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Canning Day Quilt

One Shelf at a Time

What is it about the new year that makes you want to deep clean?  I can’t wait to get the messiest and most frustrating parts of my house clean and organized.

I decided I needed to approach it like eating an elephant… one bite at time.  Ikks, that analogy is terrible, I love elephants… but you get the idea.  It’s a big job, not to be attempted in one sitting.  I need to take it in manageable projects.  So I’ve decided to clean one thing a day.  If I have time, it will be a closet.  If I don’t have time, it will just be a drawer or a shelf.

I really want to take advantage of the sales on organizers this month, but I am also using things I have on hand.  See that little blue topped lid in the picture above.  They are coming in handy.  I have those from when my girls where in the hospital as babies.  They are perfect for tacks, paper clips, and safety pins.

One of the biggest most frustrating messes, I couldn’t wait to tackle was my “junk” shelf.  In my old house this stuff was in a drawer… my junk drawer.  But at least in my old house it had a little organization with drawer dividers.

The home we live in now has very little drawer space, so all the things from the drawer went into a cupboard in their drawer dividers stacked on each other.  And as you can imagine, that didn’t work out too well.   Things really started piling up and getting mixed up, until the shelf was halfway full of a precarious mess.  More than once, I’ve had something fall out and crash.  I’m so mad that I didn’t take a “before” picture, which would have embarrassed me thoroughly.

For around $8 at Walmart, I was able to organize it as you see it now.  I threw a ton of stuff away and then grouped like things together.  Some of the things made their way to other spots in my home.  The rest of it went back onto the shelf, but now in the little drawers or containers that are labeled to make finding what I need easy.

And I have one thing to say.  Happiness is a clean shelf.

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(Yes Joyce, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree… actually, my mom would never have had a shelf as messy as mine was for all the gold in Fort Knox…)

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6 Responses to “One Shelf at a Time”

  • You too are so much alike.. it is hard to believe! Take that as a true compliment in which it is intended! Love your blog!

  • Sally:

    I have two drawers & a section of cabinet. That’s too much junk, isn’t it? I like that little drawer thing. What did you put in it?

    • Sally, I have picture hanging supplies, glues (like Gorilla glue, Krazy glue) and tapes (plumbers and electric tape), small tools like a small pliers and small screwdrivers that I keep close on hand and not out in the big tool box, keys, and matches/lighters. It’s a random bunch of things which is why I call it a Junk shelf, I guess! You wouldn’t believe what I threw away! So now the shelf is nice and tidy.

  • Tanya:

    This is a great idea, I have 2 kitchen drawers full of this stuff, plus blu tack, candles, skewers, take away menus, etc etc. I have been racking my brain for a new way to manage it when we move house later this month – perfect, thank you!

  • This is exactly the approach I have taken this year. I haven’t done a deep uncluttering since my baby was born over 3 years ago. It’s time! I told myself, one room at a time, a few hours a week, whenever I have some time. I started Saturday and am on Room #3. And it feels so good! Best wishes with your home!

  • Amanda:

    If you use liquid creamer, like Coffee Mate, reusing the containers is a great way to store baking supplies, etc. I had three open bags of chocolate chips that I was able to put into one container. It freed up cupboard space, and also bag clips (of which there never seem to be enough of in my house).

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