The Challenge is Complete!!

During the month of February I have been participating in an organizing challenge. Thank you to Organizing Junkie for putting this together. First, I will show my "after" and "before" pictures. I know that should be "before" and "after", but I didn't load the pictures correctly. Oh well, the show must go on! The challenge also has the participants answering five questions about the process which I will answer at the end of this post. I have to say, this was a great challenge! I had been putting off organizing this room until the whole thing was just out of control and the room was not being used for its intended purpose. I feel soooo much better now! The room I chose to organize is our school room/ craft room. A few months ago, this room flooded and we had to remove carpeting and take everything out. Well, what happened after that was that everything just got thrown back in, with no order or organization. So, all of our school materials have been carried all over the house as we use them and that in itself is exhausting. So, to say the least, I am super excited about the new, improved room! I hope you enjoy the pictures! "After"

"Before"

"After"

"Before"

"After"

"Before"

"After"

"Before"

"After"

"Before"

"After"

"Before"

1. The hardest part of the challenge for me was to actually follow through and complete it. I was able to overcome this, because of the accountability to the other participants! (Thanks everyone!)

2. In order for the room to maintain its new order, I am putting everything back in its place at the end of the day. Also, this room is for school materials and craft items--nothing else ( sports equipment, cleaning supplies, etc...) I want to enjoy this room, not dread going in there. I love the room now and want to be in there!!

3. The "stuff" that I purged from the room was mainly thrown away. It was either torn up, didn't work properly and could not be fixed, or the parts were missing. A few items are being donated ( some movies ) and some other items are being sent back to their rightful owners :)

4. A few storage solutions that I employed was to move my desk. It was up against a wall, so I moved it out a little. This helps out alot because our dry erase board is right behind the desk. It just flows much more smoothly. I also took out a cabinet that really did not do much in the way of storing items and I moved a bookcase to an opposing wall which opened up wall space for my maps.

5. Why do I think I should win this challenge? This is really a hard question because I know everyone worked hard on their spaces and overcame obstacles in the process. I already feel like I have won, whether or not I actually win the challenge, because I followed through on this and now I have a space that I love. Also, I proved to myself that I could do this on a shoestring budget. I took items that I already had, but was not using, to help out in this room. Also, now I have the confidence to tackle some other much neglected areas in my home. I am so ready to make this house a comfy, cozy, organized home.

Thank you for the challenge. Congrats to all who entered and now have new and improved spaces!

Kim