Showing posts with label purging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label purging. Show all posts

Wednesday, 12 December 2012

A Moving WIP

We are moving house in three days! So there is a whole lot of purging, packing and moving going on...and no sewing at all.

Sneak Peak

However I can reveal a tiny snippet of a secret project I have in progress for one of the Wombat Stew girls. You can't tell much from the photo but I did use a scrap of Echino tea cup fabric (courtesy of Kelly of Kelby Sews). 


This Week's  Sewing  Stats

Completed projects  -  0

Currently in progress -  Wombat Stew Santa gift
                                               
Yet to start  - Sherbert Dreams Quilt
                            QCA Bee#1 Dec paper pieced block
                         
On Hold projects   - Craftsy BOMs from June, August, September, October and November
                                     - 4 Liberty Pillowcases 
                                     


DIY

All my painting ambitions had a reality check this past weekend when it took me 4 hours to undercoat just one of five sections of shelving on my new pantry. 

The new carpet is nearly all laid thanks to a company who could turn around the job within a week. I am sooooo grateful to them. 


This Week's DIY  Stats

Completed projects  - 1/5 pantry shelves primed

Currently in progress - pantry shelves primed

Yet to start  - kitchen rack


Moving House

I am more than over packing. I guess if I had a packing pedometer I may have moved upwards of 10 000 items in the past week (some of them three times when I have been indecisive!). I wonder if I will ever truly see the end of it!

Right now we have most rooms in total disarray. I have been tackling a kid's bedroom a day, since Monday, but they are not completed. Tomorrow I have to tackle our main bedroom and closet as well as the paperwork/files. Yuck!

The good news is that the kitchen is nearly all done apart from the pantry, fridge and medicine cupboard.


This Week's Moving  Stats

Completed projects  -  everyday crockery
                                          - display items
                                           - kid's books
                                           - kid's personal files for awards, school, 
                                           - kid's toys
                                          - kitchen appliances

Currently in progress - sewing room
                                             - stored sheets and towels
                                              -  plastic ware
                                             - pantry
                                            -  good crockery
                                            - wall photographs and art
                                            - shoes
                                           - swing set


Yet to start  - Kid's clothes
                         - medicine cupboard
                         - bathroom cupboards
                        - laundry
                        - files/paperwork
                         - everything else!
                         
On Hold projects   -  trampoline) my Father-in-law took it down yesterday and discovered that it was in bad enough condition to throw out - so we may have to invest in a new one for Christmas!)


Helpers

I have had some help, with looking after the boys this week, so that I can pack during the day undisturbed, Dean's parents are up from Sydney and parked their caravan on our new property. It has not been smooth sailing though. They mostly look after the boys from 9am-1pm. 

I've had two of my girlfriends come by to help pack. It helps to re-motivate me as packing is a solitary job mostly. My husband works nearly 11 hour days door-to-door but he has been ferrying things before work and some after work.

I have no incentive to cook after a day of packing so last night my lovely friend Goldie and her husband Matt brought dinner around for our whole family last night. Home prepared chicken fajitas. It was delicious food and great company and they helped us take two loads around afterwards. So very grateful for good friends.

Hoping to link up with...
WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced


Tuesday, 11 December 2012

Tackling the Master Closet


We move house in four days! But it has taken me until a week ago to complete the challenge for the Master Closet. It has been a 2 month WiP. Importantly I am glad I did it because the closet we are moving to has half the space and none of the great built in shelves that this one has.

You would be horrified to see how many clothes we had in this closet that were NOT being used. I was ruthless with my purging. Out went things that not longer fit, were not really my style, too hard to iron, were a mistake to buy in the first place. 
I managed to fill 5 garbage bags full of items for the op-shop. I can't tell you the relief and empowerment I felt afterwards. If you pop over and see Toni''s closet you will be dazzled - first by it's total bespoke organisation and secondly by the largest collection of jeans and thongs (flip flops/jandals) I have EVER seen! 
I am NOT a shoe kind of girl. I don't see the fascination in buying lots of pairs NOR have I  the inclination to shop for them either. I have practical flat shoes mainly and I do tend to hold onto them for years and years. So this time few shoes went into the bin and I found a couple of pairs in the shoe boxes that I had not worn since moving here 3 years ago!

A Word on Coat Hangers

One tip that Toni (ABFOL) gave was to use coat hangers of the same colour and, although I scoffed at first, I must now agree. I have been using plastic covered coat hangers for about 10 years but find that my wide-collared shirts all need a clothes peg to stop them from falling off. I found these fab-o textured coat hangers at Big W last week and they are perfect for solving the sliding issue - and they look good too!



I also purged a bag full of crocheted coat hangers I had been holding on to for sentimental reasons. They are my grandmother's handiwork. She died in 1992, and I probably have not used these in 10 years, so I took one photograph for posterity and donated those babies to Vinnies yesterday!

I realise that looking into other people's closets is not especially interesting but I am pretty proud of the decluttering that I did in this master closet. 

I am linking up with...


A Bowl Full of Lemons

Saturday, 1 December 2012

November Round Up

It's been a big month for purging and organising but a little month for sewing and quilting. I don't really mind though. Sewing has been a respite from everything else going on.

Home Organising 101

Bathrooms
Mudroom
Master Bedroom
Family room
Dining room
Lounge room

Purging

Pantry
Master closet
Baby clothes
Kid's clothes
Toys - Fisher Price Little People, Thomas trains, Bob the Builder
Children's books
Games, puzzles, stationery

In 14 days we move to our first permanent home in 10 years of marriage.  This is what it looks like. It's on 5 wonderful acres and has 3 chickens in a chicken house.

So December will be a big month for packing, moving and unpacking again. Yuck! After 6 rental properties and move nearly every 18 months, I hope to not move for a good many years!


'To Do' First December 

I have not added anything ambitious to my sewing list for December.

Quilts to Make

Mystery Quilt - to make a back, baste and quilt
Sherbert Dreams - to start

Blocks to Make

QCA December Bee block - paper pieced feather for Kate

Sewing Items

Wombat Stew Secret Santa gift

Home Organising 101

Master Closet
Sewing Room
Kid's closets

Packing

books
dvds
cds
linen
office
garage
LEGO
toys
clothes
Kitchen appliances, plasticware
Games, puzzles

oh and the whole house by the 14th December!

Linking up with Fresh Sewing Day at Lily's Quilts



Lily's Quilts

Thursday, 1 November 2012

'To Do First' November

This month I hope to get 2 quilts finished and a new one started. I am also hoping to borrow my mum's Janome embroidery machine because it has a longer arm which makes quilting so much easier.

Quilts to do


'Mystery Quilt' - make back, baste and quilt
'Katie Jump Kites' - baste and quilt
 'Sherbert Dreams' quilt - start

Blog Hop
I am on in early December.

Blocks to do


Sew Seasonal 'Ornamental' blocks
QCA November block
Wombat Stew November block

Sewing to do

Embroidery tree ornaments
Needle case

Home Organising 101 - with A Bowl Full of Lemons

Master Bedroom
Master Closet
2 Children's bedrooms
2 Children's closets
Garage continued
Office
Family room
Dining room
Lounge room


Purging

Garage
closets

Packing - We are moving in mid-December to our first non-rental home.

Books
dvds
cds
office
Garage
linen
clothing
LEGO
toys
games and puzzles
kitchen appliances, plasticware, recipe books


OK now I feel overwhelmed.

Wednesday, 31 October 2012

October Roundup


Sewing

Even though it had 31 days - and I blogged on every one - October went FAST! Too fast for me to achieve all of my sewing goals.
Achieved
House block for Jane
6 Halloween pillowcases
Gingerbread embroidery (Duncan)
Polaroid blocks
Low volume 'wonky cross' blocks for Kate
Embroidery pouch for Duncan
Empire State Building Needle Case for Duncan
Snowglobe embroidery 
Hot air balloon embriodery 
Repurposing a zip pouch

Not Achieved
Mystery Quilt back
Baste 'Katie Jump Kites'
Start 'Sherbert Dreams' quilt
Craftsy BOMs from June, August, September and October


Home Organisation 101

I think I achieved far more with Home Organisation 101 though.


abfolbutton

Sorting and Tidying
Purging - off the the dump
Giving Away - toys
baby items and clothes
and, even though the last 5 days I had to write in advance and schedule, I managed to BLOG everyday of October!