What to do with the STUFF?

Well THANK YOU for all of your sweet comments and thoughts on my last post! I’m so excited about the kitchen redo! I’m pretty sure I’ve been to Home Depot nine times in the last three days, so they should know me by name soon.  ;)
I hope to get our sink and faucet installed this week, but it’s not an easy job I know, so we’ll see. I’m being patient. Being patient. Being patient. (If I keep saying that, it will be true, right?)
So I wanted to talk about a topic I get emails about ALL the time – and I figured it’s about time I do a post on it! The question is – when you do all that decrapifying that I KNOW you all are doing, (ahem), what do you do with all of the stuff you want to get rid of? 
There are many options available -- some will make you some money, some will make you a tax deduction. ;)
The first option is probably the most obvious:

The majority of my stuff goes to Goodwill – like new, nice or just OK condition. I find it’s the most convenient option for me, but that’s mostly because I’m insanely impatient. And I can’t stand crap. So when the crap sits around, it drives me mad. Even if it’s something nice, I’d rather just drop it off to Goodwill, get it out of our house, and move on.
That being said, I’ve had a Goodwill pile in our foyer for three weeks now. The good thing about that is friends stop over and take most of the stuff in the pile, so I have less to lug to the drop off.  ;) (Thanks K!)
There are other options as far as donation goes – Dress for Success is a program for women who are trying to find jobs and need professional clothing. I know there are other similar programs out there as well.
When I did the major decluttering of our basement earlier this year (I still need to finish up a few things and show you!), I took a TON – and I. mean. a. TON. – of stuff to a local women’s shelter. (Two SUV’s full!) It was a lot of baby gadgets and clothing, and I just felt like the shelter was the best place for them. The battered women who stay there often leave home with very little for their kids or themselves and need to start over – so it felt good to donate so many things I knew they could use.
And of course there’s ways to make money while getting rid of crapola, which is a total win-win. A biggie this time of year is the garage sale, of course!:

I have to tell you, I’ve never been a huge fan of hosting garage sales. It may or may not have to do with the fact that I have to be up at 7 a.m. on a weekend to get it accomplished – which is just absurd. I mean, really. I sleep.
Secondly, I hate the haggling. I mean, you should see me in NYC’s Chinatown – I’ll go after a price with the best of them. But something about going back and forth about $2 just rubs me the wrong way.
And it’s usually hot.
And early.
Oh, I mentioned that. :)
Instead of hosting my own, I prefer to take a carload of my crap to a friend’s house for their garage sale, and let them get up at the crack o dawn and sit in the sun all morning. Works for me!!
When it comes to home decor items, I’ve had GREAT success with consignment shops:

They are shops filled with great stuff people don’t want anymore that you see and you totally didn’t know you wanted (but you do). You’ll find furniture, dishware, art, light fixtures, accessories – it’s a treasure trove!
The shop I use goes through my items when I bring them in (this depends on the shop – you have to make an appointment at some places), picks out what they want, then keeps a record of my items. When they sell, I get a percentage of each item, and then I get a fun little check in the mail every month.
Or…I may or may not go in and check my balance and then spend said balance in the shop. Maybe.
I always make more than I would at a garage sale. And I have to do very little make that cash. Awesome. Some shops will give you money when you drop off items – they’ll determine what they would sell it for and give you your percentage up front.
There are also consignment shops for men’s, women’s and children’s clothing and baby gear. I find these are much better to shop at than to sell at – I just don’t get the same return that I do at the home decor shop. But that could be because I spend $4 on Wal-Mart t-shirt and call it done.  :)
The Web is another option for making money off your items – eBay is one site of course. I used to sell junk great stuff on there all the time and made good money. The fees seemed to get higher though, and all of the buying shipping supplies, finding boxes and packaging items just became too much.
There’s another option I know many folks use – craigslist:

Something about craigslist has always given me the heebies. I just have never felt comfortable having complete strangers come to my house. The few times I have sold items on it I have been a nervous wreck the whole time – and I don’t use my name, a email with my name in it, I don’t give out my cell number – and it still makes me queasy.
I have only had two buyers come to our house – one picked up the items from the front porch and left the cash under the mat. The other came in because I had called her and talked to her for days and felt comfortable with her coming in. And even then I still regretted it when she left. Every other time I have met folks at a public location to give them their item.
It’s a personal thing – I’m a freak, as you know, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. ;) I know many who have made great money and found some fantastic items through craigslist!
I tried out one final option a couple months ago and absolutely, positively loved it. I hosted a swap for a few friends – everyone brought their goodies and we piled them up:

Obviously, we ran out of room. ;) Next time, I’m borrowing a bunch of tables!
I prepared a few snacks, some drinks, and we had fun just hanging out. Because there weren’t many of us, we just kind of had at it and grabbed what caught our eye:

There was very little hair pulling and just a bit of pushing.  :) Nahhhh…we all behaved. But I expect the number of attendees will grow next time I host this, so we may have to draw numbers in the future. I’m considering a “holiday” swap as well – just for Christmas decor. Wouldn’t that be festive?
I highly recommend the swap – I can’t tell you how fun it was! I got a fab find from my friend Beckie – I’m still trying to figure out what to do with it though. I have to sit on things for a while. And leave them in my foyer. Yes…it’s still there, two months later.
So did I forget anything? Any other options for donating or selling that stuff you don’t need anymore? You know I’ll keep harassing you to decrap your place, so you might as well get to it. Seriously. I can be very irritating persuasive.

My craft “room”

 Well, it’s not really a room. There’s no real flooring, and zero drywall…but it works and I lurve it! I created this “space” a couple years ago, but recently have been making changes to make it function better and look cuter– as cute as cement walls and floors can get. ;)
The space started out like this a few years ago:

That would be a dumping zone. This is the first space as you walk down our basement steps, and because of that – everything just landed here. Well, most everything. It’s a big basement. :) Once this space was full, I would keep moving the piles around.
Last year, I added a folding table and shelving to hold wrapping and craft supplies and tools:
A few weeks ago, when I started the massive decrapification of the basement (AGAIN), I made a few adjustments – I have learned the way I had things placed down here contributes to the crapifying of the space every year.
The first change was to move a shelf that had most of my decor items from the back of the basement to this area – I found having in the back corner of the basement made it rare that I would actually walk back there and put the stuff away.
So I moved it to this area. Then I realized how much decor STUFF I actually had, and ended up buying another new shelf to hold more. I did a lot of thinking about where I wanted everything else as well, and moved it all around to function better.
Once I had everything in the right spot, this is what I was left with:

Schnikeys. Ummm…this was better than the before before! WAY. Even though I had put the table and shelves in this area a couple years ago, it didn’t prevent it from becoming a dump zone. The table actually encouraged it really.
But, after some rearranging, a whole lotta decluttering, and some fun additions, this is what it looks like today:

Ack!! Isn’t it precious? Yes, I know, as precious as cement can get?!
After I moved the shelves around, I thought hard about where I wanted to put everything on them. I realized a while back that the reason the table became such a pit was because the shelf with my tools was on the back wall – and that’s the one I use the most.
So when I was done with a project – done mentally and physically mind you – the last thing I wanted to do is put all the tools away! It was so much easier to throw them on the table. Because of this, I moved all of my tools to the first shelf as you walk down the stairs:

Brilliant. It’s the simple things folks. Do you know how many cans of spray paint were usually thrown on the “craft” table? Because I didn’t walk the extra ten feet? I know, it’s only ten feet. But mentally, when you’re pooped -- it’s miles.
The two shelves of extra decor are next. It will make such a difference having these so accessible! I used to trek around to a dark corner of the basement to put this stuff away, so it eventually, it just ended up in piles. I’m a piler, yes I am.
I didn’t really need two sets of shelves, but I was determined to sort the decor stuff and make it easy to find everything. I purged and still have this much left! A lot of this used to be in bins – things like candles, frames, to-do projects. Having it all out in the open is SO much better!
I moved the shelves with the wrapping and craft supplies to the back wall. My goal is to USE the table to wrap or craft – so now they are right there where I need them!:

Last year I came up with a way to store my wrapping paper, and it’s worked out GREAT! I drilled holes into the shelving and hung the paper rolls with twine:

Wrapping paper drives me nutty – all the unraveling, rolling, bouncing around. Argh! This has worked awesome! I love that they are out of the way and still allow for items on the shelf.
When I want to wrap something, I just hold it up, determine how much I need, then cut the paper. If the item is too large to hold up, it usually just goes in a bag.  :)
Once I felt like everything was in it’s place on the shelves, I moved on to the fun stuff. Whoohoo!
I decided a long time ago this spot would be as girly as it wants to be. I’m the only one who uses it, and even though I’m not what you would call a typical girly girl, I really wanted a space to just have fun with! Fun colors, fun prints, fun textures. This was the perfect spot!
The table is a simple folding table – and it is U.G.L.Y. on top. Last year I got some striped fabric and put it over the top with hot glue. This year, I wanted to amp up the fun and color a bit, so I went with this fabric instead:

Shut the front door…adorable. Aren’t the colors FUN? As you can see, I added the “skirt” with hot glue as well, so you can’t see these:

One is a bin I keep gifts in, one is a tool box for extra crap junk stuff.
The table cover fabric is from Hob Lob and was $6 a yard, 30 percent off. I only needed two yards. The fabric holds up surprisingly well! If I spray something like spray adhesive, or am painting, I just cover the table with scrap paper. (Usually the stuff they wrap my purchases with at Hob Lob!)
I literally hot glued it under the edges of the table. The skirt is leftover drapery lining and I glued that on too:

I wanted a cutting board for this table foreva, and decided to treat myself to one when I was done decluttering this space. It was $23 at Joann’s, 40 percent off:

Now I can craft, glue, cut, whatever, and not worry about the table. And it’s bright and happy! See the little green flower shaped thingy? It’s a silicon pot holder from Pier 1 – I got it for our kitchen, but realized today it would be the perfect little spot to rest my glue gun.
I tried it and by golly, it works!! (Yep, I sure did just say “by golly.”) The hot glue literally wipes right off of it. How stinking cute is that?
All the sudden I was finding the most adorable little accessories that worked with the colors:

The little clips ($1) and pencils ($2) were from Michaels – the pencils MATCH. Dying!!
Check out the eraser ($1):

I. am. dying.
Then I found this little pin cushion at Joann’s and couldn’t resist it:
Hmmm…maybe I am a girly girl?  ;)
The organization of this space was HUGE part of this project. The color and little extras were fun to add. But the biggest change in this area was the lighting. As you can see from the first couple pictures above, there was just a single light fixture for the whole “room.”
Because my hubby often works down here during the summer (more on that spot later), we decided to add more outlets in the basement. Since the electrician was going to be here anyway, I asked him to add another light fixture in my craft area, and then a third light so I could swag a little fixture over the table.
I found a little brass beauty at the local ReStore last summer – it was spray painted and waiting in our garage all this time:

Let there be light!! It makes SUCH a difference to this area! It’s so bright and fun and now I can see what I’m doing when I work. Whoohoo!
I bought a glass lamp from Goodwill last summer as well. I took it apart and spray painted just the brassy parts with the same fun green:
The $4 lamp shade was dressed up with a strip of extra fabric and some hot glue.
Can I get a “CAAUUUUUTE?!” Say it with me Squeezies!
My husband walked downstairs tonight and when he got down there, yelled up the stairs to me -- “Honey! It looks so cute down here! I love it!”
And that is why I love him. :)
The before shot that was really the half way shot, that’s how bad it was:
And my girly, bright after:

So worth all that work. I’ve got a few spring project I’ll be working on down here this week –- if they work out I’ll show you soon. Heck, I’ll show you even if they don’t.  ;)

Thank you to my sponsor:

Decrapification: The office

  Every year around this time I start tackling the clutter CRAP in our house. It takes a few weeks for me to get into it. I need to get my mind switched off from the holidays and it takes a while for the piles of crap to reeeeally start getting to me. OK, they always get to me, it’s just whether or not my get-off-yer-booty kicks in and I finally decide to address them.
As much as the basement is giving me the heebies right now, I am making myself hold off on that space till the rest of the house is decluttered. There are constant piles by the basement steps for a few months as I go through each room. Then, when it’s all done, I let myself go after the pit down there. I’m so psyched to get that space even more livable for us this year, I’m trying to get through the rest of the house even quicker!
Last night, the office was calling my name. It is now the one and only room that is completely decluttered and clean and I lurve it! I started by going through every bin in the room. Up till yesterday, I had a bunch of little cigar boxes holding random junk, plus at least four other baskets and bins. As I started sorting through all of the holders-o-crap, I realized it had been ummm….never since I had used most of it. Did I really need three staplers? Five letter openers? Forty-five pencils?
Three glue sticks?

When I have used a glue stick…uhhhh…NEVER? Well, not since third grade.
Glad I bought tape for Christmas wrapping. Already had FIVE in the office:
 
Yesterday morning, I was at the store and bought more correcting tape. Last night, I realized I had four more already sitting at the bottom of a bin:
 
Can you puuuuhleeze say it with me? WASTE. OF. MONEY. Oh, and I’m sure I’ll use up the thousands of staples sometime before the year 2020: 
Or the 34 notepads:
 
Ahem. Seriously. I am a declutterer and this is what I had sitting in there. Gah.
I got rid of most of the bins and baskets on the desk. It feels fantastic!:
I asked myself what I really need within reach at the desk. Writing utensils and something to write on and that’s it! Done. 
For storage, I kept a basket, and took some photo boxes I had and those now comfortably hold everything else I need – tape, label maker (swoon!), electronics, etc:

I have ROOM on the shelves! :)
I have a major issue with paper in our house. I let it pile up and even put a humongo basket out just so I could pile endless amounts of mail and paper crap in it. Needless to say, piling things two feet deep doesn’t really scream organization. ;)
I got rid of the basket and now use a decorative box in the family room – I’ve been making myself go through every piece of mail that comes in the house immediately and anything that needs to be filed goes straight in the box.
I found the two categories of paper I had piled up most were things the Bub brings home (it’s just preschool and it’s already out of control!) and items I file away in the basement for long term use – keepsake items, instruction manuals, basically that stuff you don’t know what the heck to do with. :) So I found simple $6 containers at my most hated favorite place, Walmart:

They sit on the top of the bookshelf so there’s no excuse not to put the stinking stuff away!! Once they are full, I’ll be forced to take them to their home and file them away for good. That’s the plan anyway. Let’s see if it works. ;) I have a plan to make super cute labels for my newly decluttered bookshelf.
All the extras I found are going down to the basement – all in one spot, so I know where the heck to look when I need something! And don’t buy more! Stop yelling Sarah! ARGH!
Then, the deep cleaning started – I move (most) everything away from the walls and use the vacuum to get in that area right between the molding and carpet, where all the itty bitties and cat hair hide. (Anyone else hate that area?!):

Then I wipe down the baseboards if they need it.
I dust everything, including art on the walls, and the little crevices of knick knacks that won’t get cleaned again till next year:

I clean up any spots on the carpet I’ve been ignoring for a year.  ;) And then do the basics like dusting, window cleaning, etc.
I moved a bookcase to a different spot in here just for a change and it left ruts in the carpet. An easy trick to help raise those spots up is to let ice melt on them:

I have been known to use a hair dryer to hurry up the process. :)

It still works but not quite as great as just leaving the ice alone. After it melts and dries, fluff it up a bit and it usually looks as good as new!
Ahhh…a clean, decrapified space is one of my very, very favorite things!!
     
It lasted all of three minutes and then the Bub made his mark again. But I had my three minutes!
There is something freeing about decluttering a space. Once you do it – you’ll be hooked! I learned a long time ago that no matter what your living situation – be it a dorm room, a teeny tiny apartment, or a huge house – if it is free of the CRAP, it will make you feel more in control of your life. It will free your mind! It’s a GREAT feeling.
Have you started? ;)

What’s your problem area?

Perfect decluttering weather out there today! We haven’t even left the house!

So what’s your problem area? NO…not on your body. In your house. Even the most annoying organized people have a spot that they can’t keep up with. Rooms or areas where things collect, piles are created, things get out of hand. Slowly but surely the irritation starts, then the hyperventilating. The hives pop up. Then there’s the itching…

I digress.

I know I go on and on about decluttering and organizing, but seriously people, I’m human. I have issues too. (Many.) For the most part our closets I showed you here stay that way all year. The basement, notsomuch. During the holidays I try so hard to keep it organized as I make trip after trip down there, but about five bins in after the holidays, I throw up my hands and just pile. And pile:

Told you.

That’s problem area number one for me. A third of this stuff is holiday decor. A third is general decor and the last part is baby Bub stuff. I plan on going through every inch of this space and getting rid of at least half of it within the next few weeks. This spot will be hubby’s “office” and I have some great ideas in mind to make it more cozy and warm – as cozy and warm as cement walls and floors can get.  ;)

My second area is not even in the house -- it’s the car. A looooong time ago I used to be able to keep my car relatively clean and organized. Then I worked for marketing and PR for ten years and that meant tons ‘o clutter in my car for events pretty much constantly. When I started the decorating gig a few years ago, I thought I may get a break from that, but I was INSANE. It was worse than ever.

Now that I’m not working with clients “live,” you’d think it was better. Nope -- the older my kiddo gets, the worse my car gets. It’s atrocious. Really, I’m not even going to show you pictures cause it. is. not. pretty.

Problem area number three – our master closet. I hang my head in shame on this one because our closet is ridiculously huge. Like, you will hate me when you see pictures. It’s the size of a bedroom for goodness sakes. But I can’t keep it organized to save my life. Here’s just a peek:

This is hubby’s side and I blame it all on him! OK, not really. I wish. I blame it on the fact that I cannot stand doing laundry. Hate it with a burning, searing passion. Mounds of clothes do not make for an organized closet. I have to say, this picture looks pretty darn good compared to how it usually looks. It’s BAD.

My last problem room? The laundry/mud room:

 

Lanterns from the deck and Christmas decor? Check.

Jigsaw from Christmas waiting to be opened and used? (Thanks Dad!!) Check.

Rope lights? (?!?!) Check.

Margarita from the Fiesta that was supposed to go out to the fridge two weeks ago? Check.

Note on the chalkboard Stink Eye Sister left when she finally moved out ummm…two months ago? Check.

This area is my catch all for everything. Stuff that’s going to Goodwill sits here till I have a carload – which could be weeks. (Hence the toys.) When I’m too lazy to take the trash out another ten feet to the garage, I throw it here. (Hence the Wii boxes.) Gifts I need to give, or things I need to drop off to friends sit here as well – and sometimes I find them later…much later.  :)

It’s just sad. And annoying. This is what we see first thing every time we come in our house. Thankfully, this is one spot it only takes about ten minutes to pick up:

   

It’s still not perfect, but it’s much better. And I left the note on the chalkboard cause I’m lazy it’s cute.  ;)
So what’s your problem area? Tell me I’m not alone! The car? Closets? Do you hate laundry as much as me? Ick. I’ll share the transformation of the basement “office” and our closet soon!
Stay tuned this weekend for a great giveaway! Woohoo! If you are dealing with all of this snow, be safe!!