Organize that craft room along with me!

I have managed to organize and decorate nearly the whole new house in less than a month. And two weeks of that time we were still under construction. Every room is completely unpacked, pictures are hung, curtains and blinds are up and while it is not "perfect" or perhaps even the way it will stay for more than a few months, it's all done and functional and looks like home.
The junk drawer is tidy...
the tablecloth closet is all neat and pretty (and in need of a barn wood/chicken wire door!)...
even the linen closet is orderly.

Each of the other rooms was done in about half a day. I was setting a goal of two spaces per day and working hard to get those two done every day.

But ladies, let's talk about that darn sewing room.

I spent ALL DAY in there yesterday and this is what it looks like this morning.
It is a paralyzing horror fest in there.

I just stand there, freaked out, not having the first clue what to do next.

So I have a crazy idea, this week I will do a little "organize along with me" series as I clean it up. It will motivate me and maybe you? I am going to show you exactly how I am going to get it from paralyzing horror fest to neat and tidy and functional. (It won't be all the way perfect. I scored a REALLY awesome piece of furniture off the street before we were moving and it is bound for the sewing room. But I need it to be spring time so I can paint it up and put it to use.)
You can take pictures if you want or don't if you are embarrassed. I get it. My girlfriend always tell me I am brave for posting photos like this. I will start a flickr group if anyone else is brave enough to do it.
There are two things we need to do today.
First and most importantly, I think, is to decide what you want your messy space to look like.

I want my sewing room to be more sparse than it was at the other house. I want more stuff in the closet and less out on shelves. And I want to live with what I love. Not what I kind of like, or might be able to use, or have some weird attachment to.

I've done this for every other thing in house the past few months and has been wonderful.
The second thing we need to do is gather up some boxes or bins. We are going to need plenty to sort things in to.

I will be sorting into the same fabric bins you saw in the playroom, because I have moved all this stuff 14 times at this point and once it is sorted I do not want to move it again. Those particular bins are closetmaid cubical fabric bins (I cannot find a link for the life of me), and you can find them anywhere - Target, Wal-mart, Lowes, K-mart, etc. They also happen to fit nicely on my closet shelving system.

However, feel free to use cardboard boxes or rubbermaid tubs (on sale everywhere right now) if that is what you have in the basement. Cleaning up that mess does not have to be expensive.

You are also going to need trash bags.

If you have a local freecycle or craigslist, get an account now! Some of that junk is going to need a new home. :-)

Ready to clean up that mess? I will see you back here in two days to get started!