New Series: 56 Home Prep things

I just celebrated my birthday.  Yeah, that one.  July 21 is the date.  I am not one to reveal my age because I do not feel it and I do not think it.  Let’s just say that I am a Gen X, the forgotten generation.  They talk about the Baby Boomers and they talk about the Millennials, and they talk about the older folks (my parent’s age group) but they never talk about mine.  I guess that we are the people that others warn each other about.  So, if you were born between 1964-1979, you know exactly what I am talking about, but this is not that conversation.  Not here, and not on this blog.  I can explain further as I go through “56 My Ambiance Life Things on that blog, or not.  You never know until you read all 4 blogs.  Did I say 4?

Here's to the start of a new series!!!

Hello, long time, no see, rather no write.  I have been thinking.  They say that if you think too hard, something ugly might come up.  OK, I am the only one who said it, BUUTTT….

So, today and for the next couple of week or so, I will have 56 Home Prep things on this blog, 56 My Ambiance Life things on that blog, 56 P. Lynne Designs things on that blog and 56 Miss Froggy Loves Traveling things on that blog.  Each series has no rhyme or reason except that it has to do with what each blog has in store for the reader.  In the Home Prep blog's case, it is home living, organization, and of a lifestyle of home, beauty, and product reviews. So here’s a start.

Today’s topic: Quarantine cleaning and organizing

I have been doing a thing that someone might consider “nesting”. I wrote about it some years ago in the My Ambiance Life blog, and the title at the time was, “Am I Nesting?”  At the time, yes, and now yes, but for a different reason, I am sick of the way that this condo has been looking since the start of Covid-19, and really before.  In fact, after re-reading my “Am I Nesting?” post, I am sure I am in the same position I was when I wrote it.  The only difference is the room intended is much cleaner, less cluttered, and will be ready for both baby/child and craftroom.  My nephew and girlfriend no longer live in the room, and they need to move the remaining stuff out of there. I am almost sure that I am in the mode that most people are in since March, and that is “quarantine cleaning” and “quarantine organizing”. 

I have been changing things in my kitchen as well, throwing out old containers and buying new ones for the sugar, flour, and other ingredients needed, and I have a cute little coffee bar.

So, how did I do it?  I would love to say that it is super simple, but it is not.  For this project, I would have to give it about a 5 (1 meaning you do not have to think just do, to 10 meaning you need an expert to help navigate).

Disclaimer:  There is no right or wrong way of doing this project.  Do not stress or overthink the project.  Do what makes you happy. These are only suggestions.

Project Needs:

Honestly, you really do not need a thing.  If you have been organizing before, you can “shop” from your home.

Education time:  When I say “shop” from your home, this means that you can literally take things from other spaces of your home and repurpose them to another space.  For an example:  I used to be a Longaberger Home Consultant (now called Longaberger stylist), I have tons of baskets from the time I started selling (October 8, 2001) to the time when the previous owners declared bankruptcy and were bought out (after court litigation)(May 5, 2018), and these baskets are versatile for many reasons in many spaces.  If I do not like the Medium Market Basket in my bedroom, I can repurpose it for the Master Bathroom or my car.  All I have to do is take it from my bedroom to the new space, thus the meaning of “shopping” in your own home.  You did not have to get dressed, check your bank account, and go to the store (or Amazon) to get what you need for space.  This saves time, space, and money.  You already have what you need.  I will further explain “shopping” in your home on a future “56 Home Prep things” blog post.

If you do not have what you need for the space that you are trying to clean and organize, you are welcome to go shopping for what you need or if you are like me, you will also shop your parent’s home to see if they are going to use something in the future.

Oh, I forgot… You will need a notebook or binder.  Choose your weapon of choice.  The reason? You will need to take some notes.   This is part of the planning process and you will need to write an introduction to your project.  What is included?  Write the following:

*  Any measurements

*  Your color scheme

*  Any styling you want

Prices of the items you buy in case you may have to buy something or do not want to shop from your home.

Note: If you do not want to shop from your home, I suggest that you get rid of some items in a giveaway to a relative or sell it.  If you sell the item, please put the money to good use (like a bill, towards the new item that is going in the space, or a charity).  It does not matter how much you are making already, you are going to need this money. 

Steps to completing the project:

Disclaimer #2: Shopping in your home (as explained earlier) also helps keep social distancing in check.  As I write this in July, one day after my birthday, the state and federal governments still are not sure what to do.  It is best to shop in the home until better solutions to this pandemic can be given without the government threatening. There is nothing wrong with going shopping, especially if the item is delivered or you do curbside pickup.  I want you to be safe and your loved ones safe.

Survey your room: 

In this exercise, you are not clearing out anything yet, You are taking notes.  As explained earlier, you are planning this project to turn out how you want.  During this process, you will be doing a little investigating.  Using my craftroom as an example, I sat down, and I thought about the following:

What I wanted out of the room?  That is simple, I wanted a room where I can create projects for myself and others.  My current space, which is in my dining room turns into a home office that is not working for me.  I need a space that I can spread out and be able to work without dealing with a cat that will not let me work.  Even before I got Gizmo, I wanted the ability to spread out.  My office is next to the kitchen, which on a good lazy day if I am eating at my desk (which I often do), I can throw a tissue into the sink from my chair.  That is how close I am to the kitchen.  This also separates me from getting any food on my work.  I also want a space to store my craft supplies. Currently, I am using my living room for that, and I would like to entertain without my company seeing all of my stuff.  I also like the idea of closing the door to work each day.  It reminds me to take a break and take care of some other item, and it symbolizes me getting into my “car” each evening and driving home.  The door closing is me walking out to my car, and walking down the stairs or going next door to my bedroom, symbolizes me walking into my home and going to the couch.

BTW, half of my home office is moving upstairs too.  what you want may be different than me, especially if you have been spending the last four and a half months working from home.

What do I want in the space?  I have mentioned everything as before, my craft and office supplies and a place to craft.

How big is the area?  It is slightly smaller than my master bedroom.

How many hours so I plan on spending there? I plan on spending about an average of 5-6 hours, some days more, some days less depending on the project or order.

Anything else? Yes, I have to be able to transition it back to a bedroom.  Did I mention that I still want to be a mom?  My child needs space and since I only have one extra bedroom (other than my own), it is paramount that my child comes first before my business.  Plus, I am in the process of looking for a new home anyway, child or no child. So this means no build-ins and nothing that is permanent to the walls or floors. Ikea has lots of furniture that makes it look like I have some build-ins, so that is what I am using in the room. I already have a Kallax 3 x4 unit.

Next….

Once you make these notes, now you are ready to measure.  Measure everything, the walls, closet space (if it is a bedroom), counters (kitchen, garage, office, and bathroom), and floor space.  You do not want to return anything unless the store made a mistake. 

Measure twice to make sure that you are not off in your measurements.  If you are not sure, ask for another person to help you. Write these down.  Screenshot them on your phone so you can take it to the store with you.

 

Further research….?

It depends on you.  After planning do you need more information?

Work in bite-size increments.  Even though things are not with they seem, you can still take it slow, since delivery is slow.  I am still somewhat quarantined.  I cannot go to a restaurant and have a sit-down meal.  I use Uber Eats a lot, even more so since I did that post a year ago on how I felt about fast food delivery.  My, oh how times have changed.  I love it now.

Putting it all together…..

You have planned, created a budget, check on the space, the measurements, and prices on the materials.  Everything has been delivered and it is time to bring this whole thing to a close.  You can change your mind on where everything goes in that space.  You can find more organization pieces and you can send things back if they do not fit your changes.  Again, there is no wrong way of doing things.  

Once the project is finished, are you satisfied with the result?  Please, do not lie to yourself and say “yes”.  If you can afford it, and it is within your budget, change it. Do not change everything, only the parts you do not like, and do not wait until the 30-day return policy runs out.

Tip: if you do wait until the 30-day policy runs out and you cannot use the item in another part of your house, do a quick sell of the item on one of the selling sites Mercari, Let Go, and a couple others like them that I cannot think of it.

Enjoy your new space.

Thank you for reading the first of 56 mini to full blog posts.  Please note that I am not an expert yet on everything regarding space and what has worked for me.  As I said at the beginning of this post, I will also do a “56 posts” series in my other respected blogs:  P. Lynne Designs, My Ambiance Life, and Miss Froggy Loves Traveling. I have decided for the moment that this series will be an annual thing, happening around July 21, which is my birthday.  This is something that will help me motivate me to keep more consistent blog posts, which has not been happening lately.  I am not going to lie about it. Covid had left me unmotivated.  This is also around the time that I want to change up my business, P. Lynne Designs a bit.  Not much, just little tweaks here and there.

If you have any questions or any topics that you would like to see me tackle in Home Prep, let me know in the comments below or you can shoot me an email to plogan721@att.net