But I''ll Need It Again...Someday

There is a yard sale area for attendees at a crop I'm attending this weekend. I decided to go through my craft room as it's still rather packed considering I pared down when I moved from downstairs to upstairs. The older I get the more clutter bothers me. I have a hard time being creative if I feel like I'm surrounded. So, this is the perfect opportunity to give myself some mental breathing room and add make a little money. The items I constantly use are still packed from the retreat I attended in March as I was going away in a month, and from one retreat to the next I had a book to finish writing for a deadline, I knew there wouldn't be much crafting going on so no sense unpacking it all.

The problem I'm having today is there are two organizational pieces part of me is saying sell as I haven't used them for a long while and another part screaming "But I'll need it". The way I scrapbook and organize has changed so those units don't fulfill a need anymore, but I know I have a massive Disney project coming in the future and feel the desktop carousel with a wire stand will be a necessity. Especially if I can't find time to pre-plan my layouts ahead of time. I had intended to put together more page kits for this retreat but sometimes life can tweak our plans, between the flu, babysitting, and then wanting to read through a novel one last time before sending it out, time slipped away pretty fast. When I put together kits ahead of time, I don't need to bring all of my embellishments me at a crop. The unit is taking up space I could use for something else or just have a cabinet where there's nothing on top...a nice resting place for my eye.

The other item is a carousel type unit (have a theme going on) for Washi tape. I like using the tape but it's not one of my go to embellishment and it's probably best I don't start a new collection. To save table space at the crop, I've been tossing the tape that will match the main project theme into a zippered bag rather than use the carousel. And yet, I'm still having trouble putting it in the box.

And there are the drawers in my storage units that I started sorting through and gave way too early in the process. The issue there was that by the time I got around to bringing those up to my new office/craft space, my brain was tired of sorting and making decision on what to keep and let go that I did a quick purge (anything ripped or that I knew I'd never use) and shoved everything back into the drawers. I'm telling myself right now is the perfect time to really sort through it as the crop yard sale is the perfect time to part with those items.

I didn't have this hard of time downsizing clothes, kitchen stuff, and even books. The craft stuff I'm having a hard time of paring down even though I know I'll feel better in the space once there is less stuff. Maybe I should focus on the feeling I'm after rather than if I'll use a particular item again. Something to ponder.

Getting Organized--and a Special Offer

The top ten New Year's Resolutions lists nearly always includes getting organized. My new home sat empty for three years, so there's plenty of work to be done. I've been busy cleaning, painting, and settling in. Of course, this wouldn't be home for me without my scrapbooking supplies. I decided to turn a large coat closet into my scrapbooking room.

I started by taking out all the old shelves, painting them with a fresh coat of white paint, and then painting the interior a lovely sand color. Next, I organized my supplies, put them in containers, and used my label maker. Here's how it looks--

My friend Yvonne is going to add a new shelf for me, one that fits over the door. That's a great use of wasted space. She'll also make a drop down desk for me, one that folds up against the wall.

Another VIA (very important activity) was calling a pest control service to spray for silverfish and palmetto bugs.

One night I heard the pitter patter of little feet. The next day I called the pest control guy, John. "I think there's something in my attic."

Actually, it was two "somethings," a male and female rat. They must have chewed through one of the vents in the roof.

John was pretty sure he'd caught all the vermin, but just to be sure he set a few more big traps around the house. A few days later, my dog Rafferty was nosing around under the front deck. I decided to see what was so fascinating--



Yep, that's one mighty surprised land crab. They tell me that in the spring, hundreds of crabs march across the island. That should be quite a sight!

SPECIAL OFFER
Let me share a little Florida sunshine with you. Send me your postal address and I'll mail you a postcard from the sunshine state! Just email me at JoannaSlan@aol.com Be sure to put "SUNSHINE" in the subject line.

Mastering the Art of Moving--A REAL Labor Day Trick for Me

“The trick, of course—and it is a hard one to master—is to think of home not as a place we go to or come from, not as something inherent in the world itself, but as a place we carry inside ourselves, a place where we welcome the unfamiliar because we know that as time passes it will become the very bedrock of our being.” Verlyn Klinkenborg, NYT

Last Tuesday we arrived at our new home. Boy, do I feel beat.

How discombobulated my life is. Everywhere I go, I am surrounded by walls of brown boxes taller than I am. Awash in a sea of beige newsprint, wrinkled and smooshed, packing paper. Out of these cardboard containers tumble precious items, junk, necessary equipment, assorted odds and ends I can’t explain. Over and over, I pick up things and wonder: “How did this get here? What should I do with it? Why did I bring it along? Will it fit in here? Should I keep it or dump it?”

How fearful I am behind the wheel as I struggle to figure out exactly which road will take me where I want to go. All around me, other cars hurtle toward their destinations with the surety of creek water parting to avoid a stationary rock—that’s me!—in the midst of the flow. I grip the steering wheel white-knuckled, praying my Missouri license plates will buy me a crumb of driver’s compassion as I dither desperately trying to choose the correct lane, exit, or ramp.

How tired and ill-at-ease I am. Bursting into tears at the worst possible moments. Trying to be jovial, upbeat and positive, but sure that I am fooling no one. My body contends with a seeping sort of exhaustion. I fight the urge to lie down, pull the covers over my head, and sleep away the days. I’m not sure that it’s sleep I need so much as order. With order comes a sense of mastery that makes all activity less burdensome.

I keep wondering, “What on earth have I done? Why did I put myself through this? What did I hope to accomplish?” And yeah, I know the answers. It's all good. It will just take time.

There have already been moments of stunning clarity when I think, “Ah, this could be home.” And other joyous times: A small jolt of triumph and exhilaration when meeting my friend Emilie Richards for coffee in a nearby town made me nearly crow with joy: “I did it! I drove here! I navigated the beltway!” A sigh of contentment when I opened our mailbox and found items addressed to me, in this new home, postal offerings that followed me here. A stifled laugh when I awakened in the night and walked into a closet rather than the bathroom. (Fortunately, I was cognizant of the difference!) A shared moment of excitement when David and I saw the red fox pup who lives with his brother and mother behind our house. The little guy was sunbathing and grooming himself. After he'd licked his fur to his satisfaction, he ran over and pounced on his brother. How we laughed as they tussled with each other!

I try to take each day as it comes. Right now, after unpacking some of my office, I feel weepy. The sheer volume of stuff overwhelms me, weighs me down. Before, it was tucked away neatly. Now it’s all spread out, cluttering surfaces, and shaking a metaphorical finger in my face as if to say, “Why didn’t you sort this earlier? What were you thinking?”

I don’t know what I was thinking. Maybe I was on auto-pilot. Maybe we’re all on auto-pilot most of the time, and a move such as this forces us to be very, very present. Takes all our energy to cope with new surroundings, smells, flavors. Since all those senses are stimulated non-stop, and I’m struggling to cope, no wonder I want to go curl up and take a nap.

Tell me, how have you coped with moving? What kept you going?

For me, this is a Labor Day to remember!

Moving Day - Not!

I’m really glad that our blog topic this week involves how to move the important stuff relating to our hobbies. Since my theme around here concerns pets, and they’re members of the family, the answers are easy. Just pack up the pet food, the bowls and zillions of toys, the grooming stuff, the pharmaceuticals and flea treatments, and go.

But if I had to talk about moving my writing stuff, forget it. I’m in my house to stay. Otherwise, I’d have to get organized. I’d have to figure out what of my infinite research materials, including uncountable books, brochures, magazines, clippings and more, I could keep, and what I had to throw away. Of course I have to keep all the binders of notes I made during each trip, in case I ever set a story in the many places we’ve visited. And the photos, although my most recent ones were done on digital cameras with pictures not printed, so they don’t take up as much room as the albums and boxes of earlier photos.

I’d have to pack up all my promotional materials, including lots of bookmarks. Most of the copies of my 23 published books so far are already in labeled boxes, but there sure are a lot of them. Plus, there are my older manuscripts that aren’t on computer.

Then there are all the accoutrements of writing--notecards I wrote on each night after emerging from the bathtub with the info my subconscious mind told me I’d write about the next day. Pens, pencils, notepads, computer paper, and all the other things I need for writing and editing. Computer equipment--the computer itself, monitor, scanner, printer, fax machine, copier, etc. And, oh, yes, there are also the copies of contracts and books relating to my other career--as a lawyer.

Seriously, I do appreciate the discussion this week. Do I really need all the stuff? No, and I do go on occasional binges to clear out an area... to make room for more research material or books!

What about you--is it easier to move your pets or hobbies than the items you’ve collected to enhance your career?

Better Five Fires Than One Move

That’s an old Chinese proverb. And you know, the Chinese were onto something. I’m sitting here staring at the detritus of my life/my world as a crafter and I think I’m going to be sick.

Yesterday, I spent two hours sorting through—hang on—eyelets, brads and hooha’s. Yep, I have three craft supply cases full of tiny embellishments and fasteners. Unfortunately many months ago, one of them tipped over and all my bits and bobs went everywhere. In order to get the cases shut, and to pare down my belongings, I had to sift through them. My back cramped after hours of picking through itsy-bitsy but PRICELESS stuff. (I emphasize the word PRICELESS because I simply must believe these are invaluable. Otherwise, I would have thrown my hands up and said, “Fugget about it! I’ll buy more!)

Today I will sort papers. After I go through my stacks of paperwork, that is. Who knows what promises I’ve made that I’ve let slide on through disorganization.

The hardest part? I want to stop and craft. Seriously. I keep thinking, “Just let me work for a while on this…or that…and then, I’ll get back to it.”

Sigh.

I keep telling myself that I will emerge from this purge a leaner, meaner crafting machiner. That never again will I feel swamped and out of control.

Honestly, who am I kidding?

Oh-kaaayy. Back to the boxes.

But first, a decision: What has to stay out? What can’t I do without? What has to be packed last and unpacked first? Hmmm? Gee, that could keep me dithering all week!

How to Make a Difference in an Author's Career--and a Special Offer for You

Last week, Terri suggested we all write about getting our craft organized, but I'm going to just add a few of my best organizational tips at the bottom of this post, because I have something I really want to share.

You, dear reader, have tremendous influence over the career of any author. Especially when an author's career is young. As you might have read or noticed, the publishing world is in a state of flux. Once upon a time, authors were expected to grow and mature over time. They were allowed to build a following. Editors worked with authors extensively to learn their craft. But today, publishing is more like every other industry. The goals are much more short term--and as a consequence, authors don't have the luxury of time to grow an audience.

One of the most important ways you can influence an author's career is simply by writing a review on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. You see, your input really counts. And, when you think about it, if you enjoyed a person's book, don't you want to tell your friends? I know I do!

These online reviews have tremendous power! Here's what Brent Sampson says in his book Sell Your Book on Amazon : "...Amazon recommends products...The more reviews your book has, the more popular Amazon thinks your book is. Similarly, the more five-star reviews your book has, the more valuable Amazon thinks your book is."

So, in essence, you become the bookseller when you write a review on Amazon. I imagine it works the same on Barnes & Noble's site and so on.

How do you write a review?

First of all, I suggest you write it in something MS Word, or whatever wordprocessing program you have first. This makes it easier for you to spell-check, for you to copy the review on more than one site, and for you to be certain your review isn't "eaten" by the computer gods.

For Amazon:

Then go to Amazon, select "Books" from all their products. Type in the name or author of the book you wish to review. Scroll down the page. Stop when you see "Customer Reviews" in orange on the left. On the right of those words, you'll see a small phrase inside an oval that reads "Create Your Own Review." Click on that. It will ask you for your customer information--your email address and your password. If you've never ordered from them, I don't think you can go any further. If you have, and you supply that, you'll be taken to another page. From there, it's pretty self-explanatory.

For Barnes & Noble:

Go to their website, click "Books" and put in the book title. At the bottom of the paragraph of information, there's a spot to click called "Customer Reviews" or something similiar. When you click that, at the bottom it says "Write a review." Click on that "Write a review" and it will take you to a spot to log in. You have to create an account--and then it will walk you through everything you need to do.

Receive a FREE Gift from Me for Taking the Time...

Now...let me sweeten the deal. I know this takes time and you are busy. So here's what I'm offering. If you write a review for either Cut, Crop & Die or Paper, Scissors, Death, I'll send you a small thank you gift. I have some pretty little album kits, complete with stickers and paper. As long as the supply lasts, all you need to do is email me at joannaslan@aol.com, tell me where your review is, and share your postal address.

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled post...

SCRAPBOOKING ORGANIZATION TIPS

1. Buy a labeler. I picked up a small one at Office Max, and I can't believe how much it encourages me to label my storage containers. Mine is by Brother, and uses a variety of thin vinyl tapes. I can change the font size. I'm actually thinking about doing some journaling with it, but meanwhile, it's the best organizational investment I've ever made because now I can see what's in containers!

2. Use one of those multi-chambered craft boxes (like fishing tackle sorters) for your small bits and pieces. And here's a big tip, I use a huge rubber band around each box. Why? Well, sometimes the lids don't close as well as I'd like and you don't want to have grommets and brads all over your floor. Keep EVERYTHING you can in these. If you don't, you'll forget where stuff is.

3. Buy extra-large resealable plastic bags. Keep sets of paper and embellishments in these. In fact, if you use these, you can pull together everything for a page as you work. Sometimes while you are putting together Page A, you find stuff for Page B. Instead of hunting down that cute sticker, those chipboard letters, the phrases and so on again, sort it now.

4. Sort left over paper by color in plastic bags. Before I ever cut a new sheet, I go back to the "old" partial sheets.

5. Sort sheets of letter stickers in 8 1/2 x 11 inch page protectors and put in a big ring binder. It's much easier to flip through them. I don't cut alphabets apart. I want to see if I have all the letters I need for a word without digging around.

Okay, I'll stop for now. What organizational tips can you share?

Crafting as a Nearly Olympic Sport

Before she left to return home to Florida, my sister Margaret re-read the doctor’s instructions for my post-surgery recovery. The pamphlet suggested I spend my days in a variety of quiet, non-stressful activities such as reading, piecing together puzzles and working on a photo album. Meg snickered, looked up at me, and said, “Uh, that’s not going to work for you.”

Yeah, she’s right. For me, scrapbooking is a near-Olympic event. I run frantically around my craftroom/office gathering all sorts of supplies. I pop up from my chair to get punches or rubber stamps from the next room. I lift heavy equipment like my die cut base. I reach low for papers. I reach high for templates and alphabet stamps. I pick up and push aside a slantboard that my husband has inconveniently rested against a file cabinet of patterned papers. I lean all my weight on an eyelet setter to poke a hole through paper and then again I push to spread the backside of the eyelet so it stays attached to the paper.

And what a mess. I don’t like to put anything away until I’m positive I won’t be using it again. That means, uh, a mess.

AN ALBUM I'M WORKING ON...

Today I climbed downstairs (I’m only allowed a certain number of trips up and down stairs per week) to my craftroom and started an album for my niece Lexie who’s having a baby boy in August. Creating an album is like making a Thanksgiving dinner. You have to do a certain amount of shopping, planning, and breaking down your project into “what comes first.” Several weeks ago, I picked up a $1 album from the Dollar Spot area in Target, one of my favorite shopping places. The album is adorable, 16 pages with a blue and yellow choo-choo on the cover.

PICK A THEME OR IMAGE

I’ve learned the hard way: the best approach to an album is to pick a theme and keep your pages all a variation on that theme. I like the theme to start with my title page. I fell in love with a cute rubber stamp image of a little boy on the beach picking up seashells with his toy boat and teddy bear nearby. I stamped the image on white paper many times until I could select one stamped image that was perfect. (I’m picky about how dark it is and whether every line shows up.) Then, I used colored pencils to fill in the image. I covered the finished piece with a thin layer of 3-D glue to make the image “pop.” (This is the "turkey in the oven" part of the creation. The 3-D glue needs to dry.) I also stamped SKYLER LOGAN, the baby’s name and put the 3-D glue on the letters.

FIGURE OUT HOW YOU'LL REPEAT IT

Hmm. How will I repeat the boy/beach/toy image? Good question. Stay tuned.


A QUESTION

Are you a messy crafter or do you put your things away like a good egg?

Organizing Your Photos...or NOT!

Most scrapbooking books, articles, and experts will tell you to start scrapbooking by organizing your photos. They'll suggest you drag out every cotton-picking photo you own, label and date them. Then they want you to put it in some sort of order. Finally, they suggest you scrapbook those pictures chronologically.

Okay. Like that's really going to happen in this lifetime.

Call me contrary. Go ahead. You may be a better woman than I. (The line forms in the rear.)

I'd love to have all my photos organized by date. But it ain't going to happen, folks. I have photos I've inherited, photos from my childhood, photos from my sisters, photos from friends...are you beginning to see the problem? I have 22 photo boxes of photos. I also own three moving boxes of memorabilia. Not to mention albums from my prescrapbooking days and more than 100 new photos on my camera.

A wise woman would organize those photos. However, the sheer size of the project makes me so tired I want to lie down.

So here's my solution: I organize what I can. BUT...I put a time limit on it. Say, I'll organize for an hour. (All right. Fifteen minutes.) Then I'll pull out a handful of photos that call to me to be put on a page.

Here are the benefits:

1. I can get enthused about my hobby. As I make pages, I feel I am getting somewhere. The creative juices start flowing.

2. Organization occurs organically. As I pull photos, I also notice photos I can toss, photos that go with other photos, and photos I can put aside to work on next. Which leads me to #3.

3. As I pull the photos I want to scrapbook RIGHT NOW, I set aside groups of photos to work on at some other time. These I put together in a page protector. Now I am ready to work on them the next time I sit down.

Oh, I honestly wish I was a person with organized photos. I almost was. I had 90% of my photos in photo boxes, labeled and categorized. Then we moved to England for a year. I took photos with me to work on. That messed up my whole system. And you can imagine how many pictures I took while I was there!

So, I could wait until the day I get everything organized. Or I could take a long nap. Or I could continue to live an exciting life and take photos along the way.

Three guesses as to the choice I've made!