I love to organize!

Next to creating something, my favorite thing to do is organize.  If you haven't seen my craft room yet, you can read all about it and see some pictures here.  Part of that is my stamp index, which is the epitome of OCD, and I've posted about that here.

So when Brenda Schweder, author of Vintage Redux: Remake Classic and Collectible Jewelry, Junk to Jewelry: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Found Objects in Jewelry You Can Actually Wear, and the upcoming Steel Wire Jewelry: Stylish Designs * Simple Techniques * Artful Inspiration (who is also the President of the Loose Bead Society and a good friend of mine) asked for some help organizing her studio, I jumped at the opportunity!  She is very eclectic in her work and the objects she has in her studio, and I knew it would be a great challenge.

Brenda teaches classes in steel wire, resin, and mixed media jewelry, and she needs easy access to all of her supplies.  She's been really busy with shows and classes and all kinds of other events, so she hasn't time to get everything back in order.  The first thing we did was to go through boxes and bags.  We made some piles, threw stuff away, put stuff away, put some stuff aside for Goodwill and to donate to Mount Mary College, and put some stuff in a pile for me to take home (woo hoo!).  We were able to clear lots of space off and under tables.  It sounds worse than it really was - seriously.  Do not envision the TV show "Hoarders" - it's more like Christmas after opening presents.

When we were done, one big pile was for resin kits.  I really wish I had taken a "before" picture, but it's probably best I didn't.  I went back on Friday armed with extra plastic containers, my StazOn inks, and a few letter stamp sets.  We cleared out and consolidated a few of her cabinets (culminating in more stuff for me to take home as well as more stuff tossed and set aside for Goodwill), then we set up a long folding table and started separating, labeling each section with a Post-it note.  Between what Brenda was able to clear up and what I brought, we had plenty of plastic cases to store everything.

Then I set to with my stamps.  The cute doodle font didn't show up all that well, but the brushstroke font and my dark green StazOn worked perfectly.  I stamped on one end and along the side to the left of the end that I stamped for good visibility.  I put the boxes in the cabinet to let the ink dry (it was so juicy!), but I impulsively organized as I went:

While I was stamping, Brenda kept organizing, and she exclaimed, "I can now find where things are supposed to go!  This is great!"  Here she is showing her incredulity:

Now when she's getting ready for a resin class or to work on a project, she can grab just what she needs and (hopefully, time permitting) put stuff back in the right places after she's done.  We're going to keep going on other areas of her studio.  I can't wait!

Thanks for letting me help, Brenda!