Please Don’t Call Me A Hoarder

Over the years, I’ve posted a couple of “keeping it real” types of posts. But even still, I continue to get emails from readers who want to know how I live in such a small space and stay so organized, or how I organize all of my tools and craft supplies.

The answer is simple. I don’t.

I’ve said it a thousand times, and I’ll say it again. Our perception of how people live is often quite different from the reality of how they live. And when it comes to bloggers (especially this blogger), always keep in mind that it’s quite simple to push piles of junk over to the side to take a picture. It’s easy to crop a picture so that only the pretty item shows.

So today, I’m tearing down the curtain once and for all. Let me introduce you to my storage building…

And here’s the view of the other side…

It’s a 10′ X 15′ building (I think) that I rent, and as you can see, I’ve piled it high with STUFF.  I’m sure you’ll recognize some of the items in there, too.  Here’s the headboard and footboard bench.

On the armoire, you’ll see the drinking straw pendant light

Peeking out from this pile you’ll see the headboard that I made for my room in the Waco Symphony Designer Showhouse.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea.  There are coffee tables, chandeliers, chairs, lamps….SO.MUCH.STUFF!!!

Now you might be thinking, “Well, sure…it’s a bit messy, but it’s just one storage room.  That’s not too bad.”

Well, it’s not just one storage room.  You see, I filled up my own storage room, so my junk has now overflowed into my parents’ storage building…the storage building that they bought and built in order to store their own things.  Yep, it’s now full of my stuff.

 

Not every single thing in there is mine.  They’ve managed to wedge some of their stuff in there amongst my stuff.  But the majority of this stuff is mine.  Fabric books from fabric vendors, chandeliers, lamps, junk, junk, junk.

And I wish I could say it ends there.  Unfortunately, there’s more.  They have one more tiny storage building in their back yard (that actually used to be my treehouse when I was little), and it’s also being used to store some of my stuff.  Chalkboards, tables, chairs, chandeliers…

I’m out of control.  Maybe there’s a support group for people like me.

I really want…and NEED…to get this under control.  There’s just so much good stuff in there!!  But I’m making it a goal for this summer to get these storage buildings under control, and to hopefully be able to let go of the storage building that I’m paying for each month.

So there you have it.  Don’t be fooled by pretty pictures on my blog that portray me as some neat, organized person.  I’m the exact opposite of neat and organized.

 

 

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

28 Comments

  1. I love that you keep it so real! Next time I come to Hobbs in Waco, I have to actually meet you in RL 😉 Anyway, I so appreciate that you always show the “dark” side – can you imagine if you had a sale!

  2. Hoarders unite – I’ll join your support group!

    You need to have a big sale – let it all go. With the money you save, you can buy more “stuff”!

    Hey, if I can clean out 15 years worth of “stuff” in my scary basement, you can do it too!
    Kelly

  3. I admire and appreciate that you shared this. I love to blog and share, but just don’t have the patience for photo editing–so my pictures are raw, with the kids’ toys and food on the counters and trappings of our everyday life. And I’ve decided to keep it that way, because that is more who I am.

    Thanks for being willing to share this side. I love your blog, as always!

    Bobi

  4. I just had to say that I have the dresser that matches your armoire! It was a free craigslist find and currently it does operate as my dresser but in the future I’d love to come up with a way to turn it into a boot bench.. I love your blog and am always inspired by your projects!

  5. Kristi – oh my dear…I see it again, we are so much alike even though we have never met! I too am called a hoarder by my family b/c I too have stuff everywhere…I refuse to accept that label…there, I said it! By the way, I see lots of things I want to add to my collection from your collection…so that means it all good stuff, right?

  6. Ummmm so if you decide to have a garage/storage sale, let me know. I’m dying to get my hands on several things in your stash, ha ha!

  7. haha one of your funniest posts ever :p

    My stuff is OUTSIDE b/c there is no more room, so don’t feel bad. It’s prob full of spiders by now.

    You should have a garage sale and make some $$$!

  8. YOU ARE NOT A HOARDER!!! TAKE IT FROM ONE WHO KNOWS.. YOU JUST NEED A LITTLE HELP TO PUT
    YOUR ITEMS INTO CATEGORIES….DESIGN SUPPLIES OVERFLOW…THAT’S WHAT I SAY!!!

  9. Kristi, you’re just in need of some organization and a SALE. I think your things are a little nice for a garage sale, maybe you need a booth to which you can feed projects. If I lived close I’d offer give you some organizational assistance. I’ll bet that there is someone close by you that would love to start you on your way. And we all know that when you put it out there…you’re now accountable to ‘get the job done.’ TeeHee Keep us updated on your progress!

  10. your my hero for admitting this to the world i’ve been told to i am a hoarder but i keep saying the same thing a collector of fine treasures……..thanks for being YOU

  11. Would it make you feel better if I told you your mess still looks better than ours? Didn’t make me feel better – you got a cooler mess!

    ~Bliss~

  12. I love your transparency…honesty…reality. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. God bless you for sharing with us!

  13. I LOVE YOU KRISTI!!!!! Thank you for keeping it real. It is so easy for us DIY’ers to get SOOOO jealous of all you amazing bloggers for the “perfect” homes you clearly have. 🙂 Thanks for being so honest. And for all of your talent and great posts too!!!! I’m a fan for life!!!!

  14. I bet if you got it all sorted…. furniture on one side, larger accessories on the other, smaller accessories and sample books in the tree house….. you could get rid of the rented shed. What you need is a good old fashion Working Bee. If all else fails, there are a few pieces I would happily ‘look after’ for you LOL Of course getting them to Australia could be a bit of a problem 😉

  15. I agree that a little bit of organization would help you get rid of the rental storage unit. Maybe a garage sale to get rid of the excess that you’ve had for a long time and not used and reorganize the shelves in your parents storage shed? Once that is done, you’ll probably be inspired to make a lot more stuff! Good luck!

  16. Hi Kristi, I love your Armoire. it suits in my room. It seems that you need to have a Garage sale. By the way, you are not a hoarder. Thanks for sharing!

  17. I am pretty much just a lurker, but I have been following your blog for a long while now. I really appreciate your humor and honesty and it really shows through your blog. I think everyone gets a little jealous looking at all those perfect blog houses. I’m sure that they aren’t as perfect as they seem though….

    Even though your house and junk still looks 100% better than my apartment does, it does make it a little easier for me to swallow that my vision of being micromanaged and having a beautiful spotless house is a little unreasonable. So kudos to you! Who the hell has the time of day for work, cooking, and organizing socks?!

  18. That’s fantastic! You want to know why? Because I often joke that we need to move just so I can have a storage shed/guest house for all my second hand and vintage finds. No shame at all. That’s my basement right now.

  19. I’m so relieved! I’m a new blogger and was trying to figure out how NOT to show my crappy apartment! I’ve taken over several rooms and have an outdoor building piled so high I can’t get more than a few feet in and risk being burried alive! It seems a lot of bloggers have homes that were furnished and decorated by a team of BH&G and Martha Stewart! That is not my style at all and I don’t want it to be! I’m definitely going to do a post like yours, to lower expectations, if nothing else! I commend you on your bravery ma’am!