Jane of All Trades

When you declutter your home, you discover that your home could do with a vacuum or a dust - or the furniture could do with a polish or a bit of the fix-up. It's just the Jack - or Jane - of all trades in us that makes us do this. 

Recently, my brother and I had been chatting on the phone about what's going to happen to my place over the next year. He asked me if I'd like to move away from it and into a 'real house' (this is a house on a block of land, with an actual driveway and lock-up garage), and I said yes, that's the aim. He asked me what I'd like to have in the way of a home. I told him a 3-bedroom place would be nice, with a good-sized laundry and an open-plan house (where I'd be able to use the furniture to its full extent instead of working around large counters and walls). He could see where I was coming from; and knew I'd love a place where I could spread out and I could have friends over for a bbq or dinner without worrying about offending my neighbours (as in townhouse complexes you have to make sure you don't bother people).

But with me decluttering and throwing out more than ever, I'm almost at the end of my journey. This doesn't mean I'm not going to post anymore, and it doesn't mean I'm cured of my cluttering problem. And it is a problem; as I'm always bringing home something and never have the space to put it. 

I still have a lot of craft gear I have to store in plastic boxes. I still have to move things around the living room to polish the piano. I still have to work on decluttering the home office in a huge way every few months. And the problem I have is that my place can't handle my things.

Now, don't get me wrong: I no longer have crap around my house. I have useful items, which don't have a home. And this is bad. I'm in great need of a bigger place where I can house my craft and art gear, have a library and my home office and make my living room, dining area and kitchen really look and feel great. The problem is that I'm powerless to get the wheels turning in the direction I want them to. 

I gotta be a Jane of all trades to start fixing up my place in the smallest of ways, to help my folks in some way to fix this place up. I just hope they see what I'm doing as a positive thing... cleaning out, cleaning up, and fixing up. 

The Piano

Today, I moved the chairs out of the way and took everything off the top of the piano, used a microfibre cloth and wiped it down. The amount of dust that came off amazed me.

I then realised how dry the piano really was and pulled out the furniture polish and got stuck into it. At this time of year - Autumn/Fall - these instruments really dry out in a big way. So, I try to keep the polish up to them before the dust marks them permanently. I also checked the glass inside it. Water is good for a piano - especially during a lot of rain. Strangely enough, pianos 'drink' a lot more water during a deluge than they do during a dry spell; and every piano tuner I've spoken to doesn't know why. However the instrument can tell you when it's getting dry as it starts to knock; it sounds as though somebody is knocking on your front door, it's that clear. 

It was thirsty today. But it was lovely to get the polish into it. I use a bees wax polish - not a synthetic-based one - as it's better for the wood and is a natural way of polishing timber; and the smell is really nice too.

Then, I put the doilies back onto the top of it and sorted out what was staying (the blue glasses and silver candelabra and the new decanta) and what was going into the Donation Box (the three coffee-related candles I bought on a whim about 3 years ago and never used). Otherwise, I'm making sure it will never get overcrowded on top of the piano again, by making sure it only has the items on there that suit the decor of the room.

Well, it was a good day otherwise. I got that done, and I got one bag of rubbish sorted out from the Home Office too. I'm really proud of myself. So, what did you get up to in your decluttering today? 

The Plans of Mice and Men

As with a lot of plans, not everything this week has turned out the way I planned. My sofa-bed didn't end up being picked up by any charity I had in mind. Nobody wanted to buy it or take it off my hands for nothing. And I couldn't just leave it outside my unit/townhouse complex (as that's illegal in my area). 

Nope. I thought the Browns Plains Smart Tip would take it off my hands... but oh, was I in for a surprise there! 

Dad and I arrived there and the guy at the weigh station asked if anything was wrong with the lounge and we said, 'A small tear.' he said, 'Nah, they won't take that, it has to be dumped.' 

I mean... what????

Aren't we supposed to be trying not to adding to the landfill? 

As you can well imagine I was mad as all hell after we dumped it. There wasn't anything wrong with the lounge... just that 20cm tear in the top of one of the arms. How pathetic can it get?

It's taken me over 24 hours to really get over this. I've never felt so let down over how society's ego can be so big over a tiny tear in a 30 year old lounge. Exactly what do they expect me to do, spend $3,000 on it then sell it for $300? I don't think so!

Well, today, I slept in because I felt so exhausted and had had nightmares about all the fruit'n'veggie places I visit normally being filled with oranges and lemons (things I can't eat) and a city burning down while I stood by and watch and everyone else panicked, screaming and running around me. I woke up exhausted and didn't want to get out bed.

When I got some of the housework done, I looked at my Donation Box and found a lot of the things in it could be donated, some of the things in it could be recycled and a little could just be tossed in with the general waste. Once it was all sorted out, I packed the car and went off to the local Vinnies and donated it all... yes, I felt better. Then, I found 2 pairs of jeans, a work basket, a lovely set of coasters and a gorgeous decanter... all up, I spent $24. Not a bad day at the Vinnies at Underwood. I could have easily bought all the craft gear there... as there was a deceased estate of it all there sitting on a table.

But I'm trying to keep my craft gear to a minimum; and I'm more looking at collecting oil paints and brushes than glue gun glue and beads. So, I was good today. 

Donation Day

Today, I was out and about doing a huge amount of things in the dreary weather around Logan City. I had 2 doctors to see, 2 banks to visit, the transport department to go to and a few other things as well as trying to fit in eating lunch and dropping off a hat rack at my parents' house for my Aunty Helen.

I also needed to drop off a huge lot of donations to Vinnies at Underwood and had a very quick look around while I was there.

They often get deceased estate things there - which is very cool - and I love looking at the haul they get because they also get 45s and vinyls there at a hugely discounted price. And today I found 13 of those lovely 45s sitting in a basket waiting for me. But before I found them, I was chatting to another customer about op-shops and she and I had the same passion. I told her where the Supa-Stores were and she mentioned some other op-shops I hadn't heard of.
One of the volunteers came up and snapped at us to 'spend more money, come on, buy something to put money in our til or get out!' Well, the lady I had been talking to took off out of there muttering something, but I stayed, glaring at the volunteer.  My glare must have been awful because the volunteer didn't say anything to me again about money. 

I walked around and found a pile of 45s and took them to the counter where the same rude volunteer counted them up and I paid for them. She was nice about it all, but this was after I had had a word with her supervisor and she was told off for saying what she did.

Just because people are volunteers doesn't mean they are allowed to be rude to customers. I have been a volunteer for just shy of 20 years at a regional art gallery and yet, I know how to treat people, no matter how rude they are to me. But in this instance, I wasn't rude to anyone. Have you had something like this happen to you? 

The Bedroom

I'm going to tackle the next hardest thing to the home office today - my bedroom.

Yep, I've been struggling with my bedroom for a long time; and now I have the living room and kitchen just as I like it, I'm going to have to have my bedroom the same way - tidy, easy to get into and easier to work with.

Now, just recently, I grabbed my Winter sheets - as the temperature dropped into the colder numbers - and I pulled out some sheets which were for my old double bed. Before you ask why I still have them, they were for the sofa-bed, just in case somebody slept over. So, they are the first to be put into a bag for the donation box; along with the Summer sheets of the same size. 

What I do next is make my bed. This makes a platform for me to work out my clothes on - a big one - and I can dump all my clothes onto it and sort through them as I put them away, or donate them. 

I've already sorted out a few dresses to give to my niece - as they're too small for me (I'm a size 12 Aust. and the dresses are size 10 Aust.) and they're lovely dresses I thought she'd like to try out before they head off to an op-shop. 

So, this is a start.

I don't like letting go of dresses that I love, but if they're not going to fit, it's best to let them go if they're in good condition. 
Then, there's the clothes I've been given, but have never worn. I know that sounds bad, but these outfits are lovely, are too big and are never going to be worn by me at any stage in my life. My Mum gave them to me and I don't see myself wearing them at all. So, they'll be going to a charity. 

I know what I said in the last post about charities - being fussy about what they receive (and they are) but really, if we don't give our clothes and bits and pieces to them, it all ends up in landfill. My sofa-bed is going to a place called Smart-Tip - not landfill. This place will sell it at a heavily discounted price and somebody out there will be able to afford a lounge with a nice cover and throw pillows; and it will have another life for a while. 

But I digress.

I'm hoping to get a few pairs of jeans out of my wardrobe as I've lost 4kg and have gone down one dress size. So, this means I have to go out and buy a few pairs of jeans at Stones Corner (where they have a huge store filled with jeans, skirts, jackets and basically anything made from denim) and I'm going to look at anything that will fit me, looks great and makes me feel good, okay, not a problem. I've had great deals from there. 

Other things I'm hoping to get rid of are shoes I don't need, underwear I don't want (which will go straight in the bin - because if I don't want it, well nobody else will either) and anything that doesn't fit me anymore. After that, I'll vacuum and dust my room and then, it'll be all done... bagged up and ready for donation (or the bin). So, which room was the worst for you in decluttering? How did you get the clutter busted? Do share your ideas and secrets with us all.

Charities Are Fussy

Today I was supposed to have my sofa-bed taken off my hands by Life Line. But when the guys showed up, they took one look at it and said no, they can't take it. It was because of the tear on the arm that's been there for 15 years. 

I couldn't believe how fussy this charity was being. And I thought the Salvation Army was bad, when they sent me a criminal to collect my unwanted goods - seriously, they sent me a guy fresh out of prison to collect my old bedroom suite; and he rejected it because he hated it.

Anyway, the guys from Life Line suggested the Salvos and I said not them, and told them why. They were shocked that such a reputable charity sent out a criminal to collect things - let alone drive a truck! - and I told them when I complained to the supervisor of the Salvos, they took the driver's side! These guys couldn't believe how badly I was treated... but still they couldn't take the lounge; that it would end up at the tip. They then suggested Vinnies.

After they left, I had a little cry. 

You see, this lounge has been on gumtree, Facebook and I've offered it to all my friends and relatives... but nobody wants it - especially, I don't want it. So, I called up Vinnies and now, they don't want it, all because it's got a tear in the arm. 

There's nothing else wrong with the lounge. The bed in it is fine, the foam in the seating is in good condition, there's a cover and throw cushions that go with it... so why would there be a problem with any charity being so fussy that they don't want a lounge with this tear in its arm. It's from age, not anyone taking a knife to it. 

So, when you're decluttering and you find something might be a little defective, be careful about who you donate it to. I tried all the big charities with my sofa-bed. They wouldn't take it because it was old - not because it was worn out. This is no excuse to reject something a person no longer wants; and it causes more stress on them. 

Now, I really have nowhere to go with this sofa-bed. I really feel lost. What the hell am I supposed to do with it when no charities I know will take it off my hands? 

Donation Day

Today, I was out all day at op-shops donating my goodies to them - and looking at goodies to furnish my home.

But first, I donated a lot of things I really didn't need anymore. These are things I had bagged up and put in the car last night and happily sorted out two weeks ago when I had made the time to go through my handbags and then wrapped them on Thursday. It always makes me feel great to donate to charity stores, because people will want nice things I've looked after. I took in a teapot-cup and two bowls I no longer need and my coffee table. Then, there was a bag of handbags I no longer used.

Then, I took a wander around the Life Line Supa-Store at Logan Central; and what a store! It has so much there! But it didn't have the armchair I so badly needed to make up the pair I was looking for. However, it did have a lovely food-server I loved for only $4.50 to add to the two I have on the credenza.

Then, I was off to Vinnies at Underwood to see if they had another donation of anything useful. They've been getting some deceased estates lately; and they are always interesting. And today was just like that. I found a pile of 45s which I scored for $1.00 each and then I saw an armchair; but it was very 1980's not 1970's for just $25.00. So, I left it there for somebody else to score instead of me.

Once I had my score in the car, I pulled out the GPS and punched in the address for the Life Line Supa-Store at Acacia Ridge (which is really at Archerfield) and the darned thing too me the long way around! It was there I found my armchair for $35.00! It's perfect! I got it home and have it stored temporarily in my bedroom until I get rid of my lounge. 

I have found that gumtree has been useless to me. It's been almost a month and my adverts were on page 10 and I have had over 80 views, but nobody wanted to know anything about them. So, I deleted the adverts and have begun donating my items. My folks think I'm being impatient, but I've wanted to change my living room for a few months now. I have bought the furnishing for the change; now it's time to get rid of the unwanted things. 

So, how are you doing with your donations? Have you done any this year? Or are you waiting until you get more before making one big haul during mid-year? I make as many as I can in a month, it's a lot more fun that way.

A Quiet Week

These kinds of weeks are normally when I get the most done. I didn't end up selling the set of drawers on Gumtree, mainly because the buyer didn't show up. Now, I put up a rant on Facebook about this and had many people agree with me about how damned rude it is to kick up a fuss about how pretty wonderful something is, make an appointment, then to pike on the seller.

Now, I'm no saint, I've done that to exactly one person and apologised profusely to him for leaving him hanging. But if you're going to buy something from somebody, please go and get to the appointment; or if you can't get there, make the effort to let the buyer know you're not showing.

Anyway, this week, I'm getting in and cleaning up the living room. I've been so busy lately with things outside the townhouse, that I've just been falling asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. Now, today, I've found myself burnt out and a little bit of cleaning out wouldn't hurt me. 

The 50 books - with matching magazines - have made their journey to the 'Really Good Book Shop' at Browns Plains. And not far from there, I went to the Life Line Supa Store to score my self a brilliant little 1970's phone-seat... how cool is that? I love it! 
Now, It's just a matter of cleaning up the living room so I can get rid of the lounge. 

But if it doesn't sell by the end of next week, I'll be contacting the Life Line to come and pick it up. I did just phone the QEII hospital palliative ward to see if they'd like it and the coffee table, but they've had been offered a brand new lounge room suite from a family who lost a family member there. They thanked me very much for my kind offer. 
I'm really looking forward to having more space in my living room next week. I'll get the guys to come and collect it. It'll be going to a decent home.  

Well, I hope to have my home in a better shape next week, than it is this week. So, how has your decluttering been going? I'm slowly getting mine together. I'm going to go through my wardrobe and donate some of the dresses that no longer fit me; and then I'll be out looking at jeans that look good on me; as well as dresses.