August 2020 to Jan 2021 Declutterfest
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But what do I do with the iron if it ever does show up? 🤣
I love my new one❤️❣️❤️❣️❤️
Maddie, aka the Iron Traitor1 -
@nebslp, I found a QVC gift card on my old bedroom floor a couple of weeks ago!
Today I decluttered a bunch of political ads and "you haven't voted yet" fliers that I've been getting in the mail recently. My ballot was "decluttered" in the appropriate receptacle outside our municipal building.2 -
Today, I removed a ton of cobwebs from the garage!!!
And washed jeans by hand that had been sitting there awhile. Good arm & hand workout! Haha
And that was before breakfast lololol
Last night I organized & found a spot for all my natural items, sorted by color (of course)!
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November 3
Paper: More of the 'chair pile' was taken care of today. There was quite a bit of extra work that had to be done on this portion. Both of these folders are back in the file cabinet.
Digital: Working again on email. I was not staying on top of it for about a week or so.
Stuff: Started to declutter kid/guest/catch-all room 😵.
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More junk mail, scraps of paper, old receipts...2
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The mystery of a lost black sock is solved. @SummerSkier is this the right one? Maybe left? Can’t tell under all the fuzzies🤪 🐰 🐇
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hahaha!!! I finally get a chance to disagreee!!!! (ok I will take it off later because I don't want you to get in trouble with the POOOOOOOlice). That is NOT MY SOCK...
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Hi everyone! My husband and I began fixing up the basement, and are finishing one half of it. Well, technically one half of it is already finished by original owners of the house, but it needs a facelift really badly. So...that's my focus for declutterfest right now. I also have a digital declutter I'd like to begin working on. So....
My husband finished painting over the paneling and the other three walls yesterday, so the walls are all nice and white, bright and clean looking. Yea! He will be laying carpet at some point and installing more light fixtures in the ceiling also. IN the meantime, my part is to declutter and find a place for the things I want to keep. This room runs the length of our house and is half the width. So I will have a sewing/quilting area, a book nook area to read and relax with an area for my treadmill and weights, etc. I'm so excited!
I will also begin going through documents and photos on my computers....deleting some and moving others to the cloud so I don't lose them if my computer dies!
I'll begin these challenges tomorrow, but wanted to be accountable by listing my goals here for now.
Woo Hoo! I love a good decluttering....
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@PackerFanInGB your basement sounds like a dream come true space for you!! What an amazing project for you and your husband to be working on together!
November 4
Paper: A lot of miscellaneous papers with notes or to do lists, (obviously never did 😁, and why did they ever end up in there 🧐?). Store receipts with notes written on them just in case something needed to be returned (from Christmas 2017 🎄). Store tags from some clothes purchased (in case I wanted to purchase again, but on line next time, but never did 👕). I tend to stick paper items that I want to keep for a while in my top drawer right up against the drawer side so they stay readable. Well obviously I forget about them as they become quite invisible. This isn't the first time I've found forgotten paper like this 🤪 .
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PackerFanInGB wrote: »Hi everyone! My husband and I began fixing up the basement, and are finishing one half of it. Well, technically one half of it is already finished by original owners of the house, but it needs a facelift really badly. So...that's my focus for declutterfest right now. I also have a digital declutter I'd like to begin working on. So....
My husband finished painting over the paneling and the other three walls yesterday, so the walls are all nice and white, bright and clean looking. Yea! He will be laying carpet at some point and installing more light fixtures in the ceiling also. IN the meantime, my part is to declutter and find a place for the things I want to keep. This room runs the length of our house and is half the width. So I will have a sewing/quilting area, a book nook area to read and relax with an area for my treadmill and weights, etc. I'm so excited!
I will also begin going through documents and photos on my computers....deleting some and moving others to the cloud so I don't lose them if my computer dies!
I'll begin these challenges tomorrow, but wanted to be accountable by listing my goals here for now.
Woo Hoo! I love a good decluttering....
Oh @PackerFanInGB !!!
This sounds just perfect!! And what a wonderful husband! Your happiness & excitement are palpable through my phone!!!
I found (for me) focusing on one Decluttering Task at a time kept me feeling productive & not overwhelmed. I wonder if the computer decluttering can become second or first? You can probably download all of that to a hard drive until the basement is all fixed up.
Just some thoughts!
Big hugs.
Maddie
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texasgardnr wrote: »@PackerFanInGB your basement sounds like a dream come true space for you!! What an amazing project for you and your husband to be working on together!
November 4
Paper: A lot of miscellaneous papers with notes or to do lists, (obviously never did 😁, and why did they ever end up in there 🧐?). Store receipts with notes written on them just in case something needed to be returned (from Christmas 2017 🎄). Store tags from some clothes purchased (in case I wanted to purchase again, but on line next time, but never did 👕). I tend to stick paper items that I want to keep for a while in my top drawer right up against the drawer side so they stay readable. Well obviously I forget about them as they become quite invisible. This isn't the first time I've found forgotten paper like this 🤪 .
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@texasgardnr
Me too! LOL
Feels so good to get all our papers in order & easily locatable!! Peace of mind makes all the work worth it!
I found paper the most time consuming of all the Marie Kondo tasks. I was shocked how long a small stack could take. But now, my life is so spacious. Things aren’t falling through the cracks.
I still have more passes at Sentimental to do, but that will happen when I’m in the right headspace
That might take longer than Paper, but I’ve already made quite a lot of passes, so a part of me thinks it might go pretty fast. We’ll see
You are very inspiring!
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Maddie1 -
Thank you for the kind words, Maddie 💖🎈 ! I'm still working on papers, again. I do know those places that I have actually finished, that have continued to work well over the years, certainly do give me that peace of mind. For example, the monthly bills.
Now I'm trying to do that for all the paper categories. This time going beyond simply filing paper away. I'm especially working on not keeping way too much and filing everything away.
November 5
Today it was any miscellaneous paper that I spotted somewhere in the back rooms, & today's mail plus the weekly neighborhood newspaper, after checking for coupons (only found two that I used today.). Later, after grocery shopping, I also decluttered several food boxes after I put the product into containers.
Digital decluttering - email, again, still 🤪 .
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November 6
Today I decided to do more in the miscellaneous paper category and save the final portion of the chair pile until another day.
I also finished going through the user manuals. I keep very few manuals anymore compared to how many I used to keep on hand. And then only the important parts of any manual.
I also did a quick look through the master bathroom linen cupboard for anything to declutter.
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November 9
Today I did more in the miscellaneous paper category, and a bit of the final portion of the chair pile.
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Conquered the recipes & cookbooks!!
I probably made 4-5 passes over time on this shelf... over the past 5 years. Now I know where to find my favorite recipes, easy to find & get any cookbook out, some pre-selected new recipes to try, and some fun magazines to peruse when/if we can entertain again!
In case it helps:
Cookbooks to keep
Cooking special edition magazines to keep
Folder: Recipes I’ve cooked & we loved
Folder: Recipes I think we might enjoy (I had gone through these many times. This time, I made the final pass. Likely 20-25 recipes.
Boxed: Sentimental cookbooks, child cookbooks, sentimental recipes —> all going to Sentimental
Oh & I re-found an article with a grocery list, a prep list (Sunday) for 6 dinners (with nutrition info)...thinking I might try it in December!!!
Reminded me of you @77tes
Do you still catch cook?2 -
@MadisonMolly2017 , I didn’t batch cook this year. 😢 My sister let me use her deep freeze, but she is moving out of state when her husband retires, so I won’t have anyplace to store all the goodies. We ate the last lasagna last week. I think it was my best ever.
My sister has offered to let me have the deep freeze when she moves, and I’d love to, but I have no room for it.
I went through my cookbooks on my first Mari Kondo kick. So I have the Betty Crocker I was given as a wedding present. If I see something good on the internet, I print it out and put it in my control journal. If it makes the cut, it get a plastic sleeve.3 -
http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/flying-lessons/control-journal/
Thank you @77tes !
I looked up Control Journal & found these helpful tips!1 -
@PackerFanInGB I am so excited for you! I want to hear all about your special area in the basement once it's set up. Isn't it fun dreaming and visualizing what it could be?!?
@texasgardnr Oh man! Doesn't everybody have those "special" places to tuck things away you might need someday and then totally forget you even have them?! I know I have more than a few and my friend and I always laugh about it when I'm looking for something.
@MadisonMolly2017 Good thought about decluttering one thing at a time. I look around and see dozens of little areas that need attention, but then something else looks more interesting and I lose focus! LOL!!! But yesterday I drew a map of my sewing room and found 12 areas all around the perimeter of the room to work on in order. Yesterday was the file cabinet which I almost completed. It holds my notebooks and there were several I had to go through and decide what to do with them. They're memory books, very interesting. There's one from 2000 that I will cut and paste into a book. The others were from the mid '90's and had a lot of history. So not much decluttering done, but at least now I know what I have in there.
@PKM0515 WOOHOO for lost and found gift cards!!! Decluttering does pay off in more ways than one.
@SummerSkier How can you be so sure?!??? It's the right color, the right shape...
Gotta go check out the main page now. See you on the flip side!3 -
@MadisonMolly2017 Excellent and well done 👏 for conquering the recipes & cookbooks!! That rocks for sure! And is so satisfying when it gets done 😊! I liked your method of sorting and saving.
@77tes I'm sorry that you won't be batch cooking this year. Way to go Mari Kondo-ing the cookbooks a while back! I also like your internet recipe keep/ or not strategy.
@nebslp I had to chuckle when I read what you wrote earlier: "Good thought about decluttering one thing at a time. I look around and see dozens of little areas that need attention, but then something else looks more interesting and I lose focus!' Oh, that is so me way to often.... 😅😲 ... Some days I am so distractable 😏 .
November 12 again, more in the general miscellaneous paper category.
November 13 computer related miscellaneous paper.
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Thank you Ladies!!!
Decluttering update:
Just gonna post the thing I’m proudest of..
We have a long double step near our front door that has had a collection of motley objects likely for a year.
Today, I attacked it LOL
They are all those things that are difficult to decide whether to keep or not and/or how to recycle /dispose of them in an environmentally sound way.
My new plan. Anything that can’t be trashed or recycled goes out on front porch. I’ll figure out how to recycle them when COVID settles down... but no reason to have them in house or garage if we know we don’t want them.
I’m off to do a stack of those old photo album pages that we now no harm the photos. I’ve been procrastinating, wondering if there is some way I can put the plastic to good use...
FEELS GREAT (once it’s done) & now I’ll be able to properly dust and mop the steps & place a decorative vase or something - hey maybe some PEACE/Xmas ornaments?!!
Maybe we should have a day each month when we tackle “THAT SPOT” hahaha it would take care of 12 “disaster zones” a year. 🤣😂🤣😂🤣
Let me know if you like NSV discussions or not. Either way is fine with me🎈🌸💞
Maddie2 -
@MadisonMolly2017 There are certain items that seem to move from one place to another multiple times because a decision needs to be made and sometimes it's really tough to do that. Especially things like the plastic album pages. I am always looking for ways to reuse and recycle but I can't think of anything to do with them either. I like your new plan to have a special place to set everything that will go out the door somewhere at some time.
Today I did #4 of my sewing room and that was under one of the tables. I have the clothes hamper from my childhood under it filled with fabric that is unusual that I have no real use for right now. I got rid of a few things and found some fabric that I am making into a pillow top. It's really fun to turn nothing into something. Tomorrow I will be tackling #5, the sewing machine cabinet which will take all of 10 minutes so I might do the small plastic shelves next to it. Again, it won't take long because I use it every day and put things back when I'm done. That's the only section where I can say that!
It is true if we tackle THAT SPOT once a month, the one that gets neglected because it's too messy or seems to hard emotionally or for whatever reason it never gets done...12 zones a year sounds pretty amazing!2 -
Thank you @nebslp for your thought-filled comments!
I’m glad the smaller tasks are working so well for you!
I have wondered if I could use the plastic album pages as a gluing surface- stretching I know. Hate to just toss them in landfill.
I know! I’ll check YouTube etc. I bet somebody’s got some fun project I can do LOL
I’m pretty excited about the 12 months of THAT SPOT! We have about 5-6 small items still there...my husband was too busy with work, but I’m sure he’ll figure them out later this week. Mostly old electronics ie his area!
Meanwhile, I got all energetic today & began re-arranging my art studio. My AH-HA was:
I have supplies I gather at the beginning of a project ie substrates, paints, fabric, tools, brushes, etc. & others that I peruse and select DURING the project: ie embellishments & collage papers.
So I’ve moved the things I gather in the beginning to the other room or at the far end of my main room, and moved the embellishments (some) right next to my table.
I realized afterwards that I gather my collage pieces (at least the colors) at the beginning, so I’m leaving them in the other room!
A spacious work space now beckons me!
Sewed the signature for my book project together tonight & have one cover glued on & weighted with books. I can’t wait to decorate pages, add sketches, etc!
It’s a fun journey we’re in...creating & then refining a space that supports our creativity !
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Maddie
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Ok I might have gone of deep end 🤣😂
A long time ago I bought a large bag of buttons.
This week I endeavored to sort them, and because I’m a color freak, I kept identifying different shades of blue, green, pink etc.
Accidentally found some 2 oz “sauce containers with lids” and began sorting them into those! These will go in my “embellishments” drawers - which are by color, and will make it a snap to see what & how many of a button I own!
I also spent a happy day collecting fall colored leaves in the backyard & brainstorming how best to dry/flatten them. I decided to cut up my old “pocket” photo albums & slid the leaves in separated by parchment. Took a while but I’ll be able to remive the parchment & have easy storage of different types of leaves & the pockets can stand up in a shoe box for me to flip through for inspiration!
The pockets are keeping the leaves really flat
I finished creating the book, and I’m now filling it with sketches & stitching!!
Now to decide it I move my beads & sequins into these same containers!! Hahaha
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MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »Ok I might have gone of deep end 🤣😂
A long time ago I bought a large bag of buttons.
This week I endeavored to sort them, and because I’m a color freak, I kept identifying different shades of blue, green, pink etc.
Accidentally found some 2 oz “sauce containers with lids” and began sorting them into those! These will go in my “embellishments” drawers - which are by color, and will make it a snap to see what & how many of a button I own!
I also spent a happy day collecting fall colored leaves in the backyard & brainstorming how best to dry/flatten them. I decided to cut up my old “pocket” photo albums & slid the leaves in separated by parchment. Took a while but I’ll be able to remive the parchment & have easy storage of different types of leaves & the pockets can stand up in a shoe box for me to flip through for inspiration!
The pockets are keeping the leaves really flat
I finished creating the book, and I’m now filling it with sketches & stitching!!
Now to decide it I move my beads & sequins into these same containers!! Hahaha
Reading this makes me really happy for some reason! 💖3 -
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Hi all, it’s been too long since I checked in with you all. Thanks for your amazing ideas on organizing my craft space. I did buy a new craft table (one of the folding types) and a elective fireplace. My craft area is int the basement and it’s always chilly down there. I found the fireplace works amazing for warming it up. So with the new table that is my creating space and I’m going to use the old table for storing things.
I did work on a couple projects. And I started An album that will be a grad gift for my cousin. It’s laid out now but I will have to get back downstairs to finish.
I still need a cabinet but haven’t found anything here. Will mostly likely wait for better days when covid risks are lowered and make a trip to ikea.
Sounds like everyone has so many projects on the go. You are all doing amazing !!2 -
Hi all, it’s been too long since I checked in with you all. Thanks for your amazing ideas on organizing my craft space. I did buy a new craft table (one of the folding types) and a elective fireplace. My craft area is int the basement and it’s always chilly down there. I found the fireplace works amazing for warming it up. So with the new table that is my creating space and I’m going to use the old table for storing things.
I did work on a couple projects. And I started An album that will be a grad gift for my cousin. It’s laid out now but I will have to get back downstairs to finish.
I still need a cabinet but haven’t found anything here. Will mostly likely wait for better days when covid risks are lowered and make a trip to ikea.
Sounds like everyone has so many projects on the go. You are all doing amazing !!
Oh @goingape your craft room sounds awesome! A cozy cup of tea & a couple of candles!! I can just see you happily creating there!!
💞 thanks for letting us know!
Maddie3 -
Ok, having a blast!
Collected ALL my beads from over the years...
Ditto buttons
Ditto embellishments of all kinds that are glued on.
And all the jewelry fixin’s
Have identified another category: charms.
Brought down my box of Xmas craft supplies. Spent much of today adding them to the appropriate drawers (after I moved what was in them out to longer term storage) and designated them as buttons, beads & charms, and embellishments/glue.
Really having fun. Nice to have everything I own in one place.
Very meditative sorting the beads, the buttons...
I’ll send photos when I’m done ✅4 -
Decluttering is now in overdrive as we have emptied 3 rooms (except for furniture) & a large closet so as to minimize COVID risk due to workers.
We now have a Memories central location, a Tech to go through location, Old finances to go through location, and Office Supplies location. We’re close to having our home in order.
I painted front posts & some of front door yesterday. Had a blast. Will do more tomorrow!
Thinking I might spruce up our indoors with some new paint colors. I love to paint, apparently! LOL4 -
Did some sorting, shredding, filing, and tidying. Quick "car pickup" too.2
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