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Sunday 21 January 2018

Light Touch 2018 - I Find A Waistcoat !!


Hi again, darlings, so glad you popped back again today.  You're a glutton for punishment!
Yesterday we talked about decluttering and Death Cleaning -  here's Part II of my  shaggy dog story.




Christmas came along and the bathroom tidy was put on hold, with me scratching my head over where to store towels and toiletries.  Fast forward to the first few days of this year.  Time to return the Christmas decs to the loft.  Yeah yeah, nothing to do with bathroom tidying, I hear ya!  But it does.  Read on ...

  I'd seen a blogger post of decs nicely stored in see through boxes.  
I had storage envy.


So out went the battered old cardboard boxes.  In came these beauts and things were looking good.  Apart from TP declaring that there was no floor space in the loft to store these beauts.  Thus early in January we found ourselves clearing a space in the overfilled loft.  A loft that has only existed for eight years, yet is filled to the gunwhales.
Obsolete luggage, lampshades ... you get the picture; charity shops and dump people don't know what's hit them!

Creating the space for the boxes also necessitated the clearance of a pile of wood we'd forgotten about, absolutely new wood which had been used to pack the kitchen we installed in 2010.   The dump man told us it just gets thrown on to landfill (a real shame), so we decided it would be perfect for shelves.  Shelves for the bathroom cupboards, declared TP. 



You see, the cupboards running under the eaves have no shelves.  So they have attracted the wrong sort of clutter.


Without prior notice TP decided to start on that little project last Saturday.
Of course, we first had to clear the bathroom cupboards of their, err, carefully curated items.
No nice way to put this bit, chaps.  Picture the bathroom floor covered wall-to-wall in old towels, curtains, cushions, yaddayadda, oh and toiletries, ca. 2010,  the year the cupboards were built.
I didn't take photos.  That upset me for all of two seconds, until TP responded with "Would you really like your readers to have seen the mess?!"
And he was right of course,   It was just toooo embarrassing.



I expect what I've learned at this point is that when you put stuff in a loft or a storage cupboard that isn't used frequently, things get forgotten.  Then they get so old (or out of date) that you don't want to use them by the time you do eventually become 
reunited with them. 



Fast forward to Friday just gone - almost all of the contents of the two cupboards have been dumped or taken to the GSPCA, save for a handful of cushion covers (and a few other choice pieces!), which I've laundered.  Shelves have been built.  Lighting has been installed.  Oh TP is a wonder DIY'er!
Storage boxes have been filled with towels, PJs and in-date spare toiletries.

 



It's all there bar the inside painting.

I am sooo excited.  It feels like storage cupboards have been magic-ed out of thin air, because they just weren't used properly previously, so it was like they didn't exist. But now that they are shelved and lit, they've identified themselves as what they are, very useful storage in a very small house!

And all because The Pout wanted to store her Christmas decs neatly in plastic boxes.

Now, I did promise you a shaggy dog story in Friday's post and I think you'll agree that this certainly is such a story.  Because at the end of this lonnnnng post, there is a link to the cinema outfit.  For, in amongst the mess in those eaves cupboards I found my few choice items, 3 suede skirts and a waistcoat.  So I threw them in the washing machine.  Yes, suede, thrown in a washing machine!  You see I had nothing to lose as they'd previously been wiped from my memory banks anyway and thus didn't exist.  And they've come out just fine.


And that is how I was able to wear a brown suede waistcoat to the cinema, peeps!


Decluttering is a First World problem.  I get that.  Declutterng this house has always been a "when I retire" sort of project.  But when I started to fear that someone might have to clear up MY mess, spurred on by seeing TP organising the total clearance of two houses (mentioned yesterday), well, the time is now and Death Cleaning has commenced.

And following my Light Touch 2018 approach, I'm dealing with one area of the house at a time, then moving on to the next on my list. It's light touch, little tweaks ...


So now I just have to ask you, what's your take on decluttering?
Is it not needed because you keep on top of things, ongoing?
Or do you have lightning speed purges?
And have you started thinking Death Cleaning ...?



A la perchoine.


Please note that the writer does not recommend washing suede and cannot be held liable in the event of laundry mishaps.  She washed hers because she had nothing to lose as the items would have otherwise been dumped.  Only chance washing suede if that's your situation too!








21 comments:

  1. I've been hearing/reading a lot about about this this death decluttering. I think I'm okay.

    I have lots of books/clothes/jewellery and they have all been assigned in my will to my two best friends. The clothes will probably be useless as they are both much slimmer than me but there may be some items that they they would like and they can send the rest to charity shops. The books are also willed to one of the friends, as has the jewellery. What they don't like or want they can donate.

    I also try to practise the 'one on one out method' with my clothes so they don't get too unmanageable.

    I don't have too much storage space in this house where I've lived for almost 27 years so I do declutter regularly. Our loft does need sorting out though - one day maybe!
    xxx

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    1. How did I guess that you would be so organised that you don't need death cleaning, Vronni?!! I've started a letter of wishes for my jewellery of value so that's one, thing to finish this year. But books! Think TP and I have an impasse on books, neither of us ever gives in and I'll be getting to bookshelves in a few months!
      I'm so impressed with your discipline and your planning. BTW, some msgs went into my blog spam folder which I found today, so some of my replies are a bit old! Hugs, x.

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  2. Suede in a washing machine, I am intrigued! :) Lise

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    1. Well, Lise, more death cleaning today and I found another two suede skirts which are getting bunged in the machine tomorrow! Hugs x.

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  3. I must admit that I had not heard the term 'death cleaning' but my siblings and I recently had to clear my mother's unit when she moved into low care. It was a BIG job and took four of us a few days to accomplish. Most of it went to charity and dump with a few family treasures divided between us.
    I vowed and declared that I would not leave a mess for my children! I have way too many clothes, most in storage bags, and my fabric stash is huge. My husband is a hoarder although I have been questioning his need to keep certain things and he is gradually decluttering.
    Your new shelves and boxes are great and neat storage is certainly a balm for a cluttered mind.

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    1. Well, you may not have heard of death cleaning but your experience got you doing it, that's for sure. I hate to think of others being forced to clear up after me. Oh tell me about fabric stashes!!! When we were clearing the eaves cupboard, TP asked me what was in one particular plastic box. I replied "that's my fabric stash" and he moved swiftly on - he knows better that to try to get me dumping that!!! I hope you get your husband decluttering, the lure of neatly organised boxes and a calm mind will surely hook him!
      Keep cool in your hot Sydney sun, hun, x.

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    2. p.s. Pieta, I hope you're mum has settled down nicely where she is now.

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  4. Oh, I am so jealous. There is nothing better than the feeling of decluttering and fixing up! We have been doing a bit of it, but have a long way to go. Thanks for the inspiration. Isn't is amazing how one thing leads to another?

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    1. Oh it really IS amazing, Susan. TP has been putting up shelves from all that wood like some crazy fixer upper!
      We have more shelves now, in another bathroom and the kitchen. Hope I've helped to get you back in the reno game!
      Hugs, x.

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  5. Oh it feels good to clean out and organize. What a wonderful find - clothes that feel like new! Now has the organizing bug hit and you want to clean out and update every space? I love doing that! Of course I like getting rid of things while Brian is an organized hoarder. Just because he can find space for it DOESN'T mean we need to keep it. If we haven't used it we probably won't. He just hates throwing anything away!
    Lovely job my friend!
    Hugs!!!
    xo,
    Kellyann

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    1. Oh my dear sista, you will like this. At the beginning of the year I went through the house identifying clutter areas. I set myself up a folder and I'm keeping a diary of what we do. It's looking good because we are following the flow through the list and the house and it's working. I haven't found any 80s graphic tees from TFF coneerts but I have found ANOTHER two suede skirts. What was this thing I had for suede skirts. AND a black leather one too!!! Good luck with Brian's decluttering mission, hugs, x.

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  6. Funny you should mention 'DC'. I have started de-cluttering too and find it very soothing and uplifting for some strange reason. It de-clutters my mind at the same time and I like the feeling! Not fair on others to have to do that when the curtain finally falls. Am curious to hear the outcome of the suede skirts washing in the washing machine. Pray tell!

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    1. Oh Duchesse, sis and I were just talking today about the effect decluttering has on our mental state. Spooky that you're DCing too! Now the skirts; they stayed the same, just fresher. The soft suede is still soft and the stiff suede still stiff. No change. Then I found another two and a leather skirt when decluttering TP's wardrobe. They were mine I hasten to add, not his! I've washed those two suede skirts and same thing, no change to shape, colour or texture. I've left the leather skirt packed up, I haven't worn it since the 80s but it's a soft leather pencil skirt and I just can't get rid of it. Maybe one day I'll get my 80s body back again ... Hugs, hun, keep warm, x.

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  7. I would love to declutter our loft, as i'm sure there is stuff we have forgotten, but cant get husband interested its always too cold or too hot or some excuse!!.

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    1. Oh Polly, I feel your pain! This is a job for two, definitely, and you need him onboard. My feeling is that death cleaning is the motivator, it worked for me and I was ALWAYS coming up with excuses!!!
      Hugs and have a cosy cuddle up, tomorrow the decluttering starts! x.

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  8. I put, well Mr Him with the help of B&Q, shelves into a cupboard last year and wow, there is now storage. It's a shame it took me 8 years to think of it. Same with you it seems. What is it about 8 years?

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    1. Yes, what is there about this 8 year thing?!! Does it really take that long to write up a B&Q shopping list? You and me both on that one. And so wonderful to have shelving, it dictates what it wants on its surface, unlike an empty cavern that just shouts "stuff me to the gunwhales!" What's on your shelves, hun? Hugs, x.

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  9. Your loft sounds like my garage! You know when you keep putting these things off? I'm dreading sorting that lot! xx

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    1. Oh know what you mean, Laurie, but the awful truth is that the clutter just increases with every year we put it off. But you're heads got to be in the right place to get started, eh? I have to say that I'd TALKED the talk about the need to sort out the loft, but the deceased relative experience hammered home the reality, so now I'm walkin' the walk!
      Hugs, keep away indoors and stay cosy, the garage is for another day x.

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  10. Looks like you've made a lot of progress. I need to go through every room of my house and declutter! Yikes! The stuff one can accumulate in 25 years in the same house.

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    1. I'm giving myself till November to complete areas in most rooms. But even though I've got 11 months, I needed to get with the programme immediately otherwise I'll get to 1 December and nothing will have been done... I know myself well 😏. Hope you post on your progress too, Amy. Hugs, x.

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