Making Room For Baby

 Let me preface that this post is about home stuff.  Just in case you're not interested in that sort of thing.  Because oh boy, there are some major changes going on in the Jane household.  Who knew we owned so much crap.  So much crap.  It's amazing how much stuff you can accumulate without even realizing it.  J and I are making room for baby and our house is totally turned upside down.  I have had to clean out every closet and shuffle all sorts of things around.  It's my own fault, though, since I was using two different closets for selfish purposes.  We have gotten rid of so much stuff.  It feels good.  Only I know with a new baby we are about to accumulate so much more... 

 

First, I want to profess my love for my house.  I really, really love the house we live in.  I have to pinch myself sometimes when I think about what a nice place we have.  I'm so grateful.  We bought our house at the right time and got way more bang for our buck than I ever imagined.  We moved in almost two years ago and we have slowly redone every room but two.   We put in the maple floors right away.  A perk of having a husband who works for a hardwood flooring company.  J and I have painted every surface in all the rooms we've done so far- walls, ceilings, and trim.  We had no choice with the trim since the previous owners painted latex trim paint over the old oil paint- grrrrrr.  It really has made it all feel brand new, even though the house is the same age as me (which is extremely young and vibrant, imho!).  

 

 

Besides the bathrooms (which we're not remodeling until we have more money- that will be awhile), the only two rooms we haven't redone are the master bedroom and this bedroom, which will now be a nursery.  This particular bedroom was our junk room.  Anytime we didn't have a place for something, we put it in the junk room.  Furniture, boxes of junk, books, old computers... anything and everything.  This room also used to house my fabric.  The previous owners had a baby boy in this room.  I'll admit, the stripes are not my favorite.

 

J is in the process of putting in some picture frame molding (or would you call it fake wainscoting? I'm never sure of the term).  I think it already looks better with just some primer.  He's pretty darn handy.  We haven't picked a wall color yet but I'm leaning a certain way.  Do you think the moldings are too formal for a nursery?  We liked the idea of doing something different-- trying something new.  And quite honestly, I prefer when the decor doesn't just fit one style.  I like the out-of-place.  Perfect symmetry makes me nervous, too.  Anyway, we have some more nursery ideas in the works.  I'm excited to see it all come together.  Nothing too cutesy.

 

Somehow in the shuffle I managed to claim the guest room closet for my fabric.  A whole entire closet!  I am very much ashamed of the size of my stash yet also weirdly giddy about seeing it all put away like this.  My only compromise was that I had to share the closet with an old tv that we have absolutely no use for.  I guess if J is willing to let me have a whole closet for fabric I can't complain about hanging on to an old television for no apparent reason.

 

I'm awfully proud of my organization.  I sorted through everything.  I gave several pieces of fabric away and took some bundles of scraps to school.  And then I organized.  I have every type of fabric imaginable.   I have no reason to buy any more fabric for years.  Seriously.  Except of course for some baby related things ;)

 

I also redid my sewing space out in the sunroom.  My old sewing space (seen here) had a huge desk set up in an L shape.  In the beginning, I thought it was great.  As I used it, however, I realized that it was really hard to get in and out of.  I was sort of squeezed in to an uncomfortably tight space.  And my chair doesn't roll very well on the carpet.  We needed to get our old computer desk out of the junk room so it became my new sewing desk.  The book shelf came from the junk room, too.  I'm so pleased with the set up so far.  I sewed this past weekend and it was really nice having open space, though my chair could be a little higher.

 

Even though we've done a major cull and reorganization, I still feel the burden of too much stuff.   I still want to simplify.  Between sewing supplies, tools, art supplies and the upcoming new addition- we're swamped.   Years ago, I spent my entire junior year of college overseas (plus another month) and I lived out of one bag.  One bag!  I remember how free and uninhibited I felt not being tied down by stuff.  Not to get too philosophical, but I want life to be about the important things, not the stuff.  How do you manage it all in your home?  And is it possible to sew as a hobby without accumulating so many things?  I think I already know the answer to this...  Time to take up a hobby that doesn't require supplies.  What do you suggest? :)