I had such a great year last year becoming a crafter and a blogger but by the end of the year my house was really starting to feel a bit crazy- toys and other stuff bulging out of cupboards and wardrobes, most surfaces covered in stuff, my craft space really out of control and a to-do list a mile long of things to get done, which I just didn't because all my crafty projects (and the kids) were keeping me busy instead! With baby number 3 on the way my nesting instincts have gone a bit nuts and I am really wanting to get my home under control a bit more before life gets
really busy.
Yep, thats my craft space about mid December last year!
I've always been into organising and de-cluttering - my favourite TV program when we lived in the UK was one called
"Life Laundry, I bought and pored over
this Martha Stewart book "Good things for Organizing"
and my favourite quote was this one from the British designer
William Morris.
"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
Things have changed since having children though! One thing that made me realise I really needed to get my home sorted was when both girls sat on a pile of photo frames I had sitting on our bedroom floor for over 6 months and broke the glass in two of them (luckily there was a pile of cushion inners above them at the time that had also been there for about 4 months). I'd bought these frames over a year ago and just kept moving them from cupboard to wardrobe to finally the bedroom floor where they ended up.
So armed with my trusty label maker (
my sister refers to me as Monica from Friends quite often...) I'm going to have a go at tackling an organising project every week and I'm going to use my blog to keep myself accountable! Some projects will be biggish ones like sorting out the linen cupboard, the kids clothes and the photo albums I've been meaning to do for over a year now and others will just be little ones like sorting out my handbag and wallet, the pile of magazines or my email inbox. All things I've had on one of my many 'to do' lists for quite a while now - see, even my lists on my desktop are out of control!
So would you like to join me? I'm going to try and post one organising project a week on a Friday to keep me going. You might want to join in on your blog, or just read along and get some ideas.
And finally....a little giveaway....if you leave a comment here telling me something in your home you'd like to get organised this year (like the kids toys, your wardrobe, the spare drawer, the pantry...) I'll put you in the draw for this cute notepad and pen so you can start writing your 'to- do' lists!
Giveaway drawn Friday 28th Jan '11
Open to all, just leave your email address if you don't have a blog
Thanks for visiting!
Megan
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58 comments:
Megan I am in! I REALLY need to re-organise the kids toys, linen cupboard, studio (craft & sewing stuff & paperwork!), kitchen cupboards and the shed (big job!). I'm looking forward to hearing your updates hun. (Ps thanks for that typo link - muchly appreciated!) Angie x
What a great idea. Luckily I am a renter (first time I think I've admitted renting is lucky) and I have to keep moving due to price rises, so I haven't been in one place too long to collect 'goodies'. But I think I could still benefit from a big clean out!! My clothes draws are overflowing and shoes are coming out of my ears... so I guess I need to work on my bedroom!!! :)
Good luck with your cleanup!
And that notebook is super cute!!
Oh my gosh, you should see the amount of decluttering and organizing I need to do. We have baby number 3 on the way (due in august) and with school holidays, morning sickness and 2 active boys my house looks like a hurricane ripped through it. I can't even get to my sewing desk!
So I am in for the organization help!
Fabulous idea! I'm right in the throes of decluttering now!
You may want to look at this article: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/breaking-up-with-your-belongingsdecluttering-tips-for-the-sentimentalist-137030?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+apartmenttherapy%2Fmain+%28Main%29
Sorry for the long link, but it's an article on the Apartment Therapy blog about how to declutter ... I'm using it as my mantra!
I can't wait to see your baby ... I sometimes forget you're having one because you're so busy!
Oh man, I need help everywhere! I want to take a room a week and "de-junk". The more garbage bags I can fill, the better :) And hopefully give many, many things to charity! I would love to see any and all organization ideas! I love to be organized, but it can be hard to keep it that way :)
candy at fiber dot net
I love that quote and am trying to adopt it as well...clutter seems endless and the kids really make it hard as well...I am trying to organize what I have and more importantly, not bring in anything that I don't LOVE, or really need...this week I will organize my desk-I can't even see it right now.
lisadpope (at) yahoo (dot) com
Great idea, I love that Martha Stewart book too!!
I am in full fledged organising at the moment as we prepare for the movers to arrive tomorrow to ship us back to NZ.
So my goal this year is (once we get another house) to totally organise my crafting space - I think it will give the movers heart failure tomorrow when they arrive!!
i love this idea! not sure how much time i have to organise my stuff to be involved but i do want to organise my stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Especially my spare room... one day it will be another kids room and at the moment it wouldn't even fit a tiny baby!
Even before I saw your gorgeous giveaway I was hooked! I so want to join in! My house is in complete disarray, only one year (and a bit) into parenting... The area I would most love to improve is my kitchen table. It accumulates 'things' quicker than you can say "Eleanor, no!" I don't know what to do about it...
I don't know where to even begin!!
I should totally join you on this challenge. Hard for me because organisation seems to go completely against my nature, there a are some strengths to being able to function organised ;)
BUT I really need to get on top of things for my family's sake. maybe starting with a smallish job...my plastics cupboard....
hmmm
love the note book. V cute
I'm in too. One of my new years resolutions is to 'declutter'. I am a terrible hoarder and if I want baby number 3 to happen sometime this year he/she will have fit somewhereand currently all seams of this house are bursting. I really need to organise every aspect, but I think I'll start with the hallway storage cupboard.
What an awesome idea! I definitely need to do some organising at home. I'd like to sort through about 6 big boxes of 'stuff' I've got as well as clearing out my wardrobe. Not sure if I'll manage it every week but will definitely play along when I can.
I use post-its on my laptop for lists as well :-) And mine seem to be just as long as yours!
Ah where to start!!! We moved into our house 2 weeks pre-earthquake so have still not dared to hang anything on the walls (all the canvases and frames are in piles around the lounge. We have a bedroom to decorate for a wee man, a study that is a mess of half empty (thanks to my "helpful" daughter) boxes and there are various crafting bits and pieces scattered around the lounge. Oh and don't get me started on the clutter of toys in the living room... some serious de-cluttering needed here!!!
Oh Megan this post is perfectly timed for me! I really need to get organised, however I am finding that each time my little girl reaches a new level of independence I am running after it trying to organise for it! She is really keen on using the toilet now so we have undies, books in the toilet, hand washing and drying - all new realms to re- organise! Arghhh. I tend to see what I am not doing - so with a refocussed lens I thought I would begin with writing up a cleaning schedule which will hopefully allow me space and time to get into the other areas I would like to be organised in.
You blow me away with your blog, crafts and ability to juggle life as a busy mum! Thanks for inspiring me. Loving all the comments above
I so need to get organised - we will move again at the end of the year and I really need to get some order here so I dont move a mess. I am in. This week is the Tupperwear cupboard - wish me luck.
I am definitely joining in. Where to start? With a 2 year old and a 6mth old - toys toys toys. I have tried different arrangements, and still cannot get it right. Love to see that post!
I'll join you, though I have already started re-organising and de-cluttering my home. I love reading other peoples ideas and tips. I plan to tackle the boys room next, teenage boys at that! It's something I have been putting off, Lol!
Would love to win the cool notebook too, thanks.
Hey this fits in quite well with my own blog post today of sorting out and completing all my crafty projects. Can't say I want to sort my craft space this year as I have gotten that mostly done. My big organising project this year will be my WARDROBE!!! I have cleaned it out and but it's messy again already. Need more storage in there I think to keep it nice and tidy!
Having just moved house a couple of months ago I feel a little more organised as we did a major declutter. However, I would love to organise our spare bedroom cupboard and definitely the kids' toys as well. Oh, and I love that little notebook! I too am a list maker ... I have so many floating around the house!
I have just had a big reorganise...another 6 or so boxes off to Vinnies! I had to as my daughter left Brisbane to go to Canada and landed a heap of stuff on me. I just have a bit in my bedroom (always the last in my house!) to do. I found what helps in my craft corner is that I only do one thing at a time and go on to the next when I have completed and cleaned up...that also does wonders for my confidence and my creativity...I just note stuff down that pops into my head for future projects. Then they don't get forgotten.
Gosh, I certainly need some inspiration when it comes to getting organised! My new crafting room is my first project! So, I will definitely be reading and taking notes! By the way, love the new header!
I totally need to get my kitchen organised but it feels like a daunting task. I just need to put a day aside and DO IT!
Sounds like a great idea. I am normally really good but since the arrival of my second daughter a year ago I have let a lot slip. I think for me my worst area is my craft/office space and my garrage- ahhh scares me just thinking about the garrage!
I LOVE organising!! Probably because I'm good at being messy too! I'm in the midst of organising my computer/crafting room,but there is always something to organise; clothes, toys, fridge, bathrooms. It's never-ending! I do love finding storage solutions though, in books and places like Ikea and Howards Storage World. So I am in! The notebook and pen are adorable too! xx
i'm in for sure. it's top of my list after Birthday Season is done (end of Feb). i'm going to tackle it a little different....like, challenge myselgf to get rid of 25 items of clothing from my wardrobe; 50 toys; 30 things from the kitchen. like that...HARD CORE!!! haha
Yay, I'm in. Do I need to get organised? - do I ever. In the first week of January I hadn't blogged for a week, my cousin rang me to see if I was OK. I was so busy, making lists and lists and more lists - things to do, weekly job charts, kids jobs, menu plan list, weekly craft lists, birthday lists. And laminating. I do not have a label machine, but I love to laminate things and stick them on the fridge. I even have post lurking in drafts about organising, but thought no one would want read about it. I'm just post it after all:)
Me again, I forgot to enter the giveaway. I'm very excited, as today I got my lounge room looking amazing! Dusted high places, cleaned windows and sills, moved furniture and vacummed under and behind it, dusted all of the bookshelves and took the video recorder off the tv shelf, it hasn't worked for 6 months. Next stop is my walk in robe if I can bear it and then next week, when the kids return to school I will tackle there rooms.
my goodness, um my whole house! but I'd really love to have the cupboard under the stairs sorted. It houses a massive collection of fabric and other crafty stuff, linen for beds I no longer have and the list goes on really. I'm looking forward to seeing how you get on.
My space need desperate cleaning up right now. Great idea. Looking forward to following it along. Love the giveaway!
Well you have inspired me (again) and once the kids feel asleep tonight I pulled Monas draws out to the lounge (one by one not the whole thing) along with the 4draws in the wardrobe filled with hand me downs and the two bags she was given in the weekend. I have just finished! Her draws are all sorted with 6 bags of clothes to go, yay!
Thank you and ps I'd love to go in the draw for your cool giveaway!
I am such a fan of cool notebooks!
We're in the middle of renovations (actually nearing the end now) and everytime we have to rearrange rooms (as they get remodelled etc) I've reduced the "stuff" we have. Hopefully decluttering and organising won't be too hard for me!
The biggest thing that needs organising is the shed. That's where the 'can live without for a few weeks/months' stuff has gone. I'm looking forward to having the house finished so all my stuff can come back in! I especially miss the easy access to my bookshelf and boxes of yarn.
I am forever organising things! This year I'd love to organise the boy's toys properly and the lounge. I have DVD's and playstation games coming out my ears and they have no where to go! (Yet). Oh and the garage, in time for winter so that R can ride his bike in there. I'm a bit of an organisational freak *blush*.
I totally have to to get my house organised - we moved (from a bigger house) 4 months ago and have never really got on top of the clutter since - every room needs a plan (plus the garage but I can't even think about that at the moment!)
my sewing room looks a lot like your space in the photo;)
that's what i'd like to tackle very soon! perhaps i'll share on the blog if i'm not too embarrassed, lol :)
I would love to join in but I am currently homeless and staying at my Dad's until the finance goes through on the house we've offered for. Which will probably be about an April move in date. When I do finally get there I really Really want to get all my boxes of school stuff filed and sorted and packed away neatly in files and plastic crates, this would be FANTASTIC but would involve an incredibly large amount of time.
Ps button is up on my blog :-)
Oh yes count me in too. My youngest is starting school in two weeks so I have absolutely no excuse not to get stuck in! My hall cupboard, under the bed and my recipe books need an overhaul.
I know it's a cliche....but the whole house! I need to downsize seriously all my stuff for our move later in the year to the new small house! Today I took a boot load of stuff to the opshop. I have been culling magazines too, yet i do not seem to be getting anywhere! Yes please to any help (especially if it involves a cute notebook!)
Having moved temporarily from a house into a tiny cottage we have "stuff" everywhere and nothing is organised. I need to go through and organise/cull everything for our move later in the year so I look forward to following along with you! Thanks for sharing :)
I really need to sort and organise my craft space this year so my projects don't take twice as long because they're on top of everything else!!
This sounds like a fab idea. I like it even more because I don't feel like I will be doing it alone!
I have already made a good start as with all this rain in queensland and being flood bound for a few days, I really didn't have much to do but clean and organise.
I am still ready, willing and able to participate! Thanks for the motivation.
Lisa
Yip, I'll be in on this - or some of it anyway. I'm a constant de-clutterer, I love the liberation of biffing stuff out. But there are several areas of concern for me which I'm planning to tackle (generally places I don't look at on a daily basis). My craft space is a huge one, so I will get onto that this weekend. Great to feel accountable via this space : )
ok I've had time to think it over and yes I'm going to take you up on the offer - I could definitely use some motivation to get rid of some 'stuff' (no need to put me in the drawer - I've already won some pretty cool stuff this year already!)
I definitely need to sort the cupboard under the stairs - it's a bit scary to venture into at the moment!
Our home is in desperate need of organising and decluttering. With seven of us in a pokey little house and no storage it gets frustrating to say the least.
We have moved the bed out of the spare room so that we can move all of the kids toys in and make a playroom. The bed is gone but still have to get round to moving the toys in and setting up!
I have a cupboard, inside it lives Murphy who a)throws things around b) hides things in said cupboard and c) occassionally opens the cupboard from the inside and chucks everything out into the hallway.
It has NO shelves, but enough stuff to definitely need shelves. Someone come and evict Murphy and help me sort out the cupboard
I'm pretty certain I could one area in each of the rooms in my house that are DESPERATE for a clean-out! This Organisation Challenge is just the thing I need to get my butt in gear :-)
i am with you in the organising-project. i did the kitchen counters today (stuff, that hasn't been used for ages stood there) and reserved 30 minutes for paperwork for each day - which is hard with s children under 4... stephanie[at]oppitz[dot]de
Count me in too! I used to subscribe to emails from FlyLady.net but never got on top of reading them let alone using the routines.
I think 2011 is my year of downsizing!! One room at a time (and perhaps the garage gets double-slots) I want to give/throw away stuff that is neither useful nor beautiful ... I love that quote... think I'll print it out and put it up for inspiration.
I'm going to hop on your de-clutter train too - I constantly talk about how I want to be organized but don't tackle the piles often enough. Like the person above (shorty) I used to subscribe to FlyLady.net but the reminders just added clutter to my inbox. As for what it is I need/want to clear out if you name it I can pretty much guarantee I need to organize it.
Thanks for this nudge in the right direction.
Okay, so I am a month behind, but I am in!!! My house seriously needs a kick in the butt and so do I!
I know I am coming in late too, just found your blog. I love your enthusiasm for organising. I am expecting no. 2 in a month or so and know that nesting can send you into organising overtime.
I've only just found your blog, but I'm definitely in!
HA! I just posted a new page on my blog with almost exactly the same sort of story...sort of...
I am in and am keeping myself accountable on my blog too. :-)
OMG! I am so glad I found you and your blog! Seriously! I've been looking for a Kiwi mum blog, but only ever came across American ones! SO HAPPY! And yes I need to Organise my chaos as I have baby number 2 on the way and his stuff is piling up in the bedroom and my daughters toys thrown in the spare room! Can't wait to read more!
a few weeks ago i wrote a blog about decluttering partly in response to the number of people who would come into my house and say 'but where is all your STUFF'!.
I see lots of people are saying, i don't know where to start...and I would say, begin with something small like...your makeup bag, your sewing box, the drawer in the kitchen where all the stuff-you-don't-know-where-it-goes is, your bedside cabinet.
My house is literally clutter free and yet I still manage to keep a chuck/donate pile on the go all the time. It's a process:)
Lovely blog and I am so inspired by your craft..
Wow this is such an inspirational blog! Love it!
I really really need to sort out my garage. I did attempt it last year but basically just sorted stuff out and put it against walls. As people have been using things, they have just been dumping them in the middle, so chaos reigns again!
I think we need shelving, or something like a miracle!
Thanks for the nudge in the right direction!
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