Thursday 24 November 2011

Blog-Land Bugs

When I said yesterday that I had caught a bug in Blog-Land and hinted that the bug might keep me from the computer, I inadvertently misled some of you, for which I apologise.  

You see, there is nothing wrong with the computer, nor with our connection, nor even with Blogger itself (though I know it has been behaving in a somewhat sulky and irrational way for others out there...)  

The bug I caught was the 
30-Day De-Clutter.


(Dad - if you're reading this, pick Mum up off the floor!)


I read about this on Joanna's blog, who had seen it on Lorraine's blog,
who'd read about it on Floss' blog,
who'd seen the original post by
A Thrifty Mrs. And Blog-Land is teeming with others setting about an autumnal-pre-Advent tidying even without having signed up to the De-Clutter, so I'm sure it's contagious - LovelyGrey has even been sorting her knicker drawer!


Basically, over the course of 30 days you find three things a day to get rid of.
These items can be sold, donated, given to friends or recycled, but by the end of the 30 
days they must have, like Elvis, left the building.


I began the day before yesterday with a de-clutter of the drawers of the sideboard in the dining room...



...and then the little two drawer chest that sits on the landing.


Mostly these drawers contained tablecloths, napkins, pillowcases and guest towels, so it was pretty hard to find anything to eject.  

From my Mum's selection of pretty guest towels originally.  Tiny, tiny cross-stitch!


This tablecloth always used to grace the table for birthday parties when I was a child.  Patched and stained it may be, but it evokes such happy memories, I can't part with it!


This one reminds me of when I lived in Richmond close to Kew Gardens.  We could see the Pagoda from the back bedroom and the bathroom.

After neatly re-piling all the lovely linens back in the drawers I did manage to find a pair of wooden ducks and a little coaster that I have no use for, so that was my first three items, all heading to the charity shop.

Yesterday, I completely emptied the airing cupboard and began a massive sort out of what had lain within. 

I found a seriously nasty pair of curtains with no vintage charm whatsoever to get rid of (is that one item or two?) and a navy blue box-pleated single bed valance to send to the charity shop, a pillowcase that had both lost its partner and been indelibly marked when the eldest of the brood had his wisdom teeth out (bin for that then, so doesn't count) and two duvet covers, one of which can be sent to the charity shop and the other which has already been recycled into about forty dusters, so that was the day's tally achieved.

But the best bit of the De-Clutter so far has been the re-organisation that it encouraged.  Normally the airing cupboard is jammed full of stuff, but it's devilishly hard to find what you require.  

So today I set about making 'bedding bundles'.  Each bundle comprises bottom sheet, top sheet or duvet cover and pillowcases (2 for single bundles, 4 for double).  Some of the 'sets' are mismatches as (being a bit of a bed linen magpie) I do have lots of embroidered pillowcases and sheets that don't 'go' with anything else, but look nice combined with other bits.

Then I used gift-wrapping ribbon to ensure my bundles stay together and are easily identified.



One bit of ribbon for single bundles, two bits of ribbon for double, three for King-size, and two of different colours for twin.  


I'll put a drawing pin in the back of the door for the ribbon of sets that are in use, otherwise the system will fail within a matter of months!

The pretty blue flowers are on a beautiful vide-grenier find from last year, an enormous heavy linen sheet.



My airing cupboard now looks like one belonging to a bit of a control freak, but I am deeply satisfied!


Today the onslaught continued with the nightmare cupboards in the corners of the kitchen and utility room, which contained mostly baking tins, bowls and cooking paraphernalia.


Hmm!  I think there are more tins than I am ever likely to need here...


Ditching tins that have lost their loose-bottoms got rid of some bulk into the recycling bin, then a weeding of duplicates, near duplicates and never used items (charity shop bound), plus a Juicing machine, mandolin and pasty maker that I'll try to pass on to other people meant that one cupboard is now empty, and everything for baking is now in one place.  I definitely exceeded the tally today, but I'm not hanging onto things for the sake of keeping in line with 3-a-day!


Heading for new homes...

This is tidy - honest!


Anyway, I'll try to spare you from too many posts about the 
de-cluttering process,  even though I am sure to continue to be very enthusiastic about it!  Who knows I might even have a neat knicker drawer soon...

12 comments:

  1. Now that is a bug I'd be delighted to catch!
    Carol xx

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  2. Flippin heck! How many baking tins have you got? :)

    I love this post. Doesn't it feel great to have a sort out. I'm planning to do mine over the Christmas holidays. I really need to sort out my art room but I think I need to build up to it...I don't want to seem too keen

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  3. I'm sort of doing this, delaying a little until I have to start packing to move house. But I do like decluttering, it always feels great afterwards.

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  4. I know I should do this, it's so blinking hard for such a terrible hoarder though! I have got rid of quite a lot lately and it does feel good, maybe I should join in, a structured plan is probably what I need.
    Well done you, your airing cupboard look amazing - keep up the good work!

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  5. I'm impressed, Alix. Well done. I enjoyed the little glimpses of your lovely linens!

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  6. I know that de-cluttering is good and I sometimes start with good intentions but it is a difficult and painful task for a hoarder like me!
    You seem to have done amazingly well!
    June

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  7. Crikey - going to blog hop all of those lovely ladies you mentioned and hope that I catch the bug too - I could really use a serious de-cluttering!

    Jem xXx

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  8. I started bundling my sheets into sets years ago because it used to drive me insane when members of my family...the guys...would drag everything out of the linen cupboard to get sheets etc and then stuff everything back in...arrrgghh. I have taught all the men in my family how to bundle the sheets into sets when they take them out of the dryer...control freak me?...possibly:) I read on another blog about someone doing the 30 day thingy too but I can't remember who it was. It sounds like a brilliant idea.

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  9. This seems like a good bug to catch & I think judging by the amount of donations we are getting at the shop... half my village has it !

    Your bundles look superb ! I love seeing your beautiful table linen & have just been admiring your tea table in your previous post !

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  10. Blimey Alix, are you sure you haven't been reading 'Hints and Wrinkles'?!*! If you have got the declutter bug I could do with you throwing a few germs in my direction. You must have the most amazing feeling of self-satisfaction at the moment x

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  11. Everything lools so neat and tidy, not like that at our home. I'm now enjoying my trip home to Sunderland. You should see her home....Absolutely clutter free!! Will have to get my skates on when I get back.

    Thank you for sharing,

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  12. Oooh, you've tackled the kitchen! I'm building up to that one. It was a bedroom blitz today (including the dreaded knicker drawer). I'm not surprised you've been struggling to get rid of that linen, it's gorgeous!

    So glad I passed on this bug (unlike the cold germ I gave to my husband, who has been, of course, far worse than I was!!).

    x

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