Simply put, moving is exhausting. Trying to fit almost two houses into one is ridiculous. It really tests your patience and stamina. Yes, we got rid of tons of stuff, but there’s still stuff we can’t/won’t get rid of. I’ve become a near genius at finding places to store things. Everywhere I look is a project waiting to happen it seems. I think being this kind of person is a blessing and a curse. Sometimes I envy people who think of their homes as just a place to hang their hat, but then I snap out of it ;).
Yesterday for the first time the weather was beautiful and we took advantage of it. We Springified the porch (I just made that word up), got the deck furniture out and cleaned it up a bit, and Fisherman put together the last of the three Ikea cabinets we just ordered for my soon to be office space while I milked the fact that it was Mother’s Day and relaxed on the deck for a bit. Then we went to dinner with friends at one of our favorite restaurants. All in all a nice day, and here’s a pic of some flowers sent by my daughter from afar. She also sent two boxes of Shari’s Berries. Have you seen those things?? HUGE! Oh, and she sent me a JibJab card, and apparently I’m the only person in the Western Hemisphere who didn’t know what they were. I need to get out more.
So…without further adieu let me show you one of the spaces I carved out for storing stuff.
Sorry for the blurriness of this pic. You’re probably wondering what I’m talking about here. Well, to the left of the top of this ladder, in a space you can’t see, is a small loft area about 5×5 and just a few feet high. Where the ladder is happens to be a space in the master bath where we typically store our towels and linens. We took everything out and I squeezed onto the ladder and climbed to the top while Fisherman gave me things like tax records and our daughter’s art from elementary school…things that one would normally store in an attic but since we don’t have one we have to make due.
At the point where I had to access the ladder I had 6″ of space and trust me, I’m NOT 6″ wide, so it was quite interesting I must say ;). I didn’t even have enough space to bend my knees to climb the ladder, so the only way to get up was to use my upper body to pull myself. After doing what I needed to do and getting down, I realized Fisherman didn’t give me everything I wanted to go up there! UGH!! There was NO WAY I was going back up though. It is what it is.
One of the reasons I haven’t been blogging much is I don’t have an office space. I’m typing this from my craft space and it’s not ideal. I feel a little out of sorts when things aren’t organized, and between the upcoming wedding, having our important papers stolen and the general chaos of moving…well, let’s just say I have lots of other things to think about. Even though we got rid of a lot of things, believe it or not we still need some items in order to organize the cabin to the way we want it. One of those things was a place to put some books and/or picture albums. I started looking on line for a bookcase for this space, located in the bedroom downstairs…
I looked everywhere…Craigslist, Amazon, ebay, Overstock. You name it. I found something that would have worked. It was $180 and was basically a bookcase AND a small desk which we don’t need and I was seriously considering ordering it until we went to a consignment/tag sales called ‘Grandma’s Redneck Reusables’ (don’t ask) on Saturday and came home with this $20 console.
It’s a solid piece of wood that’s been around for a verrrrrrrryyyy long time, and has the cobwebs to prove it. I’ll show you more in future posts. I’ve decided I’m not going to use it for this wall, but I’m going to switch it out with another piece that was my first ASCP project and I think we’ll be good to go. It needs a little (ok, a LOT) of cleaning up, and one side isn’t painted so I have to fix that, but it’s a super functional piece and at $20 was a steal.
Today we’re going to Home Depot to pick up two wood slab doors for a desk top. This little alcove is going to be my office workspace:
As you can see,we have a way to go before this space is up and running, but the three cabinets from Ikea are put together and I imagine by the end of this week everything should be in place. The cabinets are white, which wouldn’t have been my first choice for this space, but I was truly desperate. Try and find three cabinets that are the right height, width and depth for a desk and you’ll see what I mean. I don’t think I’m going to paint them either, but we’ll see.
Near the Home Depot is the storage facility where our artwork and two chandeliers are being stored. We had this oriental rug there, but happily it was sold a couple of weeks ago.
We still have several pieces of art that I’ve listed on Craigslist that haven’t sold. Here’s an example (in case you’re interested!):
It’s even prettier in person. I wish we could display it, but after today it will be stored under our bed along with the other 4 pieces until it’s sold. Not sure where the chandeliers are going though. Fisherman wants to sell them, but I’m holding on for dear life.
So that’s about it for now. I’m going to get ready for another long day of shopping and maybe the motor vehicles. We went on Friday, waited an hour only to find we didn’t have the right documents. Completely our fault, but frustrating nonetheless.
So tell me…have you ever sold or bought anything on Craigslist? Any tips you can pass on?
Lavender Dreams says
It’s so hard to downsize and we have another round to go, too. We still have a condo in NC that we will want to sell eventually. Looks like you have some great ideas for storage. We’ve had to put up shelves everywhere in this house. Enjoy your day and good luck with Craigslist. Hugs, Diane
Doreen@househoneys says
Shelving is what’s saving us Diane, so I know exactly what you mean. We still have a way to go, but I’m not stressed about it anymore and have actually come to enjoy the process. (((Hugs)))
Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow says
I have not done anything on Craigslist though my sons do ! 🙂 They have bought and sold cars and motorcycles on there !:)
Magali@TheLittleWhiteHouse says
I live in a small cottage and I know how difficult it is to make everything fit in! I’ve sold all my kitchen appliances on a website that is like the French Craigslist, but I don’t think it can compare to art!
Manuela@A Cultivated Nest says
What a funny name for a consignment place!! I looking forward to moving but not looking forward to packing up stuff and trying to figure out what to do with things.
No, I’m too afraid to try Craigslist. I’m always reading about people getting murdered around here (atlanta). Although, other people in other areas seem to love it and use it a lot. The California bloggers seems to have great success with finding stuff and selling stuff.
Andi says
We got rid of a ton of stuff, moved into a bigger house, rented a “temporary” storage unit, and i STILL have way more crap than I know what to do with. I swear the stuff multiplies when my back is turned. I’m going to have to do another purge. Which means I need to STOP buying on Craigs List and start selling… Oy.
-andi
Jane says
I feel for you. I’ve lived in the same place almost 30 years, I really think I’m just too lazy and unorganized to do something like this!! At least you had a nice place to rest on Sunday!
I’ve never tried Craigslist but it’s worth a shot!
XO,
Jane
Cecilia says
Ah Doreen, you’re scaring me! I can’t even begin to imagine where some of my stuff will go. We have an attic but it’s basically just crawl space. Yikes!
You look like you’ve come up with some good solutions! The thrift store name sure piques my interest…bet it was full of interesting stuff! That is a tight spot to climb up a ladder…don’t know how you did it! My family does use Craigslist -if the pieces are small enough, meet the potential buyers in a well populated spot and always have someone with you! Good luck!
Hugs,
Cecilia
Poppy says
You crack me up!
You and me may be the only two people on the face of the earth who have no idea what a jibjab card is! Another thing we have in common is the fact that I, too, have had the challenge of fitting two households into one!! When we moved from our rented apartment in the city, (having lived there for almost twenty years, and thus accumulating stuff for twenty years), I had to find space to accommodate all the stuff, and even though our home has a spacious basement, would you believe that every nook and cranny is filled, even halfway up to the ceiling! So, can definitely relate.
Your office space sounds cool! Can’t wait to see how it turns out. In the meantime, good luck with all the shopping and planning of your daughter’s wedding and remember to breathe and linger in the loveliness of that gorgeous lake of yours!
Poppy
Doreen@househoneys says
You know Poppy…one thing I’ve learned is that there is a direct correlation to how large our space is and how much stuff we accumulate. I’m not surprised your basement was filled to the brim! lol
Cynthia says
I have never sold anything on Crag’s List but we will be selling a ton of things when we get to the new house. We have friends of ours that really savvy with that so they will help us out. I know we are going to hve to purge many things when we get moved.
Cynthia
Amy @ StowandTellU says
I’ve had good luck and bad luck with Craigslist. I find that furniture and big pieces like that if not priced too high will sell, but smaller artwork and such doesn’t seem to be popular. For that type I have taken them to higher end consignment shops that will show the item for 90 days. The only downfall is that you usually share the sale price 50/50 with the shop and that most shops will mark down at 30 and 60 days. I’ve had great success with those places and at much less hassle than waiting for a real person to be interested on CL. I figure it is fair because the shop is doing all the work for you. Also, once you open a seller’s account, you can bring stuff in regularly and make extra $$$. One more tip, If you set up an account online, you usually email photos, so you know whether or not the shop will accept, that way you don’t make a wasted trip. Can’t wait to see your new furniture set up, Doreen. Good luck and enjoy ~ Amy
Doreen@househoneys says
Thanks Amy, that’s helpful info. I’ve consigned clothing in the past, but never art. I’m going to have to do some research to see if any of those types of consignment shops are in the area,
Vashti Quiroz-Vega says
Hi Doreen! Now I have a good idea what I’m going to go through in a couple of months when I move in to a much smaller house. Yikes! I’m just going to have to see what else I can let go and be creative, like you, in finding space for what I have. I’m dying to know what you’re going to do with that $20.00 console. Keep up the good work! Have a great weekend!
Doreen says
Hi Vashti! Moving can be challenging under the best of circumstances, but when you have to start replacing important papers (not sure if you heard of the theft?) and you’re combining two households into one it’s overwhelming! Definitely plan ahead for your move. There is no such thing as planning too much!
I kinda like the dresser as it is now that I’ve seen it in the space. I may just clean it up, maybe redo the top and inside. I have to paint the right side the same color because for some reason that was never painted along with the rest of it. Weird. Anyway…it won’t be a dramatic makeover but hopefully a good one ;).
Have a great weekend! We are off to Brimfield soon!!
An Enchanted Cottage says
Hey Doreen – thanks for visiting and giving a thumbs up on the neutral rug. I tend to go the ‘safe’ route most of the time for bigger items and let smaller items be colorful. It sounds as though we’re configuring home offices. You asked about Craigslist and my BIG score was bookcases, which I desperately needed. Here’s the post I did about my Craiglist bookcases.
http://anenchantedcottage.blogspot.com/2012/07/craigslist-bookcase-score.html
Wishing you a lovely Memorial Day weekend!
Donna