And They Said It Couldn't Be Done...

For 10 years now Mike and I have been married. And for 10 years now my dear, sweet, mother-in-law has said at least 3567 times (I think that is an understatement), "I need to clean out my craft room!". In her quaint brick home tucked away in the mountains of southeast Kentucky, she has a room in her home titled the "craft room". Mike affectionately calls it the "crap room". The room has good intentions of being a craft room. There are definitely crafty things in this room but over time it has become the room we just stand at the door and throw things into because there is no chance of actually walking around the room. It essentially is a room with overloaded shelves on the walls and literally stuff piled up to your waist.
So last weekend after hearing "I need to clean out my craft room" 3567 times in 10 years I announced to Mike that we were going to go clean out that craft room for her if it was the last thing we did.
So off we went. It is a quick 2.5 hour trip to her home deep in the holler. We arrived at 4:30 on Friday night and by 5pm I was writing out signs that went up around the living room that said things like "sewing, ribbon, screen printing, books, etc..."

Before Pics



The Living Room being Filled with Craft Room Goodies

Between Mikes brother, Mike, Joe Anne, and I we had the room fairly emptied and in piles around the living room in about an hour. It was at that point that I realized I had gotten myself into a really big mess. Joe Anne will self admit that she hates to get rid of anything. And I do mean anything. She loves all crafty things...even down to 4 inches of ribbon left on a spool. So needless to say, I began to feel a bit overwhelmed at the task ahead.

Working Late into the Night


By midnight I headed to bed and was up working again at 8am. We literally organized everything in every box, bag, basket, and plastic tote. I created a sewing area for her where her fabric is now color coordinated , her spools of thread are color coordinated in mason jars, and her needles are tucked away nicely in a basket. She has a designated area for her ribbon and florals, her craft books, and her screen printing supplies. I turned an old set of drawers into storage and clearly labeled each drawer with its contents.








I do have to say, I can't believe it all fit back in there with a cohesive theme and plenty of room to walk around. There is even a work space for her!
It took a total of 15 laborious hours but it is done and I think she is happy with the turnout.

There is floor space!


The best thing about the entire project was that she found her engagement ring and Mike's dads wedding ring that she wore around her neck after Mike's dad passed away. She thought it was stolen over 6 years ago and she found it tucked away in a medicine bag after all this time! It made the entire project completely worthwhile!