win-win

I took a bunch of our toys and children's books to our Christmas family gathering last week.  Anything left over went to a thrift store!  Lots of great nieces and nephews got "new" toys.  A win-win situation!

Moms going through the books... 

when you've gotta go...

After some major sorting, I've decided to part with these ornaments--two layers of bulbs here in this 18"x14" box.  Many (if not most) are vintage.  I simply needed/wanted to keep and store red and blue bulbs, so I'm going to try to sell this whole box for $5.  If they don't sell after a couple of weeks, they'll join multiple garlands and wreaths in the donation box of a favorite thrift store.  When you've gotta go, you've gotta GO!

purse-un-oly

More de-cluttering in process.  These eight.

Plus one more.

Sigh.

Can't think of the last time (or the FIRST time) I used ANY of these!

Purse-un-oly, I can't think of a reason to keep them...

books

Read about the painful process here....

downsizing, consolidating, organizing and decluttering.
 ***
(And those chairs from the previous post?
They've had two coats of chalk paint and he says they need one more.
I'm getting quite anxious here!)

confused. very confused

 

Wearing its first coat of paint already....

  I really WAS going to get back on the wagon* this week.

Then, I read "Let's Celebrate the Art of Clutter".
Now I'm confused.  Very confused.
 Consider this quote:

In accumulating, we honor the art of the potter, sitting at a wheel;

we appreciate the art of the writer, sitting at a desk; 

we cherish the art of the painter, standing in front of an easel. 

From "Let's Celebrate the Art of Clutter" 

Pottery, books and paintings definitely occupy a large part of my "clutter".
Who am I to not honor, appreciate and cherish the art that surrounds me?
If the topic of downsizing, decluttering and simplifying interests you,
you may enjoy the read AND join me in my confusion.

I'll be interested to hear what YOU think about Dominique Browning's musings.

*See my prior two posts for enlightenment about the "wagon".

what's gone?

 What's gone?

Well, in addition to the odds and ends on the table above

(and a few more I hauled out when I flipped the sign to say "free"),

 this piece that we remodeled to serve as a kitchen island or work space,

 the half-round sofa table my husband fashioned from a free furniture piece,

and four of these chairs with plenty of life left in them!

The furniture pieces were sold via local facebook sales sites.

I'm making progress.

Slowly,

but surely!

with admiration

...with admiration for all who are downsizing so successfully!

As I said on my facebook page:

Too many pillows here! All of them "speak" of another time and place...

Living well in the present means letting go of MANY things!

My challenge is compounded by the fact that I'm too lazy to have a garage sale

AND too lazy to gather it all together to give away.

It's not so much the larger, furniture pieces as the little miscellaneous stuff

I've accumulated since moving the last time over 12 years ago.

I'm open to suggestions.

a little blue

 In the process of not simply de-cluttering but de-owning,

 I emptied (and sold) two small hanging spice racks (with doors, etc.).

 Inside one were these miniature bottles.

 They are awaiting my decision about whether to de-clutter or de-own them.

This is HARD!