Purge Party {4} :: Faves and a Link-up Party

There were more amazing and delightful transformations this week.

I am so proud of you girls!

You inspire me so much!

Marcia from One Heart at Home titled her hilarious purge post:

A Fed Oscar is a not-so-Grouchy Oscar.

Marcia said, "Most of the stuff in this project went to Oscar the Grouch. 

He lives in our garbage can, you know, and he happens to be very happy 

with all these purge parties. I finally tackled our foyer closet."

And tackle it, she did. She wrestled it to the ground and beat that closet into submission!

BEFORE.

AFTER.

I hear angels singing, or is that Oscar singing?

Marcia's place is the first place I go when I need some encouragement from a sister.

Phaedra from Phaedra' Adventures tackled her Utility Closet.

I don't think I have ever seen a closet as spiffy as this one before.

Have you?

I think I might like cleaning if my closet looked like hers.

Phaedra has been going through her home, room by room and has MANY fantastic ideas!

An Anglo in Quebec really did her research before redesigning her kitchen.

She: 

...gathered inspiration pics from hundreds of her favorite mags.

...checked out every blog possible for ideas that would work in her home.

...considered her family's personal needs in a kitchen, how they'd use the space, what they were missing, what they would love to have.

Then put inspiration into action!

BEFORE.

After.

Isn't it gorgeous?

Go see her blog for more ideas!

~

I am delighted to be a part of your lives and as we all

encourage one another to let go of things, 

and stop placing so much meaning on the acquiring of STUFF.

And start thinking of our homes as havens, not catch-alls.

Places of ministry, hope and life.

~

The rules for this party are quite simple:

1.) Your post has to be about releasing extra clutter of the home (i.e. too many options, too many things, too many piles) or shedding extra clutter of the heart (i.e. overwhelm, weariness, disappointment, resentment).

If you find that your link is gone, it's not because I don't love it, it's because your post didn't follow rule #1. I'm sorry!  

2.) Link directly to the post that pertains, not the link to your blog.

[The code for the button is at the top right-hand side of this blog. It will link back here.]

3.) The link party begins at 12:01, Monday, March 28th 

and closes Thursday, March 31th at midnight EST.

4.) I will choose my favorite(s) and feature them next Monday!

So, LINK UP, share and inspire us!

Purge Party {3} :: Faves and a Link-up Party

Okay!

You girls are amazing me with your link-ups!

When you gals are ruthless and determined to SIMPLIFY, 

you gals are ruthless and determined to SIMPLIFY!

I love seeing the transformations from clutter to calm and I am so grateful for blogging

so we can all be here together

cheering each other on to better space and time management!

Lynda from Focal Point took everything out of her home office 

and put it in the hallway and down the stairs while she rearranged (or not) 

her bookshelves and seating.

Once the office was redesigned and cleaned...

...she sorted, sifted, straightened and stylized.

So striking!!!

Marcia from One Heart at Home loves making encouragement tags,

and decided to make her hobby portable by putting all her tag-making supplies

in a cart that she can roll to her table when she feels inspired to design.

Inventive and ingenious!

I was so very touched by Paula from Raising Home, whose family in the past year and half has gone through Cancer treatment, broken bones, dislocated knees,

surgeries, medical procedures and Cataract surgery.

She shared what the releasing of disarray in her means to her:

...(and fresh coffee)! *wink*

Last, but not least, you gotta see the befores and afters of Amanda at Serenity Now's
stinkin' adorable girls' room and her stinkin' adorable girls.

~

I am delighted to be a part of your lives and as we all

encourage one another to let go of things, 

and stop placing so much meaning on the acquiring of STUFF.

And start thinking of our homes as havens, not catch-alls.

Places of ministry, hope and life.

~

The rules for this party are quite simple:

1.) Your post has to be about releasing extra clutter of the home (i.e. too many options, too many things, too many piles) or shedding extra clutter of the heart (i.e. overwhelm, weariness, disappointment, resentment).

If you find that your link is gone, it's not because I don't love it, it's because your post didn't follow rule #1. I'm sorry!  

2.) Link directly to the post that pertains, not the link to your blog.

[The code for the button is at the top right-hand side of this blog. It will link back here.]

3.) The link party closes Thursday, March 24th at midnight EST.

4.) I will choose my favorite(s) and feature them next Monday!

So, LINK UP, share and inspire us!

PURGE PARTY {2}

I found so much inspiration last week from you all! 

Wendy from Relatively Unique decided to categorize her magazines into three piles.

From her "KEEP" pile magazines, she tore out all the inspiration pages 

and put those along with her home's paint chips and a list of items needed into a folder 

that fits in her purse so she can refer to it while out and about.
She recycled the "leftovers".

Brilliant!

Pat from Corn in my Coffee Pot took the "guts" out of her entertainment center,

decided she'd wasted a fortune on video tapes,

and then only keep what she needed. 
Ah, peace!

 

Paula from Serendipity purged the carpet and padding from the dining room 
in her 140 year old home.

After sanding, and scraping and crying and praying, 
here's what happened to the floor.

Ah-maze-ing!

 

A big kudos to Tara of Scarborough Seashells! She shared her craft space with us.

She worked ever so hard to make it a place where she can create for her etsy shop.

I loved all of your ideas and could have featured them all, 

so please don't be sad if I didn't feature yours!

You still rock!

I am excited to be a part of your lives and as we all

encourage one another to let go of things, 
and stop placing so much meaning on the acquiring of STUFF.

And start thinking of our homes as havens, not catch-alls.

Places of ministry, hope and life.

Let's shed those things that hinder our effectiveness.

Let's shed excess acquisitions as well as attitudes 

that are no longer promoting peace in our homes!

We can learn new ideas about simplicity from each other,

and this is what I am excited about!

We are not only transforming our homes as we make them,

our hearts and outlooks are transformed, as well.

Please share those stories, too!

The rules for this party are quite simple:

1.) Your post has to be about releasing extra clutter of the home (i.e. too many options, too many things, too many piles) or shedding extra clutter of the heart (i.e. overwhelm, weariness, disappointment, resentment).

If you find that your link is gone, it's not because I don't love it, it's because your post didn't follow rule #1. I'm sorry!  

2.) Link directly to the post that pertains, not the link to your blog.

3.) The link party closes Thursday, March 17th at midnight EST.

4.) I will choose my favorite(s) and feature them next Monday!

So, link up and inspire us!!

Closet PURGE + Redesign and PURGE PARTY {1}

Hello! Welcome to my first Purge Party!

To read more about it click here.

I am excited to be a part of your lives and as we all

encourage one another to let go of things, 
and stop placing so much meaning on the acquiring of STUFF.

And start thinking of our homes as havens, not catch-alls.

Places of ministry, hope and life.

Let's shed those things that hinder our effectiveness.

Let's shed excess acquisitions as well as attitudes 

that are no longer promoting peace in our homes!

We can learn new ideas about simplicity from each other,

and this is what I am excited about!

For those of you that still trying to figure out what a Purge Party is, I have a room to share with you that will give you an idea of what a PURGE can do! And what kind of party this is!

~

I had the pleasure of helping a client who had just become an "empty-nester" when her son left for Iraq and Afghanistan. She wanted to turn his room into her Painting Studio, and use the left closet for her art supplies. She is also a backpacker/hiker. The right closet was made into a space for her to conveniently store her equipment and supplies for hiking. (I worked with her to redesign and organize the whole room, but for now, we'll just look at the closets.)

Here is the left closet.

Her son left quite a bit here.

She donated his clothing that was too small,

 and boxed up the rest and put it in storage for when he comes home.

The old shelf and rod were removed and a Closet Maid System installed.

Labelled shoe boxes keep her supplies sorted and at-hand.

Here's what purging and organizing did for this space.

 This is the right closet in the same bedroom.

There is a lot of poorly-utilized space here.

A Closet Maid System was installed in this side, too.

Her gear (clothing, food, inclement weather gear) was sorted into bins and labelled.

The cream linen items (not in bins) are her brochure/campsite info bin and her tent.

She kept what she needed and had 7 lawn/garden sized bags of STUFF that were removed!

This room was reclaimed as space for her to now take up hobbies she enjoys.

And painting and hiking are much more enjoyable when she can find what she needs easily.

~

These closets are just an example.

You may have a drawer or a basket, a shed or a cupboard that you can simplify.

We are not only transforming our homes as we make them,

our hearts and outlooks are transformed, as well.

Please share those stories, too!

The rules for this party are quite simple:

1.) Your post has to be about releasing extra clutter of the home (i.e. too many options, too many things, too many piles) or shedding extra clutter of the heart (i.e. overwhelm, weariness, disappointment, resentment).

If you find that your link is gone, it's not because I don't love it, it's because your post didn't follow rule #1. I'm sorry!  

2.) Link directly to the post that pertains, not the link to your blog.

3.) The link party closes Wednesday at midnight EST.

4.) I will choose my favorite(s) and feature them next Monday!

My Office Desk Purge & Purge Party Invitation for YOU!

Hi!

I pray that you are having a wonderfully blessed day, 
serving in and being content as the keeper of your home.

I want to personally invite all of you to come and share your stories and pictures of simplifying,


At a Purge Party every Monday, 
starting this Monday, 
March 7th.


To read more about it, click here, or here: [Purge Party].


Here's how the idea was born:

As I have been simplifying for our move next year,

(click here to read our 2011 Goals)

I'm finding areas in my home that I dread entering or seeing!

When I walk into some rooms, my heart sinks because I am overwhelmed

by where to even begin organizing and de-cluttering it.

Do I need more bins, baskets, labels, drawers, hangers? No.

What I really need is to get rid of enough 

so that I don't NEED to get organized.

What if, when I opened a drawer, I didn't have to dig for what I wanted?

What if, when I went into my clothes closet, the outfit that I chose actually fit and was still in style?

What if, when I needed something in the garage, I knew right where it was?

What if I had all my current projects at hand, not in bins in the closet?

I want to lighten my load, to recycle where I can, to donate when I should,

and to sell the rest.

Some of you know this already,

but I am a Home Stager, Certified Interior Decorator, and an Organizer.

I have worked with many people, helping them go from chaos to order.

It is definitely easier for me to tell someone else what to do

with their STUFF.

Knowing that I should take my own advice, I started in my office desk drawers.

Our basement is the hub/epicenter of life around here.
I blog, design, and list on eBay and Craigslist here.
Miss A does her homework and surfs Facebook here.


The drawers have become full because we throw STUFF in them 
when we tidy the surface of the desk.


I purged for about an hour and got 4 drawers done.
Whoop! Whoop!

Here we go.


Office Desk PURGE


Drawer #1


I have too many pencils/pens, labels, Post-it Notes and pads of paper.

Oh, look! 

More pencils/pens, labels, Post-it Notes, and pads of paper in the revolving caddy!

 Let's dump everything out, sort it and keep only what we NEED.

We don't NEED these, so they will get donated.

I kept 6 mechanical pencils and 6 black pens.

We do not NEED 3 types of erasers.
The little white one and the big pink one got to stay.

I found hair bows and Hello Kitty lip gloss; they'll go back to Miss A's room.

I found love notes.

I put these labels in the cafe' bureau.
They will be name tags when guests come for a party or brunch.

We do not NEED duplicates and triplicates of one color of a pencil.

Only the Crayola brand was kept, one pencil per color.
4 pads, 1 highlighter, 6 permanent markers, 6 dry erase, 1 calligraphy and 4 colored ink pens.
And a partridge in a pear tree.

Drawer #1 Before:

Drawer #1 After:

Drawer #2

You may not think that this looks very messy, and you're right, it's not,

but I thought that I could make better use of the bins.

The top left bin is empty in case I NEED to use it later.
Small garbage can bags are kept in this drawer,
and now Miss A's Geometry STUFF easier to get.

Drawer #3


Let me take everything out so you can see the mess better, okay?

30+ empty CD cases (Mr. Man belongs to these), 10 spiral notebooks, 22 folders, lined paper
5 sets of page dividers & 100 clear plastic sleeves.

I had this mesh/metal file folder holder in Drawer #4, and used it to vertically store
6 folders, 1 set of page dividers, 50 clear plastic sleeves, 10 hanging file folders
and 2 spiral notebooks (unused).
In the back: 30+ CD cases (see, Mark? I didn't get rid of them).
In the front: lined notebook paper for all of the neighborhood children.

To the other side of the desk.

Drawer #4


Uh.

This is what was in there!
Several years of my girl's homeschooling planners, my journals, our home palette binder
(paint, flooring, fabric samples),
Marketing items for my business, my day planner and more STUFF.

The journals, home palette, marketing items, and day planner remained.
The other STUFF got donated, recycled, or will be filed in Drawer #5.

Drawer #5

This is the drawer that I dread. I did not finish it today.

This contains my personal info, old pictures, ephemera, scrapbook paper, 

holiday things, and more STUFF.

Here's a sampling of the STUFF that needs to be filed or purged.

But that is for another day.
It involves sorting and scanning photos.


However, I already feel more peace when I open the drawers for something.
I am able to work more efficiently and am not so anxious.


I hope that you will come back on Mondays.


This party is open for two sorts of purges.

1. Releasing of extra clutter of the home
(i.e. too many options, too many things, too many piles)

2. Shedding of extra clutter of the heart
(i.e. overwhelm, weariness, disappointment, resentment)


The party will be a time for us to encourage others to let go of things, 
and to stop placing so much emphasis or meaning on the acquiring of STUFF.

Let's start thinking of our homes as a havens, not catch-alls.

"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being." Matthew 6:20-21