Move It Out Monday

I'm retired...I should have all the time I need...right?  Well, it doesn't seem to be working out that way. Life and overbooking has produced a stressed out me...so last week...I made a plan...I'm reclaiming my LIFE.....I want to focus more on the things I want to do and do more of the things I love....It might seem selfish but its essential.  Plus many of those things are home, family and friends related. So its' time to TAKE CHARGE....and RECLAIM MY LIFE....

With that rant over we can get to the task at hand...It's Move It Out Monday...I have stuff lingering in the van that needs to go to Agape (our hometown version of Goodwill) so that is one of my Move It Out Monday goals. The other is to work on decluttering the laundry room as I do some laundry today.

Slow and Steady

 

 

First of all Merry Christmas!  It's December both a joyous and exhausting month. So I thought with that in mind I'd give you a bit of an update on how my "working the plan" is going. Today on my plan it's clean the living room and clean the bedroom.  They are already done and it's not even nine o'clock.  What I am noticing is that by working the plan consistently, things just do not get as crazy and therefore a quick clean is so easy. Now if only I could conquer the kitchen!  That's a room that I feel like I can clean constantly and still have something messed up! 

 

 

I've settled into a routine and it's pretty basic but some days it's still overwhelming. I'll give you the current version because sometimes I adjust it based on needs.

 

 

1. Blog:  (this is whichever blog I plan to write on this day)  I have several blogs so I assigned them each a day of the week. Then I can keep a steady flow of new posts without being overwhelmed.  I can almost "guarantee" that there will be a new post on every blog at least once a week. For December I am blogging twice a week at Magical Holiday Home and North Pole Notes.

 

2. Clean:  Each day has a room or rooms. I actually combined rooms because I wanted one day for BIG project cleaning like the basement and garage, plus I wanted to take Sunday off. I tried putting two rooms together that are pretty much under control so that it is manageable to do two!

 

3. Zone:  This is an adaption of the FlyLady program. I like her daily reminders and tasks and they remind me to do things that I might otherwise not do. Sometimes I don't do the task that she suggests if something else fits better. This week is the Kitchen zone. I normally clean the kitchen on Wednesdays but this week I will do one task daily as well as the regular cleaning on Wednesday. I try to slot in a "monthly task" if the one she suggests doesn't need it or seem to fit my needs.

 

4. Declutter 15:  I pick something to declutter just for 15 minutes. Currently I am alternating between the garage and the basement for my 15 minutes...one day basement, one day garage and so on.

 

5. Laundry: At least one load every day plus I have assigned a day for each family member so they know when they can use the laundry room without messing up someone else's schedule.

 

That's pretty much the basic approach I have been following for about 5-6 months and it is really starting to make a difference! I am hosting several events this month and getting ready for them has been so much easier. Now adding in the Christmas shopping, wrapping etc is a bit of a challenge but I do feel like I am making progress.

 



Zones, Rooms, Weeks, and Months

So I'm sitting here blogging this morning and watching the clock, realizing that I'm a little behind schedule with what I want to accomplish today because I did an extra post instead of just the two I had planned. I usually try to be done blogging by 8:00 and it's almost 9:00. So I'll keep this short and sweet this morning. Today's post is about of all things, sticking to a schedule. Yep on the one day I planned to write about keeping to a schedule...I'm off schedule. Life you like to play cruel jokes!

Let's be honest, I'm not very good at sticking to schedules and that's why I have a ton of declutter hot spots and other half finished endeavors. Now that I'm retired the schedule is a self imposed one but it's still important. Important to me anyway. I need to feel the victory of overcoming a messy house and the freedom of getting rid of clutter. I've been working my self created schedule now for about two months and it has worked wonders for my home. It's no where near spotless yet but the difference is amazing. I can find things, I actually end up with some extra time to be creative, and I feel lighter in spirit.

It doesn't matter if you choose a weekly schedule or a monthly one. It's not important if you work zones, areas, rooms or hotspots. Just set up a schedule and work it every day. Now I've always struggled with how to keep up with my daily tasks and take on a more complex project like cleaning the basement. I've played around for years with plans and schedules and checklists. Through the blessing of retirement I now have the time to implement the hodge podge one I've put together from several sources plus my own needs. If you work full time, let's face it....you will need to make a simple schedule or it's just not going to happen. If you have small children your schedule will need to look different also. No one schedule fits everyone.

 

 

It has taken me TWO full months to even start to think I'm getting somewhere. My main focus has been the living areas of the house, places we use every day. Now I can quick clean them in less than an hour a day so I can add in some time to start chipping away at some major projects.

 

Here's a quick look at how my plan works but it's also flexible in case something needs more attention etc.

 

• Monday is quick pick up the house. Living room, bedroom, bath and kitchen. Office also if time allows. It is also clean the living room day so that room gets extra attention. In addition to that I try to work in whatever FlyLady zone it is. (This week it is the baths and one extra room) So each day I pencil in a Zone chore to do. I don't really follow hers but sometimes I do. So today I am working in the extra room (the office) and I am organizing and putting my albums into a pretty basket. Two loads of laundry also get done today.
• Tuesday another quick pick up and the room that gets extra attention (a deeper cleaning) is the bathrooms. Two loads of laundry and time in the Zone. This day I'll clean under one of the bathroom sinks.
• Wednesday is another quick pick and the room of the day is the kitchen. I'll work in the Zone for 15-30 minutes. I've picked some shelves in the office that need cleaning and decluttered.  Laundry as needed.
• Thursday is a quick pick and then grocery shopping day. I don't put a room on this day as I know grocery shopping will be enough to accomplish. I'll still do 15-30 minute Zone chore though.
• Friday starts with a quick pick then the Master bedroom is the room of the day. Laundry if needed and work in the zone 15-30.

Now I am adding declutter projects for 15-30 minutes each day for some major hotspots in my home. No more than 15-30 or it becomes overwhelming. So my focus this week is the family room in our basement. It tends to get ignored and accumulates all manner of odds and ends.

 

So to keep it simple:

1. Always do a quick pick each day
2. Always do a deeper cleaning of the room of the day
3. Always work in the weekly zone 15-30 minutes (pick a task for each day)
4. Laundry (take care of the monster)
5. Declutter tasks in a major hotspot 15-30 minutes.

 

It is taking time but I am at the point where the quick pick up goes pretty fast and the deeper cleaning of one room isn't so overwhelming. That is why I am now adding in some of the more overwhelming areas that I need to deal with. 

I'm sharing this with you in the hopes that you will develop your own schedule to fit your needs. I've struggled for years doing one method or another but not really sticking to them. It doesn't matter whether you do FlyLady, Holiday Grand Plan, Organized Home's plans or your own hybrid plan. The truth is....stick to it and you will see a difference. Start small.

Days, Decor, and Enjoying Your Home

It's Move It Out Monday, one of my favorite days here at Month by Month. I've come to appreciate decluttering because it allows me to create a home that is calm and "cute". It's not just a house filled with junk but a home filled with love and loving touches.

I decluttered the bedroom in October and then created a fun little space to share just a few fun things each month, It makes me smile every morning when I get up and it also helps not being surrounded by mounds of clothes!  It's not elaborate but it makes me smile and our homes should make us smile!

And when November 1st rolled around it was so simple to take down the October and put up a little November display. It makes the bedroom feel fresh and new!

I have created a few places throughout my home for little seasonal displays. The one below had Halloween stuff and then when November rolled around I just took out the Halloween related items and put in the turkeys and Thanksgiving. Presto change-o a new look.

 

Halloween 2014

 

                                                             Thanksgiving 2014

I'm already thinking ahead to December, January, February.  December I have tons of Christmas stuff so that should  not be a problem. I'm think it should be my Santa display!

                                              This is the kitchen Thanksgiving display.
I also changed up the shadow box display in the living room by replacing the Halloween with turkeys and Thanksgiving. I still have a couple empty spots that I'll add a few more items to.

 

You might be thinking CLUTTER...but the truth is, it's cute, it's me and it's what makes a home feel special. The only way I was able to do it though was to get rid of a lot of clutter. To let go of things I've been hanging on to. Decluttering is not about getting rid of everything and having bare space. It's about making room in your home for love and décor that makes you smile!

 

Christmas Storage

I wanted to share with you some Christmas storage organization that I am working on this year. EVERY year I say I am going to declutter the Christmas stuff and get it organized and handy for the following holiday season. Every year I usually fail miserably (some years worse than others). So this year I decided to take some drastic steps.

While I was looking at ideas for holiday organization I came across the idea of using clear totes and also of using smaller totes.  In the past I have avoided the clear totes because I felt like the jumble of items inside looks cluttered and disorganized while solid colored totes have a "cleaner" feel to them.  However after trying unsuccessfully for years to label and identify the contents of said "colored" totes I decided to go with some clear ones. 

 

These are the 15 quart Hefty clear holiday ones. (holiday simply because they have the red and green tops.) I bought A LOT of them. They were on sale at K Mart and I also ordered additional ones from K Mart online once I determined how many I wanted. I divided ornaments by colors (blue and purple) (red and gold) etc and grouped other items together (Santas, trees, village houses) etc. You might notice some of the boxes are still empty. That is because I am sill going through random totes and pulling out like items. For example, in several totes I have miniature Christmas tea sets. When I am finished they will all be tucked nicely together in one of these clear bins.

 

The two pictures show the top shelf of my Christmas storage area. There are three additional shelves that are not organized. (baby steps remember) Most of my Christmas totes and other random things are stored here. My goal is to organize this particular storage area as Christmas ONLY. (Plus a section for my sets of "party glasses"-wine, martini and margarita glasses)  I have some other random Christmas totes stored in other areas of the basement. I would like to declutter Christmas enough so they fit on these four rather large shelves.  I will store the tree(s) in another location though.

 

I love the smaller organized totes but realize not all of my Christmas will fit in such small ones.  I am planning to get some Hefty clear holiday storages totes in the next size up which is 29 quart (about double the size of the ones I already have.) Those will be used on the second shelf and the bottom two shelves will then be used to organize the red colored totes I currently have (which are the larger ones).

 

The advantages of this is that the smaller totes are so much easier to get down from the shelves and to carry wherever I want to unpack them. I can also easily grab a box and get just one item out if that is all I decide to use at the time (or for that year). I have so many items that I rotate them around using some things every year but other items just some years. During the decluttering  I will donate or throw away items that no longer fit my needs.

 

Essentially Christmas is "packed away" put I plan on revisiting this storage area as time allows to continue to declutter and organize. It is seeming much more manageable! It's an ongoing process but at least this year I do not just have random stuff sitting all over the basement!!

 

 

 

September Declutter Club

It's time for September Declutter Club and just in time for the holidays. Many of you are starting holiday plans and whether it's the Holiday Grand Plan or House and Holidays Plan a wee bit of decluttering will make the whole process more worth while.

I've decided to continue by One Thing a Day list and have included lots of decluttering as daily tasks. Clutter is something that tends to accumulate a lot at my house. I have to be honest with you. With the Labor Day weekend I'm already behind. Never fear...some days I'll just do two things to catch up with the days I missed.

Big decluttering jobs are very rewarding but I seldom have the chunks of time necessary to tackle those BIG jobs. I'm finding that a little here and a little there does add up though! t's nice to open a drawer and be able to find just what I want!

The choice is yours......

Month by Month Notebook Revamp...

 

 

 

As I posted earlier I am revamping the Month by Month notebook. Behind each section is the monthly list with Declutter Focus and Monthly Routine Chores. I took chores that need to be done once a month or every few months and divided them out throughout the year putting a few each month. 

 

Next I decided that I wanted a weekly-daily list.  It's a weekly list because it shows the whole week but it is really divided up by days. This is not my first such list. I'm not good at long term commitments but I know that developing habits will certainly help things from accumulating.

 

 I started small with little things that I feel like build up but which if kept on top of would really make a difference. Mine are most likely not what you would choose. That's fine...each person needs to decide what one-three things they NEED to do each day. For me they are not the same each day and some are very specific...like clean the litter box and some are very general like clean bedroom. I also realize that I might not have time in the evening after work to completely clean a room (or have the energy) like this evening. On the list is the bedroom. In the past I would have skipped it all together because I didn't have the time to do the whole thing. But instead this evening...I hit the hot spots...clothes on foot of bed, dresser top and shoes to put away. Not perfect but I feel like I have accomplished something so I consider it a win!

 

I'm not sure I have just the "right" combination on my list but I am going to stick with it for six months and then revise as needed. This list stays the same EVERY week.  Then I looked at my monthly declutter and routine list...How could I add those items to the weekly list so a little gets accomplished each day and the things are marked off the list by the end of the month?  See my solution above...little sticky note strips. I wrote chores from the monthly list on them and stuck them to the to do sheet.  If by chance I don't get to something I can transfer the sticky to a new day. When the chore is done I can throw the sticky away.

 

I'm still working on making this a true working notebook and something that doesn't just collect dust....watch for more posts in the future. 

April Update #2 More Pizza Box Sorting

 

So I ran into a bit of a problem today that may delay my progress of decluttering the office this month....the TERMITES are back...UGH. Which means another cleaning of the garage and basement area so the guy can reapply the poison. YUCK.

 

But I felt a bit inspired today so I decided to declutter a bit more in the office before moving in another direction (the garage) tomorrow. I can't remember if I posted my pizza box organization here or over at The Creative Spirit. I ordered like a flat of 50 14 x 14 pizza boxes to use in my paper tower and for some other items. Well needless to say...I had some left over!  As I looked at the mounds of stuff....and you may think I'm kidding when I say mounds (I'm not) I thought I need to sort this stuff or I'm never going to get anywhere. So dear hubby put together the remaining pizza boxes and as I went through the stacks I sorted items into them. I just used a post it note as a temporary label because right now they are "holding spots"  

 

There's still mounds and stacks to get through but at least I have made a dent in it and the things in the boxes can be located when I need them.  They aren't the prettiest looking things but it is certainly better than piles, and piles, and piles, of stuff.

April Update #1

Okay....I decided to start out with a small BEFORE picture....I might work my way up to another picture of the REALLY big mess but starting out with baby steps. This is a stack of random stuff on my desk. There' coupons, bills. scraps of paper with notes about who knows what, business cards and other crazy mail stuff. I don;t know how this accumulates so quickly. Tonight while watching Bates Motel (yes I have crazt viewing habits) I'm going to work my way through this one small stack. Another night...another stack. All the stacks aren't paper...some are going to take more decision making then this small stack! :(

I typed up and filed the monthly Declutter Focus and Monthly Routine Chores behind each monthly section. Last year I worked up Weekly Focus areas (which I only stuck with for a short period of time) that I'm keeping in place also.

I also placed a monthly birthday reminder list behind each monthly section, as well. These sections will evolve more as time goes by so I'll post when I add anything new.

In the last post I mentioned the April Declutter Focus (the office) and the Monthly Routine Chores (Clean pantry and Clean linen closet) so now I'll just add what I have on the Weekly Focus List.  I could probably change the weekly focus to go more with the Declutter Focus but I figure I need to try to keep getting things done in ALL areas of the home so I will try them as I originally planned them.

April Weekly Focus List:

Week One: Desk (works well since it's office declutter month!) Also that's WHY I'm working on that stack tonight!

Week Two: Files (again pretty great because I have a file drawer in the desk in the office that I can work on)

Week Three: Garden Shelves  (Now these are in the garage but still a good time to attack them because spring might actually be here. Shhh don't tell Mother Nature I said that)

Week Four: Flower beds (Hopefull it will be warm and nice by the end of April and a good time to work outside.)

Any Fifth Week is a Wild Card Week. Not sure what I will tackle this week. I'll keep you posted.

Month by Month: April Highlights

It's been a while since I've blogged here....sometimes living life gets in the way of blogging....and if I have to choose....I'm going to live life. That's as it should be!  However my home is a wreck, my notebook is a mess and I have no routines what so ever...so it's time to buckle down and get back on track. I had divided my Month by Month Notebook into four notebooks...one for each season. Now the notebooks are lovely but not really working. I am planning to keep them as files for all those great holiday and seasonal ideas but set back up my original Month by Month Notebook.  The home notebook can not be under used if one wants to stay on track.

I'll have a divider for each month as I did before as I'm just taking them out of the four seasons notebooks.  As I was cleaning house for Easter, I reminded myself that having routines and regular decluttering and cleaning plans keeps things from gettting so out of control.  Reminded myself of all the Organized Home and SHE stuff from the past. It's not NEW but it works. So I took some plain paper (for not) and wrote down each month of the year. Under each month is a list of big chores and cleaning items that you don;t have to do every week but that do need scheduled work. In additon each month is going to have a declutter room or area assigned to it also. This is my own take on the Room A Month cleaning approach but with the major emphasis on DECLUTTERING. I'll keep you up to date on how it all transpires.  I don't have all the list established yet but here's the tentative one for April.

APRIL

Declutter Focus: The Office (I'm developing a check list for decluttering this room also)

1. Clean Pantry (I'm planning to have this on the list every other month)
2. Clean Linen closet  (I plan to start with twice a year but will see how it goes.)

If I find additional items to add to the list I will update later. I want to start out small as the problem in the past has been mile long lists that NEVER get accomplished. This month the declutter area is really bad....so I figure keeping the rest of the list small might help!

Cheers....I'll update later. I'm trying to blog this to get myself motivated. If I can bring myself too...I might even take before and after photos...oh it is so bad...I'm not sure I can. We will see,

Move It Out Monday: Home Office

Oh how I wish my office was this organized........Isn't this a lovely set up!

But alas I must work with what I have...and it's not a large airy room with a great window!

One of the biggest hot spots in my home is my office. It's a small room to begin with which always makes things a bit difficult. In this room are two desks...one contains the computer, printer and bill paying center! The other desk is the craft desk and it contains all sorts of art materials.  I try to keep the surfaces of both areas clear and organized. It is a never ending battle~!

Here are a few tips that seem to help me

1. Set up a regualr weekly time to purge, organize and just declutter your desk top. Mine is Fifteeen Minute Friday!

2. Limit your desk top to things you use frequently. Store other things out of sight in a drawer or cabinet.

3. Find a filing system that works for you. I have tried tons of systems. Mostly I have not been able to keep up with them!  Now I have file folders for January through December. I purchased these from Current and they are colorful with the month names printed all over them in different fonts. When papers come across my desk I decide if they are a keep...if so...They go into that months folder. If not, they go into the trash!  At the end of each month...I take a quick look through the folder and discard any papers that i no longer need. The rest stay in the folder and the folder is moved to the back to make room for the new month at the front.  When the year starts over I go through all the monthly folders and clean them out. If the papers need to be kept. I put them in a labeled YEAR folder...if not they are trashed.

From Current. Price (on sale now) 7.49

These are the ones I use from Current but they have a new style now.



These are 8.99

4. Invest in a nice sized trash can and use it often. I need one!!  The one i have now is too small and is often overflowing!

5. Add some "pretty touches" to your desk. A framed print, some flowers, something that has beauty and you will want to keep your desk clutter free to enjoy it!

Move It Out Monday: Decluttering Thoughts

I have to admit right now my house is a cluttered mess. Things are all over the place, nothing seems to be where it should be. Its exhausting to look at. I think the thing that is most challenging about decluttering is realizing that it is NEVER done. A perfectly organized and decluttered area can become a disaster if let go for even a little bit! Let more than one area go...and ...well....you have a house looking like mine. It's like a jungle overgrown with vines, weeds, and fallen trees. Time to take ACTION.

I started yesterday on the office. This is a room that wasn't finished to begin with. Then I realized there are other areas that I really must tackle first.  When I say that I mean for my own sanity.  So I moved into the living room. I set up my donate box and started in. It was amazing how in about an hour I managed to at least create a bit of order!  There's so much more to do though!

Here are a few tips that might help if you have a BIG job like I have right now...

1. As soon as that donation box is full....get it OUT of the house....even if that just means putting it in the car to drop off later!  THEN get another box and start filling it up.

2. Be ruthless....don't keep anything because you MIGHT use it....if you are not using it and haven't....and if it can be easily replaced...get rid of it and see if you even miss it.

3. Let's face it ladies....it's time to get rid of those VHS tapes....pretty soon there aren't even going to be VCR players.  Donate or into the trash.....they are real space stealers! If you MUST replace your favorites with DVDs...but also remember with things like Netflix....you can have them at your fingertips without having to store them,

4. Don't get distracted by other rooms or areas (this is a biggie for me). When I head into another area to move something...suddenly I find myself working in there....NO....go back to your focus area and keep pluggin away.

5. JUST START.....I find that once I actually start....I can accomplish a lot....its the starting part I have trouble with.

6. Think of it as a game...and keep score...give yourself a point for every box or bag you get out of the house. Give yourself two points for every area, drawer, shelf or cabinet that you finish cleaning out. Set a goal and when you reach it....give yourself a prize...no clutter please...maybe a nice lunch out, a movie, or two hours of reading time!

Move It Out Monday: Free Declutter Printable

Since I'm all into Subway art printables...it was a lot of fun to find this FREE declutter rules printable over at: The Clutter Free Classroom.

So print it out...frame it or put it on the fridge door...put it somewhere you will see it EVERY day....

Declutter Jewelry

I found this cute little idea over at: Fabulessly Frugal.   It was posted as a way to make frugal gifts. I think it would be a cute and clever way to organize your jewelry. Boxes are okay for jewelry but they tend to get cluttered with pieces we seldom wear or worse yet a really great piece gets lost in the chaos. These frames would keep our favorite pieces in easy reach and also serve as some unusual decor.  You could paint the frames to match your bedroom color scheme!

Move It Out Monday: 52 Things in 52 Weeks

I have to admit...I haven't even started the February Declutter Calendar....yikes!  Life just gets so busy...I did GREAT in January so maybe I can get back on track for February!  While bemoaning the fact that I'm off track and wanting to write a Declutter Club Monday post....I went seraching on line for "declutter" stuff.  I found this from 2011. I didn't see an updated one for 2012...but you could follow the same outline!

The idea is to delcutter 52 things in 52 weeks....so a whole year but rather than daily (like the calendar I've been using) it's weekly. There's a list of 52 things with link to posts about delcuttering them, personal progress etc. It's worth a look. You can check it out HERE!

The truth is.....you can also make your own list of 52 items to declutter....anything from books to bowls.....from VHS tapes to computer games....Sometimes a calendar or list like the 52 Things Challenge is helpful (it does INSPIRE me) but you don't have to follow someone else's plan if you want to jot down your own. Make it personal, make it meaningful and then stick to it!!

Good luck Declutter Club members and visitors....now get to decluttering...it is Move It Out Monday!!

Month by Month 2012

As you can see from the 2012 posts so far...decluttering ....is going to be a major focus here at Month by Month. You'll be seeing a weekly post every Monday about decluttering. Sometimes it will be an update on how things are going at my house, sometimes it will be a decluttering tip or idea, sometimes it will be a declutter link party, where I'll share with you blogs and sites that have great ideas and goodies to share about decluttering, Hopefully the Monday post will help us start the week with a bit of declutter motivation!

Wednesdays will be focused primarily on planning, cleaning, and organizing. I'd like to fine tune the Monthly Magic a bit because it seems a tad overwhelming. I think it's a great concept but time for some revision and overhaul! On Wednesdays we will also look at organizing tips, progress monitoring, daily and weekly schedules, and sometimes have a P.C.O. link party! 

Friday's will be Frugal Fridays and they will be posts that include a frugal mindset, repurposing things in your home, flea market finds, budgeting, simple dollar store crafts, simple recipes, and couponing ideas!

At times there may be other posts on other days but my goal for 2012 is to post here ar least three times a week!  I need to keep on track and the best way to do it is to share my plans and ideas with all the Month by Month readers!

I know it's Wednesday so consider this my Declutter Club Monday post....it's all about decluttering my thinking and getting back on track blog wise!!

Declutter Week Four Update

Headed into the last two days of January....the declutter journey continues!  You can see from the calendar above that I marked off a bunch of stuff! I put the calendat on my fridge and highlighted the tasks once I completed them! I tried not to get too hung up on the fact that some weeks I missed a task or two. I figured some progress was better than none....and I made myself move onto the new week without regrets!

Now honestly I haven't gotten to any of the BIG areas in my house,,,the trouble spots, so to speak! However I am finding the little things do make a difference in everyday life and the way one feels about the home. To open up a drawer and find what you need rather than it being crammed full of stuff  that you wonder why you are even keeping is a great feeling! To know where the hammer is...instead of hunting everywhere for it...is a good feeling. To use your makeup without having to move aside expired bottles (or ones that just didn't work for you!) helps one start the day in a better mood!

Declutter Update: My Art Desk Storage

I veered a bit from the "calendar" and worked on my crop/art desk a bit. It was a mess. I never realized how messy being creative is. Pens, markers, cards, paint, brushes, bits of paper, glue sticks etc etc.  So I decided I needed some desk top storage options. I am trying to limit what I bring into the house and make sure more GOES OUT...than COMES IN,,,,then I remembered these little flower pots.  I bought them at the Dollar Tree a couple years back and used them one season to "Plant Easter Eggs". They were eggs on little wooden stakes. Since then they have sit on the gardening shelf in the garage.

I LOVE their colors. There are four of them: pink, green, yellow and blue. I thought they'd be the perfect size for the desk and very pretty. In one I have placed the 3 x 5 Index cards for the ICAD challenge. In another I put some embellishements pieces that I know I'll be using in creating. The pink one is still empty while I decide it's best use. The blue one is full of pens...lots of black pens and some colored pens as well. I had already been using a little green and blue flowerpot for my paint brushes.

The other side of the desk holds a large baskets with tons of markers, my wooden calendar/journal box for daily writing and a pitcher and bowl that was my moms. The desk isn't pefect and it still gets cluttered but it's a little easier to return things to their proper place.!

I'm trying to learn to "shop home" first. It would have been easy to run somewhere...even the dollar store for some cute storage solutions....but i already had them...just needed to dig them out and dust them off!

Declutter Club Week Three: Jan. 15-21st

Week Three I seem to be slowing down. I managed to get through 4 of the 7 tasks assigned. Sometimes I catch up on a couple on Sunday...so maybe that will happen today or maybe I will just move onto Week Four. Either way at least some things were accomplished. Really I did more decluttering this week than the four items from the calendar so I feel like I am making a little progress.

It looks like Week Four tasks are all related to  storage which is going to work well for me because I am still jumbling around Christmas. WHAT you say....it's almost the end of January. Well it is what it is...last summer I orgnaized my Christmas better than it had been in years but even so I have to drag out the boxes etc and get things placed correctly...so this week will work for me!!

As I said this week I did some delcutter tasks not on the calendar:

1. I cleaned out my little file basket on my office desk. It has a-z and also some little tabbed dividers that say things like Family Information, Insurance Cards etc. So it serves as both an address place and important notes place.  It's clean and tidy now!

2. I delcuttered TWO drawers in my crop/art desk. They were a mess. Nice and tidy now!

I think there were a couple others to but I can't bring them to mind right now!

Junk Drawer-After

So here's the junk drawer-after....I only managed to throw away like three items and I moved three or four to other locations.  Still it does look slightly LESS junky and a bit more organized!!

I need to keep this on my list for a monthly or every other month task and perhaps over time I will get rid of more stuff. But for now it looks a little better and I don't need the space for anything else...so all is good!!