Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Bringing the junk in, taking the junk out.....




Well, here she is, my piece of junk for the week ;-)
A lovely old piece of white coral... 
and boy, I had to work for her.

I was at my favorite thrift spot... 
I had gone through the whole place, disappointed not to find a treasure, about to leave...
when I saw her, in the hands of another woman...
oh my, I had to have her, if I could... 
so I stalked that woman around the shop, 
watched her put it down to look at something else, pick it up again...
I was sure she was going to buy it. 
But I wasn't going to leave until she did.
Or I did.




I even managed to catch a glimpse of the price tag... 5 buckaroos... 
Oh, how could i have missed this?! Five minutes too late!

And then, it all happened so fast... 
before I knew it she had turned around, walked to its old spot, 
next to a junky shell with glue on it, and put it back!

Needless to say, I pounced on that thing...
rushed to the line and made that treasure mine.
She lives on the bookshelf in the living room, at least for now...
but comes out to play for photo shoots.





So you may remember from past posts...
that I have been saying "no" to some things, so that I can "yes" to others 
{like $5 coral, apparently}
and generally trying to purge the excess junk from our lives...

And I have made some progress in that area...
Resulting in two car-loads of crap being carted off to Goodwill!

I even managed to not buy anything both times I was there! Woohoo! 
I was actually kinda bummed at the time...


Anyhoo... as I've been going through this house looking for junk,
I have realized that the extra stuff is only half the problem...
The other half is a real need to organize the stuff that we need/want to keep around.


It is my eternal quest, to be organized... key word being eternal...
I just can't seem to see the big picture... ever.
So I have a hard time seeing organization projects through to completion.


But I'm feeling a little hopeful right now, actually...
I came across something that's speaking to me... and that just might work for me...
Correction: that I am going to make work for me... Better.


Laura over at I'm An Organizing Junkie
has a cool challenge going on called... 






The idea is to create a list of 52 organizing projects or habits that need to be done 
or developed around your home…
and then tackle one project per week through the year.


Laura, Organizing Junkie that she is, has created a 52 Weeks of Organizing Checklist...
 to download and fill out with 52 weeks of projects.
Who doesn't love a cute list?


Actually, this list, I think, is going to help me with clearly seeing the bigger picture...
and also with organizing it into manageable chunks.
See, I'm already more organized!


Here's just the beginning of my checklist...



My new blog love The Bearded Iris
has been writing about her own 52 Weeks 
and is the one who truly inspired me to start my own...

I figure it's never too late to start my own 52 Weeks of Organizing... 
and with two large trips to Goodwill under my belt, 
I think I can consider myself two weeks into it already!

You can get a copy of this cute list yourself at orgjunkie.com

So, here I go, on an organizing adventure...
want to join me?


Your one-year-to-organized friend,

oneshabbychick







linking to...




Beach Cottage Good Life Wednesdays








14 comments:

  1. Love to be organized ~ I have started ~ I may hop over and get the list! LOVE the coral, what a lovely treasure ;-)

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  2. I absolutely love your piece of corral. About the organizing and decluttering "thing", I've been doing this, almost like a part time job, for a while now (few years). It was really freakin' hard at the start, because each item had so many "memories", but, one item became 2, and 2 became 4, 4 became a box, a box became a half ton truck load...My mother got to the point of giving me money for Christmas gifts, because it drove her SO nuts that I kept getting rid of things. Now, everyone is on board, and we've been getting gift certificates, i.e., no clutter! The less we have, the more freeing it is becoming. I would highly recommend everyone move several times, if they have too much junk. It gets really tiring having to keep packing/unpacking everything. Works like a charm!
    p.s. sorry I wrote a novel!

    Luv ya,

    Sue

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  3. Thank you for the info...I will have to check out the list. That is one of my goals for 2011 as well. Good Luck!

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  4. You know what stalking will get you? Great Bargains!!

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  5. Oh my gosh, what a sweet surprise! I bloglove you too!

    I am drooling over that coral! What a score. I can just see you stalking around that store, lurking behind furniture, patiently waiting to get your paws on that fabulous PALE dead sea critter. I'm going to have to try that. Seems so much more civilized than the smash and grab technique I usually employ.

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  6. How about a blog post called shabbyshellchick?
    I loved this and will be on the lookout for a find like your coral... sigh! So beautifully written.

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  7. Your patience sure worked in your favor. Very nice!

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  8. I will check out the list..I have been trying ha ha!! Hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

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  9. I am totally cracking up picturing you "stalking" that coral! :-) I have been known to do that before too so I totally relate. I think that making a list like that is so great and keeping it reasonable by just doing one thing per week is perfect. Thank you so much for linking up again this week to Inspiration Friday! :-)
    Vanessa

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  10. Thanks, all you coral droolers... It was a great score, I must say...
    Sue, it sounds like you've figured out a thing or two over there! Inspiring... Love it!
    Gee, thanks, Jane {blush}
    Happy coral-stalking and organizing, my shabby friends ;-}

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  11. Great stalking. Love the coral and the starfish, but I am totally mesmerized by that box. Did you make it. I looks like bark that has been whitewashed. I am a box person, so it set me CRAZY!!!!!!!!! ~~Sherry~~

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  12. I really need to get organized too!! Thanks for the inspiration and sounds like you are off to a great start! Thanks for sharing at FNF! :)

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  13. The coral was worth it. Have you thought about trying the one in/ one out rule for bringing stuff into your home? NOw I have to go look at that glittery plastic.

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  14. Sherry - the box has a birch veneer and came from one of my faves, Smith & Hawken. Miss that place. It came filled with paperwhites for forcing and I have kept the box for years. Love it, too! Thanks for admiring it ;-)

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