The Declutter Divorce.

Decluttering and sorting is a lot like a relationship that's gone sour. Loved the process of romancing the stuff, lived with it a long time in mutual admiration. But finally it wore out its charm, usefulness and functionality. So best to make a clean break and hope there are better relationships for both of us once it's over!! :o)

Friday rocked!! and we moved a lot of stuff for good prices. It was a steady stream of people all day long and the weather was wonderful for Kansas in November. We were lucky to hold an indoor/outdoor sale which let us spread out nicely.

Some of the best moments were when I watched a new romance bloom between someone and their "find"!! It was a sigh of relief that it moved on to a better place and such a pleasure to have it gone. *lol*

Had some (leftover) Beanie Kids so the children who came along with mom and dad received a new friend to take home just for fun. They were so excited it made everything else pale in comparison.

We will be done at 1pm today. Remember the object is Decluttering and moving things out of the attics. The more we sell the better. What are we going to do with the rest of the items left? I can tell you it's not going back in the attics or basement or garage!


This evening I'll let you know how we are moving the rest of the yard sale stuff and remainder of the attic cleaning process.

I am about to reclaim my clutter-free life and soon the divorce will be final !!! Yay!!! And make a little $$ in the process!!--you know settlements are nice. *g*

It's been a long Declutter day :o(

Anticipating the new day and adventure into a major declutter project

Right now I am sitting here almost too tired to go to bed and wondering if a night's sleep will refresh me enough to bounce out raring to go in the morning. "Raring?" um, I think I would settle for creeping out of bed and getting dressed+ ! :o) But it will be fun to see what this big declutter project brings by tomorrow evening at 7 pm. I brought down Mr. and Mrs. Santa window display units this evening. Ohmygosh!! They are even cooler than I remember. Parting is going to be the pits. But I have a solution. I'm putting a BIG price on them and if they don't sell--well they are going to be part of my Christmas display this year. *lol* Mrs. Santa knits while Santa holds the yarn and bends toward her. Santa is about 4 ft tall.


Found this great looking thing and traced it through the patent number: It is a mixing jar by the Hazel Atlas Glass Co. circa 1930. Some were used to make malts in drugstores but this one has wicked prongs on it and I suspect it was used for crushing ice.

Austin (4 years old) and his mom will be over in the morning to help with more getting ready. Can you imagine a 4 year old in the middle of all this stuff? Guess I better get to bed so I can see what other treasures we can get out of the attic. The garage and basement are done!!

These early sales are fun

Tables are filling up, the Declutter Project is on a roll

It helps pay for the advertising for the Huge Indoor Attic cleaning sale!! Just put an ad in the area newspaper and on the cable channel. The sale is for three days. Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

The real progress is bringing stuff downstairs and starting to stack the tables.

There are some pretty cool cross stitch and sampler pictures, one is dated 1934. The one on the back of the table to the right is the Lords Prayer and vintage. There is a beautiful Millennium Nativity (new) in the blue boxes. and some Hallmark bells for 2007/2008 new in boxes too. On ledge is 30 cross-stitched quilt block and some vintage linens including a child's gingham apron.

It is interesting what dollar value can be found with a little research. I found a 3.4 oz full bottle of Gio by Giorgio Armani. Checked it out on eBay and it's selling for $90 to $100 a bottle!! Hmm, I know I won't get that much for it but I'm sure I'll get more than originally planned I'm putting $45 on it.





Finally brought the boxes of books down. There is a boxed set of Home Repair Encyclopedias by Time-Life and a boxed set of Gardening books by Time-life too and some wonderful plant and garden books.


Oh and did I say I had Christmas village houses and accessories? How about this Lemax Sugar n' Spice house. You know even one would make a great display. I guess there are about 25-30 more houses. :o)

I am so excited this is exactly the kind of sale I'd love to go to!! I welcome emails: danse@media-net.net or calls 785 483 6300 if there are any questions.

Now back upstairs only 8 more tables and the floor to stack!! Wanna help? I can use all the help I can get *lol*

Decision for online vs local selling

Books and Magazines, what to do with them

One thing I've noticed as I sort and look for ways to eliminate the clutter is the decisions that have to be made. Originally I thought it would be simple to sort into bins and get rid of 'stuff' that way.

Blasted WRONG!!. Emotions, logic, realization that everything is not high priced gold and bah! humbug! Decisions take on an unrealistic complexity.

So yesterday I spent hours sorting.............magazines and books!! Agh! Now I go to enough Country Auctions to know that not many magazines and books bring huge prices (reality check like $1 a box-or less). So what to do?

Sorted the holiday magazines into separate piles: Tried not to angst over the really neat stuff between the pages of 1981-2000 McCalls, Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day Christmas editions (you know back when a magazine had super great stuff in them to tweak the imagination and Christmas crafting?

Was only moderately successful. Today I listed the magazine on the local Nextech Classifieds at $1.50 each or make offer for the entire bunch. Parting is such sweet sorrow.

But wait!! Maybe I better go up and look through them before someone buys that one magazine from 1983 that I can't live without!!..Do you hear them calling me? Maybe it's just a ghost outside my window as it's almost Halloween. Better go check.

Back to Declutter Basics

I've made little progress since I started this project a couple years ago. What can I say-life got in the way. Energy level tanked and the process slowed down to a halt for awhile.

I did make money from my first effort to start the declutter project but it was easy money. Sorting through old jewelry and turning it into cash with high gold prices was enough to keep me happy . But that was a two sided sword because with money jingling in my pocket that didn't require much work I found I could ignore the mess upstairs and in the attics pretty easily.

Perhaps watching the TV Hoarders show renewed my interest and made me think harder about the declutter project in the past few weeks-or perhaps it was the need to see just how much can be made from the clutter and the 'stuff'' accumulated over 40 years in the same house. So I am on a roll again and this time I'm not quitting until it is sorted, saved, sold or sent to the kids (if they want something).

I am going to see if I can finance our Christmas this year with my clutter. Think I can? I don't know but it's worth a try. Come along for the journey and let's see how it happens.

Just for a little more motivation I am on the Christmas Holiday Home tour December 11--so it has to be done, decorated and delightful by then.

Now I'm ready for a tall glass of tea.

Joyce's Declutter Discoveries Echos in my mind

Did you ever come up with a "great idea" and think, "wow this is going to be the most interesting and fun thing to do?" (usually about 2 am) You are all excited and immediately start planning the great adventure in sleepless anticipation?

Morning dawns and life routines set in and you think, "um, well maybe in a couple days or next week" when there is more time. After all it is a wonderful idea and certainly worth taking time to "do right" (an echo). Oh boy! then the echos in your mind begin fighting the valiant battle for doing--and not doing. The great adventure melts and thaws during morning chores.

There is beautiful Fall weather to enjoy, Austin (2 year old) grandson to take care of, craft shows and auctions to attend. Clients to assist. I mean a few more days won't matter will it? Mom used to say, "it will still be there when you get back (that's an echo in case you wondered)?"

The echos in our mind are fighting for attention: "Do it now." "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today." "Need to make some money time to get busy." Hah! "Success is born on doing, not thinking about it."

I'm sure you have a few dancing around too that make you feel guilty no matter what you do. Okay I'm grinning now because we know I'm working on this blog and not tending to my great adventure.

Be still echos, go on, get outta here, shoo. I am on my way as the "great idea" is compelling me back up those dark stairs to the clutter cave of great adventure. Well maybe.

Begone noisy echos and let reason prevail..shhhhh, quiet and I'll play a lullaby while we work. What I really need is some motivation, you know, something that drives the engine of energy and accomplishment.


Oh look at the squirrels playing in the oak tree *sigh* do I hear another echo, "tomorrow is supposed to be cold, rainy and windy, good day to stay inside and work--tomorrow." *g*

The time is now, eBay, auction, garage sale

Here we go, the declutter adventure

eBay, Auction, Garage Sale, Donation? Time for those big decisions about what to do with the junque that has accumulated.

This is just the beginning and I hope you come along for the fun---um work! I need all the help I can get! *g*

I'm baring my junque soul to the world so you can see that you are not alone when it comes to clutter, messy rooms/attics/garages, basements.

For this ride we are going to sort, categorize, tag, store, ebay, garage sale, donate, and find a way to bring rooms back to intended purpose, attics cleaned and neat (geez big dreams)


We are going to find out if there really is $3000 in disposable junque for eBay sales and we are gonna do it and blog about it here and on my website.

Heck, you might even help me decide what goes on eBay, garage sale, donate, store, and heaven forbid goes in the trash.

First step the trip up the stairs to the second floor bedrooms, I have to tell you it was spooky. The anticipation of opening that door was just--well actually kinda fun cause I'd forgotten some of the neat stuff there. :o)


Don't you just love adventures?

Here is the way the room once looked after my granddaughter moved out, where did all that stuff come from?

You know I think I'll turn it into my eBay room when I'm done



PS. If there is anything you want to see or suggest, please do it. I think I'm going to reactivate that old computer so I can use it to document my mess.