Slacking

Yes I know - I haven't posted anything in over a month. I could try and come up with excuses but I really don't have any, I've just been a bit rubbish! 

Well that and my week away in Cornwall funded by my clearing out. There were lots of lazy mornings, long walks, leisurely lunches and general chilling out.  The coast path was so well signposted (most of the time) and I was pretty lucky with the weather. I also visited Falmouth and the Gweek Seal Sanctuary.  I think my favourite places though were Trebah Gardens and Mawnan Church. The gardens were so gorgeous even though most of the flowers weren't out. There was a private beach (I did go for a paddle), a fab little restaurant and a lovely helpful lady on the information desk.  I went to Mawnan Church on one of my walks and it is a beautiful little church with the prettiest graveyard - I could have sat there for ages but it started to rain!

Below are a few of my favourite photo's from the week...

Looking out from Durgan over the Helford River

The view from the pill box at Helford Passage

Looking through a window in the Lookout at the Maritime Museum in Falmouth

Mawnan Church

Paddling at Polgwidden Cove

The view from one of the benches at Trebah Gardens

So I had a fab time and have been back three weeks - time to get back to the clearing. I took some more stuff to the charity shop last weekend and have just photographed a few more bits for eBay.  I'm still determined to carry on clearing, just need to get motivated again. The thought of another holiday might just be enough to do it!!

Christmas / New Year / Off we go again!!!

Over a month since I last posted but I'm hoping you'll let me off!!!

I mentioned in my last post about having cleared off one of my bookshelves and the fact that I would have a blank wall. Now, when it comes to minimalism I think there are a lot of different understandings. There are those who go for the absolute bare minimum, that isn't and never will be me!!! My aim (as I may have mentioned before) is to thin out and pare down but I will NEVER just have 100 things as some minimalists aim for.  I want less stuff, yes, if for no other reason than it'll make the housework easier!! I do like clear worktops, orderly bookshelves and although you'd never believe it things all put away and not cluttering up every surface...where am I heading with all this...that blank wall!!

The space that I am refering to looked like this when I first started my journey...

And the shelves I'm referring to are those on the left hand side of the picture (above the bin!!)

After some soul searching (I love books) and several trips to the charity shop I had cleared everything off that unit and either donated it to the charity shop, friends children, nephew, or relocated it onto a unit I am going to keep.  I put the shelving unit itself on eBay (it's a modular thing from Ikea and proved quite popular) and sold it.

I knew I wouldn't want a plain 'boring' blank wall. I love pictures and artwork and was thinking it would be nice to be able to have something on that wall all on it's own but didn't know what I was going to go for.  During a recent trip to London (for leisure rather than the daily commute) I popped into the gallery@oxo as they had an album artwork exhibition featuring Peter Gabriel which I wanted to see. On sale they had large prints of some of the covers and there we were a perfect fixture for that wall. The only problem was that I couldn't decide which one I wanted, decision, decisions. As I went round the gallery I noticed publicity material at the sales desk - *lightbulb moment* - they had the three pictures that I couldn't decide between in a large postcard type print which I could take home absolutely free whilst I made up my mind - so I did.

So back at home, big blank wall, three small pictures, decision to be made - or not. M comes up with idea of getting a nice black edged long portrait frame and putting all three up - genius! So after trekking round countless shops looking for the perfect frame we found the almost perfect one, a bit big but worth a try. Then another genius idea - go back to the gallery and get a fourth postcard to fill up the frame.

The below is the outcome - and I have to say I love it - hope you do too!!

 

I did manage to get all the boxes and everything cleared away for Christmas and even made enough room to get my big floppy chair out meaning M and I didn't have to spend the whole of Xmas getting cricks in our necks sitting next to each other on the sofa!!

Since the festivities finished it seemed the right time to go through the kitchen cupboards and get rid of all those long forgotten packets that seemed like a good idea at the time but went out of date in 2010!  Those kitchen gadgets that seemed so easy to use on the video, or when the demo lady was showing you! I live on my own, how many mugs, plates, glasses does one girl need? Nowhere near as many as were cluttering up the cupboards that's for sure! As it happens one of my nephews has just moved into his own home with his other half so some of the kitchen stuff has headed off in his direction.

There is still a long way to go but I'm getting there.  The best bit is that with the money I have made from selling on a lot of my stuff I am off to Cornwall for a week at the end of the month!! Hopefully a week of late mornings, long walks, leisurely lunches and general chilling out. A chance to bank some memories rather than more things - and that is what I'm aiming for...

Getting back at it...

Yes I know I've been quiet. I have to admit I lost the momentum a bit having just about finished the bedroom.  However I'm back at it again and took a suitcase full of books and videos to the charity shop yesterday and have another load ready to go.

Nearly all the eBay sales from a couple of weekends back have now gone which made a HUGE space and I put a few more bits on yesterday.  Having thinnned out the books and vidoes I now have a whole bookshelf that can go! Already, even though the bookshelf is still there that bit of the room feels brighter. When the shelves go it will also mean a bit of blank wall!

I'm determined to be able to see the floor and get in all the cupboards by Christmas - at the moment the front room is still covered in boxes and I can't get in the cupboard where the hoover is (well that's my excuse anyway!!)

Packing packing packing!!!

I spent two and a half hours last night parceling up eBay sales ready for posting - and boy was I bored by the end of it!! I had a couple of days worth of parcels to catch up on as I was out on Monday night so had to deal with all the stuff that had been paid for on Monday and Tuesday.  Thanks to Mum doing a post office trip for me today I am now back on top of it all. Of the 76 things that I've sold so far there are only 5 still awaiting payment and two of them will be cash on collection so that's pretty good.  I still have 10 items listed that will finish this weekend.  There may be more to list as I start on the next room of the flat but I think that's all the bedroom stuff done now. Just got one more cupboard in the bedroom to go (and still the pile of stuff that is looking for a new home!)

Next stop will be the kitchen I think...

Phew!!!

Well that was mad. I must remember not to put so much on eBay to finish over a weekend. I have two large bags of parcels to post tomorrow from the stuff that finished Fri and Sat night and has been paid for.  I have a box full of Myth and Magics that have been paid for parceled up and ready to go on Tuesday (with help from Mum).  There are also several things that are waiting contact from the buyers to arrange collection and all the other bits that have sold and not yet been paid for. 

Ready to go on the train to London to be posted

Ready to be posted on Tuesday

The complete chaos of the front room!!

PHEW!!!

The bedroom is almost finished now.  A couple more cupboards to do and then deciding where to put the couple of boxes of bits that I want to keep but need a new home!!

A box of stuff went to the charity shop today as well.

No more will get done tomorrow as I'm out for the evening!!

eBay - now it gets complicated...

Well the eBay sales are going well. The first lots of stuff to finish this weekend finished last night and I trekked off to the post office with 8 parcels this morning.  3 more people have paid this afternoon so that's another 3 parcels wrapped up and ready to go with three more awaiting payment. Unfortunately the other 60 things finish tonight and tomorrow night so there is the potential to have a HUGE pile of parcels to post on Monday!!!

As I work in London anything I want to post during the week has to be lugged up on the train and taken to the post office round the corner from where I work...I think I may have to smile sweetly at my Mum this week or hope that people pay in dribs and drabs so I only have a few parcels to take each day!!!

I'll be glad to get my lunge floor and hallway back though so that I can start filling it with the next load of stuff ready for the charity shop or eBay. As I only have a one bed flat there is no 'spare' room to clear out into so I'm having to do it in small bits but I'm getting there and loving the results.

Right, back to it!!!

eBay

So the first lot of eBay sales finished last weekend and made me £17.  The next lot finish over the next 3 days and so far stand at £49.99!! Fingers crossed for some last minute bidding wars and then the job of packing all the sold goods up for posting and bagging all the unsold bits for the chairty shop can begin.