This is the cute 1920s vanity that I picked up at a yard sale along with a matching dresser in Boise Idaho in 1980-something. It was $50.00 for the set and it about broke the bank when I paid that much for them..but I love them!
The matching stool was long gone, and this little spindle back chair was found at the farm that the Hubster grew up on --- tucked away in a shed or a barn somewhere and I snagged it then.
My house doesn’t look cluttered from the outside of things. Everything stays pretty nice….
Until you open up the drawers!
Is it that way in your life too? Don’t judge that closet by the closed door! You might have an avalanche on your head if you open it too quickly.
((Contents have surely shifted during take off and landing!!))
On my days home I am STRIVING ((I won’t say promising, we know that life gets in the way sometimes ---)) to spend a mere 5 minutes lightening my load.
Today it was the drawers in this sweet little vanity. Take a look:
Belt Hell!
More belts and STUFF!
Why are the belts in here anyway? Because when we moved I had nowhere else to put them.
And I think it’s safe to say that unless waists on jeans and trousers or slacks or whatever you call them go up to where they belong to hold that muffin-top back where IT belongs – there is no belt wearing going on in my life! All or most of these belts were from higher waisted days when nothing spilled over the top. I’ve got to let them go!
And this really DID only take 5 minutes – I bet you could do it too…BELTS BE GONE!
I kept 3! And a part of the antique drawer that needs glued back on.
The other drawer? A few wallets and my camera and stuff.
And some lovely photos that shouldn’t have been in there in the first place!
Yes, that pic on the right is me in 1980 something – I’d had some of those belts that long too!
My Grannie and Grandpa Buckbee who also loved to cruise ---maybe that is how it got into my blood!
And me and my dad from up at the cabin in front of the waterfall last Thanksgiving.
Oh, silver western buckle, what am I ever to do with you?
I bought this on one of our first cruises to Mexico when we went from LA – to Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. Again – 1990 something. I was big into my Idaho life then, and line danced weekly with a great group of gals at a local place that had live music – that was my exercise and oh how we worked up a sweat and loved every minute of it. This was when waists were way higher ((and my waist was a lot smaller!)) and big belt buckles were fun in Idaho country life. It’s silver. It has turquoise inlay. I’m not going to let this go to the goodwill.
My sweet neice Kami who lives in Texas will be getting this from her Aunt Bonnie! She is a Texas girl through and through and loves to wear her boots and dress Texan.
One belt buckle…rehomed!
Gosh! Just what am I going to do with all this empty drawer space?
I also took an extra 5 minutes today to do my SOCK DRAWER!
I will NOT be showing you photos of that – but tell me what a girl needs 53 pairs of socks for? Anything that didn’t have a match was pitched. Things I knew I’d never wear are in the donate pile. I can now shut that drawer!
We are heading to the cabin tonight, so I’ll be taking the weekend off as far as Power Purging goes…but don’t let that stop you! If you Purge something and feel good about it, come back here and leave me a comment and tell us what you did –—it might inspire the rest of us just what to clear out next!
Oh, and here’s an easy one that you won’t even miss after they are gone:
Hangers – Is your closet littered with a messy mix of hangers? I tossed out all but the plastic hangers, mostly with the no-slip grooves in them, all the metal hangers are gone and the closet looks so much better!
And for those who have been asking for “Just a Peek” of the Grand Illusion Mystery quilt ---The quilting is DONE! Look!!
Just the back, folks! Ha!
We are only 15 days away from our first clue! Will you be ready? Check the Grand Illusion Mystery tab at the top of the blog for more details and anything you may have missed!
A few of the things I purged today that were very, very easy to give up and I am positive I will never need nor want: Brand new blank cassette tapes - I don't even have a cassette recorder/player to use them. Several very old bottles of perfume/cologne - originally purchased in the late 70's early 80's. Fuchsia colored 'clear' plastic pitcher with only 3 matching plastic tumblers - now scratched and ugly. A pocket sized calculator - every computer and phone comes complete with a calculator… Along with a few other worthless things. A truly painless purge.
ReplyDeleteYour Vanity is very nice. Those drawers don't hold much. I have one that belonged to my English Grandma. I think I could Purge it today. I wonder what's in those drawers. I use it mostly for my funny socks and underwear. I think I saw a Beanie Baby in there last time I put socks in. I shared the Link to Grand Illusion on my Guild's FB page today. When I showed the Paint color cards at guild I think I snagged a few more Maytery quilters. The quilting is great on there.
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure your inlaid buckle is worth big bucks!
ReplyDeleteI cleaned out a cabinet near out TV today. Found books to donate and a folder full of college info for my son from 2 years ago that definitely needed to go in the trash. It is great how accomplished I feel just in cleaning out for 5 minutes! I also have made an appointment for the donation truck to visit next week so I am more motivated to see how much I can find to give away.
ReplyDeleteI purged the pantry yesterday. My daughter was collecting for the local food bank...do I really need 10 can o soup or 15 boxes of macaroni? Felt good to purge (donate) and reorganize the shelves. The food bank got a donation and my pantry was organized.
ReplyDeleteKathi
klafrancebeach gmail
So - are we supposed to get some idea of the top of the quilt by looking at the swirly quilting on the back? Such a tease Bonnie !
ReplyDeleteHave been following your purging and have tried some myself.Yesterday I went through the deep freezers and cleaned them and defrosted them(I have two). Today I am organizing my quilting magazines and going through them. I take out what patterns I would like to keep and will donate the magazines to my guild's charity table.
ReplyDeleteI probably have that many socks, easy! I have discovered COSTCO socks, and buy them every time I go in, which is only 2-3 times a year, since the closest one is 200 miles from us. Good thing! They are Adidas, short cotton socks. I have 32 pair in the closet still in the packages! Love those socks, everyone I know loves those socks, and they have a merino wool one too....so...time to get rid of all my "other" socks! Also a big fan of SmartWool...dang...
ReplyDeleteHub is in charge of the pantry. Wish I could get him to do that!
I worked on the dining room table -- flipped through 3 quilt mags, cut Sunday coupons, took a non-functioning lamp to the car (lamp store on tomorrow's agenda), put a sweater on the stairs to go up and emptied the trash bowl that collects trimmings from squaring up quilts. Took more than 5 minutes and only finished half..... Gotta be cleared before the holidays!
ReplyDeleteI did a lot of cleaning out of drawers etc in September. I finally gave up hope of finding a missing wool sock. I knew it had to be some place but had been MIA since last winter. In the trash it went. A week later I found the missing sock stuck in the sleeve of an old sweatshirt. Dang those wool socks are pricey. Guess I should have purged sweatshirts first! :)
ReplyDeleteI purged my jewelry box. It is a stand alone tower, with several drawers. I set aside some rings, and necklaces for my granddaughter who will soon be twelve. And I found stuff I had forgotten and haven't worn in a while.
ReplyDeleteI didn't really toss anything, but I did get a spare bedroom tidied up! My husband installed a new window in that room (it still needs the inside window sill to be finished) but I had to empty a bookcase that I kept scrapbooking stuff on so it could be moved along with an old desk. I had put everything into tubs and they were stashed everywhere! Now ... the sill work still needs to be done, but I put the stuff back onto the bookcase and the desk is back in place. I can walk into that room. All I need to do to make it ready for my grandson to sleep in (he's 6) is to make up his bed and fold up all the fluffy blankets he likes to use.
ReplyDeleteI decided to take you up on the Power Purge Challenge. I started with 10 minutes a day instead of 5 and it is amazing what you can do in that short amount of time if you're focused. I began in the far corner of my sewing room and in 4 days, I have cleaned 3 drawers and cleared the top of a built-in desk, cleared non-essentials from my cutting table and started a bag of usable items for our Guild Garage Sale in March. Thanks Bonnie for the motivation.
ReplyDeleteDorothy (dmcconnell00@yahoo.com)
Lol
ReplyDeleteI don't think Bonnie has read that one yet! I agree he definitely needs to be purged! Ha ha ha ha!!!!
I am ready for the first clue.
ReplyDeleteWow I opened some drawers and was amazed at the useless junk I found they were dumping places, not drawers so thank you . Realised how very brave you were publishing photos. I am too ashamed as I have been complaining about lack of storage space printing lol
ReplyDeleteI had my very over active 3 year old grandson today who loves to help bag recycling. I thought it might be a good day to purge my linen closet and have him help bag it up. He took one look at the closet and declared NO Grandma! So we played instead of purged.
ReplyDeletePurged/Recycled/Sewn/donated: The legs off of 3 pairs of size 48 mens jeans (donated to me for the pockets), one quilted mattress pad cover, and 1 yard of teal fuzzy fabric that's been hogging space in my fabric stash for 30 years - literally. Made: DOGGIE BLANKIES - 2 layers thick sandwiched (1 layer of jeans, one of mattress pad or fuzzy fabric) for the local DOG SHELTER which sent out a desperate call for warm fuzzy blankets! .... ABout 1000 more to go to clear my stash....
ReplyDeleteYep, purging is great. With the frigid air that came in I pulled out the winter clothes. First sweater I put on came immediately off and into the donation bag. So went the first part of the morning. Things that hadn't been worn in several years ( and some very vintage things) will be finding new homes. Can't believe some of the things that were "stylish" at one time. Guess 15-20 years is too long for some clothes to be kept. Now if we could also purge the spammers from Bonnie's site. However do they find the time to write this worthless dribble? Guess they've too much time on their hands in their unhappy lives. Hmm maybe if they learned to quilt and make beautiful, useful quilts that could be used to let someone know just how much they're loved and cared for they would be much happier. Quilting is the best therapy around. Yep counting the days to the first clue for Grand Illusion mystery. The fun is almost here. Now to find all my fabrics and have them ready. My new sewing area is ready. Put the finishing touches on it today. It is a temporary space until my studio can be finished next spring.May be small but it's big enough to sew in. Plus it's the quietest place in the house.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the push in the right direction! Purged a bathroom corner cabinet yesterday and it felt great to get it done. Today I will find another spot to do. Please keep the thread going. PS: I have a few of those "no longer wearable" belts too. :-)
ReplyDeleteMy purge today is the broom closet in the laundry room. Do I really need to save ALL those plastic and paper bags?! When I'm finished, I'll be able to fit the brooms, mops, etc. where they belong. Thanks for the push, Bonnie!
ReplyDeleteVirginia Thanks for the activities ideas while waiting for the MQ. My kitchen table is off of the garage. It receives everything that needs to be set down. I started with a 12 inch deep pile on Monday. Yesterday we had dinner on the table for the first time in weeks! Today is decluttering the kitchen counters. My home will be uncluttered for Thanksgiving. Woohoo, just in time for MQ.
ReplyDeleteCourtesy of the 5 minute power purge, we ate at the kitchen table for the first time in weeks. Today is kitchen counters. By the time I finish the purge, it will be Thanksgiving. Then it will be time for MQ! I have some turquoise swirly fabric for backing. I've had it for 6 years. More purging!
ReplyDelete