Sunday Morning Clean

It's a Sunday, and usually I don't do anything on these days - usually I chill out and read the paper.

But today, I had to get in and organise a few things around the living room. You see I've been given some art gear and I've yet to put the books away - and there were so many books! So, this morning, after breakfast, I got into organising them. 
First, though, I looked at them. They were gorgeous... not only that, they were all in Chinese and a study of how to paint and draw in their style. I noticed they were written in particular volumes. And so, after I separated them into their own sets, counted them and then found a place for them, I knew I needed to do more cleaning up for the living room.

I had found a place for my canvases I had received, which meant I had 2 unusuable canvases. These are canvases which I had tried to use, but they just didn't work out. The old painting either showed through my new work, or the water-based oil paint I've put over the top of the traditional oil paint just doesn't mix and I've found the canvas isn't usuable for me. So out those two canvases have had to be tossed - into the big recycling bin out the back of the unit complex.

Otherwise, I've still got a few things to get in order. I've begun to hang some of my new paintings on the walls and taken down the older ones I've done in the past. Not only will the hanging of the new paintings help them dry better, but it will help the feel of my place change too. And I'll have other canvases to either sell or reuse; as my older work is all acrylic paint.

But yesterday, I got in and cleaned under two sinks in my house - as Peter Walsh had challenged us to do on his Facebook page - and I was very successful! Not only did I throw out a big bag of rubbish, but I also filled one bag of things I added to the Donation Box too. How cool is that? Yep, I'm so happy with myself! And I found no leaks under my sinks in the kitchen and bathroom... very good indeed! How's your cleaning out doing so far this year?

Around and Around

Well, my place is going well. 

I've tossed out another bag of rubbish from around the house and I'm damned proud of my collecting of rubbish. 

I've also got a bag to take to the op-shop which I don't need as well from this week! Yes, Peter Walsh would be proud of me for being brutally strict with how I'm working on my life and changes around the house. 

But I'm not just throwing out anything I'm laying my hands on - I'm making sure I've not used it in a long time, or it's been sitting around gathering dust and become rubbish after a long time as well.

So, therefore, here's the first Weekend Challenge I'd like you take part in this year!

Get two bags - a rubbish bag and a synthetic re-usable bag and go around the house and find two different things. This will take two rounds of the house. Take the rubbish bag around the pick out all the rubbish from every nook and cranny of your house - every tissue, every docket, every single thing which is rubbish and put it into the rubbish bag. This will take a while - so don't rush. And your hands will get dirty, so wear disposable gloves. Anything which is rubbish (from the old phone books you've hoarded, to dvd cases you no longer use, to the 6-year old manuscript you've been holding onto for a friend to the bathroom waste basket and all the bins around the house included), goes into the rubbish bag. You'll find you've got that bag filled! Tie it off and put it outside. If you end up using more than one bag - great!
Now, the synthetic bag... go around and look at the things you've been meaning to give away. They might be the candles you no longer use, or a wall-hanging you were given and you're not crazy on, or a pile of books which are taking up room inside your office door. Yep, put them into the synthetic bag as you walk past. This is a walk-around for the quick look-around the house. When you find an item you don't want and has gathered a lot of dust and you know you won't miss it, it's time to get rid of it. 

Now, go... no regrets on these two things. Take your time on the second one. And put the items into your Donation Box by the door to take to the charity store.

Laundry

Okay... last October, I cleaned out my laundry and have been using my own devices to keep it organised.

For my 45th Birthday, I bought myself 2 sets of Stratco shelving and it has definitely paid off! I also bought a large red box to store all of my laundry products which normally sit around my washing machine and clutter up the tiny laundry I have - which is the size of a toilet (it honestly is!). 

Well, it's been around 6 months and I'm happy to report back to you all that my laundry is getting even better as time has progressed. The large container I normally put my laundry liquid into - and hoard it all in - has been tossed out!

Yes!

Finally today, I grabbed a bag and put that big 5 litre container - which has been empty for a long time now - into that bag along with the manky newspaper which it sits on! It's all out in the rubbish bin with a few other things I've tossed out! How cool is that? Even though it gives up about a foot of space, it doesn't do much for me in the way of giving up anything else in the way of space. 

But the red box I've put into the shelving has helped me keep my laundry liquid, vinegar, refill liquid soap and other cleaners out of the way and in view of where they are supposed to be for me.

So, how are you doing with your cleaning up and cleaning out this year so far? I'm going well. This weekend, I'm going to put in the very first Weekend Challenge for you to jump into! Yep, they're back! I hope you're willing to take part as much as I am! 

Big Clean-Out Starts!

Well, yesterday, I got in and cleaned out the newspaper holder next to my chair and threw out old newspaper, and other junk from that holder, sorted through it and moved it upstairs into my bedroom, where I changed that grey one into my office/study and moved the one in there to the living room (yes, I have more than 3 of these old newspaper holders). 

After that, I sorted through my yarn and put it into the big bag of knitting yarn (to be looked into later) and then vacuumed the living room floor and under the chair and around where the newspaper holder usually sits. Then, I put back into that holder only what is going to be used in it - and nothing else.

Now, there's 3 items in the donation box with a big bag of rubbish in the bin. And that's just from the living room. 

Today, I'm pulling down all the Christmas Ornaments and putting it all away. Then, I'm going to put some of the archive boxes away in the wardrobe in the office and organise the third archive box I've had since July last year to pack away more of my personal items from my life. Yep, today is going to be a busy day. 

So, what are you getting up to today? Are you doing what I'm doing with the decorations? Or are you picking something else to do this year? Are you looking back on another challenge from last year to jump into? 

Craft Gear Out The Door

Well... okay, it's not all going to be thrown out or given away. I've seen the light and thought to sell some of my art gear I no longer wish to have online - yep, the easy way.

The first thing I've done is grab the big bag of knitting yarn and sort it into matching sets of yarn balls and photograph them and get them organised and price them. Then, I jumped into my favourite craft group and offered them all up at $2.00 a ball - and .50c for half-used balls - with no shipping attached to any of it... and I added in the photos and now I'm going to wait and see what's going to happen. 

I hope to have some of my friends take these off my hands and enjoy the yarn this year. I do have other yarn in that bag, and that's all staying - as it's going to be used in other patterns I'm looking at. Otherwise, my craft gear is getting a big cleanout unlike it ever did in the past. But the one thing is that I may not toss out as much as I did last year because I've streamline everything so much that I know where it all is. 

So, what are you going to do with your craft gear - if you have any? And is it into the Donation Box for it or online sales this time around? Do leave a comment and let us know. 

Living Room Reboot

Well, I started on my decluttering really early. 

Last night, I didn't have any knitting to do, or cooking for a family function, or Christmas get-together and so, I found myself without anything to do with my hands.

I looked around and found the four bags of junk in front of the entertainment unit calling out to be looked into. So, while I watched 'Supernatural: Season 8' I pulled out my rubbish bags and sorted through all four bags and tossed out 3 big rubbish bags of junk and I found a whole lot of things; like: 

I figured out a pile of recipes

Sorted through some fabrics

Found books I'd been looking for.

Found a pair of socks which had gone missing.

Found an address of a friend I had lost.

Sorted out my bank statements.

Emptied out a plastic box of craft gear.

And after the disk finished, I switched over to free-to-air television and finished watching a movie on there until 11:30pm - and still I hadn't finished sorting through the junk in my living room.

I put away the craft gear into their boxes, worked through the recipes on the floor into their own piles and piled up the bank statements to be filed away. I even found my log book from my old car! Woah! 

This morning, I threw out the three bags of rubbish and did out the fridge before I went out shopping and tossed out a bag of rubbish into the big bin outside. This is a big thing to be done before New Year's Eve.

So, have you started on your house before next year? If so, great to know! Let us know what you got done and how you're doing. 

Zero Wrapping Paper

Okay, you're thinking: 'Well, what the heck am I supposed to wrap the presents for my relatives in?' 

Fabric.

Before you ask me another question, I'm suggesting you go into your scarf collection, and sort through them. There will be square ones you're not big on, you've never worn and some which may well be still in their plastic which were bought for you, and you didn't have the heart to tell that person you really didn't like them.

Okay, get those square, silky and rayon scarves out and Google: Furoshiki. This word is the act of wrapping presents and items in fabric. The Japanese have been doing this for a very long time, and it cuts back on waste, paper and landfill - and it's very beautiful too. 

I've been looking at how to tie the knots and make them just gorgeous so they are lovely to look at and easy to untie. And I'm looking forward to having a collection of scarves or square fabric to use to wrap presents instead of wasteful paper.

When you think of it: paper is ripped off a present and thrown in the bin - which ends up in landfill. Fabric can be reused for other things. And if you already have the fabric there in your home - aka: square scarves - you're halfway there, right?