She Inspires!

Just before my hectic weekend, I had a lovely email 'chat' with a fellow young mumma who is trying to get her life organised and streamlined, and it was a real pleasure to get to know a little more about one of my dedicated followers. 

She has her hands full with two little ones, a job, study and a household to run with her partner, and I am so impressed by her dedication to get things running smoothly for herself and her growing family. Any mum that can work, study and run a household deserves the utmost respect and admiration. Any one of those things on their own is an unrelenting drain on the mind and body. 

But Tegan is doing great things to get on track, and she sent me these pictures of some high traffic, clutter magnets in her home, that she just had to attack after reading some of my earlier posts. I am super chuffed to be the inspiration behind a little blitz like this!

Who hasn't got a clutter magnet hidden somewhere around their computer area?! Everyone in the family drops a little something on the desk with each visit, random printouts lay forgotten, bills are out ready for online banking etc. My favourite Decluttering Guru Peter Walsh is known to say "Once you have stuff on your flat surfaces, you are starting to lose the battle with clutter." So if you want to bust that clutter, get your flat surfaces clear of all the unnecessary STUFF! That's exactly what Tegan did, and this is how it looked after she worked her magic....

Just how you would want your desk to look! Nothing on that desk is unrelated to the space, and yet Tegan still keeps it personal by displaying her pictures and pinboard up on the wall where they can make her smile!

Next on Tegan's hit list was this hutch by her front door. Tegan explained to me that this hutch belongs to the owner of the property they rent, so the hutch stays where it is whether they love it or not! Luckily Tegan and her family are moving very soon, so they don't have to live with it much longer, but that didn't mean that it had to stay that way till moving day.....

As B4 would say "Holy Moley!" I have honestly never seen a difference this big in any decluttering project, and I was blown away with what Tegan was able to remove from this space. Almost all of the items had a proper home elsewhere, and that's where they went! My favourite part; the family sunnies lined up in row, too cute!

If you've been inspired after having a look at one of my projects, and whip out your camera (hopefully in time for the 'before's) and take some snaps of your own project, and send me an email of the results, I love featuring my Inspired Readers, you guys make my decluttering-world go around!

xo Cassie

She Decorates!

Oops....I kind of forgot She Thrifts existed! A lovely Friday girl's night, cruisey Saturday family time and my nicest Mother's Day yet on Sunday, left no room for thoughts of projects or blogs. Which is a good thing in the way of projects, because I have quite a few piled up, waiting for their moment in the spotlight! 

I mentioned, some time ago now, that I've gave my Laundry Room Hallway some love, so it's about time I shared the progress!

 

You've seen the Laundry in my house tour here, but this is how it looked the day I got stuck in. Dreary (much like the weather that day), with a view of something resembling a Boy's Toy Yard. This is the window I have to walk run past after a shower, and is also the window near which my Father in-law waters his garden. Far too often, our timing is excruciatingly similar, and I have had too many near misses to leave the window bare any longer. The 'higgledy piggledy' shelf set up was also a bother, and to prove that I am out of order with my blog posts, those white stacked shelves on the dryer are the ones Hubs cut up for the Wardrobe Overhaul the other week. I was glad they got put to better use, but I had to get things sorted in the laundry quick smart!

Shelves are removed so the Hubs can cut them up for my new laundry bench! Lots of icky lint and general muck to be found in spots like this :o(

Dryer is out, floor gets a wipe down, and I go off to cut up my new window treatment!!

I heart our Indoor-Outdoor table, the slats make the perfect cutting guides for all of my projects!

I picked up all of the things I needed to treat the window from our beloved Ikea! See budget further down for more details. I have been in love with this particular blind for years, and it was perfect for this project. I only wanted to filter the light coming through this particular window, not block it out entirely, and it would provide just enough privacy to avoid any awkward In-Law situations!

After I measured the length needed, I cut up the fabric, and hand stitched a pocket for the curtain rod. I must say, I would usually rather hand stitch than use a sewing machine. Those machines scare me a little, and I actually find hand stitching quite therapeutic, in the same way I enjoy ironing ;o) But one of these days, I am going to set up the sewing machine my lovely Granny gave me, and beat my fears into submission! Because honestly, this would have taken 2 mins on the machine, vs. the 10 mins it took me to do it by hand.

Rod is up, blind threaded through, looking better already! Now you might be thinking at this point "Ah...you realise that your window treatment is the wrong width Cassie? Right?!" Of course I did!! I'm not quite that silly, and I already had the solution...

Some curtain net from Ikea gave a very soft and pretty solution to the gaps either side!

Thanks to my 'cutting table', the lengths were perfect and neat, just an inch off the floor if that for perfect drape.

Not done with Ikea bargains yet, I pulled out this bench top/cupboard door we picked up from the As-Is section for a bargain price...

...and popped it right on top of our the freshly cut shelves and the dryer!! Perfect, thanks Hubs for trusting my vision, though it took some convincing and multiple explanations! You would not believe how happy this bench has made me :oD

Now I have a proper work space, as opposed to some oddly mismatched flat surfaces.

The best part, putting all of the accessories back in!

I love the clean, crisp lines, with subtle organic touches. A very pretty place to do a spot of ironing! Oh and incase you're wondering, I squeeze the ironing board up against the washer and dryer, and anyone who wants to use the bathroom while I'm ironing has to squeeze past me!

My 3 little bowls are ready to hold Tips for the Washerwoman Pocket Findings for each member of our family!

My housekeeping tins are sitting pretty, full of rags and spare washers.

Now! I want to do something about the power point eyesore, and with a little of the blind fabric left over, I can almost see a solution. I'll keep you posted on the changes!

I'm considering another shelf above the sink to get my tins off the work bench, and my huge laundry liquid dispenser out of the linen press! Oh, which reminds me, I really should post about the linen press declutter! There are not enough hours in my day! Oh, and those are long handled BBQ tongs hanging off the tap, the BEST laundry tool I own, perfect for stirring and picking up clothing from soaking buckets. Especially if you are soaking laundry belonging to a toilet training toddler!

Budget Breakdown

-Blind- $14.99 @ Ikea

-Curtain Rod- $1.99 @ Ikea

-Curtain Net- $5.99 @ Ikea

-Bench Top- $12.00 @ Ikea As-Is Department

-Shelves- Already Owned
TOTAL LAUNDRY MAKEOVER (so far) $34

The only items purchased new and at basically full price in our entire house are our washer and dryer, and our TV. In these cases, we bought the best quality our money could buy, because there are some things you shouldn't compromise on.

Overall, we spent the minimal amount and got the maximum impact. So even if you're working with a tight budget, some research and planning can land you with a fresh new space in a matter of hours!

How does your laundry feel? Bright and cheery or dull and dreary,?? I think it's really important to have your laundry feeling the same way you would want your clothes to come out of wash: Fresh, Clean and Bright! That's why we did this project! Have you got a laundry make over to share?

xo Cassie

FREEDOM! Oh, and an Inspired Reader!

YAHOOOOOOOO! Freedom, freedom, FREEDOM! *Insert Happy Dance here*

In case you hadn't noticed, we've just had Easter and the holidays that come with it. I have had a lovely time with B4. Actually more lovely than I could have ever imagined in my wildest of dreams. We found a new, deeper bond, shared stories (this age is fabulous for real conversations with children), had oodles of fun and more cuddles than I could keep track of. He openly told random shop keepers that 'Mummy is a good sharer', strangers that they are 'lovely',  and showered me on a daily basis with 'I love you Mummy's. Does it get any better!?

But see, when Hubs told me he was going on a 5 day fishing trip, sans wife and child, I was probably less than impressed. And then when B4's Daycare Mum told me she was taking holidays at the same time, I was probably a teensy bit peeved about everybody else's fun plans that did not include me, or B4. But then, I made it through. Through the Easter Egg foil shoved up B4's nose, accidental headbutts, a royal wedding and a day of driving my mum around the coast (because I love her, and I actually don't really care what we're doing, so long as I see her once a week) with a fidgety four year old along for the ride. 

The most suprising thing (other than the fact that I made it through had a fabulous time), was that I actually didn't want hubs to come rushing home. See, B4 and I had gotten into such a cruisey routine that I was pretty sure things might come crumbling down with the third element of our family back in play. B4 loves to play us off each other, and sometimes Hubs is more like a distracted sibling that an authority figure, so it gets quite hectic on a day to day basis. Don't get me wrong, I missed Hubs like crazy. In theory...

So, adamant in keeping up the great progress made, I told encouraged Hubs to find his place amongst the flow and since then, things have managed to stay relatively great! 

Now back to my happy dance, B4 is back in care for 2 days! 2 WHOLE DAYS, to myself, to do what I please the housework, blog, Etsy, decorate and well actually, what I please! After two weeks with B4 by my side 24/7, I really need this, and also that girl's night I have planned for tomorrow :o)

So first on the list......definitely not housework, blah to that! It's blog time!

I had an 'Oops, I went shopping' moment yesterday, and you'll get to see the lovely treasures I brought home with me soon, but for now, an Inspired Reader aka My Mum, sent me through an email about her bedside drawer project, and I'd love to share it with you!

MY DIRTY LITTLE SECRET!

Cassie, You've inspired me and I took up the challenge!

One drawer...15 minutes...Voila!

My bedside drawer has been bugging me for a while but there were always more important things to do. But when I got a fingernail full of pawpaw ointment when reaching for something else in the drawer I decided enough was enough.

Everything looks OK here.

But here's my dirty little secret.

The contents were interesting...why 3 pegs? I don't know. White gloves...channeling Michael Jackson in my sleep? * These are actually artist's gloves, to avoid smudging as you work, but hmmm, not much use for them here!

I needed the pharmacy when I was undergoing treatment for cancer. Chemo and radiation are tough on the body...but that was two years ago!

Eeeewww!

This lot is headed straight for the bin!!!

And these are going back where they belong in the medicine cabinet.

and these belong elsewhere too!

A wipe out with Lavender Oil, some pretty paper

and containers to keep nail files, pens etc neat and I'd be proud to show anyone this drawer.

Do I have any more dirty little secrets......yeah, you bet, but they'll keep.

I am SO proud of my mum for tackling this little clutter magnet, it is truly amazing what we keep in our bedside drawers. I like to call it 'The end of the line', where all of the little things you've been carting around all day finally get turfed at your last stop of the day, BED! 

I especially loved the pretty paper used for lining the drawer, it so suits the utter 'girliness' of the room (that once was mine!)

Well I'm off to complete some more fun projects to build up in my 'to blog about' pile, and I suppose I'll get to that housework.....

Happy Thursday everyone!

xo Cassie

Wardrobe Overhaul!

I LOVE a big project. The kind that makes a huge 'After' impact and leaves the 'Before' shivering in it's wake. An overhaul like this is not for the fainthearted, it takes a lot of time, patience, a fresh eye, ruthlessness and a little bit of cashola in some cases.

It's coming into the colder months here in Queensland, and as always, the wardrobe transition is bumpy. Hot days, cold nights, rain, wind and occasional blistering sun mean that at some point, every article of clothing I own needs to be accessible, from jumpers to shorts, dresses to coats. The absolute jumble this transition creates was the 'slap in the face' for my decluttering urge last week, and boy did I need it!

We have a double track, sliding door wardrobe, symmetrical and simple in layout. The double track system means that out of  3 doors, there are always 2 plain doors side by side, with the mirrored door in front. Those of you with something similar will know how frustrating this is, access wise. I can't put away my clothes at the same time as Hubs, and one part of each section is always covered by a door so I can't access my full hanging section at any one time. For this project and all of the photos, I was able to remove one of the plain doors. Oh how I dream of a triple track system!

Visually uninspiring for morning outfit choices, wouldn't you say?

Trying to be neat, I stacked all of my shorts on the top shelf this summer, but really I would have loved to hang them, to save on ironing. I love to iron, really I do. But the catch is, I I like to treat it like a leisure activity. That means, I do it when I feel like it (not necessarily when  I need that pair of linen pants). I might do one skirt, or decide to iron all of hubs uniforms, but the fact of the matter is, I iron on my own terms! Under the shorts is my make up station. The lighting is best in our bedroom for 'beautifying', and I'm excited to do a little Make Up Station Makeover in the near future :o)

Under the makeup station and a box of pj tops is this jumble of everything from scarves, to pj's, to handbags, to jeans. There boxes trying in vain to contain, the whole thing was a hot mess!

The shoe 'situation' is definitely my least favourite of the whole wardrobe disaster. The timber rack is old and broken. It got moved in here after we replaced it with a new one at our front door because at the time, that's what was available. There are more shoes than there is rack, and the shoe boxes to the right are not easily accessible or visible so I often 'forget' about certain heels and boots hidden inside.

Over on Hub's side, things are pretty dismal. Technically, he owns less clothing. But somehow he manages to make it look like the same amount, and throws in the occasional random tool just to keep things 'fresh'. The overturned shelves make for a truly shoddy attempt at re-purposing and therefore do not get used effectively. Randomly, some of our most important documents are shoved into a file folder you can just see, hiding under my maxi dresses, basically because the folder is bright green and I don't want it on display. I love green, but there is no green in our decor at the moment, so it stays hidden!

Hubs has every possible style of coat hanger known to mankind, and until the overhaul, I absolutely agreed that purchasing hangers when one already has plenty is not very thrifty! But I have slowly been striving for matching hangers to really neaten things up and I thrifted my way to the most versatile, affordable and aesthetically pleasing hangers on the block, to help our wardrobe be the best it can be! You'll see them further down.

So that's the 'Before Tour'. Uninspiring, jumbled and totally un-organised. A triple whammy of awfulness that I had lived with for the last year. Okay, approx 14 years give or take, if you include every wardrobe I've ever infiltrated. After devouring dozens of blog posts on wardrobe overhauls recently, I was excited to tear into my own so here we go!

First everything on the top shelf had to come out. There is actually acres of space up there, but the gap to access them is disproportionate, an unfortunate design flaw :o( Oh well, we'll make do!

Everything that was hanging...

...gets piled up on the bed. I now wish I had taken more snaps of the room during this whole process, it was impossible to move in there!

Shoes are removed....sooo many flats! I feel my most confident when I'm comfortable, so heels are a rare find in my stash :o)

Finally my side is completely clear, and gets a good wipe down!

We had some spare shelves left over from the build that were the wrong size, but Hubs cut them to size and they fit like a dream.

He did wonder if I might leave him some spares for his side....sorry honey, this girl was in desperate need!

One shelf just wouldn't budge, and upon closer inspection, I figured it was Tool Time!

A handy little kit that is just for me! My parents bought me this a few years back, and while it may not be a thing of beauty, it gets used on a weekly basis!

My favourite tool (next to the tweezers that are just right for extracting Easter egg wrappers from B4's nose) is my interchangeable screwdriver! A couple of quick twists and I had every shelf right where I wanted it!

Now to sort the contents of those poor boxes...

...Belts under control. Check! Scarves and PJ's followed suit and then it was time for a mad dash to the shops, Kmart to be exact!

At $3 for a pack of 12, these are the neatest little hangers. I may or may not have needed another three packets on top of these four. Let's not do the maths.

I also nabbed some affordable, adjustable shoe racks that can grow and shrink with my collection...

Nice!

At one point I tried to keep the shelves useful, but they were just taking up too much valuable Maxi dress space. They have since retired to the garage to wait for a new project!

Ta Da!! By the next morning, I achieved a pretty sweet outcome!

Shoes neatly lined up, and a perfect gap under my newly spaced shelves for my slippers! Some things are meant to be!

All of the boxes are neatly lined up, and slide in and out with ease. The little useless gap they leave feels like a waste of space that I really can't afford, so somewhere in the future budget, I will hunt something down at Ikea that fits snuggly and utilises every inch! I already had these, so for the moment I'm staying thrifty!

We grabbed some more of these great tubs from Ikea for storage. They are cheap, sturdy and stackable and we have slowly been 'boxifying' everything in the house with them. We even take them camping because they stack well in Hub's ute and have proven to be water tight! They are a perfect fit for the top of our robe, and keep our out of season clothing neatly stored.

Ahh, I get such pleasure seeing things match!

But I also have a few of these great stack hangers for my t-shirts and cardigans.

Hubs side has seen major changes and looks miles better, with just a few more things yet to improve below his hanging space.

Mostly matching hangers!

Some smaller versions of my boxes corral Hub's socks, belts, boxers, and more socks.

But he still needed these big fabric storage cubes to hold his HUGE work sock collection, and another bellow for work shorts. They were once a part of B4's wardrobe storage, and had been waiting for a new purpose.

Those with a keen eye will notice one of Hub's boxes holds Nerf Guns. Such a child!

From the left....

.....to the right, things are looking pretty shmick!

So now I just have this little project waiting for me :o)

During this overhaul I removed minimal clothing, as I do regular checks and donate the things we aren't wearing. We have tried the Ebay route, but to be honest, there's a lot of effort that goes into photographing, listing and posting the items, and I would rather support local charities and thrift shops, so we really only use Ebay for big ticket items. 

I spent around $35 for the hangers and shoe racks, and I know that they will last me a very long time, so I'm happy with the small investment! Other than that, this project was just a matter of time and effort, and I am so happy with the results! It's been about a week now since the overhaul, and things are still neat and organised, and I actually enjoy putting our washing away, now that everything has a home or a hanger!

I am currently saving like mad for a little winter wardrobe spree at my local DFO, and I'll share a little more on how to do that thriftily soon!

xo Cassie