Tales of a Pint-sized Hoarder

Just like my goose egg! (Not.)

Today is mothers day! (I don't use an apostrophe because it confuses me in this case. Is it mother's day as in MY mother's day? Or is it mothers' day as in all mothers' day? Wait, do you capitalize it?) So I thought I would share a story that incorporates both my grandma and my mother. But really it's about me. However this is my blog so that's appropriate.

I was talking to my grammie (known as Grammie but I couldn't capitalize it before because I was referring to her as mine) on the phone a few months ago and she was making me laugh and laugh. We were remembering the time I hoarded a goose egg from her and my grandpa's cabin when I was very young (but old enough to remember clearly). She was jokingly referring to the egg as 'a real treasure.' Which caused me to laugh every time she said it. It was a real treasure, lemme tell ya!

As a child I was definitely a compulsive hoarder, and my inability to stop made me very upset with myself. I had nearly constant panicked thoughts like: what if I NEED this later? I most certainly will! And: this is awesome, how could I possibly throw this away? Etc. However, I was wise enough to know that my behavior was embarrassing and unacceptable. For an elementary school kid, all I needed to know was that it was the dreaded WEIRD. I did NOT want to be weird. So I hid it.

I was only ever caught (that I know of) three times.

From here. 

I had two average sized wall closets against a single wall in my room growing up. One was very nicely organized (I even liked to trick myself into thinking I wasn't a hoarder), but the other one further from the door was an entirely different story. I only ever opened it to shove more stuff inside, but I had to be careful because when my mom painstakingly turned my room into a Beauty and the Beast bonanza, she removed the folding wooden closet doors and installed yellow curtains with pink roses to cover the closets. As a result, treasures (yes, I'm still laughing) could easily tumble out. Well, only if it was piled haphazardly to the rafters and close to bursting with my collections. (And of course this closet was.) I don't think my mom ever looked in there (and I'm pretty certain my dad didn't). Except, one day, she did. And I'll never forget the look on her face. What I interpreted as kind of like, "Well, my daughter is insane. But, let's look on the bright side, she doesn't torture small animals!" (Except that one time I cut a worm in half in front of a younger family friend. Sorry, mom.) The issue was "resolved" by my mom telling me to clean it up. Then I think she probably walked away and took a giant Mind Sponge and scrubbed away that memory. (Whoops, here it is again! Sorry about that, mom!) That was incident 1.

Cut along the dotted lines. From here. 

Then later, I was at school and we were cutting up pieces of paper (if you have already changed your high opinion of me, you should stop reading now because this will really freak you out) and I of course I had to keep the scraps. STOP! I KNOW! You're thinking "OH MY GOD, WHAT?!" But yes, I had to! I had tons of reasoning!! Let me explain!!! The paper had tiny little adorable scissors on it where it showed you to cut. And I might need those little pictures for something! I could make Barbie scissors. Lots of them! Like hundreds of paper Barbie sized scissors so Barbie could have an elementary classroom size bucket of them for...crafts. She could have an entire ELEMENTARY SCHOOL'S worth of scissors! Paper scissors. Then Kelley or Kimmy or BARBIE'S LITTLE SISTER would never be in need of scissors! And if Ken ever took up scrapbooking he would NEVER RUN OUT OF FAKE PAPER SCISSORS. Just his size! Tiny! Teensy. 

Barbie I Can Be Doll - Teacher

I never did anything with the scraps I saved. I just took them home and put them in the closet I mentioned earlier. The Treasures Closet. One day someone at school, I have no idea who, but one of my fellow students, caught me shoving these papers in my eggplant-purple L.L. Bean backpack. I would sneak off, but this time someone was hanging out in the cubby area where our backpacks lived, and I didn't notice him/her until too late. He/she asked me what I was doing. Of course I heard, "Hey, whatcha doin'?" as, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU FREAK!!!!!!!" So I freaked out and I tried to explain, but I could tell it didn't work as his/her eyes became bigger and bigger. That was incident 2. 

I totally need this bracelet! (Kidding.)

The last time I was caught was when my mom was FORCING me to clean out my desk. I had this nice yellow desk that she painted for me and added blue knobs to (holy crud, sound familiar? I do that to desks all of the time...). Anyway, I was cleaning it out and we were all having a good time and stuff until my mom said, "What. Is. That. Smell." And I thought it sounded like a funny thing to ask, but she clearly wasn't amused. She looked horrified. I had horrific flashbacks to the Treasure Closet discovery! But I distinctly remember giggling nervously and saying, "I don't know." Because I had forgotten about my prized treasure in the tupperware container. At some point probably close to a year prior I had put the egg that my grandparents let me take home (I guess they couldn't say, "No" to me) in a tupperware container in the back of a desk drawer and forgot about it. Again, I'll never forget what my mom said. "What. Is. THIS." She said surprisingly calmly as she pried open a corner of the lid. The room was quickly evacuated and the egg was disposed of. I think my mom initially said something about how we couldn't throw away Grammie's tupperware, but I think that idea was soon forgotten as the smell permeated further into the house. That was incident 3.

So, yes, I am a HOARDER. I saved scraps of paper and eggs! Eggs that were definitely not golden! Throw me down the chute! I'm happy to say that now, over 15 years later, I am mostly recovered. But I still have my tendencies. My boyfriend has pointed a finger at me with wild eyes and said, "You are. A. Box. HOARDER!" in the past as we stood amidst a veritable sea of boxes in the attic of our old house. I'm growing though, people, I'm growing. I've graduated from rotten eggs to boxes. PROGRESS.

Happy Mothers Day!

Dad's Bathroom

Later this year in March, I am going to visit my Dad in Alaska to help him with some organization and design at his house. He was inspired by a discussion we had about the Feng Shui book I recently read.

I was inspired to create this mood board that will help me design his bathroom area. I haven't discussed this space with him, and obviously that will be a critical step, so this is just going off of what I know about him and his house.

Having been to his house, I know that his bathroom is very cold due to the temperatures in Alaska and because the space has a lot of cold tile on the floor and vanity countertop. As a result, I picked a brown and green color scheme to warm it up. All of the items I picked out are from Target - except the wastebasket which is from the Container Store. (See the list at the bottom of this post for more information.)

Dad's Bathroom by louko on polyvore.com

I like the woven-style bath rug because I think it adds an extra dimension of warmth and texture to the room, more than your standard plush bath rug would. And while I can't actually see my dad using candles anywhere in his house, tea lights in the brown antiqued-glass style tea light containers would add color and decoration to the room. I envision these lined up or even clustered on the wide windowsill that overlooks the side yard.

Although I'm not sure if my dad uses bar soap or liquid hand soap at the sink, I think the green glass soap tray would make a great spot to put a watch, change, or whatever else might be emptied from pockets.

Finding a suitable trash can with a lid is often difficult. However, it is good form to always use wastebaskets with lids in the bathroom for privacy. I think the bronze trash can pictured above is perfect for the room, but one should always sacrifice a little style for functionality in this area.

Here's hoping my dad likes my ideas!

Extra Product Details:

Modern Home Glass and Bronze Cotton Jar : Target
$9.99 - target.com

InterDesign Nutmeg Niko Shower Curtain - 72 x 72 : Target
$20 - target.com

Target Home™ Braided Rug - Tan : Target
$16 - target.com

Home Scents Fireside Hand-Poured Wax Tealights 1... : Target
$4.29 - target.com

Thomas O'Brien® Washcloths : Target
$6.99 - target.com

Antique Finish Brown Glass Tealight Holder : Target
$0.99 - target.com

Home Antique Glass Soap Dish - Green : Target
$9.99 - target.com

The Container Store > Metallic Mezzo Can by Umbra®
$15 - containerstore.com

Home Antique Glass Toothbrush Holder - Green : Target
$13 - target.com

Kitchen Organization Sneak Peak!

After clearing the clutter from the kitchen, clutter consisting of items I don't use or won't ever use and garbage, I decided to get busy organizing what was leftover. My kitchen is very, very, very small, so making the most of the space is extremely important. Organization is especially important because I also happen to love food, baking, kitchen appliances, and the kitchen in general.

My cabinets are fairly shallow and reach very high to the ceiling. Combine that cabinet design with the fact that I love to keep various spices, small packages of esoteric ingredients, and my vitamins in the kitchen, and you get this:

A hodgepodge of containers that are disorganized, layered, and most of which are impossible to see. So I made a stop at the Container Store (which happens to be my mom's favorite store, I think) to see what kind of organizational tools they offer.

I first considered the 3-Tier Chrome Cabinet Organizer ($11.99) solution from the Container Store:

But I quickly realized that the shelving unit was simply too big for my tiny cabinets. Plus, anything on the top shelf (of the tiny shelf unit, where the oils are in the picture) would have to be very short.

So as an alternative, I opted for the this Single Turntable in 10" ($5.99):

The turntable is a mini lazy-susan that allows me to spin it easily so I can see what's on every part. I keep larger bottles in the middle so I can see them even though they are partially blocked by the shorter items.

And as an added bonus, the turntable takes up less room than the bottles did on their own, so I now have an extra portion of space to the left. 

More kitchen organization updates, coming soon!

Note: I (OF COURSE) price checked the turntable at various stores. They are carried at Target and sometimes go on sale for $5.09. Plus if you have a Red Card that's an extra 5% off. Home Depot and Lowe's carry the two-level turntable, but I haven't seen the single level unit that I have pictured here. Overall if you're looking for the best deal and you're going to be purchasing a lot of organizational items, the Container Store definitely has the best selection. So as far as gas & times savings, that's going to be your best bet (assuming you have one near you). Also, the Container Store offers a much greater variety of tiered shelving units if that's the direction you're going. Target has lots of tiered units, but their prices are about 25% higher. BUT, if you only have a Target near you, the Container Store's shipping prices most likely outweigh their lower item prices. So Target brick and mortar is probably going to beat the Container Store online.

Little Details: The Living Room Series

This post continues my Little Details series. Since I've been carefully cleaning and organizing the condo, I've been putting effort into the little details that make it special!

A gold chain to keep the bad guys out alongside a pulley system that (used to) open a window above the door. 

Two little birds and a pomegranate-scented candle on a ledge.

A beautiful painting of the Tetons set upon a golden seat. 

Gray couch with a background of window dressings. 

Thrift store lamp on a pink table.

A comfy spot to read blog articles. (Pillow sewn by me! Ahem. Show off.)

Little Details: The Bedroom Series

I took some pictures of the little details that make the condo special to me. The photos in this series are from the bedroom. I hope you enjoy!

Two pillows, side by side and taaaaaall ceilings. (I sewed the pillow with the big bow on the front!)

A little friend peeks out from behind a picture of me and my boyfriend in a sparkly frame, next to a vintage lamp with gold starbursts. 

A view of beautiful Lauren Moffatt coats from below!

An Alice and Wonderland-esque giant sized pocket watch reflects a tall lamp.

My first initial hangs from an original 1920s vintage glass doorknob, and in the background, my trusty Trek bike.

A huge dose of bright color in my desk and desk chair.

Toothpaste Galore!

Since I've been reading about clearing clutter with feng shui, I've discovered a lot of lovely things that I thought I had lost or had just been missing.

Karen writes a lot in Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui about her clients that have found tons of money, old savings bonds, and other awesome things in all of their junk. I am not the type to lose money-related items, but I did find a pirate's treasure load of something.

Toothpaste.

Um, whoopsie! I had no idea that I had six containers of my favorite toothpaste.

Ah hem. Soooo I will not be needing to buy toothpaste in the next year or two.

Feels good minty-fresh to feng shui!

Major Clutter Issues

Last week in a reading frenzy I devoured Karen Kingston's book, Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui. It was amazing and I couldn't stop reading. (Although to be fair it is not a tremendously long book.) I became interested in the book because I was feeling overwhelmed by the messy state of my condo. It's only 650 square feet after all (in case you forgot...), and that is not a lot of room for my stuff. I actually have a history of being a packrat, and I recover and relapse in phases.

Once I kept a goose egg (a real goose egg) from my grandparent's cabin in a tupperware container in my desk for probably close to a year. That is messed up. I'm not bad like that anymore, but I still have a lot of knickknacks (read: garbage) that I keep around along with receipts and other paper junk. Oh, and I have an obsession with keeping cardboard boxes and large envelopes. But that's only because I shipped ebay items for years and years and every ebayer knows the immense value of the perfectly shaped box to fit that strangely shaped Widgetmadiget.

Since I've read the book I filled my garbage container and my neighbor's as well. Don't worry, I hauled the neighbor's garbage can to the curb. But don't tell. I also have a huge stack of odd shaped boxes. I'm trying to de-clutter in phases, the first being getting everything I need to learn how to let go of in a pile. Specific piles, that is. There was a garbage pile (now living at the dump), a box pile (still sittin'), and a sell on ebay pile. For which I might need that box pile. Ugghh! I am drowning in my own bad habits, haha. As you can tell, it's still a work in progress for me.

I don't believe in magic. (Awww, cue the collective sadness.) But I do believe in coincidences. And Karen teaches you how to map your home into different zones that relate to different parts of your life. My worst (most cluttered) zones were my career and friends/support zones. My friend/support zone was my kitchen. That's where the junk drawer(s...) live. I cleaned them up and a few hours later my friend from school last semester texted me and told me she was going to be in my city and did I want to hang out? Very cool. But just a coincidence, I know! My closet just so happens to house my career zone. I've been working on it slowly. This week, three people on my team were promoted to new jobs. (That is VERY unusual.) I don't know what that means for MY career yet, if anything, but it is strange. Wait, does that mean my coworkers live in my closet?! Now I'm confused. I can't wait to see what happens ... COINCIDENTALLY ... when I finish cleaning my closet.

Anyway, reading the book was a lot of fun and very helpful for me in letting go of my bad clutter habits. It never hurts to be reminded that things aren't who you are. But, Karen also explains that things can represent you to others, so it helps to choose them wisely.

Over the next week I'm going to share a few things I learned from the book along with specific examples (and pictures) from the condo. They'll be under the tag Feng Shui!