Craft Room Chaos!...Part One

 HELP! 

My Girl Guide Life is 
taking over my Craft Room!
 

This Summer my plan was to re-organize and downsize my "Girl Guide stuff"... 40+binders full of resources for teaching the Girl Guide Program, containers of my collectibles, shelves of Guiding/Scouting books, misc craft supplies, other "stuff I might use" but have not used in years...and the list goes on!  {Keep in mind I had/have stuff for teaching Sparks, Brownies, and Guides from the past 16 years!  This is stuff that I had personally purchased and collected over the years... NOT purchased with "Unit funds"}.  I made some progress in my attempt to down size but my mission is not yet complete!

This is the "BEFORE" version of the closet in my craft room.  I try to keep all my Girl Guide stuff in this one room.  I want to eliminate the binders so that I can store my personal craft supplies and books on this shelving unit {Hubby made the shelf a few years ago... the magazine rack was a yardsale find...and so were most of the binders!}.

After about 2 months, I have most of the 40+binders scanned and converted to pdf's {thanks to my hubby and his access to a super duper machine at his work!}.  Now I have access to most of my binder resources on my computer...it has freed up much needed space in my craft room!

Another cupboard housing  piles of GGC papers/forms/stuff I'm "saving"

Some of my paper stuff was outdated and went straight to the shredder and blue bag recycle...other stuff went to my yardsale...some stuff I donated to my niece whom is new to the Daycare field...and a lot I had donated to the Unit.  I can no longer keep props for skits, seasonal decorations, multiple copies of resources and left over supplies. Time to Downsize!

This box contains memorabilia stuff I'm "saving"

Also made  a few trips to our meeting Hall to unload some stuff that I no longer need to keep in my house...luckily we have two cupboards at the hall for storing our supplies /resources.  It was difficult to decide what was really useful for teaching the GGC program and what was kept "just in case we may need it someday".  I do not want to create a cluttered Unit cupboard either.  {why do I need to hold on to left over craft projects from 10 years ago?? If it is not used within a year or two then it most likely will never be used...donate it to someone who will use it}.

This is one pile that was sent to the Hall cupboard...this photo does not show all that went away

Some stuff that I know I will be using for GGC will stay in my Craft room

I have decided to be very selective in regards to what I allow to be stored at my house.  I just do not have the space.  I want to utilize the space that I have to start back to crafting/sewing...something that I once enjoyed doing but my craft room space lost it's function.  I will keep most of my Girl Guide collections {crests/books/memorabilia/old uniforms etc} and my personal gear but that has got to be it.  

There is a crest"Guiding ...One hour a week...!" ...well someone should design a crest about the "hoarding" ..I'll buy it and add it to my collection! 

Check back soon for Part II of my craft room chaos!{and no this is not the next episode of TLC's Hoarding: Buried Alive!}