Hello Friend,

It's time for me to share my recent decluttering "win". I finally had enough money for the perfect container to motivate me!

The Problem

After seven years of living here (I always do "severe" decluttering before a house move as I tell myself, "less to move, less to move.") and keeping items out of some abandoned storage units (see post below), plus my own "sale finds" - I had somehow acquired twenty 18 gallon storage totes worth of fabric and yarn!

Even if my Etsy shop was 4 times as busy as it is, it would take ages to go through all that stuff! Here it was, taking up space in my garage, so I could not even park in it!

The Dream

I have always admired craft rooms that have a "Dream Box" from Create Room company or something like it. I love that they look like an ordinary piece of furniture, like a cupboard, wardrobe, or pantry with doors. But, when you open it up - it reveals beautifully stored fabric or baskets of yarn. It looks so unassuming, until you open it.

I pushed this dream aside thinking...

• it's too expensive
• I don't have enough space for it

The Solution

One day, I decided to "change the dream" and downsize it some. What if I could work with the space I do have? I started looking around to see where I could put a cupboard. I found a space on a wall next to my bedroom window.

I measured it to see how wide I could go, how high and how deep. The "how deep" was actually the most difficult because I wanted room to get into bed without bumping into the cupboard. It needed to be 12 inches deep or under.

I had to change what I was looking for. I started out looking for a wardrobe, way too deep! I next started looking at pantries and bookshelves. But I wanted it to have doors to hide what was inside.

The Big Decision

After much looking and deliberation. I found two "perfect containers" for my needs. Then, I had a mental vision of what I would put inside.

I know I mostly use four kinds of fabric. Likewise, I mostly use four kinds of yarn. In my boxes in the garage, there were lots of other fabrics and yarns I would likely not use.

I really thought this would be hard for me to do and "let go," so I made a decision that whatever I could not keep in the new set up and up to three totes in the garage would need to be sold or donated.

I would not allow myself to spend the money until I made this promise to myself.

Containers Motivate!

I ended up buying these items at IKEA and included in my spend was having them shipped to my doorstep (but not brought inside, as that would have been more money - the delivery man blessed me with that for free though!).

• BILLY / OXBERG
  ​bookcase with doors
  ​$119.00​
  15 3/4x11 3/4x79 1/2 "
  black oak effect
• BILLY / OXBERG
  ​bookcase with doors
  ​$169.00​
  31 1/2x11 3/4x79 1/2 "
  black oak effect
• RISATORP
  ​wire basket
  ​$14.99 each​
  9 ¾x10 ¼x7 "
  dark gray
• extra shelves for the bookcases with doors, $10 and $15 each
• Delivery charge $159
• Tax

After I loaded the "keep" items into my newly built containers, I loved the look so much and didn't want to walk to the garage and dig through totes anymore, so I chose to have zero containers in the garage! The containers motivated me to get rid of ALL the items that didn't fit!

The project took me two days to complete (including building the shelves) and I got it done in the month of August before starting our homeschool year.

Happily Ever After

Fabric

The very next day after completion, I received an order for a hair scruchie with a certain dog breed fabric. In the past, I would have went to the garage and moved totes off the top of the tote I needed, dug through that tote to find the fabric, then put it all away. Lots of heavy lifting.

Now, I move my side tabe out of the way, open my cupboard and look at my animal prints cotton fabric shelf and easily pull off the one I need. After the project, I put away the fabric, shut the doors and move the side table back. So light to move and I don't even miss the extra fabric!

Yarn

I wanted to make more potholders in the solid light aqua teal color. In the past, I would have had to go to the garage and pull the boxes off the one I want, thinking I probably put it with the blues, nope - must be with the greens, move around more totes, nope - oh that's right, I did finally make a "teal" tote because of this very problem. Sigh.

I opened the smaller cupboard and pulled out some not needed yarn around the basket I needed (without lifting totes), pulled out the basket of yarn I wanted, put the not needed yarn back on the shelf and took my basked to my rocking chair and crocheted blissfully.

What I Did With The Extra Stuff

I ended up taking 20 lots to a local online auction house. I just wrote a small note about each box. They took the photos and listed them for me. Only one lot of yarn did not sell.

I didn't take any time to "bag up" the fabric or yarn - they were already stored that way from the past. It may have been how I acquired them or I took time in the past to do it.

After paying the online auction listing fees and their 20% commission rate, I got back $131.20 for the fabric and yarn lots.

Photos To Motivate You

A Post on Our Blog

​Making Money Buying Abandoned Storage Units​

In Our Etsy Shop...

​Crochet Potholders, Double Thick Cotton Hotpads with hanger

See it here

Next purchase on the list, sidetables for my bed in a darker shade!

Have a joy filled day!

~Amy at NeededInTheHome - Website - Faith Testimony ​

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