Decluttering made fun :)

Hello chic friends!

 

On the 1st of July I started the Minimalism Game. I've heard about it but never done it, so hought I would give it a go. On the 1st of the month you declutter one item, on the second, two, etc. As the month progresses, if you keep going, you will have decluttered almost 500 items from your home. I am up for the challenge!

'The Minimalists' came up with this and you can read more about it here. You may have already played it yourself!

So where my game went very quickly is magazines. I have far less than I used to, but the numbers started creeping up again, even if I don't buy them new very often. They just don't appeal as much as they used to. But I had been given copies plus picked them up when they looked interesting from thrift stores.

I don't like the way my house feels with stacks of magazines everywhere, so I have taken the opportunity of the Minimalism Game to go through them all. Yesterday I had a lovely relaxing afternoon on the sofa reading magazines The majority of them I read and put in a donation box, and a few I tore pages from (then discarded). Plus I took a few recipe photos.

I even got rid of some that have never made the cut such as the very first issue of Real Simple from April 2000. I loved that magazine back then, but after a flick through found I was happy to let it go. It was funny to see the ads with phone numbers rather than websites for 'more information', and there was an article about online bill paying, how safe is it and should you trust it. It was a whole new world!

I originally started this game because of the topic of my next book... which is a 100 Ways book all about D E C L U T T E R I N G. I've had such fun writing it, and the bonus side effect for me is that I've been inspired to declutter even more! I am getting closer to my dream of living in a 'staged' minimalist home, in my favourite style of Ralph Lauren on a Budget of course. I even decluttered a struggling house plant that I could NOT get to look good no matter how much I tried. I felt bad about that but also not.

 

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I love making my own Before and After photos too! This is the shelving in my home office, it's behind me as I sit at my desk. The first photo is 'After', I couldn't subject you to the 'Before' as the initial image, but you can scroll down to see the Before! (You can click on any of my images to view them full-size.)

 

On these shelves in my 'After' photo are my style files, manicure items, essential oil diffuser that is currently delighting my senses with lime and tangerine, faux flowers, a few everyday items I use in the flat tray, batteries in that square basket, my journals which are mostly full, receipts for personal and business in envelopes, and my makeup overflow bin...

Above that are my favourite Bath and Body Works candles. It takes so long and costs a lot to have them sent here, so I buy when there is a sale and get a bunch sent at once to save on postage :) Currently 'Vanilla Birch' is lit on the hall table and it's a very soft, pretty, comforting scent.

And above that are my books: copies I've ordered for myself from Amazon, plus my foreign language editions.

And when you look at the 'Before' image (below): I have decluttered all those magazines plus the holders have been donated (they are a bit 'officey' for my pretty home office), and the extra folders and white basket at the bottom have gone too.

It feels SO GOOD to have this space look nice again :)

This is what writing a decluttering book does to you: your own home becomes tidier as a result! Yay!

New book out soon: 100 Ways to Declutter Your Home

I haven't done a pre-order option this time, 'just because' but I'll let you know as soon as it's ready!

 

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And this is a beautifully dramatic winter sky on my walk down the road. You can see the sheep tidying up the vineyard. They are so funny when we walk past - all eyes are on me and the dogs.

And they take no notice of the thick wires that train the vines either. 'Twang' go the wires as they step between them to go through to the next row. None of this time-wasting go-to-the-end-of-the-row business for the sheep, no siree!

I often wonder if the vineyard workers have to mend extra or if the wires are sturdy enough...

These are the sorts of things that passes through ones mind walking in the country :) 

 

See you soon!

xx Fiona

PS. You can see all my books here on Amazon :)

 

 

 

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