I just have to vent...

Ok, so I need to vent just a little.  I am in the process of trying to clean up my office and optimize my storage. What inspired me to do this ridiculous task is two things: 1) there were some ladies I discovered during my blog hopping that had an on-line event where they all posted before and after photos of their crafting areas. Unfortunately, I cannot recall the name of this event - perhaps someone reading this can?  It was truly tremendous. The women that participated really have some truly amazing ... just a cotton picking minute. Why is it when I sit down to write, the only freaking fly my husband has let in the house is landing on me every 10 seconds??!!!! brb...

Murder Accomplished!  Now then, :::smoothing my skirt and pulling up my elbow length opera gloves::: as I was saying...  The women that participated in that event started out with very nice craft spaces but ended up with crafting spaces that were sublime. We are talking "Where Women Create" worthy. I saw a common trend of "white on white." (Something I admire, think is absolutely fabulous, but somehow cannot master even in an 5 x 7 challenge (see photo below)).  This may be, perhaps, because I am a person drawn to the various hues of pink in a cabbage rose and the silver of German Glitter.  (We would not want to say it is simply because I lack talent, that would be utterly discouraging.)  So, I am not to the venting part yet (in case you were wondering).

In my on again, lazy again, attempt to organize my office, I have an issue with a very large, quite old banker's desk that I sit at. It was a gift from a friend who had to move and she kindly gave it to me because it was her father's and it was quite sentimental to her. It is one of those lovely old wooden desks that has slide pull-outs on both the left- and right-hand side.  I am limited to using the one on the right side for work space because I have a very large bookshelf at my left side.  What tends to happen is that... perhaps you can foresee this... the right slider serves as a crafting workspace and then turns in to, shall we say, storage for projects, ephemera, and currently a fly swatter. This stack, which would be deemed hazardous to by-standers by a visiting team from OSHA, has in fact leapt out and and grabbed me by the buttocks when I have squeezed between it and the stand that holds my Tim-Holtz Vagabond machine, a dress mannequin, an assorted stack of ephemera, and other sundry items.  While my husband does not feel so, I believe it is entirely reasonable to walk between two warring towers of ephemera with a space of approximately 24 inches of clearance. So my vent here, perhaps, is that I hate it when my husband thinks it funny that paper attacks me.  Today, I cleaned off the stack on the right slide-out.

Do you know that required me to actually open the very large storage drawer under the slide-out!  In that large file drawer I actually found ephemera I bought more than three years ago (before I started my graduate degree).  It was neatly separated by holiday, subject, etc., and placed in fancy file folders, who could have known? Additionally, I apparently used to travel abroad and bring home things like tickets, brochures, photographs, little bits of this and that, and all of that is stored in this file drawer as well?  Absolute insanity!!

I said I had two rants. In fact, I do.  I believe I have shared enough today, however. I encourage you to take a look at the website ATCSforAll.com.  They have an active ATC trading forum if you are looking to join swaps and there is no cost for this site!

Have a great day... and never ever let your ephemera stacks grab you in an inappropriate place!

Best always,
Misti