Craft Room

The craft room is done, and actually has been for several weeks, but just when I went to take pictures for the blog, my old trusty HP camera failed.  That meant doing some research and selecting a new digital camera for not a huge amount of money. 

Then it was time to upgrade the computer to Windows 7 from XP, since Microsoft isn't supporting XP anymore.  The computer had slowed down and was freezing (I'm starting to sound like that annoying ad on television, aren't I?) and my frustration levels were building.  So off to a very special former neighbor who did the upgrade and now finally, here we are!!!

It took a while to find the pictures taken by the new camera.  It took at least an hour to figure out how to make the computer understand that the virus protection plan the computer guru loaded for temporary purposes was NOT the one I paid for.  And that meant "chatting" on line with someone named Kristopher Directo, a representative from Trend Micro.  No, I'm not kidding.  I wouldn't have been able to make that one up.  But he was helpful to a degree.  Still, speaking on the phone would have made the whole process go much, much faster. 

Having a love-hate relationship with technology isn't really very hard to achieve.  There are so many wonderful things about getting on the computer, looking up info about a camera, for instance, or getting a bargain on a great Disney program for X-box (not our X-box; we don't have one!!).  But then there are the other aspects that aren't nearly as fun.  When the computer was gone for those two days, I found myself heading down the hall to the craft room any number of times to "look something up."  However, as far as the cell phone thing is concerned, I do not have any sort of attachment to it at all.  It doesn't do much of anything; it calls people, and I can call people on it.  That's about it.  That's all I want it to do, that and not ringing when I'm in the car driving.  Personally, doing one thing at a time and trying to do that one thing well is my number one goal.

What I have learned over the years, and especially when I worked at UA, is that being organized is absolutely key.  Having a purse that is organized.  Having a car that is organized.  Having a bedroom closet that is organized.  Ditto for the pantry, the bathrooms, the garage, the basement, the attic.  Anyone who ever saw me at work could tell when I was in one of "those moods."  The kind where you clean the whole office from top to bottom and start organizing files and desktops.  Kind of sad it took me about 23 years to get pretty good at it and then it was time to retire.  BUT, I brought home with me all of the lessons learned and all of the discipline garnered from years on the job.  What a gift!!  Besides, I never met an office supply catalog that I didn't love.  More than once, I told friends that I'd probably volunteer at Office Max if given the chance.  Isn't that sad?

So let's see.  What are some good nuggets of information I can share?

1. Determine just what you use most often and make sure that those items are closest to you while you are working, whether in the kitchen, the home office, or the bedroom.
2. Put all like things together, like one place to store ALL batteries of ALL sizes.
3. Purchase organizational aids like baskets, pretty storage boxes, and pen/pencil holders.  Put them where you can grab what you need.
4. Get a file folder holder (my favorite is from Thirty One; it has style and function and is not that expensive).  Then make up some file folder labels for such things as:  medical bills, miscellaneous bills, tax information, bank statements, insurance materials, investment statements, pet stuff, etc.).  File as soon as you get the stuff, and that means that the organizer should occupy a prominent spot on your desk.
5. Organizer your books like the library does, around subject matter.  All recipe books and folders should be in one place, for example.  And the recipes shouldn't be that far from the kitchen.
6. Have telephones in logical places in your house so you never have to run for a phone.
7. Put up shelving with shelf supports.  They are attractive and you can display family pictures or whatever you want, and then change the display in a moment.
8. Put everything related to your computer, such as disks, in one place.  That means the disk that came with the camera or the printer.
9. Have a box for each craft you pursue.  I have boxes for watercolors, pastels, acrylics, drawing, stamping and card making, and sewing. 
10. Put pleasant things around your crafting area, things that make you happy and feel confident, like some of your successes.  Bury the failures deep.

The most important part of the craft room is the recognition that God is the giver of all of our gifts.  So there is a cross on one wall, a framed photo of a traveling Jesus that Cathy Dean gave me, and there is a card on the bulletin board with the smiling Jesus.  And a couple of  little country churches, one a small wooden model and a wall art representation.

Well, that's it for today, blog friends.  Winter is temporarily back.  No worries.