Another 15 minute wonder

Sometimes I just hate it when other people are right!

I was feeling out of sorts when I went into my bedroom so as an experiment I set the timer for 15 minutes to sort out the dressing table area and damn me, 'they' were right.

Afterwards I felt so much better!

Off the Wagon

Not by much - I've not got rid of many items, a lot worse is the number of new to me items creeping into the house.....

I've tried to resist the twin siren calls of freegle and charity shops, but sometimes, just sometimes it's impossible, especially when the weather's so hot and the week has held a disappointing rejection within it.

So, updated numbers are still being calculated, but I can confess to having picked up 5 volumes of Golden Hands Craft magazines (just need to find the pattern pack now!) and a volume of an 80s dressmaking partwork; the dressing table set of comb, brush and mirror which I love despite them being so heavy that brushing my hair is a workout on its own; and the most wonderful snake charmer basket and contents that will have a post of its own either here or on my other blog

I did, somehow, manage to resist some things, like these sweet little glasses four in each size:

And creepy but possibly reasonably old, these costume dolls:

There was also a lovely wooden bookend / trinket box thing which I was intrigued by, but I just could not picture where I could put it.  Plus there was no price on it, so I passed on that one

Waving

I promise that I am here, maybe not decluttering at the greatest of speeds, but I am working on not bringing things into the house

So, things I am not bringing in, but enjoyed admiring:

Lovely pen set - I particularly liked the packaging

A scary manicure set (I think) with a wicked little blade thing and what the heck is that red thing in the case on the left?  The case and the buffer were in a shocking state

Aw, how sweet!

these last two I have put by - I love the glamour of this dressing table set (comb almost out of shot) so might make an exception and bring them home tomorrow

and I wondered if my new friend Katie would like this?

Playing around isn't always good

I'm trying to thwart the dreaded spammers so I've moved onto a different comments system, but have somehow lost everyone's words of wisdom on here and my other blog - woe is me!

I'm in!

Alison on BrocanteHome is running a giveaway here, so please go and experience her most delightful blog for yourself.  Seh's recently moved to her own website and I must say that her red dots are particularly fetching

Babystepping

We have a room that is used for crafts, a computer and Xbox playing.  It is stuffed to the gills with my craft stuff that I really need to get to, but I haven't quite got the courage to do so yet.  I was brave and sorted out two annoying corners over the weekend

The PC corner went from this muddle to this far more tranquil space.

I love my lemon timer- I may have strayed from the Flylady ethic, but I still do my 15 minutes!

Showing these photos is very instructional - I get an outside view of each space.  From these I see I still need to work out a better way of storing various computer related cables and I would like to get better at closing drawers,

I also worked on a little odd corner I have

I was so happy when DH said that he was bringing home some narrow drawer filing cabinets that were no longer needed - at last somewhere to store my beloved collections of rubber stamps, ink pads, glitter etc etc.  Unfortunately of the four cabinets only two are the same size, hence this odd little arrangement.  I haven't yet figured out what I'm going to do with this corner, apart from wash off or paint over that bit of colourwash overspray!

Anyhow, once I'd got tidying, here's the result - looks like I can't bear to leave a surface without something on it!

Launchpad Relaunch

This set of shelves is intended to be our launchpad.  It sits in the hall opposite the door and the idea is that we all have a shelf where we store the things we need for the next day and so have an easy time locating and collecting them.

As you can see, it's become an unholy dumping ground of just stuff.  I had a blindingly obvious revelation this morning.  I know I don't want to be responsible for sorting out everyone else's messes, but that doesn't mean I can't gently tidy up what they've left until they deal with it. I set to, sorting out my own things, getting rid of any obvious rubbish from the other family members' shelves and just straightened it all up. 

I was reasonably happy with the result

Once other areas are in a better state the filing trays will move and that document box will probably go, but it's a start which I hope will spur on the others to do their thing!

Raking in the bin

Not a lot has moved from here this week, but I did tidy out the knitting corner when I sorted out that sofa

Out
- 1 kiddy toy that DD annoyed me with for months so I hid it until she forgot it
-1 knitted Christmas ornament that was just hideous yet dull
- 1 bag of yarn leftovers

In
+ 1 length of oilcloth type stuff for making some lunch bags

Total

-2

so that's OK

Clear the Decks

Oooh - piccies!

We've got into a really bad habit of doing the ironing and leaving it dumped on the second sofa.  I didn't realise how shameful it looked until I saw the pictures (one of which is so out of focus I won't share, but it got the message across to me)

So after having a great afternoon out with a friend I set to and in double quick time here's how it looks

And on the other side

The Merry Month of May

I was very, very late to this party, not starting until 25th May, but I'm pleased that I've made such a big start.  By my reckoning I had a balance of -81 items into / out of the house by the end of the month and some of those single items were bags of clothes / toys.

It's easy at the moment as I have so much stuff to get rid of.  I was talking with a friend who thinks she would not have 730 excess items in her house.  She's at a very different life stage to me and maybe hasn't had the same hoarding tendencies, so I hope she keeps that way.  I do wonder what it will be like when I've not got so much stuff to get rid of.  Will it be harder?  I'm hoping it will be a cyclical thing and that I'll be able to return to things I can't quite bear to part with yet and merrily escort them from the premises.  Get me envisaging that future!

Doing this challenge is really interesting for me, particularly as I'm keeping tabs on items in as well as out and measuring myself on the balance.  I have noticed I am thinking differently, considering if bringing something new into the house is worth reducing my balance.  I have a few internal debates to resolve - whether I should count the kids' stuff, whether I should record individual clothes out and in to make it equitable, what about magazines (luckily not an obsession of mine - I suspect I buy about 6 a year if that, so not really worth the debate), what should I do if I use, for example, one piece of fabric and create two items from it?

Opinions on these kind of things would be welcome, even if you just tell me to stop with the small stuff and look at the bigger picture!

Half term catch up

Half term was fantastic with my lovelies and action packed.  I still managed to turf out a few little corners so I've loads to add to my total

into the charity bag
- 21 DVDs
- 4 picture frames
- 1 weight watchers keyring
- 4 swim hats
- 1 green facepaint
- 1 set of hair straighteners
= - 32

given to a friend
- 1 bag of girls clothes
= - 1

into the bin
- 1 bag kids underwear
- 1 odd glove
- 1 calendar from 2005
- 1 kids craft set
= -4

into the house
+ 1 map
+ 1 girls clothes set
+ 2 pictures from my mum - one from my grandma's house and one for DS of his grandad
= +4

I make that another 33 items gone - yippee!

Half term week confessions

Of course having the lovelies at home with me is going to change the rhythm and form of my days - thank goodness!

So today has been a bit of doing, a bit of cleaning, a bit of shopping and a haircut

Since my last post I've removed

-3 books to bookmooch
-1 bag of old underwear into the rubbish
-1 kid's jacket

however this was overwhelmed by
+ 1 freegled lamp
+1 Wii game
+1 Wii club
+1 teapot
+1 1 soft toy
+1 freegled sewing machine

so guilt got the better of me and I cleared another shelf in a cupboard

- 1 bag of polystyrene balls/eggs
- 1 toy
- 1 marbling dip kit
- 1 Guess Who game
- 1 flower press

so I make that 4 to the good - phew!