Happy Chinese New Year!

Yesterday at my kid's preschool they did a clean up for the new Chinese year (Go Rabbit!) which is a traditional way to prepare for the holiday.   They were super excited about it and ran around the house with dust rags furiously, though not exactly effectively, cleaning.  It was very cute.  So I decided to get in on the action...

Right now this is how I'm storing my sewing supplies:


I've put a moratorium on fabric purchases until I have a better way to store it.

 That's right.  They are corralled in a pack n'play in the guest bedroom.  If we were to have a guest (other then my sister, family doesn't count right?) I don't know what I'd do with it all.  It works for now, but it obviously is not a long term solution.  The sewing machine itself I made room for in my dining room sideboard.  It just barely fits!  Until I have a more permanent spot for sewing I do it on the dining room table anyway. 

Maria in hiding among the china. 


In an effort to make space for myself I forced open the door to our front closet.  Meet "The Green Room":  THE GREEN ROOM... OF DOOM!   


Although our house is large, and I would never complain about the size, it's major (incurable) flaw is the lack of a garage. Parking outside in California weather is not a hassle so the car isn't the problem.  It's all the other stuff!  This front closet must serve multiple purposes.  We store the vacuum here, holiday decorations, tools, old paper work, extension cords, seldom used kitchen appliances, shoes, raincoats, light bulbs, tote bags, etc.  Basically everything you'd store in a garage plus what you'd store in a regular closet... say, like fabric for sewing?  That would be nice.  Oh!  I also stuck a gun cabinet in there because I didn't want one in our bedroom which is where it was when we moved in. We don't have a basement or an attic either so storage space really is at a premium.  In fact, I have to store our emergency earthquake supplies in the shower stall of a downstairs bathroom. 

It's right next to the storage room, hence The Green Room moniker, I swear my whole house is not neon green.  And there are three other bathrooms to shower in so nobody is dirty either!  Stop jumping to conclusions!  I'll organize this one day, too. Maybe next Chinese New Year.

The Year of the Rabbit is off to a good start.  You can now walk INTO The Green Room and easily open and close the door.  I did not discover a spot for my sewing supplies, however.  The room is now more organized, but it is still packed.   Guess our guests will just have to suck it up for awhile until I can come up with someplace else for all my notions.  Where do people store all their sewing stuff??