Wednesday, June 27, 2012

...we've moved...

 Do you ever get the feeling that you're talking to yourself?  Such is the story of starting a new blog.  I have to apologize in advance to anyone who stumbles upon this little treasure, as I am trying out any number of design concepts at the moment, and it will inevitably lead to my downfall as a blogger, as I can't ever, ever....commit.  Yep.  Such is the working of the random creative mind.  If you're lucky enough to have stumbled upon my blog yet, you may already know that I am in the process of relocation.  And along with relocation comes a new address.  So I am on the hunt for the most fabulous cards to announce the big move, and to ensure that those Christmas cards keep coming on time every year.  But really, it is an excuse to impress those I love with something awesome, and announce to the world in case it has been forgotten, even for a tiny second, that I and my two little ones are, in fact, awesome, and totally holding it together, despite the best efforts of the hurricane of chaos that has been puppeteering our fragile souls over the last few years.  We still rock.  And what better way to announce it than with the perfect "Our life may look like it's fallen apart, but just look at how happy and joyful we are to let you know it!" card.  Yeah...we rock.  So here are some of the faves.  Phe-nom-in-al cards by some insanely talented people...
1x1.trans Sweet + Simple Moving Announcements
Are you kidding me with the stylish simplicity of these fabulous cards?  Love. Love. from my favorite paper place... http://ohsobeautifulpaper.com/2009/08/sweet-simple-moving-announcements/
Yet another stroke of brilliance from a creative genius...again from my favorite papery... http://ohsobeautifulpaper.com/2011/05/anns-paint-chip-sample-moving-announcements/


                                                                                                                                                                                         
and...love.   from   http://rarebirdfinds.typepad.com/rare_bird_finds/2008/08/weve-moved.html



If you have some time on your hands...brills...

 
from another fave: http://inbloomstudioblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/clever-moving-announcements.html

Definitely says...'awesome.'
       http://www.thestationeryplace.com/2011/08/moving-announcements-from-brightside.html


...ok...that's all for now, only because I'm still figuring out how to format these blog post things, and 37 hairs have just turned gray.  I'll be back later, after some google searches about how to make a blog look decent...or legible.  Cia for now...

Monday, June 25, 2012

Chapter 1.1...The Closet

First on my list of to-do is to manage 3200 square feet and 10 years of stuff, and somehow consolidate it into 1000 square feet of space.  I have decided to work room-by-room.  Because the storage situation will be the most daunting in this area, I started in my closet...clothes, shoes, accessories, etc.
I designated four different sections...and worked in this order...


Section 1) To Definitely Take--These are the things that I absolutely, beyond even an inkling of doubt, want to have at my new place.  You know what these items are...the things you wear everyday, the first things you go to in your closet, the things that get washed more than any other items in your collection. (I call it a collection...yep)  This is also where you MUST be relentlessly discriminating....do you really need 7 pairs of sweats, or will a couple pairs do?  If you're like me, you may get too purge-happy and end up painting in your favorite cashmere sweater because you decided to proudly purge that ratty t-shirt that you only wear to do yard work and painting in...unless you want to put that very-sensitive cashmere sweater to the ultimate stress test, which I wouldn't recommend, you might need to be more realistic about your needs...really...I speak from experience. And Jimmy Choo is not built for climbing ladders. You also don't want to be wearing those sweats to your next presidential dinner.  Also notice that I just assumed in the painting scenario that you will still have your cashmere sweater(s)...it should be known that it is simply crazytown to ever, ever leave behind a cashmere sweater.  Let alone a collection of cashmere sweaters in every color.  If you are tempted, just back away slowly from the donation bin, fold that lovely sweater neatly, and place it into the "definitely take" box.  Enough said.  Leave hanging items on their hangers (why do it twice?)... (except for the sweaters)... and put them directly into a wardrobe box to move to your new place.  Now repeat step 1 with your shoes and other pretty stuff.


2) To Store in Storage-- This is everything that you can't bear to part with, and that won't fit into your smaller space.  Off-season items are excellent candidates.  Leave these things on hangers as well (except for sweaters, as mentioned before, and other non-hanging items) and put them directly in the wardrobe box labeled "To Storage"...make notes on the box of anything specific in the box, like a fancy dress you may need to access after you realize you purged your other one, and had completely blitzed the big gala to be held in your honor next month.  Again, be discriminating...if it's in-season and you're not putting it into your definitely take pile, do you really want to store it and watch it go out of style?  Perhaps your answer is a resounding yes.  I don't judge you...I've been there.  But this also might be a pretty good indication that regardless of how fabulous something is, or the steal you got when you bought it, you will choose other things to wear first in your closet over that item, and someone else might appreciate getting it.  Which brings me to...


3) To Give Away--It is always better to give than to receive.  I'm a believer in this mantra, and if I know that someone might appreciate getting something that I no longer appreciate (as much) or use (ever), it is just good, happy-making practice to part ways and recycle it to a good home.  Although a good option, the local thrift store isn't your only option.  There are several karma-inducing places that your once-loved goods can be put to good use and find a loving home.  To name a few...women's and family shelters, fundraisers to support local schools/churches/non-profits, etc. The Junior League in our area has a fantastic program called 'Women helping Women' that allows women from shelters, rehabilitation centers, etc. who have upcoming job interviews to 'shop' at their women's donation-only clothing boutique for professional-quality clothing in preparation for a job.  If you can emotionally take it, I always call up my friends and let them sift through both my clothes, and my kids clothes, before they go away.  This always makes me happy, makes my friends happy, and just spreads happy all around.  Win-Win.


4) To Sell--Parting is such sweet sorrow...this one is last on my list for a plethora of reasons.  More time, more to-do, less charitable...but it doesn't mean I don't have my own little pile of things that, whether I have ever worn or used or not, I know will bring in some dough.  I am as weak as the next shopper who spends their hard-earned money on a ridiculously expensive something or other, and have a hard time putting it into a box and watching it disappear into the donation abyss. If you decide you have the energy to take on being a pseudo-retailer, you can check out local consignment boutiques, ebay and the like.  I have a friend who adores yard sales.  Not just scouring them, but running them.  She's good at it, and she brings in all kinds of money.  I, on the other hand, have had near-death experiences with yard sales that I've attempted to run...another discussion for yet another day.  My guess is that by the time you get to this pile a year later, it will have sat in front of you and haunted you, taking up valuable space, and should be headed to the next charity auction.

So there you have it.  By the time I was done with this first task, I had purged exactly 84.6% of my closet stuff.  I couldn't be more excited to venture into this simple life. (Don't resurrect this statement when I'm melted into a crying heap on the floor of my new place wondering why I ever believed I didn't need that ratty t-shirt and those 6 additional pairs of sweats)  Project 'downsize to the enth degree of extreme' (which l'optimiste might call "Simplifying")  is officially underway.  Cheers!

Chapter 1

So this is going to be a big chapter.  It was admittedly the catalyst for finally settling down and committing to this blog thing.  (Another thing you might learn about me is that my achilles heel is 'committting' to something...time, appointments, schedules, houses, cars, apartments, leases, phone contracts, gym memberships, anything else that says '12-month term' on it)...this is not to say that I am not a committed person when I have actually been suckered into signing on the dotted line...in fact, the opposite is true.  If it's possible to be too committed to something to one's detriment, I would fall into that category.  Once I am committed to something, that is to say, once I have put my name on the line, which rarely (if ever)..(and by that I mean really almost never) ...happens..I stay for too long in places that I really sometimes shouldn't...whether it's a phone contract that is costing too much every month, or another person that is costing me too much...which might explain why I hesitate (and break out in a rash) when I hear the word 'commitment'.  Thus, I simply and utterly avoid at all costs anything that is tied to any semblance or hint of 'commitment'...and now that the room has gone silent and I'm the only one talking, it's awkwardly clear that these might be issues for another day.  So now that the rambling off-topic portion of this post is out of the way, let's get to the story.  Our big, huge chapter begins with relocating.  We are moving from our lovely, remodeled and beautiful home (did I mention that it is also 3200 square feet?) to a phenomenal, sure to be adventure-inducing, apartment downtown....(and now would be the time to mention that it is 1000 square feet on a good day)...don't laugh (or guffaw) yet... in French, an optimist is "L'Optimiste,"...(more people might read this post if it has something French in it)... I am determined to be l'optimiste and "pair down"our belongings to fit into our new space (and maybe a couple [or 5] storage units) using my sheer willpower... and IKEA...and lots of containers that look pretty, but really hide the dirty dishrags.  I am determined to live a simpler life, at least for awhile (we'll see how it goes).  Moving day is exactly one week from today. We have lived in our current home for nearly 10 years now...fear and excitement are the two overwhelming emotions being experienced around here for the last month or so.  Overwhelmed may be another fitting descriptive.  However, knowing this was coming has given me a distinct advantage over total moving mayhem...I've had time to plan and prepare a bit.  I'm also starting with a blank slate in the new apartment.  So I get to plan and arrange and decorate things all over again, which is like a big, huge, fat happy pill to me.  I'll take re-decorating my space over donuts any day of the week (except maybe Saturday, and Wednesday or Thursday)...I can't really commit to that last statement...please re-read above if you have any questions.  I've decided to document this journey, soon to be a piece of my once upon a time, and add to my long, but apparently not long enough, to-do list.  The calendar is our countdown on our chalkboard wall...one week and counting...

Once upon a time...

This is the story of a girl.  A girl on a path to continue to discover and create her once upon a time.  Not a happily ever after.  Just a once upon a time...a narrative filled with happiness, sadness, hard lessons learned, hurt and injury given and received, deep love and broken hearts, creativity, beauty, discovery ...you get the idea... a common thread walks between the lines of each of these descriptives ...experience.  A perfect once upon a time, with no guarantee of a happy ending, and no fear of a sad ending.  Just living.  Loving.  Laughing (a lot)... and some (maybe a lot of on given days) crying.  But in all of this, seizing the day, experiencing each moment and every breath.  This is not a deep story, although it may sometimes contain deep moments.  This is a place for me to journal and document my once upon my time, and hopefully relate to others with my random thoughts.  By profession, I am a mother, an art teacher, and an artist.  The components of me beyond that are endless.  And boundless.  I design with a passion.  I scour thrift shops for the perfect find.  I paint and re-paint my walls/furniture/floors...really anything that will hold paint.  I order pizza after I put my best effort into preparing a well-cooked meal.  I love to bake anything that will turn out sweet, soft, fluffy, gooey...on and on...But I'll eat it no matter what it comes out like.  I crave creativity and discovery.  I have a massive chalkboard wall so that I can change something in my house regularly without moving art and furniture around.  I write.  Mostly in my head.  All the time.  I write and I write.  I correct grammar to a level of ridiculous, but make up my own words, and use "..." constantly.  You will get tired of it.  And I will still continue to use it...because it's the best way that I've found to signal a random thought brought on by shiny things in my head.  My pinterest boards are a massive, deep sea of random, and the count is getting up there with some guinness book record that must be relevant to the highest number of pinterest boards one can ever achieve.  I teach art to the most enthusiastic little ones, who are still of the mind that they are artists no matter what they put onto a piece of paper or canvas... I build confidence so that there is little room left in their heads for failure or discouragement.  I do the same thing for my little ones at home.  My goal is to make sure that my kids know they are loved.  Not a little loved...adored.  Admired.  Amazing.  Phenomenal...this does not, however, mean that I am without parental frustration and temper...we have our moments.  Plenty of them.  But they have nothing on the moments of love that we share.  For my ten-year old going on 15, that moment may be as simple as her bringing me a brush and asking me to brush and style her hair.  Sounds silly, I know...but if you knew my very independent with very strong ideas ten-year old, you would know that this is a big deal.  Really, really big.  My 7-year old still tells me I'm beautiful.  Silly, again...right?  But the feeling I get hearing it from my little one, and remembering thinking the same thing about my own beautiful mother at that age...big deal.  So that's it.  I've been putting off this blog thing for years with many excuses...the number one excuse being that I am so incredibly random. You will learn this about me very quickly, and may already have an inkling of it from my introductory post...r-a-n-d-o-m...really.  This blog is going to be an incredibly random mix of everything that goes through my head on a daily basis.  Those who know me (and love me anyways) tell me that my brain is full of trap doors with rooms full of shiny things...all true.  And I'm about to open the doors and get the shiny things on display.   I've started blogs based on single topics and subject matter, but lose interest after about 2 minutes, 4.5 if it's a really good topic.  We'll see how it goes.  No subject is off limits, but kindness and respect towards myself and others is a must.  I hope at some point, someone else (besides me) will read this and chime in!  I figure if it's just me here, then my kids are in for a world of hurt when they have to read all of this at the end of my life.  Sorry to them in advance, but it just has to be done.  And so it begins...