Truth in Advertising

I have something on my conscience. It's been bugging me for a LONG time and since a part of it played out publicly, I suppose it's only fitting that I get it off my conscience in the same manner. This is really hard for me to do even though I'm in full favor of letting your imperfections glow! Seriously, this IS really hard for me but perhaps confession (and public shame) will be good for soul- and motivate me to do something about it.

It's my craft room aka: 'scraproom' or, if I want to be really pompous, my 'studio'. You see, I've been avoiding it. I haven't cleaned it in a LONG time and my craft queen 8 year old (and this is super embarrassing) and her FRIENDS have been wreaking havoc down there for the last few months. Sadly, as much as I'm trying to blame THEM, it isn't all their fault. I' m pretty sure a bunch of the mess problem lies with me, I'm just being immature about owning up to it. So, I just shut the door and pretend that room doesn't exist.

I feel too guilty cleaning a room that's designed just for my pleasure when I have a whole house that needs attention. I always think once the upstairs is perfect, I'll get to the craft room. The problem being, of course, that by the time I get the areas we live in daily 'perfect' I'm burned out and they are a mess again and the cycle continues- as does the neglect of my craft space.

About now you're wondering why all the melodrama? It's just a messy room, we all have one junk catch-all space in our houses (okay, wishful thinking on my part I know).

I would agree with you EXCEPT that I have created a false impression about me and my space and in a big way. In July 2006, Creating Keepsakes magazine did a whole article on my 'studio'. And, yes, I know it's bragging but that room WAS awesome. It should have been- I worked my butt off for three days getting it ready for the magazine shoot! LOL! I designed all the furnishings and Dad helped me build them (ie- I helped HIM by holding lumber and sanding and nailing and painting while he did the hard parts). My room was described as 'supremely organized' and 'peaceful and uncluttered'. I suppose it was those things- at least until the cameras left and I actually started USING the space. Greg laughs whenever he sees the article or pictures because he claims he has no idea what room that is as he's never seen it look like that! PPFFFTT!

I've had a surprising amount of feedback from other women telling me how they hoped to create a space like it- all this time later, I STILL get e-mails and questions about it. My room is frequently mentioned in 'favorite scraprooms' lists- and it is all a big lie! I AM good at organizing but terrible at maintaining detailed organization. I feel like on this particular thing I'm being the type of faker I disrespect.

Even as the magazine people were taking the pictures of the room(and they lit it up like an outdoor stadium with these super high-powered lights and had a 'stager' there to make sure it was totally perfect), I had 2 boxes filled with junk hanging around outside the door. Yeah, that stuff didn't make it into the magazine.

The space is real and it is mine but at the same time- the glossy magazine article and pictures are not a truthful representation of it or me. It's a MESS! And I feel guilty because I wonder how many women saw those pictures and read that article and somehow felt 'less than' because of the unattainable ideal it represented? Heck, that 'ideal' is in my own basement and *I* can't really attain it either! I'm no better at organization than any of them and probably worse than most but through that article I set myself up to appear like one of those successful Type 'A' people who really DO have a talent for creating and maintaining organization. In reality, the ideal represented in the magazine is just an illusion, I don't really live that way though maybe other people really do.

The article is full of glowing praise that I know for a fact I don't deserve and I'm caught in this weird place between wanting to be proud having designed the space that they felt was worthy of magazine coverage yet knowing I don't really have a right to be because it isn't really true about me. Does that make sense? Here's a link to the part of the article that was published online- it's a little over-the-top in the descriptions I think.

http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/mag/members/article.ihtml?index_field=1700

And so, in the spirit of honesty, I fear I must post before and after pictures- and NOT the kind you usually see. Perhaps I'll be motivated to spend my afternoon tomorrow bringing it back to it's 'former glory'. Who am I kidding? It will take all day just to get it cleaned up, forget organized! In any case, I am publicly outing myself as a fraud. As they say, don't believe everything you read in the press and only half of what you see. Time for a little truth in advertising.

AFTER:

ACK! So, I posted the photo but I'm NOT taking a panorama shot. I still have A LITTLE pride!