Tweaking the Linen Press

Strange name - Linen Press. I actually don't have one. I have a built-in linen cupboard in our rental. But the name has stuck since childhood because that's what my mum called her built-in linen cupboard. Actually a Linen Press was a free standing cupboard made out of wood usually mahogany, oak or walnut. They were popular in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. If you can find an original linen press, then hang onto it, it may be worth quite a bit as an antique.

I tweaked the linen cupboard earlier this year, and decluttered last September, so this week it just needed a tweak to look fresh again.

Here's are my secrets for having a linen press to be proud of and does not spill its contents into you once opened.

1. Limit the amount of towels you have. You really only need 2 sets per person to live in the cupboard. One set is in use or in the wash.

2. Buy some cloth storage bags. I found these ones at Big W and they have a window for easy identification.

3. Fold sheet sets into one of the pillow cases to keep them all together and tidy. Fold towels so that you disguise their uneven edges. I have learned to fold mine in half, then lengthwise into thirds and then in half again.

Under Bed Storage
Because our linen press is small, I do keep winter flannelette sheets in vacuum sealed storage bags under our queen bed. Also blankets and doonas.

Repurpose
I am a quilter and sometimes an unused sheet or doona cover can be a cheap alternative to fabric for a quilt backing.

Donate
If your kids have outgrown the themes, donate them to other friends with younger kids. Often they are in good enough condition to be appreciated by a new generation. My boys are into Star Wars now and so the Toy Story doona covers will have to be donated before we move. Just yesterday I found an entire box (unpacked from our move 3 years ago) of our old towels. I had not even missed them. Still in good condition, they went to the local op-shop this morning.

Rag Bag
For lots of reasons, keep a bag of old hand towels, tea towels and face washers handy. Great for spills, blood, and vomit. I speak from experience. Mine are tucked neatly into a fashionable IKEA grocery bag. (see 2nd top shelf)

Linking up with...A Bowl Full of Lemons (if my server will let me!)

image from Insider Blog

Tweaking the Kitchen

The Kitchen - Week 1





I would love to have kitchen fairies that did the everyday stuff. Rinsing, Stacking, Unstacking, Washing Up, Wiping and Putting Away are all tedious but necessary. Sometimes that's enough to do. 

So when drawers and cupboards get messed up, it is easy to let them slide. And keep on sliding into chaos.

So my kitchen tweak, from the Big Tidy Up, was long overdue.

Upper Cupboards

Biscuits and Glasses

Cakes and Pasta

 Bakery Needs

On the Benchtop

Inevitably the Kitchen bench top becomes the most convienient place to accumulate papers, pencils, stationery, LEGO, plasticware - anything really. It is a clutter catch-all. 

Command Central
I set this area up earlier in the year but it has grown in size with clutter. It contains:

• calendar
• Household folder
• local dining and attractions
• Suspended file for school, preschool, prekindy, and community
• Finance notebook
• 'to do' notebook
• Ordering notebook
• 2012 & 2013 Diary
• pens, pencils and highlighters
• post it notes

Tea and Coffee Cupboard

Under the Bench

Sorting the School Containers

These get used most frequently and can get into an awful mess. 

Drawers

Corner Cupboard

That's NOT the entire kitchen...(Yikes!)

How are you doing with your weekly tasks?

Tweaking the Pantry and Fridge

The Pantry - Week 3

A House of Our Own

I have not signed up to the full 14 week challenge because we plan to move house just before Christmas. So my future is full of purging and boxing - yuck! It has been 5 years since we left Sydney but last week we sold our house there and have bought a lovely 5 acre property up here so we can settle down permanently. I am so happy. And as a bonus, I can throw away the packing boxes that have followed us for the past 5 years and three moves.

Week 3 - The Pantry
This was not so hard for me as I had done the big tidy up earlier in the year. I was in need of a sewing break, my neck starts to ache after a while, and so I decided to give my pantry a 'quick' tweak. It actually took about 2 hours all up. 

 

 Inside the Pantry Door

 I tweaked my meal planning area too!

The Fridge

As we had just got back from a week's holiday, it was not very full and easy to clean.

I wonder what my new pantry will be like? I just remember that it was HUGE. We are going back there on Saturday to take some indoor photos.

Sunday Stash #6

Long before I discovered it, there was a gorgeous Denyse Schmidt line called 'Katie Jump Rope'. By the time I did discover it...on the Denyse Schmidt site...it was long gone from shelves and shops. (Told you I am often late to the party!)

Anyway, the smart-thinking Kristi from eaudebean had put some away for a rainy day...and I just happened along to her Etsy store in a downpour. Thanks Kristi. I bought her collection of 24 FQs. There are a few more from the original collection that are missing but these are happy together.

Yes...a total investment indulgence but I think this is my favourite DS collection. I am so attracted to all the bright colours and especially salivate over the brown colourway prints. I have a crush on brown. Not many fabrics come in brown. Thank you Denyse!

And because the order was a bit delayed, Kristi popped in some 'cute-as-a-button' Japanese whimsy fabrics as well. Now isn't that nice...when she didn't have to? Some Etsy store owners have service above and beyond!


The Big Messing Up


Hot on the heels of the 'Big Tidy Up', week that was, this post is proudly brought to you by our family. After scoring a really great Real Estate Inspection report, (and a bottle of champagne from my husband as a thank you for all my hard work) real life resumed with full force. It took just one day for things to from perfect to putrid!

thankfully now looks slightly better...

 Fran's room after 'rest time'...!

 Tristan's room after 'rest time' too!

And even our bedroom!

Arrrrrrrgh! Houses would be clean without people!

But to be fair...my husband did cook and serve me breakfast in bed this morning..andI got to watch Stephen Fry's World on iview. Bliss!

Stale Stash Swap

I can't really post a clean and tidy house as a 'Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday' but I sooooooooo want to! The BIG TIDY UP has kept me away from the sewing machine all week. 


I do want to say, however that TGIFF will be (GULP!) hosted here at Finding Fifth NEXT Friday - so I had better get my skates on and finish one of my two WiP March projects.



Also Lucy at Charm About You and Krista from Krista Stitched have got a 'Stale Stash Swap' happening at the moment. I am afraid that I am late to the party on this one owing to the frenetic pace of  'the BIG TIDY UP' all week.


I have chosen 7 novelty fabrics that I no longer need and am looking to swap them directly from your stash. If you are interested in any of these prints, please leave a comment  below with a link to your swap blog post and a description of what you are willing to swap with. I will get back to you asap. The link stay open for one week on the Charm About You post.

The Rules:

Offer a FQ to swap.

Must be willing to swap internationally.

Post the button and link up.

Update your post when your stash has swapped.

Here they all are...

6 0ut of 7 are uncut FQ doubles but I am willing to cut them up.




Just in time for Easter are these 2:

2 uncut FQs of Spring Tidings - Fabri Quilt Now in my Easter Give-away

2 uncut FQs of Aqua baskets - Me and My Sister Designs Now in my Easter Give-away


To get you ahead for Halloween are these 4:

 1 FQ of Orange spider from Spooktacular - Henry Glass & Co.  Swapped!

 2 uncut FQs of Orange jackolanterns spider from Eerie Alley - Robert Kaufman  Swapped!

 1 FQs of Lime Green tossed Halloween creatures from Spooktacular - Henry Glass & Co.

2 uncut (Australian 20"x22") FQs of Lime Green 'Eye of Newt' - Blank Quilting


Then this random country print great for an I-Spy:

2 uncut FQs of Farmyard - ? Swapped!

The Big Tidy Up #4

Thrifted Thursday


I am not sure if other blogs use this phrase or if there is a linky...but I am going to start sharing some of the little goodies that I pick up at 'thrift' stores...or as we Aussies call them 'Op-shops'.


This week I found...

 Vintage pillow cases for 50c each at Lifeline Ballina.

and a cute sugar bowl for $1.50 to put my sewing threads into.


The Big Tidy Up #4


Today is the LAST day of 'the BIG TIDY UP'. Thank goodness! It's been a lot of tidying, purging, re-organising, cleaning, shifting, tweaking, re-cleaning (especially windows) and telling my kids to not get more stuff out "because the man is coming on Friday". My  husband put a bit of effort into the kitchen and family/meals area after work and reading with the kids. Definitely helps to have a supportive partner.


Lounge Room


When we first saw this room we couldn't believe its size and the grandeur of the parquetry flooring and triple double doors with sliding doors out onto the outdoor area. We nicknamed it the 'ballroom' because we really did not even have enough furniture to fill it.

It was full of packing boxes for at least a year. Then enroute to Coffs last March I stopped off at a furniture store and on a whim went inside. I bought a 3 piece lounge suite for only $1400! It is light grey and slightly retro. 

It was great for filling up the huge space. It became the inspiration to get the lounge room looking more like a living space than a storage area.

My little library nook where I can read comfortably and have a cup of tea on the coffee table.

Kitchen Again



Always in need of constant cleaning and decluttering in any house. I tackled the fridge door.

and the pantry (not that the real estate will look in here)

Command Central

I moved my bread-maker out of the space so I could move my 'Household Organiser' folder in.

I have 2 smaller displays folders for local attractions and local restaurants/take away brochures. 

I am linking up with....