Week Two Roundup

This week has been quite unusual with all the snow and the subsequent schedule juggling, but I managed to get all my posts in despite the fact that both my six year old and my one year old were basically hanging on me like monkeys for days on end while we were trapped atop our frozen, beautiful hill. It’s been a challenge keeping them both entertained and although I did post all my items, I have yet to actually help several of them exit the premises. Here’s where it all stands for the week:

Item 1, Week 2: Baby Walker

This item went to my little nephew, who will hopefully enjoy it as much as my Caden.

Item 2, Week 2: Large Wicker Basket

This item will be dropped at the thrift.

Item 3, Week 2: Wooden Doll Cradle

This item was rehomed to a high school friend of mine whom I met just earlier today to make the transfer. What a small, small, connected world we live in that literally 15+ years after the last time I saw her, I could end up conversing in the parking lot of a Pizza Hut with someone I haven’t seen since high school! What a different scene, too - picture dueling minivans packed with two kids apiece and all the accompanying gear. How times have changed since homeroom!

Item 4, Week 2: Mission Style Rocking Chair

This item was listed on Craigslist, but hasn’t sold yet. Keeping my fingers crossed on it since I really don’t want to lower the price on this one.

Item 5, Week 2: Duvet Set

Just listed! Someone take this off my hands, please, perhaps with the blue lamp below as well? First $30 makes it yours.

Item 6, Week 2: Blue Lamp

Just listed! Could this be yours for only $10?

Item 7, Week 2: Room Divider/Screen

Just listed! This’ll head off to the thrift unless someone pipes up to save it from its fate…

Thanks so much to those of you who’ve been following along for the past two weeks as this thing has gotten underway. Right now I’m not sure whether it’s a handful or more who’ve been reading, but to those of you who’ve made comments and left feedback, please know that hearing from you really does help me to keep making progress on this project. I’m grateful that you’re here. So, what do you think so far? Do you have any questions?

Item 7, Week 2: Room Divider/Screen

I’m not sure why I’m so attached to this thing other than it’s been with me ever since my best girlfriend from college gave it to me. She was moving out of her quaint bungalow duplex in Athens and clearing out her stuff. That was 1996 or 1997. I’ve been lugging this thing around ever since, if you can believe that. I love her and I love it because of that, not to mention that it’s an interesting decor piece in the right situation. I think I’ve dressed it and used it in about three dozen different ways in the time it’s been with me - room divider, privacy screen, decor base for a corner, storage coverall, holiday card display, etc., etc.

All that said, it’s time for it to go find a new home, so let me know if you’re interested. I’ve always thought it could be repainted to match a different color palette…

Yes, this last one is an odd shot. I was trying to crop out the piece of furniture on the right side of the room, but still show you the entire screen:

Could you use this item in your home or business? My yoga or massage people, perhaps?

Item 6, Week 2: Blue Lamp

It’s a bit older, but perfectly serviceable and it could, perhaps, go with the blue duvet set for an additional $10. Anyone interested?

Item 5, Week 2: Duvet Set

I’d love to give this lovely contemporary duvet set to someone who might use it. I purchased it in late 2009/early 2010 after my mother-in-law gifted us with a lovely new warm down comforter for Christmas, but I’d never owned a European-style duvet set before and I discovered that I like a more tailored bed. I’m kind of picky about my bed linens and this just wasn’t quite giving me what I wanted to see day in and day out.

Although it says it’s a king, the bed it’s on in these pictures is a queen and I think it fits the queen much better than the larger size bed. We only used this set for literally a couple of weeks, so it’s practically brand new. I still love the pattern and had a little debate with myself over whether or not I was ready to let this go.

I’d like to get $30 or so for the duvet set and in case there’s any confusion, the down comforter and pillows do not come with the duvet set itself. Let me know if you’re interested. If you share this aesthetic, it’s an awfully cute steal. 

Item 4, Week 2: Mission Style Rocking Chair

This chair was given to me before the birth of my first child. It’s large and very comfortable, even accommodating large men easily. (Hear that, new dads?) When it saw use, I would rock in it with a pillow behind my back and occasionally a stool or footrest. Before I received it, I had visions of late night feeding and soothing and cuddling in a chair like it, but when the baby finally arrived, I found I didn’t use it that much. I loved the simple Mission style of it, however, and have kept it in our guest room as an extra comfy seat for visitors to relax in. It’s time for it to go, however, and I’m selling it for $90. 

It has no stains, tears, scratches or other problems, save for one small, nonstructural wooden peg that is missing to cover a screw on one of the armrests - see first picture. I’ve made accomodations for this one minor thing in the price, however, and hope that you’ll find that for the quality and style of this piece, the price is more than fair. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have about it and of course help you load it or possibly even deliver within reason. It’s practically new and in impeccable condition. Please let me know if this is an item you’d like to acquire for your very own! 

Here’s the Craigslist ad for this item:

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/bab/2158831936.html

The Studio Table in Viking Blue

I’ve mentioned we’re moving rooms around in the house, which is a lengthy process with two little kids and a very busy life, but it’s happening slowly and steadily and I’m happy with the progress. This week, in addition to being snowed in, finally taking down our Christmas decorations (we did four separate Christmas celebrations this year, the last of which happened just last weekend), and trying to avoid cabin fever, I managed to get a small refinishing project done - just before the snow rolled in and blanketed our entire area. 

A new paint job for my studio table needed to be completed before we could keep moving forward with our multiple moves, so in freezing temperatures, Christopher Thomas helped me move my table out to the front lawn where it got a spiffy new paint job in Viking Blue, which is the primary color of our upstairs room. The previous color for the table had been a deep rich brown, but it didn’t work in the new studio space.

This is the third or fourth time this table has been repainted to match its habitat, so it’s taking on a bit of a rustic appearance at this point, but I like it all the better because of it. It’s handy to have around because the legs are removable, so it stores and reassembles easily. It started out life, I’m told, as a door which was converted to the family dining table by my grandparents for their growing family, so it’s been in my family for a while. It was given to me by my mother when I moved into one of my first places and has been in nearly continuous use in one form or another pretty much ever since. 

When it was finally triple coated and dry, it was ready to be brought inside. Guess who got to help again? That’s right: the ever-cheerful, ever-helpful man of the house. Isn’t he the greatest? It’s good to have someone around who is as generous as this man and who also just happens to have the massive manly muscles required for furniture rearrangements. 

This is one of those pieces that, even through a downsize, I’ll probably never want to be rid of since it’s such an easy-to-store, utilitarian, and practical piece. Do you have items like this in your space? Things you’d never let go, even through a purge? What’s clever about your piece that makes it a sensible thing to keep?

Item 3, Week 2: Wooden Doll Cradle

This item was purchased for my daughter and was intended to be a project we worked on together. She wanted to paint it blue, and to have me make some custom bedding - sheets, blankets, pillows - for her dolls. We decided that the nicer, newer doll bed she received from her aunt would be the one we kept instead of this one.

Let me know if you or one of your children/grandchildren would like this item!

Item 2, Week 2: Large Wicker Basket

Here’s the second item of the week. I’ve gotten a couple of days behind with my posts, so I’m catching up today. We’ve been snowed in with school cancelled the last three days, so the usual rules of life have been a bit altered. Most of the things I’m posting this week will end up at the thrift unless someone claims them, so if you like one of them, let me know! I’d be happy for someone I know to get these items. 

Without further ado, I give you this lovely large multi-use basket:

Could you use this? Let me know!

Item 1, Week 2: Baby Walker

It’s been a challenge to consider where each thing that we’re ready to divest ourselves of will go, but in doing so, I’ve discovered that I feel quite purposeful. This is a not a wholesale dump that we’re doing; it’s a thoughtful shedding of things that have less energy for us, but that may have a good use for someone else. That feels good. So this is more than a process that’s just about us. It’s also about putting things into the hands of people who will have a use for them and enjoy them. 

This may be one of the most fun items we’ve passed along yet. I’m so pleased it’s going to my little nephew:

There’s been a baby boom of little boys in our family in the last year - 3 boys in 13 months! I always have a place to pass along baby boy hand-me-downs - either to my sister’s little boy who is about 6 months younger than my Caden or to my brother’s baby who is a little more than a year younger. 

All the babies like to chew the fishie:

This used to be Caden’s favorite contraption. He’s vertical and self-propelled now, but I’m sure he remembered his Crash Bandicoot days in the little “car” when we pulled it out for his cousin: 

This walker was pretty easy for me to let go of, but there are other baby things that I know I’ll want to hang onto longer. It depends on the thing, really. Are baby items easy or hard for you to get rid of when your kids have outgrown them?

Week One Roundup

This week was insanely productive. I got rid of my seven items and also got started on moving the studio to the new space and packing up the baby’s room until it’s time to move him into his new room. I also bought the supplies I’ll need to repaint my studio desk and to paint one wall in my new space as a blue (!) chalkboard wall.

The other project I’m working on is organizing my jewelry, shoes, clothes, and closet. As a mom, I’m usually lucky to get cleaned up and get my clothes on in any given day. It seems there’s never time to organize my own space without a babe running wild in there with me, which means my bathroom’s a disaster area under all the dressing-related stuff that’s been thrown about in the rush to get a kid to a more kid-friendly room as. quickly. as. possible. So I’ve been cleaning out and organizing my clothing and have a new donation for next week because of that effort, but I’m also working on a project that involves chicken wire, old frames, and my disorganized jumble of jewelry. But more on that DIY organization project in another post…

Here’s where we stand on the items that we’re getting rid of this week:

Table and Chairs:

Counting as two items; listed on Craigslist. This set that may take a while to sell at this price, so if there are no serious offers in the next two days, I’ll lower the price.

Sealy Mattress Set:

Over 40 responses in about two hours between when I listed the mattress set and when I checked my email. Gary from Marietta ended up taking it to furnish the basement bedroom he’s working on. The best part of Gary’s visit was watching him back up our steep driveway in a Suburban with a trailer attached. It took him a couple of tries. Good clean fun. :)

18 Pair Vertical Tension Shoe Rack:

Sharon picked this up on her way back from helping a friend in Atlanta. She’s going to organize her closet with it.

Athletic Wear:

I unfortunately don’t have a picture of this bag! As soon as I gave the items to her at the trailhead where we park, I said to my friend, “I really should take an iPhone picture for the blog before there’s no picture at all.” But I didn’t. C’est la vie. Three technical shirts and a pair of running pants went to my sweet exercise partner that morning. 

Two BIG boxes of kid clothes and baby items:

Counting as two items. There were probably fifty or more items tightly packed in these two boxes, which were dropped at American Family Thrift on Wednesday. I don’t ever get the tax deduction slip when I make a donation. Do you? How does it work?

So there you have it! A successful week one with all seven items sold, given away, dropped at the thrift or picked up by Craigslisters. It’s been a great feeling making this amount of progress in a single week. The mattresses alone caused enormous sighs of relief…

How was your first week of the new year? Did you do anything unusual?

Thrifty Fun: Items 6 & 7

Box #1:

Yesterday, I dropped off these two boxes to the American Family Thrift Store. Box one is full to the brim with little girl clothes and shoes and other items. 

Box #2:

Box two was full (and already securely taped shut when I took the picture) with baby boy clothes, shoes, and various hats and bibs, crib sheets, blankets and other baby-related items. 

The interesting part of this particular little cleansing was that I discovered how much I really like the items that I didn’t put in the boxes. I hadn’t really been aware of what fun stuff we had because it was being drained of its fun by the things that I didn’t like as well. As soon as the thrift-bound boxes of stuff were culled out of the things we intended to keep, I could see what we had and I liked it even better. Hmm. Unexpected side effects. 

Have you experienced any unexpected side effects from projects you’ve undertaken?