Abracadabra and Alakazam! - Two Magic Words to Clear Out Clutter

Clutter busting is hard to do this time of year in northern Illinois.  I'm relying on money from the sale of our clutter to help fix things up, so just dropping stuff off at Goodwill is not an option.  Enter my two magic words for clutter removal: consignment and Craigslist.  (I totally avoid eBay unless it's something I know will sell much higher there - I hate to deal with shipping.)

I already consign my better quality kids clothes as they are outgrown, and that helps soften the blow of buying new clothes for three.  This is a topic I will cover further in a future post: due to the nature of clothing consignment (seasonal), it creates a bit of its own clutter while I'm waiting to take it in.  For today, I will focus on the area of hobby hijinks.  Whether you're a quilter with a fabric stash, or a sports lover with an ever-growing collection of your favorite team's memorabilia, it's not quite so fun anymore when it starts outgrowing your space.

For those of you who don't know me, I am a heavy-duty paper crafter and a direct sales consultant for Close To My Heart (a scrapbooking and stamping company).  As such, there is always something new I "have to have", but even with a separate room for my craftiness, things tend to get out of control.  Lucky for me, there is a craft consignment sale in the area a couple of times a year where I can clear out the old to make more room.  No matter what your hobby, if you live in a more heavily populated area, there is probably a consignment sale or group "garage sale" where you can sell a few things.  Google is your best friend when trying to find a consignment store or sale organizer - start searching!

If you can't find a consignment option, my favorite "wider net" is Craigslist.  It's regional, free to list items, and no shipping required!  There is one caveat when selling through Craigslist though.  If you are not comfortable having buyers come to your residence, you will need to arrange to meet somewhere.  I suggest a highly trafficked location where there will be plenty of people able to see you.  I personally think a McDonald's parking lot is a good option: there are always people there, and there are lots of windows where people inside can see out.

So, here's my current problem: I've spread out so much in the craft room, that it's nearly impossible to get into the closet.  The closet is a bit weird, as it's narrow and deep, so you have to walk in to get to anything.  I've had this tall drawer storage for a while, but when I moved things around it wound up almost blocking the door.  And since I had a hanging organizer thing hanging on the door, it was really hard to get in & out.  So my goal was to get rid of both the drawers and the hanging storage.

I cleared out a bunch of crafty stuff, plus some sewing things from upstairs, and got it priced & tagged for the consignment sale.  I reorganized, consolidated, and eliminated, and happily have both items out of the craft room now for a much cleaner space. There's always a little more to do in here, since I regularly USE things in here, they always have to be put away & kept organized!  But at least now I can get in the closet where I keep the yarn, cross stitch stuff, and miscellaneous craft supplies.  Look how nice & organized it is in there!  And the way is clear to get in.

I also made a visit to Ikea and spent about $13.  I needed to get my paper punches out of their drawers, because I had to dig through piles to find the one I wanted, and it was a pain to get them all back in again.  I've seen many people post about storing their punches on the Bygel towel rails from Ikea, so I went the same route and bought 2.  I also bought 2 of the wire baskets that hang from the rails, and a pack of the hooks to hang random things.  That punch assist tool on the far right end always took up a lot of room in a drawer, but it takes up a narrow space on the wall hanging from a hook.

OK, now I'm all ready to drop off my stuff to that consignment sale!  Here's my pile, waiting to be loaded in the van:

Wish me luck!!

Shopping List for Ikea:

• Bygel Rail, 2 @ $2.99 - $5.98
• Bygel Wire Basket, 2 @ $1.99 - $3.98
• Bygel S-hook, $.99

Total Expense: $10.95 (plus tax), about $13

Total income?  We'll find out soon!