All Settled

Today we installed wireless internet!  I am so glad to have access to the internet at home.

Now for an update on the new living situation...

I absolutely love living with my boyfriend.  We had to cut back on a lot of  unnecessary belongings, and I have since taken two large loads of items to Goodwill.  Did you know that Goodwill accepts appliances like toasters and scales?  I was glad that I did not have to trash something that was still functional.

Also, since my last post I cleaned out my old apartment and was officially out by September 29th.  Thanks to a whole weekend of cleaning, two Monday's ago I received my FULL security deposit back!  To celebrate I took all the people who helped in the moving process out for a drink, it was a good "ending to an era".

Before locking the door that last day, I took some pictures...

All the flowers that my Boyfriend has bought
 me since we started dating 2 years ago, unfortunately the flowers
had to be thrown away.  At least I have this picture as a memento!

The last of the items to be moved out

I cleaned the kitchen so well, these
appliances look brand new!

Empty (&clean) Bathroom

Bare laundry area

Bedroom, I can't believe how much furniture
 I had stuffed into this small space!

Moving Success

The move to my boyfriend's apartment was a success. 
Thanks to the help from friends, and a little heavy lifting, all of my many "things" were either stored in the garage or moved to the 3rd floor apartment.
The good news is I didn't have to workout at all that week, lol.
The cleaning of my old apartment was also completed before the move-out date.  I think we did an exquisite job, and expect a full refund on my security deposit (yea, right.)  One can only hope :)  Regardless if I get my full refund back or only a portion of it, I feel good that I didn't leave the apartment messy or in poor condition.   


The conclusion of a life chapter has passed, and the beginning of this next chapter is well underway. 


Pictures to come, stay tuned!


Have a great week everyone.

The Eve of Moving Day

Although I have until the 30th to move out, I rented a Uhaul for tomorrow (Sunday) to move all the large pieces of furniture.  These next weeks will be pretty busy for my boyfriend and I, and luckily we have tomorrow free ALL DAY LONG!  
We are moving the bed, one large couch and two oversized sofa chairs, two shelves (pictured below), a dresser and an armoire.  Oh!  And a coffee table and high top kitchen table with four chairs.... phew, I'm tired already.  My mind is bigger than my muscles.  We are moving everything solo, although if there are some young men hanging around the apartment complex I may solicit their help.  I think a keg of beer will suffice.


Anyway, back to packing. :)

Empty shelves, well almost empty...

Round two!
(I plan to unpack these boxes
 at my boyfriends and reuse them)

When the first smaller role of bubble wrap
went like a flash of lightning, I decided to
invest in this bad boy. 

First load moved!!

Okay so I got organized for the most part and my boyfriend moved my first load of stuff over tonight!

I took a picture but added more stuff since then so I actually had an SUV trunk full :)

It feels good to not be rushed.  Sunday is the day I have ordered a uhaul to move all the large furniture, like the bed, couch and armoire that has been photographed in a few pictures already :)

I still have a long way to go, there are two huge bookcases of things that I have to pack up and get out of the way before Sunday, so wish me luck!

GOING BONKERS!

I am going bonkers because, regardless of how much I clean there is more stuff and more clutter everywhere I look.

How in the world did I accumulate so much stuff?

I've only lived in this small one-bedroom apartment for 2 years & 9 months, but you'd think I'd been here for 10 years considering all the junk I have. 

Because of all this junk, when I started the task of organizing before packing, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.   Trying to get organized has proven to be overwhelming.  The past two hours I've been tackling my bedroom... now I am taking a break to write and reflect.  

Also, I feel guilty for not being outside enjoying this 90+ degree weather we are having.  Although, I did open the blinds to let the sun in.  If my neighbors can see into my apartment they are probably thinking the same thing I am:  "why does that chick need so much clothing?"  or "she must be a pack-rat!".  Hahaha maybe I am being overdramatic, who knows what is normal anyways?

Okay, that was a good break.  Next room to tackle will be the bathroom/laundry room.  

Wish me luck  :)

Adventures in Moving

Good evening all!

My boyfriend and I have decided to take that next step and move in together! I am very excited to start this new chapter in my life and definitely see it as a wonderful opportunity.

With the move underway I have to organize my apartment, pack up my "stuff" neatly so that unpacking isn't too difficult and I will potentially be getting rid of tons of extra clutter that I no longer need!

Luckily, I have all month to move everything so it will be done efficiently (hopefully) with a little bit at a time.

Stay tuned for my adventures in moving...

Naked Lady Party

I have been invited to a "Naked Lady Party".  (It's okay, until I asked a friend, I didn't know what it was either)

A Naked Lady Party generally involves women getting together to drink, eat, and swap clothing!

It's exciting to have another de-cluttering opportunity and the party is in two weeks.  This gives me plenty of time to pick out what clothing and accessories I will be brining to swap.

You all will be kept informed with pictures and descriptions of the clothing as well as photos from the event, so stay tuned!

Hope you all had a creatively inspirational weekend :)

Summary of my mission and the purpose of this blog

As I grow into adulthood, I am still learning to balance work, family, personal time- volunteering, hobbies, clubs, sports and entertainment.  In addition, daily I will have an intense, relentless need to de-clutter my life.  But there never seems to be enough time to do the things I want to do...

It has come to my attention that spending all of Sunday afternoon “organizing” an uncontained bookshelf is just one of many things holding me back from enjoying the aspects of life that I find to be important.  Other examples are:

o   Cluttered apartment rooms that need constant cleaning;

o   A catch-all purse growing a body of its own;

o   Started projects that were great ideas yet failed to keep my attention;

o   The blaring e-mail inbox that I sort neatly but neglect;

o   My enthusiasm for being drawn into groups/clubs/organizations bigger than myself and not knowing when to say “sorry I am too busy to help” or “no I don’t have time to do your project for you, I have too many of my own”.  (I guess you could say I am a natural leader who is still discovering her limits)

Therefore, to address my issues, a goal of mine is to create a livable environment that inspires creativity not overwrought feelings and desolation that I have no time to think let alone clean.

Donating clothing is one way I am creating this sustainable environment for myself.  Clothing in itself is art, the colors, the shapes, the material was all designed by an artist.  And, I appreciate it so much I find my personal clothing hard to let go of!  Although, I am able to let go little by little and in the process I am learning to sort, purge and donate.

My mission is clear, and the purpose of this blog is to document the clothing that is donated, so I am able to reflect back on my life and time spent wearing said clothing.

I hope this blog inspires you and brings out your inner creativity, enjoy!

De-cluttering cont.

I am slowly learning how to use this website so please bare with me.
With that said, lets get started on the next items of clothing!!
Item 3.1

Yellow blouse from a store called Romy

This spring inspired number looks great on the hanger... I wore it a few times last spring but the neck is too wide, and the length isn't quite right.  Its a pretty shirt in theory.

Item 3.1 was donated to Goodwill.

Item 3.2

Strap-y dress from Express

This dress gave me many great memories!! From sorority date parties to summer nights & happy hour-patio drinking.  Of course I wore this so often that it had to be washed regularly... in the end not following washing directions is what brought this item to its demise. 


Therefore Item 3.2 was donated to probably be turned into wash rags or possibly a piecemeal of accessories, I'm not quite sure.

Here is a picture of me wearing Item 3.2:

Yes, you guessed correctly, that is
Chris Osgood, NHL goalie for the Detroit Red Wings <3

Item 3.3

Khaki shorts

Regretfully, I do not remember where these shorts are from, but they were worn during my college job at a local golf course!  Working at the golf course was the best job I've had thus far in life.  I spent the whole summer outside in the sunshine with a beautiful 27 hole golf course as my scenery.  The customers were always happy, and my co-workers were some of the nicest people I know.  Why did I have to graduate and get a "real job"?


I don't have a photo of me in these shorts- thank god.  But I want to share this picture of my awesome co-workers and I the last summer I worked at the golf course:

Item 3.4

White with tiny black polkadots

This shirt is from Fovever 21.  Its great for summertime at the office.  I wore it a lot during my internship with City of Plymouth DDA, Summer of 2008.  Unfortunately it no longer fits me!

This item was sold to a local consignment shop for less than $5.

Round 2

Good evening!

Tonight we have 4 more items up for review.  3/4 of these items were sold to a local consignment shop and the other was donated to Goodwill.

I will start with the donated short:

Long sleeve hooded green
 JCrew shirt-Circa 2000-2002  

I have kept this shirt for a long time.  The shirt with the matching belt paired with jeans was my favorite weekend outfit for a long time.  Green is also one of my favorite colors.  Unfortunately this shirt no longer fits me, and I think after 8+ years of use its okay to retired it from my collection.

Item 2 is another top from my high school years:

Beige button up blouse from
Express with 3/4 sleeve

When this blouse fit me, it was my go-to shirt for class presentations and more formal occasions that did not require a dress.  Since I wore it minimally, it was in good enough condition to be sold to the local consignment shop.  Hopefully it will find a home, my wish is that it will be worn by some youngling during job interviews!

Item 3 was an attempt to be trendy:

Black Forever 21 blouse with a
light purple and white design

This trendy top served me well during my bar-hoppin' college years.  It was long and silky and perfect for catching some attention in the bust area if you know what I mean!  I will definitely have some pictures of me wearing this to share with you later.

Although this top is cute, this trend has long past (for me anyway) and its time to let another PYT use it to get free drinks at the bar.

Last but not least, Item 4 is a shirt I bought to wear to work during the hot summertime:

Sleeveless salmon colored
top from Van Heusen

Ahhh...  what can I say.  There is a reason I only wore this for one season.  No offense to the Van Heusen shoppers of the world, but I think that while wearing this shirt I put at least 10 years onto my age.  Yes, it was awesome to have no sleeves in the hot summers, it defeats the purpose because I work in an air-conditioned office.  I am a little embarrassed to say that I wore this more than once.

"Au revior" sleeveless shirt, you will not be missed.  This shirt was sold to the local consignment shop, and its almost summertime so someone with snatch this up!  

I know what you're wondering, but sorry- NO, I DO NOT have a picture of me in this particular item.

Round 1-Follow up

(UPDATED 5/5/2011) I could not find a picture of me in 2/4 of the items... I did however find this specimen and I think I am wearing the yellow & white tank top underneath the t-shirt.  Enjoy :)

This picture was taken back in 2008. I was on
the Spirit Committee of my relay team, we were
 raising money for the American Cancer Society!

AND I found this picture of me in the Northface jacket at one of my last Tailgates as an undergrad!

Round 1

I have 4 items up for review!  I will begin by showing a picture of the item and then discuss its importance(or lack thereof) and what I plan to do with it.

Black trendy shirt from Forever 21

 This particular shirt was purchased at Forever 21 in Chicago this past Fall.  I was in the area for my sister's wedding and flew home out of Chicago.  While there I decided to go shopping on Michigan Ave.  I don't know why I liked this shirt so much, it was pretty trendy for my taste, and of course I did not try it on, so I was unaware of the reaction my sensitive skin would have to the material and the shoulder zipper without lining....  needless to say when I returned home I tried it on immediately had an allergic reaction and had red splotches all over my chest, never wore it out of the apartment.   This item will be sold to a local consignment shop.

Burgundy blouse from the Gap

I am always looking for tops that I can wear to work.   This blouse was on the sale rack at the Gap and once again I am guilty of purchasing an item without trying it on at the store.  I love the material, color and style... the only problem was the size.  It's a Medium size shirt but the arm holes were Extra Small.  When I put on the shirt for the first time, I got my arms through the holes, but after 30 seconds the blood circulation in my arms were non-existent.  It took me a minute or two to take the shirt off which had me in a mini-panic.   Each wardrobe mistake in a lesson in itself- I guess.  This item will also be sold to a local consignment shop.

White Northface jacket w/hood

  I love, love, love this jacket! My Mom gave this jacket to me for Christmas five years ago. It has gotten me through countless cold winter days walking through campus or sledding in the snow. It has been a good run, but this worn, washed, and washed again jacket is in need of retirement. Because it is still in decent shape I've decided to give the jacket to Goodwill. Hopefully it will find a worthy home and keep someone warm next winter!

Yellow and white tank top from Target

This tank top is cute and has lasted a few summers, frankly I am too old and a little too overweight to wear this particular tank top.  I plan to sell this item to a local consignment shop.

It feels good to begin this process!  Stay tuned for the next round of items up for review! 

Why Blog?

     

I wanted to start this blog to a) help organize my closet and tiny apartment, and b) to creatively inspire you and be a little entertaining!

The idea to start a blog had been building up in my subconscious for some time now.  I started watching the show "Hoarders" on TLC, and began a self-diagnostics.  


Throughout my life my family & friends joke that I am a "pack rat" and that I could never let anything go.  On the contrary I have never been so bad that I would qualify to be placed on this show, and I doubt if anyone else would view me as a hoarder.  I enjoy cleaning and organizing, but have so much "stuff" it becomes impossible to get the tiny space completely "spotless".  With my various projects laying around I find myself moving piles from one room to the next.  

But that is all about to change.  My Aha! moment:  I was sitting in my work vanpool on my way home from a long and tiring day at the office...  I was reading the latest O Magazine (for those of you living in a cave, the O Magazine is produced by Oprah; has millions of readers and a lot of interesting articles if you can weed through the ones you aren't interested in).  Anyway I was reading about an artist who took inspiration from stacks of 2nd hand clothing sent to her native land.  The arrangement of fabrics-all the colors and the way the clothing was stacked became artwork.

This made me think.  I have stacks of clothing that I planned to get rid of, or bins of seasonal clothing that I planned to sort out.  All of this clothing I have not warn in over a year but I can't seem to part with it.  There are too many memories attached to some of the items, or I think "when I lose 20 lbs i'll want to have this to wear".  The truth is I will probably never miss that item of clothing nor will I want to wear something that is outdated just because it fits.  So why not turn it into a creative project?

My inner fear of being a hoarder is coming to surface and I want to find a way to let go of the things that are just taking up space in my tiny apartment.

Inspired by the article, I've decided to use this opportunity to truly let go of those old clothes... but first I will take pictures and blog about the items.  This blog will act as my personal diary.  Therefore, in theory I can have the memory of the shirt without having to actually keep the shirt!!

I have a feeling that this will go further than just clothing, from old movie stubs, to empty wine bottles to framed pictures from high school(8 years ago).

Anyway, I plan to do one of three things when I am done blogging about an item
       1) sell item to a local consignment shop, 
       2) DONATE to a local consignment shop or good will, and 
       3) trash it.  It there are holes and stains and the item does not function the way it was intended, throw it away.

I also plan to find old pictures of myself wearing the articles of clothing that I am writing about, this way we can get a little bit of a time-line, and it will be fun to look back and reminisce!


Now lets get started!