KonMari 2016 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

silvasava

Finished power washing the patio this morning. DH doing some sort of man thing in the shed. We stopped for a cuppa and............I've got him to agree to get rid of our garden furniture!!! We bought it at least 25 years ago, seats 8 and it was hand made and it's as heavy as hell! I was very diplomatic and suggested did he want to refurbish it or would he prefer to replace it. (Monnagran always says the art of diplomacy is letting someone have your way) needless to say he preferred the easy option Now I'm looking for a lightweight replacement more suited to our current lifestyle.

WeeMidgie

MMF007 wrote: »

Ooh, I forgot to say.... I have put a bid on a Pembroke table ( at a real auction room:).

I did the same, bid on a small Pembroke table at a local auction house when I downsized 5 years ago. It was mine for £50. It suits my style of kitchen perfectly and is very versatile. I love the fact it has had a history, and was made with care and skill. I hope your bid is successful, MMF007.

MMF007

Thanks WeeMidge.

I cannot understand buyung new furniture when antique stuff of real quality is so cheap by comparison. The darker colours can be changed if so desired! I'm not talking Hepplewhite or Chippendale but there are so many lovely items that were beautifully made and have lasted because they were real quality.
I did plan to visit the auctions this year to spend time looking for a wardrobe (again usually far cheaper than new and so sturdy) but haven't had the time yet! Luckily our local auction has the catalogue online so i can keep an eye out but it is better to attend if you want to bid because you canmpick up a bargai . Not done it for years but i furnished our first home in 1987 via auctions for less than £100 including 2 Parker Knoll chairs, a dining set and rugs!

[This dratted chest infection is keeping me awake, have to get up to prevent drowning!]

silvasava

MMF007 - I'm with you on the furniture - most of our furniture has been bought second hand. A number of pieces upcycle to fit with our decor. My bedside chests are the old Stag Meredew - beautifully made with dovetails and no MDF or hardboard, and they cost me less than one new one.
Got some more Kondoing of clothes today to go to the charity sale. I'd already but some on an overdoor hook in the spare bedroom but while I was out the hook broke and dumped all the clothes on the floor - cue one cat who found a nice soft bed and now I'll be Kondoing cat fur off the clothes - grrr

Slinky

I just had to look up Pembroke table to find out what you were talking about, I hadn't heard that term for a drop leaf table before.

OH has found out his contract is finishing earlier than he thought which is a bit of a pity timewise. I can't remember if I've posted on this thread, we've had an offer accepted on a house, hopefully completing in June. We intend to move to it as our retirement property in a couple of years time, but in the meantime it will be rented out. We were hoping that we might be able to spend some time there decorating when his contract finished, but he may or may not have started something new by then. Ho hum, we'll perhaps just have to pay somebody to decorate rather than do it ourselves, but if he's earning money that should be more than the decoration costs. It's just a bit difficult to oversee what will be going on as we're 100 miles away.

We may want a Pembroke table in our new kitchen!

Wednesday2000

I got rid of some stuff to my in-laws yesterday. Some was junk that we were throwing away and some was something useful that they could use that we found at the back of our cupboard.

The house is feeling so light and fresh at the moment. We are having some decorating done next week. I have pared down our bedroom so all we have in there is our bed and a bedside table with a lamp. :TIt is so much easier to vaccum and clean the floor in there now. I think I will buy a few plants to dot around the house.:)

greenbee

Pretty much all my furniture is old - other people's rejects. I don't mind chips, scratches and ring marks. They add character and mean I don't have to worry about keeping them looking perfect!

At the moment I'm looking for a wardrobe, but clearly not looking hard enough as I haven't found one yet (after the £40 delivered walnut veneer 1930s gentleman's wardrobe from a junk shop last year I'm getting picky!). However, I've realised that I need one, as I only wear clothes that are in the drawers in my bedroom - not in the spare room wardrobe!

Siebrie

My temporary glasshouse (it's plastic...) is in its summer spot! Now the seedlings can move from the guest bedroom to the glasshouse, and we can start redecorating the guest bedroom as soon as the living room is finished.

The ceiling in the living room has been painted white. I'll have to see how it dried up when I get home. Last night it was still wet, and this morning it was too dark to see properly. Our guest put 4 layers of paint on yesterday...ughhh.. he was very proud of himself, and was telling us how he was constantly watching the ceiling to see if he had missed a spot. I quickly (and kindly) educated him on how paint dries unevenly, and that painting of part-dry paint may make an uneven pattern. We didn't buy the cheapest paint, so I hope all is well.

3 more pants in the ragbag; I'm getting more ruthless!

I'm listening to all my cd's; 5 listened to yesterday - 2 of them are already in the attic 'for Africa':D - 1 was an illegal copy and is in the bin. I'm worth originals!

eta: my uncle and aunt are clearing out their house; it's a 3-floor 5-bedroom building and they've lived there for 43 years. They both like classical music and antiques, and their hobbies are making tiffany (stained glass) lamps and artefacts, and anything intellectual (learning Chinese, all about Jesus and God (they're confirmed atheists), everything about all artists and artworks, collecting oil lamps, etc). Most items that their daughters don't want (which is most items overall) are offered to my parents, who then offer them to me. So far, I have not accepted anything, and am quite proud that I'm able to resist the social pressure! I would like something to remember them by, but only if it's small. They are currently 87 and 82 and will downsize to an apartment within the next 2 years. It's currently being built and will be a normal flat, but with the option to call in services like nurses, food, and cleaning.

Karmacat

maddiemay wrote: »

I have been doing short sessions Kondoing weeds in the back garden. Foxglove self sets in the wrong place, sedges, creeping weeds and many other types too. My wearying illness does not allow for long spells of effort, but Karmacat has unwittingly nudged me into getting started.

We have very large gardens and I could cry at the state of them after 2.1/2 years neglect though my illness, but that wouldn't achieve anything, so softly, softly I hope the monkey will be caught.

It all helps, maddie, but I'm sorry you're going through this. If I hadn't done the "15 minutes a day when I can" thing, my garden would have been in an even worse state than it was, when I eventually managed to pay more attention to it. I've overdone it a bit at the moment, and not doing anything - but I've been kondoing a box hedge - I've got about six feet in length back to the boundary, and another three or four feet back three or four feet towards the boundary.

If I hadn't done the 15 minutes thing, I still wouldn't have been ready to do that. And it would be worse!

The stuff I'm hacking back, when I feel well enough, is deadwood; it breaks into pieces a couple of inches long, and I've started using it as mulch in other areas of the garden, I don't even need to have a bonfire to have this stuff be useful in the garden.

I'm trying to keep an eye on other areas too - a bit of ivy cut back, a couple of clumps of grass dug up, another couple of sedges dug out, along with a few brambles that were caught up in there. I even used up one bottle of linseed oil on the dying decking (it might last another year now ). I find my garden is at the stage my house is at - that there's so much that needs
doing, its hard to do it because there's no space.

maddiemay

Karmacat wrote: »

It all helps, maddie, but I'm sorry you're going through this. If I hadn't done the "15 minutes a day when I can" thing, my garden would have been in an even worse state than it was, when I eventually managed to pay more attention to it. I've overdone it a bit at the moment, and not doing anything - but I've been kondoing a box hedge - I've got about six feet in length back to the boundary, and another three or four feet back three or four feet towards the boundary.

If I hadn't done the 15 minutes thing, I still wouldn't have been ready to do that. And it would be worse!

The stuff I'm hacking back, when I feel well enough, is deadwood; it breaks into pieces a couple of inches long, and I've started using it as mulch in other areas of the garden, I don't even need to have a bonfire to have this stuff be useful in the garden.

I'm trying to keep an eye on other areas too - a bit of ivy cut back, a couple of clumps of grass dug up, another couple of sedges dug out, along with a few brambles that were caught up in there. I even used up one bottle of linseed oil on the dying decking (it might last another year now ). I find my garden is at the stage my house is at - that there's so much that needs
doing, its hard to do it because there's no space.

I am sorry that you have overdone things, so difficult to pace oneself isn't it? Market shop done, naughty surprise lunch for OH of hotdogs, we have 3 butchers all producing the yummiest of sausages:D Have had a short rest and the sun is now trying to shine so another 20 minutes off and then a few more weeds must go. (The Blackbird and the Robin are following behind as I disturb the ground and come really close, Daddy bird had stashed a baby blackbird under the caravan step this morning and was taking it food, so OH had to wait and just watch through the window:))

I appreciate that I have been so lucky to have OH doing the lawns and a huge amount of pruning during this time, but my 60ft+ herbacious borders were declared a no-go area by him, he will plant, split or dig something up under detailed instruction only:rotfl: This is a 2 person garden, or 1 with paid help.

Regarding indoor Kondoing, the 2 square glass vases on the hearth full of specimen fir cones collected from our jaunts around British gardens have gone, the cones are going outside onto the wildlife woodpile, vases will go to CS and it already looks more open:D