Attempt to De-Clutter with a Non-deadly weapon

-
In the past two weeks I've attempted to de-clutter my house from the mountain of mess that I've created over the last 6 months. I'm ashamed to mention the things that I discovered along the way, things that would probably qualify me for TLC Hoarders. With sheer determination and a broom I tackled the dust, the unopened bills, the piles of things that I need to sort, donate, sell or throw away.

Last weekend I hosted an impromptu family reunion and quickly had to hide things in the hopes of finding them again.

At first, the thought of having 10 family members descend on me at once, seemed like a nightmare, but it actually caused me to get some things clean (and also shoved some things in closets and the garage to deal with later ;-)

Anyway, I sold some stuff on ebay and craigslist and I'm still attempting to rid my house of unnecessary junk. If you see something you want, make me an offer!





before
(an inglorious pile of junk that took up nearly 200 sq. ft. of floor space)



after
(now I can scoot my chair all around the floor! woo hoo!)

um, I have to say this picture is still a shambled mess....I might need to go all 'Monk' on it!



before




after



after
(I'm gonna refinish that chest of drawers to use in my office area or as a tv console in the other part of the room, it's great storage)



I want to sell these too and lighten up a bit.

(the rug, sofa and club chair are all for sale!)

Oh, every time I look at these I cringe! I can't wait to get rid of these turds and get something like a white ektorp! I'll post my mood board soon!



I'm selling this Ballard Design's iron mirror frame too



never got around to adding mirror or cork board to it like in the catalog.
UPDATE: re-purposed this item! will show a pic soon...


SOLD!



wore these 1 time, to a wedding, and put them back in the box. so I'm parting with these too:





okay, so I'm not a fashionista...never pretended to be, but someone might like this stuff!


re-purposed for garage storage! (that's using my noodle)



just trying to sell a little at a time.


ATTENTION FELLOW PACK-RATS:
WANT SOME SHOCK THERAPY?

Rescue Call Reveals Woman Living In Waist-Deep Debris

This is a sad story about a young woman who almost buried herself alive in her own junk. 
The bad thing is that no one noticed that she had not been seen for six weeks.
The good thing is that she's been hospitalized and is getting some attention and treatment. 
Friends, but for the Grace of God, go I. At some point, this poor woman may have started collecting things and fell on hard times and couldn't manage her clutter. From what I can tell there is a fine line between what happens in the brain that causes things to escalate to hoarding. My heart goes out to her as this story causes me to examine my own habits and my concern for others (especially if I have not seen or heard from them in a while). 
Sorry to end on a down note, but sometimes I need a little shock therapy to bring me back to reality.


Comments

Cynthia said…
I am SO with you. Andi bought me a book on Feng Shui that I can't begin to use for all the clutter. I went to Barnes and Noble two weeks ago, and the same author's book on Decluttering the Feng Shui Way was also in the remainder bin. So that's where I'm starting in the morning. 5 1/2 hours to declutter the living room and if that goes well, 5 1/2 hours on Sunday tackling my bedroom. Those are the two rooms I spend the most time in. Might as well make the most of this next round of unemployment.

You inspire me. And I like that black & white patent leather bag on the first photo (tho you are probably not selling), the Ballard Design iron metal frame and that purple handbag. But I can't afford anything until I too sell some stuff on Craig's list.
June 18, 2010 at 3:49 PM
Glorious said…
That's great. Let me tell you, this office/den feels so much better now that there's at least a place to put everything. I need to re-organize the kitchen and then...TACKLE THE GARAGE. (shriek!)

The B&W patent purse is my school book bag but the Fuchsia one's available!
June 20, 2010 at 6:50 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bloggin Blues

-
Image
Can someone please tell me what the key is to publishing a successful blog? Do I need to be a better photographer, a better decorator, figure out how to do 'giveaways', take a daily picture of my dog wearing a wig,  make a masterpiece out of popsicle sticks and paint, rant about the challenges of motherhood even though I'm not one????? What's the secret?  I have 10 followers and most blogs that I read have at least 500 (some have thousands)! I thought I did a pretty thorough job of chronicling my bathroom renovation and I'm incredibly pleased with how it turned out, yet I have ZERO comments on that post! I've even posted it on other sites and I think they've been deleted!!!! Is it the shiny brass, the white grout on the subway tile, the lack of wallpaper, the commonplace choice of color? WHAT?! Maybe I need to provide a service, like selling a product on an Etsy page?  Anybody need some flower pots made from recycled coffee cans? I'm starting to doubt...
Read more

Remembering the Perfect Day on a Very Sad One.

-
Image
Source: doggiestylish.com via glorious on Pinterest 1. My life is likely to last 10 to 15 years. Any separation from you will be painful remember that before you get me.  2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.  3. Place your trust in me- it is crucial to my well being.  4. Do not be angry at me for long, and do not lock me up as punishment.  5. You have your work, your entertainment,and your friends. I only have you.  6. Talk to me sometimes. Even if I don't understands your words, I understand your voice when it is speaking to me.  7. Be aware that how ever you treat me, I will never forget.  8. Remember before you hit me that I have teeth that could easily hurt you, but I choose not to bite you because I love you.  9. Before you scold me for being uncooperative,obstinate,or lazy, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I might not be getting the right food, or I have been out to long, or my heart i...
Read more

Zero Budget D.I.Y.

-
Image
It Cost Absolutely Nothing to Dream! So I'm tired of making excuses about my old timey orange bathroom. I have house guests coming in two weeks and we'll be doing the bathroom shuffle . My house has two baths but the hall bathroom has been in a state of transition since 2007 when I sold the old sink and attempted to take the wall paper down. The toilet and claw foot tub work fine but the two layers of partially ripped down wall paper and resulting exposed plaster make me wince . I have a beautiful brass shower sprayer from Sign of the Crab that's been sitting quietly in it's box for 5 years (back when I had a six-figure job and six-figure dreams to match). I also have a cherrywood sink base that I purchased 7 years ago when Floor & Decor went out of business (I never bought the sink top because I thought I'd create something much more interesting with marble...never got around to it).  I really need lots of storage in there so a pedestal isn't practic...
Read more