if you want to hide the mess… :)
I’m sure you’ll get tons of suggestions, but I hope mine provide a bit of inspiration too.
Good luck!!
Margaret
Montreal, Quebec
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Thank you for being real and posting these photos of your crafting room chaos. I have one in the house and in the garage. I don't have the space for my treasures and I hadn't found the time to take the time to fix the problem. I despise working in these conditions and I can't find anything.
I am normally an organized person and chaos drives me crazy. It also costs me money because when I can't find something I have to repurchase and then it adds to the problem. Thank you again for showing me that I am not alone. I, too, will take some before/after photos of my chaos of treasures. And don't worry, I won't tell "Hoarders" or your Mother! :-)
Cathy
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In March of this year, I decided I had to get an easier organization for my supplies so that I could get them out and put them up (the harder part:) with easy. I needed to be able to get one box without having to move a lot of other stuff. I organized by color because that is also the way I work. "Specialty" beads got their own boxes - pearls, Swarovski, mother of pearl, turquoise/magnesite. Metals were each put in their own labeled containers - chains, findings, etc. I cannot tell you how much easier this has been for me. It has also made it much easier to keep my thoughts clear because I am no longer surrounded by clutter.
My jewelry "studio" is in the room formerly known as the kitchen on the table formerly known as the kitchen table (at least that is my thinking - no problem with the table transformation, but my husband still thinks food should come out of the "kitchen" - sigh.)
Another huge benefit of this particular organization is that it was so cheap. I am enclosing a picture which describes the containers and I already had the bookshelf. If I hadn't, however, they are available at Target for very low prices and this particular design is quite sturdy. I prefer to put my money into my beads:) And the final major benefit is that this will be incredibly easy to reassemble when we complete our move from Texas to Ohio (kids & grandkids are there:):) next week.
I do like to have beads around as I am trying to design, but when there is too much chaos, I go into creative lockdown. This does require some discipline because I have been forcing myself to clean up one project before I start another - but since the shelf is right behind the table, this just takes moments and doing this saves me the periodic hours long clean up because I have done 10 projects in a row without cleaning up!:) I love this because I now have considerably more room to work and more room for clarity of thought:)
Thanks,
Kathryn
Kathryn's Jewelry Designs ***
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Thank you for the picture of your bead room; I find it comforting and encouraging as mine looks quite the same. I have inherited a room in the house to set up as my studio, however work, life and "stuff" have taken over. I will also within the next couple of weeks will be attacking and claiming victory over my space. I will send pictures when done.
Looking forward to an exciting adventure ;D
Traci
tss by design ***
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I had to chuckle when I saw the pictures of your bead room. It looks a lot like my own struggles with staying organized!
I have found one great solution to organizing and storing my beads that I thought I would share with you. I buy bead storage boxes whenever I find them on sale. While I make every attempt to keep like colors and/or like beads in the same box, I find my creativity hampered by the overwhelming number of beads I own. Now, I simply take photos of the contents of each box and print them on plain paper. |
I write matching numbers on the photo and the box and then simply place all the photos in a binder. When I am ready to design something new, I can quickly flip through the pages and retrieve the corresponding box within seconds (see photo 2). I use this same system for clasps, charms, jump rings, and findings, too.
Hope this helps. And good luck with your own bead room organization!
Sincerely,
Melissa
Mendota Heights, Minn. *** I am in the process of clearing off the dining room table of my bead stuff and sitting up in the office - what I have done is create one beautiful mess! I will send you pics. I have threatening to do this since last year and to no avail! While it looks messy - I know where to find things.
Best of luck to you and in return will try to de-clutter my own clutter.
Val Trani
jellies-n-jewels! *** Add two dogs to the mix and that is my office space!
Good luck,
Sonia
Wisconsin *** Woooooowwww! These pics make me feel worlds better! I recently had to go to a twin bed so there was more room to shove my bead stuff and art/painting equipment into my bedroom. Mom used to say " Shoving 10 pounds of c*** into a five-pound bag!" Thank you, I'm blessed! *** Wow, you have the enviable position as editor of a widely distributed magazine yet....you are just like the rest of us! LOL Don't feel bad, we all have a room or two *cringe* just like that. I admire you for being so brave in showing the readers yours.
Good luck with the organizing (and keeping it that way)!
Mary
Braselton Ga. *** Your bead room looks like mine! I also have an exercise bike and a treadmill in my room along with a cat tower scratching post/house (goes to the ceiling). I am in the process of moving my "crafts/beads" to this room. I need a few days to "unclutter" my stuff too...bet it'll take longer for me;-)
Good luck,
Jennifer *** Hi, saw your photos of your craft room and can certainly relate to them. I found a great idea at a household auction one day. We bought a large beautiful and heavy baker's rack but at the time didn't quite know what I was going to use it for. I had a desk in my craft room and my husband suggested taking the desk out and putting in the baker's rack. I then bought the show box size tote boxes at a dollar store to store supplies in and it has worked out very well. Hope this helps in some way.
Happy organizing,
Gerry ***
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It appears we use the same decorator!!!! A beader, as well as Nature, abhors a vaccuum. Your before photos could be of my bead "area" too. So brave to publish photos!
Diane *** I've blogged about my bead storage (with sources for the organizers I use, and pictures of the workspace) several times. Enjoy. I'm really happy with the way everything is available, yet tidy. Well, not while I'm actually working on a project, but in between. You know how it is.
Let me know if you like the posts.
Lynn *** |
I enjoyed your note about organizing your studio in one of this week’s e-newsletters. I couldn’t help but be reminded of a fairly recent post that I did on my blog (June 5) pertaining to the same topic. I think we all must organize in a manner that fits our work habits and personality. No one else can do it for us. You asked for pictures of studio organization, but I thought I would just send along my writing. My approach was through “centers”, as described in the blog.
Good luck with finding your own way to get organized.
Karen *** How about Niecy (“Clean House”)? She will help you out and sell everything. Good luck in the cleaning up department, it doesn’t take much for it to get out of line.
Gloria *** Good afternoon:
My craft room had this much clutter and more. My way of getting it sorted and organized was to sell the house and move into a motor home.
Good luck,
Joanne *** I feel for you, I truly do but I think my workroom is worse than yours...sigh. It at least gives me the shivers when I walk down and look at it and wonder where did I go wrong and how did it all get out of hand so quickly.
I still have bags of stuff from three years ago I haven’t unpacked or put away and my tables have a severe case of “flat-surface magnetism” and are covered up. I know there are tables under there because everything is still at waist level. Let’s not even mention my computer table. Of course, if I leave everything like it is, it will make a really “scary” Halloween room...hmm, food for thought. Make note to self...throw a Halloween Party and see how many people either get lost or manage to escape the room...”
I seriously considered setting off two sticks of dynamite on the 4th of July. I felt that that blast would blend in so well with all the others going off in the neighborhood around Nashville that, with luck, everything would come back down better organized that it was. If nothing else, the backyard would be all nice and sparkling from flying crystals and beads. I sure should have tried that.
Wish you good luck in getting it cleaned up.
Mary *** I just had to email you about your fantastic article from your latest newsletter. Once I saw your pictures the first thing I thought of was “how did she get into my studio?!” It seems like to be a jewelry you need to have a slight “hoarder” mentality. My husband calls my studio my Christmas room because I always find stuff that I forgot I had. But it does make shopping at the show quite difficult some times – I’ve bought the same strands of beads several times, forgetting that I already had them.
Thank you for inspiring me to get into my studio and make it fully functional! I think I will take some “before” pictures to help motivate myself.
Thanks for the chuckle and motivation,
Yvonne
Rio Grande
*** Now I don't feel so bad - I am not alone!! This is giving me inspiration to clean up my area, too!
From your former neighbor - and we ran into each other again at the bead show this year at the knotting tool booth,
Marti *** Hi, I am a regular reader of Beadstyle, I buy it from the newsagent as soon as it comes in. Looking at your photos I am so happy that there is another workroom like mine.I wish you luck in sorting through the clutter.You will find many little surprises that you have forgotten that you even had. I try to have a regular clean up and organize session twice a year but being multiskilled (a new word for craftaholic) it usually takes a few days.
Good luck and I look forward to the results.
Sue
Melbourne, Australia *** OMG! My beading room looks the same as yours! Only I don’t have the guts to show it. I am so embarrassed – I use the dining room just off the living room and my front door. And, I keep saying that cleaning that room is my priority. The reason I tell people that it is so bad is that working in that room is a real treat for me so I save it for last (my reward after getting all of the undesired work done). But being a working mother, etc. by the time I get to that room I am out of time or energy. That is totally wrong though. It is at the point where I can’t really do much there so I am denying myself my most favorite thing to do. Every time I watch Hoarders though I do manage to go put a couple of things away. I seriously plan to take on that room in the very near future!
Denise
Sunbury, Pa. *** I have just received your email newsletter this morning and looked at your photos of your 'bead room'. You don't know it but you have just saved my sanity! I thought I was the only one in the world with a studio where you have to put "Enter at own Risk" on the door. I too have storage problems. The thing is after I give it a good tidy up I never know where anything is. Of course I also discover a hundred things I started years ago and never finished.It may be untidy and a trifle dangerous but at least I can put my finger on anything I need within seconds. Aren't artist’s studios supposed to be untidy? Long live creativity...the more you use it the more you have.
Cheers from Down Under,
Alla *** Your bead room looks just like mine. I am also in the process of straightening up. I bought a bunch of plastic containers at 99 cents each and am trying to organize. It is definitely helping.
Janet *** Well, I had to laugh at your pictures. That is what my room looked like, maybe even worse. I was forced into getting it organized since that room is also a guest room when needed. It took me 11/2 months to get it in shape since I have a lot of family visiting next week. I actually discovered many beautiful beads and I am excited to get started working on them. I may be 90 before it all completed (and I am 30 yrs away from 90). Yes, the key is maintenance. If I could just put things back when I am done for the day, I would have the problem licked. What is the saying, the person who dies with the most beads is the winner? I am heading in that direction.
Love your magazine.
Barb *** I thought I was the only one with a bead room overflowing. Only my problem is that I have three or four places where I “grow” my bead problem. You have given me inspiration and I will tackle the mess. It has to be because of the creative juices we have that are flowing like a river out of control, but oh the beautiful waves it creates.
Good luck with your beads, and I will keep you up to date on mine,
Judy *** I read your article and found myself in your room about a year ago. After completing a couple of jewelry shows in my hometown, my husband and I started to look for a property to open my design store. Well, the deal on property # 1 fell through because of structural problems. So my search continued until 8 blocks from home I found a former gift shop that had become the property owners storage room after her husband passed away suddenly. I told myself to be brave and try to approach the whole idea of a small storefront with an open mind. I can truly say that I was scared out of my mind but was determined to have more than a path to my passion about designing jewelry, purses and my beaded scarves. I could not continue to create while having to climb over all of my packed boxes from all the shows I had been participating as a vendor. Needless to say, this has been the journey of my life and I'm loving it. I am now in a small store-front with a classroom and workroom. I hold jewelry parties, wholesale, and do trade shows. I had been working out of that small room for almost 5 years in my basement going from show to show. It's so rewarding when you finally land in the right spot and have the room to get organized. I know my story is long, but don't give up about getting organized. Once you start to stack small clear plastic drawers the rest is easy. I would be pleased to here from you on your journey.
Thanks for listening
Love,
Patricia L.
@ Designs by Patricia *** When I looked at the photos of the cluttered craft room I had to crack up. I have been talking about getting my act together for over a year. Now I will be moving in with my parents and will have to set up an area to work in. Not looking forward to that, but I will be looking forward to seeing your craft room come together.
Lyn K *** I'm glad it's not only me, I have a wall of the front room/lounge with shelves, which looks like picture two, and a 3x6 foot area by the side of my bed covered in old sweet boxes, full of beads in bags, three layers deep, which looks like picture one, but more colors, plus a desk full too, I have left myself a foot wide path to get to the bed but would really love a proper workroom, unfortunately I live with my mother in law who has the entire bottom floor of the house, while we have the upstairs three rooms so I usually end up doing most of my beading on the bed!!!
Best wishes and good luck with the tidy-up
Chrissi *** I feel ya hun. My hubby says my bead room would be a good episode of Hoarders, too!
Kelley ***
My mother found a hospital cart - like they use to bring around meds, etc. for $10 in a thrift shop. It has 6 drawers, increasing in depth as you go down the cart, most with dividers. It is perfect for storing all my beads, stringing materials, tools etc. and it's on wheels so I can work in any room of the house and have everything right at my fingertips. Plus, the top makes a sturdy work surface.
Best ten bucks my mother ever spent!
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Mine looks about the same (it's the spare bedroom with crafts) I need/want some way to store the beads *LOTS*** in a very small space that I can get to. I have scrapbooking stuff too along with a small sofa/bed, sewing machine. Keep changing the bead containers about once a year, each time it's better. Now I have clear rectangular boxes with individual lids on each space, about 10 per box. but still have a hard time getting to the color I want. I have to unstack the pile every time I want a color on the bottom, seed beads are in a silverware carrier which works pretty good, it's on a lazy susan, that way I can turn and see some of the colors. Looking forward to how you fix your room/studio!!
Thanks
Susie
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Clean
Have I had the wrong attitude
About unpacking my moving boxes?
Life can’t just be clutter and ennui and
Grasping at not losing.
After all, the clothes were neatly
Mended and washed and folded,
Expensive electronics and
Nostalgic gewgaws
All work and sport labels,
The papers are properly filed
[although voluminous].
Art, beads, paints, music, tools--
As each box’s contents nestle
In new homes, and more carpet
Is visible, I pause.
What if the paralyzing fear
Wasn’t everything all jumbled.
What if I can’t stand emptiness
And hotel-room impersonal
Clean and orderly?
***
Got some clear acrylic drawer organizers from Target, but my favorite containers remain tic tac boxes - nothing beats space efficiency for seed beads and small crystals.
I also recycled some old square rubber containers to hold my tools - we pulled them out of a restaurant we used to own (were used for the bar) - 5" x 5" x 5" cubes. They've been sitting in the garage forever and it all the sudden struck me that they'd be perfect for holding all the various tools I use for wire and bead weaving and sewing and making beads.
Thanks for the "before" pictures - my workroom now looks fabulous to me.
Mary
*** I understand your problem of organizing your beads. It is a huge problem and of course we would much prefer to create than organize which adds to the problem. I suggest getting shelves, either to put against a wall or inside a wide closet. Make an investment in bead organizers from Michaels. My favorite is Darice, a 7" X 10" plastic box 2'' high. The beauty is it has 12 smaller independent plastic containers that can be moved. Choose the ones you are working on for a particular project and then put them back or reorganize them at a later date. They are made of clear plastic so you can see the beads without opening the container.
I hope this helps. Good luck and happy beading.
Best regards,
Sandy
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