CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA-- GET ORGANIZED!

Have you noticed the proliferation of articles in magazines lately about organizing your clutter? These seem to crop up every year right after New Year’s, probably because getting organized is one of those resolutions so many people make and break. The articles appear again in the spring for the traditional spring cleaning frenzy.

If you’ve been reading the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries (those books about yours truly,) you know that I had to give up my dedicated studio above my garage to rent out for additional income. I’m now crafting on some card tables in the basement. However, Lois Winston, the author who writes those books about me, has agreed to offer some of her organizational tips. You see, Lois is not only a published author, she’s a craft designer, too. (which is probably how she came up with the idea of creating me,) and if juggling two full-time jobs wasn’t enough, she also works for a literary agency. Rumor has it, she doesn’t sleep.

So Lois needs to be super organized in order to accomplish all that she does in a day. Today I’m asking her about her craft room.

Anastasia: Describe the room where you do your designing and crafting.


Lois: Because, as you mentioned, I juggle three careers, my craft room is both a crafting studio and an office where I do my writing and handle agency business. I have a large L-shaped desk that fills one wall and wraps nearly all the way around a second wall. This affords me a place for my computer and printer, plus a large surface for working on craft projects.

One wall of my room is taken up by a double closet. My husband took out the clothes pole and added wooden shelves that run the length of the closet. This is where I keep most of my craft supplies. The rest are in the bottom cabinet sections of two wall units. Books fill the shelves above the cabinets. I also have two bookshelves that sit on the desk. The bookshelves hold copies of craft books where my designs have appeared, my novels, and lots of research books for both crafting and writing, as well as the overflow of novels that no longer fit on the bookshelves in the living room and den.

Anastasia: Given that you’ve banished me to the basement, do you feel it’s important to have a dedicated craft space?

Lois: Sorry about that, but you did need a new stream of income, and now you have the hunky Zack Barnes living above your garage.

Anastasia: Hmmm…

Lois: Anyway, getting back to your question, having a dedicated space for creativity enables me to work without interfering with other family members. I can spread out and make a mess without having to worry that I need to clean everything up and put away my project and all my supplies because the space has to revert back to being the kitchen, dining room, or den at a specific time.

Anastasia: I remember those days. How do you organize patterns, fabrics, floss, notions, and and all the embellishments you use in your designing?


Lois: I’m a big fan of plastic storage containers. They come in all different sizes and can be stacked for easy storage. I have three extra-large bins for cross stitch fabric, felt, and sewing fabric. Medium sized containers hold floss, paint, ribbons, glue gun supplies, etc. Smaller ones hold everything from pom-poms to specialty threads, to beads. I use very small plastic containers to store needles, sequins, etc. I also use magazine holders to keep my patterns and leaflets organized.

Anastasia: Do you have any organizing tips for our readers?

Lois: If you have a huge collection of floss as I do, it can take forever to find the floss color/number you need for a specific project. I’ve separated my floss into basic colors -- red, pink, green, blue, brown, purple, black/white/gray and yellow/gold/orange. Each group goes into a zippered gallon freezer bag. All the bags go into an extra-large plastic storage tub. When I need a specific color, I only have to look through one bag rather than rake through all my floss.

Another storage tip is to separate your fabric in the same manner. I use a lot of sewing fabric in my crafts. I separate the fabric by solids, floral prints, geometrics, and holiday prints. The fabrics are folded into dedicated piles before being placed in a large plastic storage tub.

Another tip is don’t buy in bulk unless you really have the storage space. Yes, it’s tempting to get a better price on batting if you buy a case rather than one package, but if it’s going to take you five years to make all those quilts, both your money and space could be put to better use.

Most importantly, don’t be a hoarder. If you haven’t used that macramé cord from 1982 by now, chances are you’ll never use it. Donate it to someone who can use it, thus freeing up storage space for yourself.

Anastaisa: How do you maximize the space in your room?


Lois: I try to be as neat and organized as possible, but I don’t always succeed. Deep down, I’m a clutterbug. Every few months I go on a tidying up spree. Since I design for magazines, the products I use in my designs have to be readily available to consumers. Products get discontinued all the time, and I can’t feature discontinued products in my designs. So I’ll collect the discontinued supplies and donate them, thus freeing up storage space for other supplies.

Anastasia: What organizing tips do you recommend for someone who can't dedicate an entire room to crafting?


Lois: This really depends on the type of craft and the storage space in the home. I don’t think there’s a simple answer to this question. If there’s room for it, an armoire with drawers, shelves, and a drop-down desk would be an ideal solution. When closed, it will look like a piece of furniture in a bedroom, dining room, living room, or den.

Anastasia: Any advice for someone starting or re-doing a craft room?


Lois: Plan ahead. Think about your needs -- what you want to store and how you’ll use the room -- before you buy any furniture and storage items.

Anastasia: Thanks for joining us today, Lois! Now get back to writing, and find a way for me to win the lottery.

Lois: Sorry, not going to happen. If I did that, the series would end. I’m afraid you’re stuck in financial hell for some time to come, given that there will be at least three more Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries to come.

Anastasia: So I guess that’s a good news/bad news sort of thing, huh?

Lois: You got it.

MONEY MATTERS WITH SHEILA CONWAY--YARD SALE SAVVY

One woman’s junk is another woman’s treasure. Sheila Conway, American Woman’s Go-To Money Saving Guru talks today about how to pull off a successful yard sale. -- AP

Thanks, Anastasia. As you all probably know by now, decorating editor Jeanie Sims is our yard sale queen. Jeanie loves hunting through yard sales to find all sorts of discards she can turn into useful treasures. If you’re one of those people who would make Jeanie drool if you let her loose in your basement, attic, and/or garage, why not put all that stuff you no longer use up for sale and reap the cash benefits?

Yard sale season is in full swing. Like Jeanie, many of your neighbors spend their Saturday mornings traveling around from one yard sale to the next. It only takes a little bit of work to entice them to fill your coffers while cleaning out your piles of unwanted clutter.

Here are some tips for having a successful yard sale.

*Display the items you have for sale in such a way that they entice people to take a closer look. Make sure everything is clean and set out on tables and benches.

*People will drive by without stopping if they see you’re only trying to get rid of what amounts to trash. Don’t offer dirty or broken items.

*Make sure all electronics are in working order. Have an extension cord and/or batteries handy so items can be tested.

*Display items either by category or price. All housewares together, all electronics together, etc. Or a $1 table, a $3 table, a $5 table, etc.

*Mark prices on all items. If someone has to ask about price, that person might walk away instead of asking.

*Don’t overprice items. You’re having a yard sale, not opening a designer consignment shop. All items should be at least 50% off their original price.

*Be willing to negotiate. Remember, accepting a few dollars less for an item you don’t need or want is better than not selling that item at all. You’ll only have to haul it back into your home or trash it.

*If items aren’t selling, don’t be afraid to drop the prices. Again, if you don’t sell it, you have to keep it or trash it. Isn’t it better to sell something on the cheap than not at all?

*Make sure you have lots of change. You don’t want to lose a sale for a $2 item because the prospective buyer only has a twenty dollar bill and you’ve run out of change.

*Get the word out. The night before the sale post signs in strategic spots around the neighborhood where drivers will see them. Use poster board and thick marker. Write a very big, bold SALE and an arrow pointing the way. Add address, date, and times below. The morning before your sale, post it on Craigslist.

*Plan to get up early to haul everything out and set up. Die-hard yard sale devotees often show up well before the start time. You want everything set up before they start arriving.


Hmm...maybe I need to root through my attic. Thanks, Sheila! What about the rest of you? Anyone ever had a yard sale? How did it go? Post a comment to be eligible for a free book this week from our Book Club Friday guest author. -- AP