This cupboard is one of my favorite things in this cottage. You’re saying: Claudia, you have a lot of favorite things.
Guilty as charged.
But I really do love, love, love this piece.
(By the way, this is an older photo. The light this morning was not cooperating with my need to take a picture.)
Anyway, I got it at auction a few years back. I had mentioned to my friend, Heidi, that I needed a big piece for the living room. We’re always struggling with storage in this little cottage that has no attic or basement. As luck would have it, that very night we attended an auction and this beauty appeared. When I discovered there were shelves inside, I was a goner. It’s big and heavy and substantial and I got it for $100. I can’t believe what a difference it has made in our living room.
It holds all sorts of stuff. And it was a mess – a jumble of things that were no longer organized and no longer easily accessible. There was a bag full of scripts and paperwork from my recent stay in Hartford sitting on the floor next to the dollhouse and I couldn’t put any of it away because there was no room in the cupboard. So yesterday, while Don was out, I bit the bullet. I sorted, purged, rearranged and filled a big old trash bag with things I no longer needed.
Record albums, painter’s tape, spray paint, pens, a Manhattan phone book (I threw the rest of our accumulated phone book supply out) legal pads, note pads, ribbon, stationary, paper clips, super glue, staples, hole punch, envelopes, a stack of scripts with all my notations, research material, programs from plays I have coached, receipts from work on the road, filofax calendars from the past 5 years, tax stuff, check stubs, and my incandescent light bulb stash.
Oh yes, I hoard incandescent light bulbs. I detest CFLs. I’m always on the hunt for more.
Now this may not look as exciting to you as it does to me. I haven’t added cute little baskets with chalkboard labels or any of the charming, but ultimately impractical for this space, little organizing tricks I see on the web. After all, this stuff is hidden 99% of the time. But it is an impressive change. Even Don was amazed.
Now to tackle my craft supply closet. It is an even bigger mess; the kind of mess where, if you open the door, you run the risk of everything falling out. On your head.
It feels good to do a wee bit of purging.
Don’t even ask about the shed.
Have you been doing any sorting, purging and rearranging?
Happy Monday.
Oh My Word, have I been purging? You would not believe it. I am moving next Monday from a 3 bedroom house to 1 large bedroom at my parents’ house. And I tend to collect stuff I think I will one day use in my crafting. And books……I have 11 large totes going to Half Price Books today and I’ve taken at least that many, probably more to the charity shop. I have to go through everything and make decisions as to what can I keep, everything else has to go.
I swear it all multiplies like bunnies when I am asleep. I have been at it for 3 weeks, one more to go. Maybe I will feel lighter at the end of it, right now I just feel exhausted.
I know the feeling! I’ve done it every time we moved and I should do a big purge right now too. Hang in there!
I love that cabinet and how much storage you have in it! I know how it gets full and then it’s time to sort and purge. It looks great now. You know how much stuff I’ve been donating and my downsizing continues. I am really happy with the two large bookcases I bought and feel like my home is finally starting to say me! I have another car load of stuff to unload and a lot of it is craft stuff. I’ll have to see what I have room to keep and what must go. Organization is the key I think! Happy Monday!
hugs,
Linda
My craft stuff is out of control, Linda. I really have to ruthless with it.
Claudia, I, like you, hate CFLs but my solution is to paint the bulbs with amber glass paint I get at Michaels for about $2. Works like a charm. I do them all at once and then I have the warm ambient light I love. I actually used to do it with my incandescent bulbs using amber water colors. And my christmas tree lights get the same treatment. When Noble would go out of town, I would paint all his bulbs in his apartment. Everyone always comments how cozy things look and that is my little secret. In terms of purging, I’m pitiful. I do have an attic and basement and large public storage unit, but can’t throw anything away. I also repurpose a lot of things. I think I have to form a group called Amassers Anonymous.
Tina, that is the best idea! I am definitely going to steal it.xoxo
That was one big job – finished. I am also working on helping stuff find either a home or a new home and I can see that there are years of work ahead.
Joy
Years of work ahead here, too, Joy! Hang in there.
Well, since you asked, yes. I. Have! Slowly but surely I’ve been making a dent in our lives…and now, hubby is doing it too! He’s working on our garage. Yippee! It does feel good to get some order in a few closets and drawers. How, on earth do we accumulate so much stuff? Those baskets with the chalkboard tags are cute aren’t they, but don’t seem too practical to me. I hoard the incandescents too…I need that warmer light, especially the three-ways. That white cabinet of yours sure does hold a lot! Enjoy your day! ;)
I love the warmer light, Donna. The cfl bulbs just don’t do it for me.
If only I could get Don to purge….
Good job! It is so hard to begin a task like that , but once the spirit moves me I am with it. Being a self-professed borderline hoarder, I have more than my share of stuff both displayed and hidden in cupboards, shelves in the basement, my shed and sometimes under the bed. Usually I know exactly where to find something. My freezers are stuffed too as the garden was very good to us this year as well as the accumulated remains from prior years. Yes, probably more than 1 year. I have 2 freezers and like to empty one into the other and then use it up refilling the other. Yesterday I used a pkg of filo and made spanokopita with apples and cinnamon just to use it up. Tasted ok, but should have not wasted the apples. I would rather eat the apple fresh and unpeeled.
I often have to pushed to do it – guests coming, moving, things like that.
Oh my now I feel that I really should tackle that scary closet we have. By the way just incase I have not told you lately thanks for being here to start my day over coffee everyday
Oh, you are so welcome, Cindy.
Your post title could be mine at the moment. As soon as I got home from my trip my daughter in law decided that their birthday gift to me was rearranging and organizing my home. I am so exhausted. She shows up and goes room to room rearranging and organizing. Half the stuff that goes out the door I am telling that I need that. I have a cabinet like yours, only two shelves . I use it to store my quilts. Well that got moved and I opened the door and nothing is in there. Oh my, now I have to find what she did with all of it. I called her today and told her to take a day off. I am exhausted and have to work later today. She doesn’t just stay in one room but goes all over the place. Yesterday my son came to help lift things. When your 7 year old son says your living room looks more “balanced” you know what I am up against. might I mention that this went on four years ago with the other DIL> We still are searching for things. It sounds like I might be a hoarder but I am not. I am just a clutterer. I love and appreciate al the help, I really do. I just like my own pace better. H E L P (hah)
Oh Debby, that sounds like the gift that keeps on giving….in a not-so-good way. I’m sure the gift was well-intentioned, but someone else messing with my stuff would irritate me, too.
I’m slowly packing up my sewing loft so we can renovate the space and turn it into a bedroom. My new sewing space will be much smaller so stuff must go. It’s a slow process but strangely cathartic. And it’s going to be worth it in the end.
That’s the same thing I have to do here. My space is already tiny, but the closet that holds everything but the kitchen sink needs to be ruthlessly cleaned out.
We purge our house 4 times each year: before the Christmas holidays, in March, in June and in September. I look at those dates now and realize they are connected to important annual dates when my kids were in school. I’d purge before they started school and then the first week of school, then before Christmas so new gifts coming in to the house had space, then in March during spring break and then in June, at the end of the school year. Will keep this up even though school is done now for us! September we did a bit, then I got quite sick. Once I was feeling better last week, we spent the entire Thanksgiving weekend purging and reorganizing. It was so nice to to go my mom’s for dinner, after all our work. I have two more “zones” to do ~ our back entrance and the library both need a good purge. Scheduled for next weekend. I’m home today so I might start on the library as it’s pretty chilly and finishing raking the leaves may have to wait today until the sun is warmer.
Love your cabinet. Great find for sure!!
Glad to know you’re feeling better, Chy. I wish I could be as disciplined as you – four times a year sounds ideal.
With this many kids, it’s called “survival”!! Or we’d be buried under a pile of paperwork and stuff!
I would love to have a cupboard just like that for the small corner of my bedroom, that I use as an office space. It is definitely a mess. xo Laura
It was a real gem of a find, Laura.
Good job, Claudia. And, I love your cabinet, too.
Remember, I am one of those consistent purger people. But, my mother has been doing some major paper purging lately.
I want to be like you, Beverly, a consistent purger. I have a feeling that will be a difficult goal for me to achieve!
Love that piece, I am wanting hubby to make a new one for our tv similar to your storage piece. For $100 you couldn’t make one.
No, you sure couldn’t!
Indeed I have been purging! Maybe it’s the colder weather that’s making us all feel like we need to stay inside and nest. I’m still working on the basement (always a work in progress; will be a miracle when it’s totally done), but for right now I’m working on my office/craft room. I organized some scrapbooking stuff and files yesterday, and rearranged/purged some a bookcase and shelf today.
You sound busy and productive, Melanie!
Sorting?..yes..Purging..yes..Rearranging..yes..all three Claudia..Then I will tell myself that I will never let it get this bad again..yeah..right..lol..
Me too. It always gets bad again!
Hm, this makes me wonder if people that aren’t crafters and have a creative bent collect as much stuff as we do! I have yarns for knitting, stamps, and of course my paints. It used to be acrylics, but now I took up water colors almost 3 yrs ago and they are everywhere! I need to purge my bookcase next to my paint table and get rid of something. I also sold Longaberger baskets for a few years and I have way too many of those! I too live in a house with no storage and we have a standing joke about how everything just gets thrown in my closet! In 2008 we did a remodel and I got rid of so much stuff and it felt wonderful. Maybe I should just pretend I’m doing a remodel and go at it that way!
Maybe I should just pretend I’m moving…!
You mean I’m not the only person with a stash of light bulbs on the basement shelf??
No you are not!
I love your white cupboard with the assortment of sea-green bowls and vases on top. Beautiful! Good for you on all the sorting and organising! Great job! When it comes to arts, crafts, and art-related books, I’m a huge hoarder. However I have had some massive purges of other things over the past couple of years. It always feels wonderful after the job is done….freeing and lighter within somehow. Your post makes me see that I need to get in and reorganise my own cupboards.
Someday when it’s very cold outside and I’m stuck in the house, I’ll go at that craft closet.
Wishful thinking! LOL
Judy
Oh Claudia isn’t sorting and purging a great feeling? Sort of triumphant like. My son came home a week ago, yes it was that bad that I enlisted outside help to clean out the shed. It not a huge shed by any means, but it took us over 5 hours to do. We will be hiring a dumpster to come in now to take it all away. I got a new chair and ottoman on Thursday so I needed to do a bit of furniture moving to make room. I was then forced to take a look at the book shelves. I could finally reach them. I have 54 books to the thrift store and 68 going to the used book store for credit. The shelves are now tidy and pretty once again. Once again my son came home to help with winterizing chores and commented that it didn’t look like I had gotten rid of any books. Sigh. I have a white cabinet similar to yours. I keep it in the spare bedroom. I don’t have cupboard space in the kitchen so half is used as a food pantry, and half is ised for baking/cooking pans/gadgets. The next thing for me to purge will be my yarn stash.
Great minds must think alike, Claudia……spent saturday going thru lots of “stuff” for the annual
“no kill cat shelter” this saturday. My two daughters helped and it does go faster with three minds
instead of just one.
I tackle this task a little at a time or one area at a time.
Well, Claudia-Great minds think alike and all. I have been seriously purging EVERYTHING in this house- I started by getting rid of books (never thought I would do that). I am giving them to a friend that is starting her own library. They are books that I liked but didn’t love-books that I will never read again. And I have been sorting drawers and organizing. Sure feels good! Your cabinet is just GREAT! xo Diana
Oh yes Claudia! This must be the time of year for purging! We started in September by having a huge garage sale. Whatever didn’t sell, we donated. Usually, we donate but this year we needed the money so had a garage sale that yielded almost $900! We’re still purging things in the basement and I’m going through all the closets again. We tried the cute neat little storage baskets, faux suitcases and other systems to try to organize my husbands office clutter. Well, it didn’t work for very long because he’s a paper hoarder and filled everything up pretty quickly. It feels so good to get organized and release things that we no longer use. I’ve been hoarding lightbulbs too but hubby keeps replacing everything with CFL’s. I’ll never win the lightbulb battle so I surrendered (it really wasn’t a battle) I couldn’t imagine not having a basement at this stage of our lives. I love your cabinet too!
I am working big time on my studio…it has been unusable and I would really like to create in that space! Feels so good to get rid of stuff!
I am guilty of tweaking..so I can’t walk past something without rearranging or purging :)