The clutter catcher.

I don't normally post about things I do around the house but this idea is so easy to implement and has made a big difference. See I always want the house to be clutter free and clean(ish) so entertaining is easy and I don't spend my days putting away things. This year I've set myself some new goals. I spent the first half of last year fixing up our home and trying to make it into a liveable space (and the second half learning about motherhood) and this year I'm committed to maintaining the home and having more free time (void of cleaning and packing away things).

I want to give away any possessions that weigh me down with extra cleaning and organising. 

I want to live without clutter.

I want to simplify our home and be more purposeful with my shopping.

One thing that has helped is setting up a clutter catcher near the front door. Whenever I am cleaning and come across an item I'm not that fond of or look through a drawer and discover something I haven't used in a long time, I place it in the box (aka clutter catcher). When it's looking full I load it in the car the next time I'm going out and place the items in a charity bin. Easy peasy. However this does mean that every item in the clutter catcher must be something decent and worth passing on.

Sometimes when people come round and pass by the clutter catcher, I offer for them to look through and see if there is anything they want (so if you're a friend outside the internet and come by- please take a look). Since starting it a few months back, I have parted with so many items and it feels satisfying to now open drawers around the house and find them to be emptier and only containing useful items.

Do you have any other ways you stop clutter in your home?

I've read about the idea of one thing in one thing out and also turning clothes hangers round when you actually wear items to see if you wear everything in your wardrobe but I'm always on the look out for other ideas.

Lisa x

Garage sale addict has a garage sale.

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The time has come to pack up our lovely little country home and head back to the city. Husband's got a new job, starting soon. I am still staying in the country to the end of year but we'll still have every weekend together. While it's all exciting, it has come very quickly and so I am madly packing and clearing all the excess belongings we have.

So if you've noticed it's been a bit quieter on here for the last few weeks, that's because I've spent every spare minute packing and writing resumes. However that will all be over soon and we can enjoy this next stage of life. I always thought I'd be moving mid december and started my 210 days of decluttering. However the move has come much quicker and so I madly collected together as much as I could to sell off on a garage sale last weekend. Having been to many a garage sale I knew a few things my garage sale needed:

Lots of signs
I found these pre made signs that I could edit on pinterest.

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Notices on the community notice board

An online ad
I used our local buy, swap, sell website.

Lots of tables so everything can be seen and ready to go
Some lovely friends lent me trestle tables so I ended up with 4 large tables full and most things could then be out on display.

A freebie area to entice people in
Who doesn't love freebies. If people see there are lots of free things they'll take them and it might entice them to look around more.

I didn't have that much time to get sorted but now I have a lot less stuff and were able to bless friends that popped by with anything they needed for free. The photos below aren't the most exciting but show some of the initial set up pre garage sale.

Now onto boxing up the rest and fixing up the few problems around the house that need sorting before other people can move into our old home.

Lisa x

Where to start when decluttering.

I've been getting rid of one item each day (210 days of decluttering) and I thought today I'd share a few tips that have helped me to lose a lot of clutter without having to part with anything special.

 1- DVD clutter

Like most people I have lots of dvds and cds and they were filling the entire cabinet underneath the tv. I only buy dvds when I really like the movie/show so I didn't really want to part with any of them. A quick and easy way to get rid of lots of clutter is just by getting rid of the cases and just keeping the dvds and covers.

I donated the old cases to the school tech lab and have kept the paper covers in the back of the dvd holder. Now all my dvds are easier to access, in one portable location for when I want to have movie nights at friend's places and take up no room at all. Was anyone else as obsessed with Gilmore Girls as I was?

* For wii and playstation games I still keep them in their original packaging as I figure husband might want to sell or trade them in the future and they need their proper covers for that.

2- Ditch the jewellery you never wear.

I love jewellery and have collected many interesting pieces over the years. However I tend to hardly wear any jewellery and often forget what gems I own. I thrifted a small necklace tree a few weeks back and went through all my necklaces. If I didn't like them enough to display on the tree, then I wasn't going to wear them and they needed to go. I love now having all my jewellery accessible and right in front of me when I get ready in the morning. I also use a bunny ring holder that husband gave me for my birthday and it's just perfect for rings. I ended up getting rid of a heap of rings and necklaces which I donated to the local op shop but if you have some nicer jewellery you never wear, it might be an idea to sell it at a local market or online. I've been able to sell off a few of my more expensive pieces that way.

After all....

(via)

Lisa x

Keeping up the decluttering.

It's been 18 days since I started trying to declutter and i'm still finding lots to clear. 192 days left!

Over the last 11 days here are some of the clutter I've been able to part with. I've started to tackle the wardrobe first as it seems the easier place to get stuck into. 

I've used one simple rule...

If it's been a year since I last used it (or it's never even been used) then it can go! 

I want a wardrobe filled with things I love and want to wear rather than just own.

I'm enjoying the liberation of less things and hoping I can keep up the pace.

Do you have any other wardrobe decluttering tips?

Lisa x

210 days of decluttering.

It's 210 days until the end of the school year and I want to have a big garage sale at the end of the school year, ready to start the new year fresh in our new house. I was online and came across the 365 less things which details about a lady who decluttered her home in a year. Now I'm already pretty into the decluttering movement but I want to jump into it even more purposefully and clear out all the things I don't love and aren't helpful to me living in a clean and inviting home. Since posting online seems to make you more accountable (like my thrifty challenge which I am nearing the end of), I am going to be sharing this with you and sharing whatever pearls of wisdom I learn in the process.
 I've gotten rid of (from top left) ugly teddies, extra paint supplies, a few things from the shed, cups I never use, a terrible dvd, an op cardi and sunnies I no longer where now I have prescription ones.
So far the first 7 days have been very easy as I knew of things around the house that need to go. 7 days down, 203 to go!

Lisa x

Clothes and cupcake catch up.

Often when I go to Adelaide I rush madly around trying to catch up with as many people as possible. I decided to simplify things a bit and invite a whole group of people round to mum's for a night of catching up. To make it a bit more of an entertaining night I made it a clothes swapping party. This was perfect since I've been madly decluttering all year and had a laundry hamper full of clothes seeking new homes.The main intention was for my beloved clothes that I just don't wear to find good new homes and to have a chance to see lots of people at once. Any great swapped clothes I got was just an added bonus. And since every party is better with food I also made it a cupcake decorating party. I asked guests to bring some of their favourite decorations to jazz up some cupcakes I made earlier in the day. I made 4 batches- vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and gluten free vanilla. Even though I'm not gluten free, they were actually my favourites.

I'm good at taking some snaps at the start but completely forgot to document the actually party process... it always means you're having a good time if you're too busy to stop and photograph the party. I used mum's collection of teacups for drinks and the cute patty pans were only $2 for 25 from cheap as chips. The beautiful flowers are courtesy of the lovely Libby. Then I bought some frosting in a can for fun and made chocolate and vanilla frosting. I love decorating cupcakes especially when you have pretty little fun things like these cute gingerbread men picked up from wheel and barrow and icing flowers.

For the clothes swapping part there was really nothing fancy about it. We poured out our bags in a big pile and proceeded to pick through all the items. It was hilarious remembering old clothes like a friend's velvet boob tube and seeing how our tastes have changed. Despite the funny memories I snagged a whole bunch of plain tshirts and cardigans which are brilliant considering my thrifty challenge and the fact that decent basics are scarce in op shops.

It was lovely to host friends and as I had this first big catch up in three years with Adelaide friends, I couldn't help but getting excited about the prospect of many more parties in our own home when we move back.

Have a lovely weekend

Lisa x

Flea market fun.

Our town's got a pretty good flea market which I tend to visit whenever it's on. As part of my decluttering goal I decided to have my own little stand with a friend for a few hours on a Sunday morning. Since I've recently cleaned out the craft room, I already had a little hoard of stuff ready to sell. I loaded the car the night before and got there at 7.45 for an 8.30 start. This was plenty of time to set up the stand and label up the items using about a 1/4 of a roll of masking tape and a permanent texta. Everything was set and I was convinced it was going to go off. However it ended up being a scorcher of a morning and by 12.30 (end of the market) it was at least 40 degrees. This kept some customers away but it was a reasonably successful morning where I made about $101.80 (after paying for the stand) from the junk that was clogging up the craft room! The rest of the stuff ended up in the thrift shop donation bins except for a few larger items I'm going to try my luck selling online.

1. Get all your stuff to sell together in advance and load up the car the night before.
2. Organise a large table for display and a clothes rack. (we borrowed them from friends) It helps to have a ute or van too for transport.
3. Have plenty of little change as lots of people seem to come with their large notes straight from the ATM.
4. Bring along a seat, water and some snacks to keep you going.
5. Be friendly and willing to negotiate on prices.
6. Lastly and very importantly!- make your stall look nice and don't put out too much at once or people won't know where to look.

I'm pleased with my little profit but more pleased with the nice amount of empty space I have. The only thing I got from the markets was this delightful little elephant teapot which I got by swapping some of husband's old pokemon cards- who knew pokemon cards were still going strong?

 Lisa x

Cleaning out the crafts.

One of my twenty thirteen goals is to clear out my house of junk and I decided to tackle the study/dining room in a large clean up ...and I actually managed to clear 5 shopping bags worth of stuff...how do I have so much!

So here’s my how I face decluttering a room:

Number 1- and so important - be in the right mood!!  Do not think sentimentally about your possessions. Recognise that things have got to go and be prepared to only keep those things you love and use.

Number 2- Empty out all the cupboards and put it all into a sorting area so there is nothing left on any of the shelves and in any of the drawers. All I had left was the furniture and a few cushions and pictures that I knew weren’t going anywhere.

Then I had to face the large pile of possessions I have and a feeling that I didn’t want to have to put it all back swept over me...especially since we are planning a move in the not too distance future and it pains me to think of boxing it all up.

The table was swallowed...

Number 3- Sort through and be ruthless!! You will need three piles:

Toss, Donate/Sell and Keep. I ended up with 5 shopping bags of Donate/sell* and 1 large garbage bag of things to toss.

Number 4- Put the remaining pieces back and relax in your new emptier room.

 * With the items that could be donated or sold I started by taking simple photos of the larger items and putting them up on the sell on my towns buy,swap and sell facebook page. I sold off 5 items and then have bagged the rest to try and sell at the local town market. I will then donate whatever hasn't sold to the local op shop or any places around town I think might use them (for example some of my excess art supplies can be donated to the local gallery which runs classes for kids or I can use in my classroom).
After:

 Check out all the extra space on the shelves. Less dusting and clutter :)

Have you tackled any big decluttering projects? Do you have any other tips?

Lisa x

Decluttering the 'good shed'

The lovely samara from a secret life of samara posted about how to be hospitable to others and the need for people to seek to be hospitable. I am usually keen to welcome in friends, family and even friends of friends into our home but only in small amounts. When a group of 10 or more comes over, I start to feel a bit frizzled and overwhelmed...especially when there are kids too. Recently our home church came round and there were 8 adults and 5 kids.  Our little home (which feels plenty big enough for the two of us) suddenly seemed too small and fragile. So this got me thinking...

We live on like a quarter acre block and have two large sheds that are never used (except for crafting projects), as well as a big patio area.

I want our home to be one which is hospitable and welcomes in everyone. I don't want to feel like it's all too much when we have groups greater than 10 over and I just want a relaxed space where I'm not too precious about anything. I decided to give our shed a bit of love, in preparation for next time we have a big group over.

This is what our 'good shed' looked like on the 12th August 2012

As you can see, lots of loose bits and pieces have made their way into the shed. Occasionally when I rearrange the house, I have a leftover piece of furniture and there are still a lot of things leftover from a garage sale that I had with friends in May.  The floor is this shed is fantastic, thus it is known as the 'good' shed and we have a spare airconditioner to install inside, since we took it out of the house and replaced it with a leadlight window.

So I started selling off things and giving those remaining items to op shops.

Fast forward a few months and it's still fill of junk! Emptying the shed was turning out to be a long term project!
I decided enough is enough and set my self to work doing some hardcore throwing out and recognising that if things are not beautiful and are never going to used...they need to go!
Now October 23rd and finally there I am seeing the shed empty.

I've got the bed lined up to go and I'm feeling a bit chuffed that my space is finally getting clean.
Now for the fun bit, what to do with this shed??
Some inspiration:

 A very chic porch.
I just think this room is incredible. I love lanterns and cute bright furniture.

 Some lamps and poufs.
Can you have too many lamps and poufs? I'm not sure but I'd love the test out this idea when transforming the shed.
It's exciting having a space which so desperately calls out for a makeover but also so daunting. I really want this room to be a special place to entertain and welcome others into- a place where nothing is too precious but also a place that is bright and cheerful and fun.
I'll keep you updated on my progress. Any suggestions are welcome!

Lisa x

 

Let's cover it up.

While thrifting I found this adorable clear apron. Now half aprons are so beautiful but not very useful for me as I tend to spill food all over my front when cooking...I need the biggest apron I can get as flour loves to cover me! I just couldn't leave it at the shop so I got a thinking and turned it into a cute little curtain for my cupboard.  This was super easy: I simply cut off the ends that you tie up and got out two nails and a hammer. I lined it up to fit and nailed it in place.

Before: Just looking a bit full and cluttered.

After: Nice and neat. Just the way I like it!

Now I can put all my beautiful books on the bottom shelf and anything else can be hidden! Such an easy solution for my updated wardrobe. All I need to do is to find some handles to finish off the wardrobe. Does anyone know any good sites for cute cupboard handles online- that you can get in Australia? I've not had much luck finding any.

Happy thrifting

Lisa x
P.S  I'm linking up with Polkadots on Parade
We Like To Learn As We Go

Spring is in the air.

I love being organised. It may sound weird to you but I find it so soothing and exciting to have a clean and organised space to work in. It's the start of Spring so wanted to get into some serious spring cleaning, now that the weather is simply amazing.
To start off the organising, decluttering process I made a few easy DIY things to help my home look nice and neat.

This DIY I'd been meaning to make for a while. All I did was glue some fabric to the front of an old cookie sheet and voila, a pretty magnetic board...and since all magnetic boards need magnets, I made a few of my own using some old magnets I have lying around and beloved scrabble pieces. For now I've put it on a mini eisle I thrifted and am using it assist in my meal planning for the week.

Everything seems more manageable when it's in a pretty storage container. For this DIY I just found some old scraps of fabric and used a hot glue gun to attach them to old shoeboxes. Then I added a sticker label and there was my pretty storage containers (* I am still perfecting making fabric covered boxes but my first tries have turned out quite cute.) Are you sensing a slight obsession with scrabble pieces?

I found these cute pineapple shaped bowls at an op shop and thought I'd spruce them up a bit to fit in with our home with a few coats of white paint. Now I've got three unique storage containers- one for hair ties, one for bits and bobs and one for loose change.

I'm already on my way to a cleaner, more organised, less cluttered home and it's only the start of spring! Yes, I'm being glass half full in this thinking but every project completed means the goal is slightly more achieved, right? :)

 P.S I'm linking up with Penny Worthy Project,  Coastal Charm, Making mondays marvellous, Frugal Treasures Tuesday, I heart naptime, the thrifty home, southern lovely.

Enjoy the weekend.

Lisa x

The thrifting battle.

I love a garage sale. When the brown cardboard and balloons stand out from the highway, I can't help stopping by. Now as part of my thrifty challenge I'm only buying things from garage sales (with a few necessary exceptions) and it's always interesting trying to find the things I actually need. If I see something I love, then I grab it because I know I'll regret it later when I realise I need something like it. However I also need to be super selective or I'll end up with a house brimming with too much stuff!

Since I'm pretty much at garage sales every weekend, I do end up buying a bit and have some tips for enjoying garage sales but not ending up with a house full of junk.

1. Be very selective.

There are so many bags out there I waited it out until I found a leather bag I'd use over and over again.

I know that just because a tshirt is only $1 doesn't mean I'm actually going to wear it. I always sure I love what I buy and don't settle for just anything because it's cheap.

2. If you buy something new, you need to get rid of something old.

Everytime I buy something new, I get rid of something. I don't always get rid of the same kind of thing, for example I bought a new lamp and got rid of some old pictures frames.  But when it comes to clothes I always get rid of similar items when I buy new ones (so everything can actually fit in my wardrobe). If I get a new top,  I get rid of an old top that unflattering and I don't use. 

3. Have a garage sale/ market stand.

a section of my market stall

Now you might have heard that you can't get rid of stuff unless you actually give it away or take it to an op shop as soon as you've got a bag full. However... I love raising money to support charities I'm passionate about and in order to have a garage sale or market stand I've found that it's important to have a lot of stuff at the start to draw people in. 

In the last year I've had a market stand and a garage sale with friends and have raised over $700 for charities, including the Australian Tanzanian Services Foundation, which helps get medical supplies for a hospital in Tanzania. I find it so satisfying purging myself of things and helping out great charities. After all I'm so blessed to have excess stuff, why not share my blessings? In order to not have the junk in my house, while waiting until I have a garage sale, I peroidically sort cupboards and put the things I don't use in labelled boxes in the shed. Then if you accidentally throw out something I regret, I find it the next time I try and sell off things.

What are your tips for keeping your home clutter free?

Lisa x
*I'm not perfect and sometimes I can't follow my rules but usually these seem to work.