Harry Potter Closet

We have this wonderful closet under our stairs, we call it our Harry Potter Closet (for obvious reasons).

This is the perfect place to store seasonal items that we aren't using, Winter coats go there in the summer and flip flops in the winter. We also keep gallons of paint and paint supplies in the very back since the closet is wonderfully deep.

It also happens to be a convenient place to shove things that don't really have a home. Like unused carseats (one of which was crashed and can't be used anymore!)

Before:

Got rid of the crashed seat, stored the other one in the nursery for now.
Several of my shoes are from my days as the office manager at a local opera house. I had to dress up regularly and wore heels a lot. All of those fancy heels went in the yard sale pile, along with many other pairs of shoes that I don't wear anymore, and haven't worn in a very long time.
Army backpacks went in the closet with my husband's other Army gear (go figure!)
Maternity clothes that were given to me, but are either ugly or way too big, went in the yard sale pile.
Hat on the door went upstairs with my other hats.
Yoga mat.... I used it once, the day after I bought it.... probably 3 years ago.... Yard sale.
Outdated phone books - recycle bin. (who even uses phone books anymore?)
A big pile of manuals and various notes left by the previous home-owner has yet to find a home. I am working through our 'filing' boxes today though. They will soon have a proper (and useful) place.

Embarrassing story time:
This winter we got a leak in the ceiling of the playroom. It was caused by an ice dam in the upstairs porch, which was caused by too much snow on the roof above it. We hired someone to come clear the snow and the leak went away.
While cleaning out this closet, I re-discovered all the notes that the previous homeowner left us. Right on top was a note telling us to clear the snow off that roof because it will cause leaks.
Homeowner Fail.

That is what poor organizational skills and clutter will do to you.

Aaaaaaanyways, I know you are ready for that after picture now!

We actually wear all those coats at various times throughout the year. Darn New Hampshire weather.
The 2 pairs of heels/wedges that I actually wear. Plus a pair of flats (my other 2 pairs of flats joined them)
Our flip-flops hadn't come out for the year yet.
2 bags stayed on the door because they have winter hats and mittens in them (one bag for my stuff and one for the kid stuff)
Basket of winter boots and maternity sneakers. Mr. Crunch's winter boots don't fit in the basket.
A single backpack (far right) that Mr. Crunch actually uses pretty regularly.
Paint and supplies in the back are actually accessible now!!

All in all, this turned out to be a super successful project.


Chime in!  Leave your decluttering victories (or failures) for this week in the comments.

Why Declutter (and my first decluttering project)

I have a lot of trouble keeping my house clean. Housekeeping doesn't come naturally to me. My mom trained me really well, so I can keep my house under control, but it takes a lot of effort and I have to consciously think about every little detail. For example; it's not natural for me to put clothes in a hamper after changing, or to clean the counter while I cook. I just don't think about it. I've tried the 'never leave a room without taking something that doesn't belong there', but I always forget.

This is just part of who I am and how my brain works, so I will have to work at it for the rest of my life. But there is one HUGE thing I can do; GET RID OF STUFF. Less stuff means less to clean. I don't think I want to go as far as minimalist, but that's the idea I'm holding onto.

Nony, from aslobcomesclean.com, talks about the fact that everyone has a different threshold for stuff. I grew up with parents who keep everything, but their stuff is under control. I inherited the desire to keep everything (from my dad), but not the ability to keep it under control or contained in any way shape or form (which is all my mom). My threshold for stuff is very small. Keeping a near minimalist household is going to allow me to keep my house tidy, with the added bonus of more time and less stress!

Having said all that, I want to share my decluttering story, one room at a time!! I will never be done decluttering, but this is the big overhaul.

There is a sewing studio in my house. It is used by my sisters, my mom, me, and whoever else needs a space to sew. When we moved in, we called it the shelf room because of the large number of built in shelves. Most of those shelves were bursting with fabric, plus fabric on the table, the floor, in bins and hanging from the ironing board. This room was such a mess that it was unusable.

Today, my mom and I filled THREE AND A HALF BOXES with fabric that we will never ever use. Those boxes will be taken and donated to our local 4H office this week.

During this clean out process, we removed 5 bags of trash. That included some old stuff from my great-grandmother's sewing tools, mostly things that dont work anymore. We also threw out moth eaten fabric and shoulder pads. Things like that baffle me. Why did we keep those in the first place??? (Short answer: just in case) ...No one even uses shoulder pads anymore....

We need to bring some stuff over from my mom's house, a little fabric and some notions, but that is much less daunting now that we actually have space for all of it!

We aren't entirely finished, and I forgot to take before and after pictures. But we made HUGE progress today, and I'm so proud of us.