It's been nearly a month since my last post -- one that has started me on an organizing, simplifying frenzy.
Organizing makes me feel good. I like it when things are put away neatly in their specific spot.
So why did I have such a clutter problem???
Well, frankly, I'd like to blame it on a 4 year old, a husband, and 2 cattle dogs that shed NON-STOP, but the truth is... It's me. I get lazy.
That's definitely not something that I'm proud to admit, but you have to call a spade a spade.
The problem with that is, it only makes more work for me in the long run and who has time for that?!
In the past, I'd run out to the Container Store and spend money on cute little bins and gadgets to help me organize. But those bins and gadgets don't organize themselves! Justin would cringe a little bit each time I told him I was organizing "so and so" because he knew that that meant money out of his pocket.
I'm not saying that those bins and gadgets aren't helpful, they for sure are, but most of us already have an abundance of those things in our homes. And it's always best to use what you have!
A rule that I'm proud to adopt is to organize and simplify in a way that makes sense for you.
Make it easy on yourself!
So for the drawer in my kitchen, I've made it Charlotte's craft drawer.
She has always loved doing crafts in the kitchen and we had her craft bin (yes, a bin that I previously ran out to CS to buy...) always sitting on the kitchen table. It was convenient for her, but cluttered our table. And it wasn't the prettiest to eat next to!
I decided to move all of her random toys out of this drawer and designate it as a "craft only" drawer. It's perfect for us and I'm proud to say that after a month, she has used it almost every day and it still looks great! And the best part - she puts all of her crafts back into the drawer when she's finished!
The next item up for bid is my "catch all" drawer in the kitchen.
This drawer is directly under the phone and has been an easy drawer to put papers and other random stuff into. While cleaning it out, I actually found Justin's "hacky sack" from probably junior high. Lord only knows why that was in there...
I've always kept the foil, saran wrap, etc, in there and wanted to keep it that way. But I cleaned out the clutter and only kept things that were necessary to our needs and convenient for us.
I added the cork lining (something that I already had) to the bottom so things wouldn't slide around when we opened it. Again, it's directly under the phone, so having a notepad with pens and pencils were a must.
Also, Charlotte didn't have a place to put her things when she came into the house. Her backpack was all over the place! I had 2 hooks that I had put up a year ago, but they were out of her reach.
I dreamed up converting a bookshelf that is in the garage into a cubby for her, but knew that that was going to take skills and time and money...
So last week while cleaning the kitchen, realized that I had another hook that matched the other 2 already hanging there. And instead of buying or building a cubby, I could just hang another hook-- one that she could reach.
BINGO!
Why is it that some of the most simple things take the longest to realize?
Also, the message board in the picture was covered with pictures. Cute pictures, but it looked cluttered and it wasn't being used to it's full potential. I removed all the pictures and added things that were important: invitations, soccer schedule, etc.
Now, instead of those items being put in my previous "catch-all" drawer, they also have a home that we can quickly glance at on our way in and out of the house.
Lastly, our entertainment armoire.
This armoire was in the house when we moved in (almost 5 years ago). We bought it from the previous owners because we thought it was beautiful and we didn't have anything else to put in it's place.
I always wanted something like this to be able to close the doors and have all the electronics hidden.
Though it is beautiful, it towered over us in the room. It was really massive, weighed a ton and took up a lot of space.
I called a consignment store almost a year ago to see if they would sell it, but they said that "no one was buying those things anymore." WHAAA. WHAAAAA! That didn't give me too much hope. I then posted it on Craig's List but found no interest, until recently! I reposted it at an almost "give away" price and we got a bite! Truthfully, I would have probably paid someone to come in and haul it away!
The armoire even had dented our hardwood floors because it was so extremely heavy.
When the buyer was picking it up, I said a little prayer that firstly they could get it out of the house and then that they could get it to the trailer without dropping it. I envisioned them getting it outside, dropping it and then just driving off. But thankfully it all worked out well!
I also searched Craig's List to find something that would take it's place and found this darling piece...
We still need to fix our electronics around it, but I love the color, clean lines and simplicity of the piece!
(Forgive the bad pic, but it was taken from my phone the night we got it)
Sometimes, clearing the clutter also means clearing out the things that weigh you down and over power you. Even beautiful armoires.
I want to close with something that makes my heart happy and brings a smile to my face.
My golden finches have arrived!!
Always surround yourself with things that make you truly content.
