Scrapbooking Resolutions...

With 2009 officially here, it is high time to make sure that this year is two-thousand-and-divine! There is something about January that makes me want to reorganize everything in the house, and the best room to play in is the craft room!

Time to cash in those awesome gift cards from craft stores to lay in some supplies for new pretties, and clear the shelves of old supplies that have been there for far too long. You know what I mean...

That random pile of paper that you haven't looked at in two years, let alone used, but you hate to toss it. So you just keep putting new paper on top of it?

Or how about that pack of chipboard letters that only have the X, Q and a few random U's left? It is sitting under that giant roll of pink polkadotted ribbon you got on sale, but haven't used yet, because now that you look at it, the pink is more of a salmon...

Time to clean house!

With Winter CHA 2009 going on right now, a ton of new product is being unveiled, and hopefully shipped to a store near you :) It is your duty to clear your shelves of dusty papers, forgotten flowers, and bent brads to make room for your new pretties!

If you are like me, the thought of organizing all your supplies and tools can be overwhelming. Tell you what - let's form a support group! Come here to share tips for organizing, send "before" and "after" photos, and we will cheer each other on! I'll go brew some coffee and whip up some chocolate cupcakes....

And hey, you don't have to wait for me to get started! Cupcakes take about 20 minutes, and time is of the essence! Get going!

Here is my suggestion. If you have a workspace, like a table or countertop, divide it into quarters (seriously - use some masking tape). Near the table on the floor, have a big old box marked "GET RID OF". On the table, one area will be for PAPER to keep, the next area will be for EMBELLIES, the next area for TOOLS and such, and finally the last quarter will be for the "I AM NOT SURE WHERE THIS GOES, BUT I REALLY WANT TO KEEP IT" items. Of course, you may be a ribbon freak and decide that you want to have a ribbon area, or a spot just for Prima Flowers.... Don't overwhelm yourself. Start big, and you will sort the piles later. The goal is to whittle your stash of goodies down to what you actually want to keep. You can go through the embellie pile later, hopefully with some storage containers for you to organize all those buttons, brads, etc....

Don't feel bad about weeding out supplies. I know I hate to throw anything away. But after a while, you realize you can't keep everything. And face it - you know you are never going to use that salmon spotted ribbon...

To alieve the guilt, you can donate your surplus supplies to your niece who is learning to scrap (don't give it to your own kids - they will just mess up their bedrooms with their new prizes and you will have to clean again). Niece-less? Call your local school or church or senior center, or have your kids ask their teacher or librarian if they would like some free artsy supplies. I was an English teacher for years, and let me tell you - teachers always need supplies!

So get some boxes, roll up your sleeves, and get going! Cupcakes will be ready soon, and I want to see some progress...