Packing Up

We bought a house a couple of weeks ago, and our own home will be going on sale in just over a week. And, right now, I sit surrounded by drab cardboard boxes full of stuff that I won’t need again until we move later in the summer. At least I hope I won’t need any of it.

A small pile of boxes

A small pile of boxes

We are decluttering so our home looks more attractive for sale. We consulted with a home stager and are taking some of her advice. Although, we have decided not to have our home staged since we have a six-year old that may not properly respect the rented furniture and accessories. We will do the best we have with what we’ve got and a few new things we bought this week.

Unfortunately, I’ve had to pack away a lot of the cross stitch that was hanging on the walls. It isn’t modern or appealing enough. 🙁 But, this isn’t about what I like, it is about getting someone to buy our home. The worst part is packing away most of my craft supplies. My work basket, yarn bins, knitting needles, etc. will all be heading off to my in-laws tomorrow. I’m keeping my Daylight lamp, though, and a large tote full of projects. I can’t pack it all away! I’ve got three and a half months to make it through! 😉

My mini-stash

My mini-stash

I ultimately decided to hang on to three projects from my Turtle Trot list, the two shawls I am knitting, two half-finished pairs of socks, and a knitted cat that is nearly done. I also have my case full of smalls projects, and a few unopened cross stitch kits stored under the bed. I’m sure I’ll be fine, but I still feel a bit at loose ends.

Does anyone have any advice about  keeping crafting (and sane) while selling your home and packing to move? I’d love to hear it.

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8 Responses to Packing Up

  1. You are doing just the right thing, having stuff to do. Decluttering is totally worth all the work. Hope you sell it fast!

  2. Pamela says:

    I understand completely! When we moved to Japan, we had to pack up and send our belongings (including my stitching) two months ahead. I could only keep back a few small things that I could bring with me on the plane. It was rather unsettling not to be able to pull out anything I wanted, but I made it through those months with my few little projects. It’s all good in the end. Good luck with the move!

  3. Gracie says:

    I remember those packing up and selling the house days! Hang in there…..

  4. Kim McCool says:

    Oh boy. Moving and packing is such a disruption. Good luck. I must say, my heart broke when I read you have to take down things you had made to enhance the sale of your home. I have so many things I’ve stitched and/or painted hanging in our home….it would be difficult to see the walls bare.
    Good luck.

  5. Joanne P says:

    I’ve only moved house once as an adult. Never again! We moved ALOT when I was a child and I like to stay put now.

    My best advice is to label all the boxes with which room they are going in at the new house so everything is roughly where you need it.

    Kitting up projects is a good idea. I wasn’t stitching quite so much so I didn’t have the problems I’d have now. According to my Happy Dance blog I only stitched two projects in 2006 – my cousin’s wedding sampler and Mirabilia Sleeping Beauty. OK, she’s a big ‘un!!

  6. Sheryl says:

    When we moved I kept several sewing projects in a bag to work on in the evenings, but it was such a stressful time of so much planning and organizing that I was too tired to get much stitching done.

  7. Susan says:

    It really sounds like you are doing things perfectly to survive the packing and moving. Having a variety of projects is really the key. I stitched a lot of smalls the summer I moved as they didn’t take up a lot of space and could be pulled out anytime I needed a break. I second the box labeling tip – it saved me hours when I unpacked the storage cube. I also put all the things that I thought I’d need right away in the new house in one or two boxes – things like sheets, bath towels etc. It was so much easier opening one box and pulling those things out than having to go into two or three different boxes or rooms to find them.

  8. Such a big thing to be doing! Good luck with it. It is 16 years since I moved house and I cannot bear to think what sort of job it would be if I was moving now!