Purging the Clutter Monster: Master Closet -Part 1

We are finally getting back into a routine after a two week fall break. I dropped my little guy off at preschool and I am currently enjoying three whole hours of quiet! Not to say we didn't have a great time together during his time off. We slept in until almost 9 am every morning which was amazing and we played games and generally just slowed down. I often forget how much we need that every now and again.

I've been spending my evenings reading the Becoming Minimalist Blog and it not only compliments what I'm trying to accomplish with the 31 Day Purge from A Bowl Full of Lemons, but also provides some great tips and philosophy on why it is important to loose the clutter from our lives. I don't know if I will ever be able to consider myself a minimalist, but if purging items makes my life simpler and more enjoyable, I'm game.

Yesterday, I was motivated and began purging my closet. I decided that I'd be a crazy person to try to do the whole thing at one time so I focused on the top rack which contains both long sleeved and short sleeved shirts. In addition, I purged my sock drawers (I am happy to say I am now down to a single drawer,) my winter accessories, my T-shirts, and my hats. The result was one and a half garbage bags full of items that will be heading to a local charity shop. I pulled out a handful of really nice high end pieces to take to a local consignment shop, but everything else is already packed into my car ready to drop off on the way home after preschool pick up.

I still have quite a bit of work ahead of me to get my closet cleaned out, but if I tackle a section and a few drawers every few days, it will be complete before I know it. I didn't get to this point overnight, and I accept that it will take some time to dig myself out, but I feel that I'll be happier without all of the excess.

Purging the Clutter Monster: Games

Today's challenge was to purge games. We keep games in two places: the playroom and in our hall closet. The playroom shelves have recently been purged since we had a neighborhood yard sale a few weeks ago and we already have a great storage solution for puzzles, but our closet needed some attention. I took everything out, checked to make sure that all the game pieces were accounted for, and then repositioned them neatly.

 I'm sure some of our games will be purged in the future, but my son is just getting into them and most are under a year old. Ideally, I'd like for the games to move down to the playroom, but right now we seem to end up playing with these favorites in our main living area frequently, so they are more accessible in the hall closet. While I wasn't able to purge many games, I was able to purge a few winter coats while tidying up the games, so I'll call that a success.

Purging the Clutter Monster: The Pantry

As I mentioned a few days ago, I'm participating in the 31 Day Clutter Purge over on A Bowl Full of Lemons. Check out the before and after photos of my pantry purge:

This job took me way longer than anticipated since my three year old insisted on "helping" me with the process, but it is finished and I love the fact that I can see what we have in the pantry at a glance rather than digging around or in some cases, making an unneeded purchase because I couldn't find an ingredient I was looking for.

In the process of organizing my pantry, I discovered an awesome range of food storage canisters from OXO. They are airtight and stackable:



 

I purchased a set similar to these at Sam's Club for $79, so if you have a Sam's Club membership it might be a good idea to check there first. I'd like to get a second set eventually so all of my pastas and snacks can have neatly organized homes, but until then, I'm happy with my progress.

Party Time: Engagement Party!

 When my brother announced that he was engaged a few months ago, we were all so happy for him. He seems like he is in a really good place in life and it is terrific he has found someone to join him on his journey through life. My husband suggested that we throw my brother and his new fiancé an engagement party to celebrate and I was definitely onboard.

My brother's fiancé sent me an adorable card with chalkboard font to ask me to be a bridesmaid in the wedding. I decided to use chalkboards, burlap, and this aqua that she loves for inspiration for the party. We scheduled the event the first weekend in October and since the weather can be really difficult to predict this time of year, I opted for an indoor party with the option of using our deck and patio for additional seating areas if weather allowed. While the sun shone brightly, we experienced some cold wind. Needless to say, the guests remained indoors.

The party was scheduled for 2 pm so it was after lunch and before dinner. I went with some fun snack and drink options including this Make-Your-Own Mimosa Bar.
 

Yum, Mimosa Bar... my favorite! I was able to grab these carafes for $3 each at an Old Time Pottery store. The Chalkboard shelf was a find at Gordman's and I'm certain I will be able to find lots of uses for it in the future. I threaded some wide satin ribbon through the base so it would tie in with the theme and color scheme. I purchased the plastic champagne flutes at Party City for $9.99 and I used some neutral wrapping paper with cream dots from the Target dollar spot to line my countertop.

"He Popped the Question," so I created a Popcorn Bar with different seasonings and toppings. I picked up this iron basket at an auction for $2 a few months ago. I didn't have a plan for it at the time, but once I lined it with some of the dollar spot wrapping paper, it was a perfect container for the popcorn. I used a wire basket lined with burlap to hold the aqua and white striped popcorn boxes (purchased at Party City.)

I picked up some glass salt shakers for $2 a set from Gordman's and filled them with seasonings that I found at Kroger. If I had thought about it beforehand I would have researched making my own, but the thought didn't occur to me until two days prior to the party. I also filled two glass containers with toppings (peanuts and M&M's.) I had theses containers already, as I had used them for a previous event, but they can be purchased at Michaels for $5 each. The scoops were found at Party City for $.79 each. Personally, I would have liked to use all clear scoops, but had to settle for some metallic ones since they didn't have enough in stock. Serves me right for waiting until the last minute to purchase them!

Donuts = Rings. Yes, I realize it is silly, but it gave us an excuse to get some glazed donuts from a local donut shop, Donut Frenzy. Seriously, this guy makes some amazing glazed donuts! I placed the donuts on a wood slice (found at Michaels in the wood burning craft area) and lined it with brown paper (I used mailing paper, but you could cut out a piece of a brown paper grocery bag just as easily) so the donuts wouldn't have to sit directly on the wood.

After a warm Indian summer, we were hit with some cool fall weather. What better way to warm up than with Hot Cocoa? Guests were invited to enjoy the Hot Cocoa Bar complete with marshmallows, mini chocolate chips, caramels, and whipped cream. I punched some tags for the marshmallows and chocolate chips, taped some pretty matching scrapbook paper around the whipped cream, and I borrowed my Grandmother's Keurig since I don't have one of my own (yet!) Tada... instant Cocoa Bar!

We needed a little sweet with the salty, so I went the easy route and picked up some mini cheesecakes at Sam's Club for the occasion (they come frozen so just pop them into the fridge the night before to thaw.) The mini cheesecakes looked cute piled on a cake stand and they saved me from having to do any baking.

I found this adorable box at Gordman's and created and printed some advice cards so that guests could write advice for the couple as they embarked on their wedding planning journey. In addition to the advice cards, there were also fun engagement story Mad-Libs for guests to complete, but I don't believe they made it into any on the photos.

I made this print the centerpiece of my tablescape. It says, "Being a Family Means You Will Love and Be Loved For the Rest of Your Life No Matter What." I thought it was such a great sentiment and appropriate for the occasion. This print has now found its way into our hall bath because I liked it so much.

 

I finished up my party décor with balloons, because every party needs balloons!

Purging the Clutter Monster: October Challenge!

 

It's October, and what better time to tackle that scary clutter monster?

 
    I've joined the purge challenge hosted by A Bowl Full of Lemons. I'm in desperate need of some de-cluttering around my house, so when A Bowl Full of Lemons Blog announced their 31 day purge, I was definitely on board. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I needed this.

   My cleaning lady isn't allowed to clean my office due to the outrageous piles of stuff that has take up residence in that room. It is seriously an embarrassment. My husband jokes that all he owns are some clothes, tennis racquets, and his toothbrush and that the rest of the contents of our house are mine. Sadly, he isn't too far off. Between my love of all things crafty, teaching supplies, vintage finds, and party supplies there isn't room for much more. The excess really wasn't as noticeable before we had our son. I was able to squirrel away items in closets or tuck them away into cabinets, but with the added toys, books, and other kid stuff, I've lost some of my nooks and crannies. The result is a clutter monster that tries to escape into the common areas of our home almost daily.

   Don't get me wrong, I have some great stuff and I feel fortunate to have such excess, but when quantity starts to trump quality of life you know it is time to let it go and get things under control. I'm currently on day three of the challenge and so far I've tackled my pantry and my magazine obsession. Today, I'm moving onto my dresser drawers. Join the purge party at A Bowl Full of Lemons Blog and get your clutter monster under control.

* Like the monster art? Learn how to make your own cute little monster image using the Create a Cute Furry Vector Monster in Illustrator tutorial.

Happiness Can Be Bought... at the Dollar Spot

I love Thursdays. My mother-in-law graciously entertains my son during the afternoon and I get to run errands, go to scheduled appointments, and sometimes I even get to go to TARGET by myself! It is truly magical.

Sure, we make other (multiple) trips to Target during the week, but there is something to be said about not having a little guy tugging on my pant leg trying to will me toward the toy section as quickly as possible and then, when he gets there, refusing to leave until he admires and touches every single toy. On Thursdays, however, I am free to browse the aisles and linger at the alluring Dollar Spot. This, my friends is my shopping weakness. I can easily spend a half hour or more digging through the bins and snatching up little treasures. Today for example, I came home with the following:

Three pairs of cute socks, a fall burlap banner, some packages of paper straws, chalkboard coasters, 2 rolls of twine, 2 packages of mini clothespins, and some chalkboard picks. I have a plan for the twine, mini clothespins, and fall burlap banner and socks are pretty utilitarian, but the paper straws, chalkboard coasters and picks were complete impulse buys. I have no plan, they have no purpose (yet!) but I'll add them to my stash of things that make me happy and will eventually find their way as party decorations and... they were a dollar!

Happiness can be bought in the Target Dollar Spot.

The Bin System: Organizing My Child's Messy Room

My three year old's room is always a mess. It doesn't matter if I spend two hours or two days straightening everything up into their assigned baskets and on their assigned shelves. If he is allowed to play for fifteen minutes, my hard work is instantly undone. I don't know if I should scream, laugh, or cry.

I came across this post yesterday and found it to be an interesting perspective:

 

While I can't imagine tossing all of my son's toys, the idea of living a simpler life (with less items to create less mess) is appealing. Instead of sending his treasured items to the curb, I've decided to try an out of sight out of mind approach that I hope will help control the clutter. I'm calling this idea "The Bin Project."

 

I've gathered bins (with lids) in various sizes and each bin will house a different type of toy. For example, all of his Disney Cars will be kept in a bin, all of his Trash Pack figures will share a bin, Jake and the Neverland Pirates toys will call another bin home, etc. We already sort the toys by type, so this part isn't exactly new. The difference will be in how the toys are accessed and the frequency in which toys will be available.

Once the bins are assigned and filled (and labeled in the near future) they will be placed on a storage rack in our basement storage room. Two bins can be "checked out" at a time and taken into my son's bedroom. He can keep the bins in his room for as long as he wants, but if he wants a different bin, he must first place everything back in his bins and exchange one of his bins for a different bin on the storage rack. I'm also thinking that there needs to be some sort of limit on how often bins can be exchanged, but I haven't worked that out yet.

Here is the progress that has been made so far today:

 



These items are ready to be transferred to the basement into the toy storage area. It will undoubtedly take me a few more days to sort through the rest of his items and start our new Bin System, but I'll be sure to write about the progress (and pitfalls) along the way.