A super quick post today to let you all know that I am moving home in the next fortnight. As you can imagine things are a little busy and all over the place at the moment.
As a result, I can’t stick to my usual 5 articles a week, but I will be continuing with my Foundations Friday series and the occasional quick post if I’m in the mood.
This is a 2-minute sketch from a recent trip to Ikea – 90 seconds to draw the lines before we started loading into the ute and 30 seconds to add paint when I got home. I’m still sketching but it is looser and quicker than normal.
I am moving into a smaller place (it’s a temporary move) so part of the challenge has been culling my possessions and deciding what I will need (especially in regard to books) over the next 12 months. Did anyone notice the changes to my bookcase in last week’s video? All the inks have gone and there are some gaps. These bookcases (2.5 Billy bookcases from Ikea) now contain all the books I think I will need this year. (Note: You have no idea how hard it was for me to make this decision!)
I will be sharing a little more about my adventures later, once I am settled in the new place. But, in the meantime, any survival tips for moving would be welcome!
17 Comments
Wow! I can well imagine how difficult a decision that was.
Hit the button before I said “Good luck with the move”. I’m sure we’ll see sketches of the process….
(PS Book boxes get very heavy!)
1. Number the boxes and keep an index on your laptop.
2. Color code the labels to correspond to the rooms so that the movers have a guide. Those dot stickers from office supply stores are good.
3. Put a sign on each door with the room color and name to guide the movers when they bring in the boxes.
Hi Liz. Four years ago my husband and I moved into our new house, which we built starting in 2011. We sold our house before the new one was done and had to move 3 times in 13 months. My tip is KEEP SMILING!!! Best of luck to you.
Good luck Liz ,
Thanks for all your learning and drawing tips . I look forward to them so much.
What I learn from my last move was this. Mark the boxes with room initial I,e k = Kitchen etc then an initial for content I.g c= clothes ,d= dishes , t= tin goods and then numbers for order to unpack So Lb20/24 living room ,books box 20 out of24 boxes. .the out of number is so helpful to avoid having to search through boxes in other rooms wrongly unloaded. It helps to have one marker colour for each room for easy Identification. This of course takes a bit longer to pack but speeds up unpacking enormously . much joy in finding ctreasuresyou had forgotten about. Barb.
When I moved, I color coded all boxes so that my helpers knew what room to put them in ..such as red for living room, blue for kitchen, and so forth. My friends said it was so much easier for them to help put boxes in the right place, because I had also put the color patch on the doors of the room where they belonged.
Taking a photo of your bookshelves before you pack and labeling the book boxes with the shelf position will help when you go to restore order in your new place. Best wishes with your transition!
Remember the important stuff: Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go… (Genesis 28:15).
And get enough sleep!
Ditto on labeling boxes with rooms they with go to. And indicating essentials i.e. flatware, laundry suppliers etc. that kind of thing..) is helpful. Color coding is a brilliant stroke. Sounds counterintuitive but we packed up things buried in closets (out of season clothes, etc.) first. Concept is that those boxes should be first ones moved to new location. Since the contents won’t be needed immediately, as more boxes are unloaded and piled on top you’ll be able to get to your necessary stuff more easily. Good luck and thank you for all your wonderful posts
Downsizing books is always interesting. The books you thought would be more informative until another one came along. I have about 15 that have survived over the years because they are my go to references (your new book is among them :)). I noticed on your shelves in the Instagram video one of the first books I ever bought by Byrne Hogarth from his series of “Dynamic…” books, brought some memories and a smile. All the best with your move!
I feel for you Liz. I could never cull my books!
Pack a suitcase with everything you think you may need for a week or two! You will never find THAT box something important is in if you need it right away. 🙂 Put those essentials in your car and move them yourself so you can put your hands on them when you need them!
I told Greg he will have to drag my corpse from this house someday because I never, ever want to pack and move again, ever! My sympathies! But I hope it means a new adventure, a different window view or something else to make up for the stress!
thanks for all the advice everyone! much appreciated!
Recently joined your on-line Foundations course after having following your posts, SketchBook Skool lessons since a couple of years… just love it and your drawings, accuracy in all sort of tests, trials, demos etc… I’m a scientist so Iike very much this kind of approach that i actually find quite comparable to R&D (oups… my scientific background again….) ! Good luck, with your moving, Liz. We’ve gone through this 3 times over 1 year and it is stressfull and exhausting but then when you are finally settled its is… GREAT. One trick (but you will probably have thought about it) is to number your boxes AND keep track of their content via a small handbook so that you do not spend ages moving around boxes, looking for object etc… and we also wrote on the boxes the room number where movers needed to put them, which was also indicated on each room’s door -also helps not to have to move again boxes when the house was left as a battle field in the evening and you are just dying to get a bit of sleep… all the best !
Good advice from all the folks, another help for me was to write down contacts and my to-do list into one little notebook to keep with me, then when I had to call realtors (I moved from one side of country to another) I had phone numbers etc., in one place. After I moved, I then discovered that I really didn’t need everything that I thought I did, and got rid of some more stuff in the months following the move. Patience!
What i learned from moving…make the bed first – so when you are about to drop from unpacking you can just sleep. Buy yourself some pretty flowers and a scented candle or essential oil. Creating beauty in a new home, however temporary, helps the transition and is comfort for the heart and soul.
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