Well, I made a start. And like all projects my mother used to say, "It has to get bad before it gets better." Right now, we are in the very bad stage.
You cannot move in the hall or the spare room. I can see the floor of the shop and it is vacuumed. I have cleaned out every drawer and wiped every shelf. But now I am in the put crap back stage.
Since I costumed for so many years, I have kept every little pearl and sequin and yardage of lace. I might need them again. But I am not doing this anymore and I doubt I ever do it again. If I did, they could buy the things I need. I was just so into saving money on projects, but as I am not doing them anymore, I really don't have the room. Plus, it takes space up in my already over stimulated brain.
Do I need the little jars of rhinestones from my grandmother's ceramic shop? I know they are cute, and they were 5 cents apiece and it is her handwriting, but I have never used them?
My bridal kit is full of scraps that I will never use. Get rid of them. I hate my dress dummy and there is one I want that is better. I am getting rid of it. It does not need to take up space in the closet. I don't need a big traveling sewing kit. When I was hauling my stuff to high school's backstage every night, I needed this. I have not used it is years. Get rid of it. It takes up room. I don't have room.
I am making piles in my living room of things I am going to put on marketplace and if they are not gone in a week they are going to be given away. I have a sewing section, and an arts and crafts section. THIS PART OF MY LIFE IS OVER. If I want to get into it again, I will just have to go buy the stuff. Just having to buy it should be a deterrent.
Everything out of the drawers, now has to be put away. I am culling things to give away. I have sewing machine parts from sewing machines I have not owned in ten years. I mean really?
This space just gets deeper, but I will tackle it. I swear. The floor is vacuumed. Looky, Looky!!!
This is a a pile of stuff to go through leading into the spare room. There is just so much stuff. I talked to Sissie a few minutes ago, and of course she yelled at me. "Throw it away, give it away, get rid of it." I am a pack rat, secret hoarder when it comes to sewing things. I must admit I have a problem and enter a 12 step program. Not to make fun of 12 step programs, I thoroughly beleive in them.
This is the bedroom. Everything must be gone through and culled. It is hard for me. I am such a saver. But I can do this. I will also create another category for wedding stuff to give away. I have found slips, cummerbunds and bow ties, that have been left here and a few bridesmaid dresses. Out they go!
I will be very proud to me when this is done.
Going down the hall and already I have two large bags of garbage. I think we are going to have to do a dump run. Hub's can do that tomorrow, as he is babysitting Oliver today. I made him go up there, so I was not disturbed while I destroyed my shop. I sure hope I have things put somewhat back together before he gets home. I am not sure if he has to work at the high school tonight, I had better check.
But the best thing about this cleaning fiasco is, I Found Money! Now it is not unusual for me to find an errant $5 or $10 in my top sewing drawer, as I stash cash in there and it gets stuck up in the drawer, but this was from the closet.
I was taking things out of the shelves on the side where I stash notions and crap and all of a sudden it was raining $20 bills. They were floating to the floor. Eleven $20's and one $50. I have no idea why they were there or when I pt them there. Usually when I stash cash I do it in an envelope. But heh, I will take $270 found dollars any day. I also found a $5 bill cleaning out the top drawer. So a total of $275.00. Color Kim happy.:)
I have a wedding dress and a bridesmaid dress almost ready to finish and then I will press and steam. But first I am going to pay my bills for the month and get this shop put back together. It will be a load off let me tell you!
When this is done:
3. make a separate sections for mending and things I need to do for family and make a plan to do them to get them out of the shop. Kim you do not have the room!!!!!
This would be two suits for Hub's that need alterations, Sluggy's purple coat (because Sluggy does not have a purple coat), alterations for Lil sis I have been putting off. Just get it done so it is not hanging over your head, or next to your body, or in your sight line.
4. finish altering wedding dress you started yesterday
5. finish bridesmaid dress you started yesterday.
Even though I did not get as much done yesterday as I wanted, I seriously made a mess that I now have to deal with and that is a good things. As usual I underestimated the time it would take or the extent of the mess. But when this is done, I am going to be so relieved.
Well onward and upward. But first pay the bills!
Happy Lenten season and pray for Ukraine!
Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.
Kim
Your place definitely is a mess, but it is a good mess. I am sad those things for costumes are going, but I know they must go. I had a similar cleanout when I quit making Cabbage Patch clothes and dog clothes. It hurt, but that part of my life was over. I am glad you are getting rid of the bad dummy. There is nothing more annoying than annoying sewing supplies!
ReplyDeleteWell we just went to the dump with a load of crap if that tells you anything.
DeleteMy husband is a pack-rat - he keeps every slip of paper ever, and hates getting rid of things. I have to psych myself up and then I attack an area and I'm ruthless. We are constantly going through drawers and weeding out the things he stuffs in them.
ReplyDeleteAbout 5 years ago, we decided to have a cleaner come in every 2 weeks and do the floors, surfaces, kitchen and bathroom - it's been AMAZING and worth every penny. Aside from someone else cleaning my house (yay!), it forces us to keep things tidy.
It's hard to let go of those things that we have so many memories of or associated with, but I know you can do it!
Every relationship needs one saver and one thrower awayer. I have a tendency to pack rat things and so does Hubs, but we both will eventually do a deep clean. I would love to have someone come in and when we owned a large house sometimes I did. It was very nice. But now this place is so small I have no excuse not to keep it tidy.
DeleteWe're both pack rats, but husband is worse. Our youngest inherited this. Keep going. Maybe more money will fall.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard, I think both Hubs and I are packrats to an extent. But we eventually see sense.
DeleteYou got this Kim!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lori I need a cheerleading team.
DeleteYAY on found money!!!! Grandma's jars pf rhinestones - maybe set in a sunny window? Those kinds of things are hard for me to let go of.
ReplyDeleteYou got this!!
IT was hard, but I gave them away to a homeschool art site. Think of the fun some kids will have.
DeleteGreat found money! The most I have ever found is a dollar. Made for a good Wednesday for you.
ReplyDeleteIT was a blessing let me tell you. Allowed me to pay last month tax sinking fund!
Deleteokay... you are not as bad as my mother and stepdad (had to turn sideways to get in bedrooms or down the hall to bathroom which could not use shower as it was full of keepsakes). Took stepbrother 4 yrs to clean the place up enough to put up for sale.
ReplyDeleteYou are more like my brother, whose wife moved out to a motel and HIRED it to be decluttered while he fought covid in hospital for a week. He hasn't missed anything.
There might be a group that supplies prom dresses/ wedding etc for free in your area. Arts and crafts might be donated to day cares or church nursery.
I am taking the dresses to a resale shop where the woman has MS and runs it as her husband left her when she was diagnosed. Can't think enough evil things about him. She resells and pays you a small part. but I will donate back to her. The gems and things are going to a home school art site. The kids will have so much fun with all the dodads. All sewing things will go to goodwill, I was going to sell them but they are nice and right now they need good stuff to sell. I am blessed enough. You are also one of my blessings.
DeleteThat is a lot of found money! Whoo hoo!
ReplyDeleteI can get rid of just about anything, except dishes. I seem to have an unholy love affair with plates.
You and my mom. She loved dishes. Actually, if I had the room, I would be a dish whore. I would love to have dishes for every season. I love beautiful table scapes. It would be such a fun hobby. But really?
DeleteOh did I forget to mention? I hid all those bills in your house the last time I was there in 2017. Just forget the fact that you moved since there.....it's still my cash. ;-)
ReplyDelete