Starting with item 73 - more stuff is going out - and faster than I thought it would. I might make my goal of 1484 items de-cluttered or downsized by the end of the year. That's only 124 items a month - I think I can do that.
And along with de-cluttering, I have some photos of some lovely things in our home - enjoy. Items with blue text are NOT being de-cluttered or downsized - they are just fun to look at.
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| A one piece wooden bowl, hand carved - a gift for my birthday one year. It is almost always full of apples - this is Washington after all |
73-78 - Six catalogs to the recycling. Why do they send catalog after catalog when I've only ever ordered online?
79 - Five tiny pieces of soap melted down and poured into a mold to make one bar of soap
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| These are the new lights our son put in the master bathroom when he came from WV four years ago. We had those ugly "builder" lights - simple and cheap and hard to see with because they shone straight in your face. I got to pick out the lights - he did the work. |
A little more de-cluttering in the studio - I took everything out of the pen/pencil/magic marker/paintbrush/crochet hook carousel (like you'd use on an office desk for pens and supplies. I tested every single pen and magic marker - no ink - out they go. Sorted everything into the little spaces according to type - pens together, pencils together, crochet hooks in one space - annnnnnd - I discovered that I have TWELVE seam rippers - well, 12 in the carousel anyway, some came with sewing machines, some were gifts, some I have no idea where I got them, because I know I don't buy seam rippers. I will sort through them and keep only a couple - and of course I'll keep the one from 8th grade Home Ec - it wouldn't cut hot butter, but it has been with me so long I can't part with it now.
80-118 - 38 items tossed out of the carousel
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| More from Don's den. He collects vintage baseball gloves, and that is a vintage catcher's mask in there too. He entered a display of his gloves in the NW WA Fair one year and won two impressive Blue Ribbons. |
119 - Printer box recycled - printer is over a year old - I don't keep the boxes longer than that, usually not that long.
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| "New" china hutch - especially for teacups and teapots. We found this at a church rummage sale for 20.00 - it just had to come home with us. There are more shelves above and doors below with shelves inside the doors - lots of space for 20.00. |
OK - that's enough in the studio - for now - let's head over to the linen closet in the master bathroom - there MUST be something in there to get rid of - surely I can find a thing or two.
120 - 158 - THIRTY-NINE items to Goodwill, I knew I'd find something in there to get rid of. If I haven't used it in a year - out it went - someone else can use it now.
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| Some little wooden apples that I painted a few years back - they hang on the side of a cupboard in the kitchen |
159-163 - I threw out many things from the linen closet, just clutter is seems, - but I'll give myself credit for 5 - that seems fair, because any more would seem like cheating. Well, it would.
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| Another china cabinet - this one is for my grandmother's Desert Rose dishes that I inherited in the 1980s |
164-167 - some tidying up - I emptied one laundry basket, 2 tupperware storage pieces and 1 double boot box plastic storage box that were storing items in the linen closet and are no longer needed ( the double boot box will be good to use in the studio, more organizing)
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| Some summer roses from my deck garden on my 1898 piano |
168-170 - tidied up and cleaned out the three drawers in my bedside table.
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| Vintage Pyrex mixing bowls - these sit on the counter and are in constant use. I saw an old ad the other day - they originally sold for 3.49 for the entire set, and were on special for 2.97 a set. |
You'd think with all this de-cluttering there would be a big difference in how the house looks - but it seems that most of my de-cluttering is going on in closets and drawers - but if you come over, feel free to open closets and drawers and have a peek - nice and tidy
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| Al little wooden divided box - with wood and metal handles - some small vases and vintage bottles in the box, and to the right , an abalone shell filled with Sand Dollars. In the summer I like to fill each bottle or tiny vase with a few flowers. |
171-180 - hung up the tablecloths instead of folding them on shelves. They won't wrinkle so much and there was space in my closet after I sorted through it last week - now the tablecloths are where I can see all of them better too.
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| Lots of fun things go on in our kitchen |
I'm up to 45 days - clear through February 11. That feels good.
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| Canada Goose towel rack - another yard sale treasure |
I think I'll take a few days off - have some tea and Lemon Poppy Seed Bread from the freezer - leftover from Christmas - hey, does that count as de-cluttering? I'm on a mission.
The teakettle in the front whistles when the water is boiling - the one in the back makes the sound of a train whistle. Vintage jadeite Salt and Pepper - and a copper spoon rest from my cousin Linda.
I'll be back - with more de-cluttering and downsizing - just you wait and see. Goodbye till then, have a cup of tea and relax a bit and enjoy the day!
12 comments:
You're on a roll! Taking a day or two off is certainly deserved.
I just did that as well. I really got a lot accomplished especially the linen closet. Now all closets are done. The next is to clean and reorganize all my "stuff" in china cabinets and so on. Kitchen stuff is always in use. I try to get rid of things but, well it's hard to do. I like my stuff. I have some shelves that need cleaning and in the process I will declutter those. I have a hat collection that I think I will get rid of and handbags, Sort of gone off all that sort of thing so can dispose of those in a Spring garage sale maybe............should be fun,
Janice
Keep up the good work! I'm not counting, but I took a couple of bags to Goodwill yesterday. I no sooner got home than I saw an old phone that I'd wanted to take. Time to start another bag.
I am impressed. When you are more months ahead, you can take a break and come across the pond and help me!
This is an inspiring post! I've added some clearing out of drawers to today's To Do list as a result:)
There is NOTHING better than a good clear out. You've inspired me to go upstairs and do some chucking out! Thank you and Happy New Year!
i love clean outs for both the space it creates and the forgotten things i find!
Sounds like you are making some good progress in your clearing out! I have those very same Pyrex mixing bowls - except I am missing the red one. I love the big yellow one -- it is great for mixing up big batches and serving large salads. Love your tea-cup and tea-pot collection and your whistling tea kettles. Mine has stopped whistling for some reason - maybe needs a good vinegar soak. I hate all those pens that don't write....they seem to multiply, don't they? Have fun with your clean outs. Now I am inspired to clean out that cluttered kitchen drawer....Hugs xo Karen
De-cluttering can be hard work. I tend to be more of the pack rat type. But when we moved from our condo to Mom's, we needed to combine households with lots of duplicate items. I was more successful in sending my stuff to Goodwill and keeping hers for sentimental reasons. There's lots more that should go to new homes, but I'm not ready to deal with that yet. - Margy
I tried hanging up the tablecloths in a closet last year. It seemed to work out pretty good until the whole thing broke loose from the wall and everything came tumbling down. Can you imagine that anyone would install a closet rod and shelf without hitting a single stud? No wonder the builder of my house went out of business. I still have not replaced the rod and shelf in the closet, maybe that can be part of my purge and organize agenda for this year.
I am so proud of you. I am trying, but not doing as well. Maybe if I could slow not for fI e minutes and really concentrate I could get it done. But you are an inspiration. Truly.
Love those geese as a towel rack. So cute!
xoxoxox
Sheila
You have some really nice vintage things here. All the stuff you are hanging on to is stuff I would keep as well. I really like the baseball glove collection, among other things.
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