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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The Extras You just Don't know what to do with


I have been blogging for a little over a year. I see such beautiful, organized homes. I strive to be like that. I just don't understand what happens here. It is like a tornado goes through about twice a month. So what do you do with the stuff you just don't know what to do with.
I figure I showed you my messy messy closet before I built shelves in there. So this isn't much worse. MUCH being the key word. This is my spare bedroom. It wasn't as bad as it looks now but I took down a couple of the shelves to paint. I am planning on painting the walls, white, all white everywhere. (Big project for 2012 list)
PS I just watched hoarders lol.
Videos and such off the shelf I took down. However on the shelf and wall there is all kinds of snowman stuff that I just don't bring down. By the time Christmas is over I am so ready to get my house back in order that I just don't bother. I am thinking maybe if I have a tote for snowman/winter stuff and just bring it down after Christmas I might appreciate it all more. Any thoughts?
further around the room. Trust me some of this just moved in here at Christmas time and sometimes this is just the dumping ground as you can see for antiques and odd decorations I don't know what to do with. Some of the things I would like to give away but friends or family have bought them for me.
Lamps from my dads when we moved him. Signs, more pictures on the wall of SNOWMEN. I am actually so glad to be showing all this because looking at it like this I can see I just need to take down the Winter stuff. Pack away to use for just decorating and not storage.
Moving around the room even further. See the tote and baskets and books were on a large shelf on the wall. So again those just got dumped there last night before I remembered to take pictures. Hey I love that brown chair right there. And the old desk. Wow HOARDER lol
Now further around with more stuff from the shelf. What a mess.
So if you have any suggestions, suggest away, and if you say hire a dumpster and put it outside the window and start chucking remember it is winter in Maine.
This is my big project for the rest of January. I can't wait to get it done. I have friends that will come and help but I have to get it emptied out first. I would be embarrassed if they saw this mess. lol
Please tell me you have projects like this sometimes. Rooms that are always a mess for whatever reason. Tell me what you do with all those little sentimental gifts or treasures. Tell me where to hire a maid or organizer lol.
Having a great 2012!
Kat

10 comments:

  1. I have a room that seems to be the dumping ground for all unwanted items the family no longer wants. I so want to get it cleaned out. Not sure where to start. A dumpster would be the tastes way out as long as it was removed fast. Theres a chance I would go dumpster diving if time to think. I hate having things you can't get rid of because of family. I will check back to see your answer. Need help here to. LOL. Blessings!
    Lara

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  2. Oh heck, you are far from a Hoarders episode, lol. That show always makes me feel better about my messes.

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  3. Do you have space for storage? If so, I'd suggest getting a bunch of plastic bins (or cardboard boxes) and labeling them: Winter decor, Christmas, prim decor, books, etc. I'd strip off EVERYTHING that wasn't nailed down (including everything on the walls) and put it in the appropriate bin.

    Next step: Deciding what to put BACK. Only pick out your very favorite things, one at a time. Start with your most favorite thing, find a nice place for it, then step back and think about what you have that would look nice with that. Bring things out slowly, piece by piece, and stop and think before you go digging out something else.

    The key would be to simplify, not just bring everything back out and put it in a different place. You're trying to weed out the extra stuff and only keep the things that you love the best. And don't worry about things that were gifts and hurting peoples' feelings...it's YOUR house. You need to decorate for YOU.

    Once you're happy with what you have out; take another look and decide if you have TOO MUCH. If you do, take away a few things that don't matter as much to you; put them back in the bins.

    Then take all of those plastic bins and put them in storage. Wait a few weeks or until you have another free day, then pull out the bins and start sorting them into three more piles: Donate, Keep in Storage, Give Away (to friends/family). And then do it!

    Sorry to ramble on so long, but that's how I would do it. Good luck!

    Hugs,
    Pam

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  4. Well first off I'm glad that I didn't see any of the swap items that I sent you in that room...lol...Now you just cleaned out your basement...so get some big tubs and store the things that you want to keep down there...if you can?? You kill me,...hoarder...my son made me watch that show last week for about 2 hrs..I finally said I can't take it anymore, TURN IT NOW!!

    I have a crazy messy office/studio that is slowly being cleaned out...I have waaaay too much craft supplies....that I need to donate, sell or get rid of...just not my sewing or wool stuff! :) I need to look in my crawl space attic to see what I could toss up there...have never even seen it after 4 yrs of living here!!

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  5. Kat...I have a room just like that...maybe a bit 'worse'. One reason (excuse??) is that I have no attic...just a semi damp cellar in which to store that good stuff! At least you can move around to take pics in yours...maybe 2012 will be the year we figure it out...

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  6. Isn't Hoarders great inspiration to clean?! You've got some good suggestions. I'm in this predicament myself.

    Prim Blessings,
    Jessica

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  7. My room is just like that only worse! Same feelings - what to do with it and where to put it? My friend is very organized and here is what she does: Tubs. Her husband built her a ledge that runs all around the garage just above the doors. Tubs upon tubs. She changes out her decor often. I have boxes for sentimental stuff I don't want out - pack it away and ck back on it in a year or so. The key is having an attic, basement, closet or garage to store the tubs in. Good luck woman! (I'm going to watch hoarders) ~*~Lisa

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  8. Kat , I say find a new project lol :0) I took my space and ran simple board shelf down one whole wall the top being functional display space and the underneath being tote and bin storage now to hang curtains across the whole front of it so its not quite so utilitarian looking ! I keep my snowmen in a seperate tote from all my Christmas decor that I dont bring out until the holidays are over makes it much easier that way ! Wish you the best of luck and inspiration with this project ! have a great day !hugs lilraggedyangie

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  9. Oh Kat, I think we all deal with this issue no matter how big or small our home is! It's taken me 5 years of living here to recently realize the reason I gravitate to the kitchen and dining room table to craft is because my crafting area is "the dumping grounds". I can spend weeks cleaning it up and less than a week later, it's already a mess because anything and everything gets dumped there so the rest of the house is "clean". Lol! So my mess is much, much bigger than yours... I will gladly trade you!! =]

    I have so much Christmas that it takes me a few weeks to get it all out that it's almost stressful. Then one day I got the brilliant idea to separate the Christmas from the winter/snowmen. A few years back after Christmas, I took down all the santas and Christmas and put them in red totes. Then when winter was over, I took what was left and put it in dark blue totes. Now I have 5 red totes of Christmas that I pull out after Thanksgiving and decorate. I put the totes away and if I have time, then I pull out the 4 dark blue totes and decorate with the snowmen. If I don't have time, then I take them 1 tote at a time and just do a little here and there. Wow, what a huge difference! No wonder I was always so stressed out trying to get all that out before Christmas! Anyway, it's been a HUGE help to me! I also bought orange totes for Halloween, pink for Valentines and turquoise for Easter. So my attic is pretty colorful, hehe. I bought the totes over a year's time (after each holiday) so it didn't break my acct and it is so helpful because I'm not good with labeling things.

    You got some great ideas here! I hope you find something that works just perfect for you~

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  10. Honey if you could see part of my house right now, you wouldn't worry at all. :) We are having some painting done and furniture is all out of place. It is such a mess. Makes me really want to clean out too!

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