My Personal Challenge
Day 25-

I call todays gathering of 27 items, "my summer fling thing".  It started with letting go of two beach towels that my daughter basically said "had to go".  I think more than an aversion to them, was the fact that we have had them for some time.  She thinks I need to break-out and buy some new ones.  I told her that my birthday is on Monday and that sounded like a great gift for her to give me.  I don't think she went for that. 

 I then proceeded to look for items that were warm weather related or were at least in the same color scheme.  Each day is interesting for me because I never know what I am going to be getting rid of.  Sometimes it just starts with finding an item or two and the rest falls into place.  Then other days I really struggle to meet my quota.

There are only 3 days left in my challenge and I feel that it is necessary to get back up in my studio and weed out some art items. I have already gone through my art supplies, which I may do again before it's all over, but it's my stash of altered art bits and pieces that really need some purging.  Maybe tomorrow.  

288.4 lbs. lost so far during my challenge.  I wonder if I will hit 300 lbs.  We shall see...

My Personal Challenge
Day 24-

My DH walks into the kitchen with an arm load of clothes.  When I asked him what he was doing, he said that he might not have 27 items.  I asked him (with a grin on my face), "Are you doing the "27 fling boogie" with me?  He proudly counted his items that he had gathered to donate.  He had in his stack 6 pairs of shorts, 22 t-shirts, and 13 short sleeve shirts.  For his first attempt during my 27 day challenge, he comes up with a whopping 41 items.  Way to go! I told him how thrilled I was and just how excited they will be at The Junior League Repeat Boutique to receive his clothes. When a man is that willing to go overboard, overages are okay.

I told him that I love to buy clothes for him, but occasionally he needs to pull from his wardrobe and pass some things along.  It got to where I could not fit all his t-shirts and shorts in the drawer. But he had to be the one to thin things out, not me.  I wouldn't want him trying to decide what to keep and what to get rid of in my closet and drawers.

With just 4 days left of my "fling thing", I need to be selective as what areas of my home in which to glean from.  I truly want to "see" a difference.  I feel a difference for sure!

If getting rid of 729 things seemed too daunting, join us for these last few days.  Everyone has a 100 or so items that they can let go.

Giving feels so good!

My Personal Challenge
Day 23-

The 27 items that I gathered to get rid of today were from my ridiculously large collection of shoes and accessories.  I'm sure that there are people who have a lot more than I do and I am not going to judge them on that, but for me, it is a bit suffocating. I think that my daily wardrobe selection would be a lot easier if I had less to choose from.

How did I accumulate over a dozen pairs of boots and a half dozen strands of pearls?  These aren't even things that I wear everyday.  It seems like such a waste.   It only makes sense to pass some of this stuff along to someone else.  Scarves are a whole other story.  I love them, I buy them, but I hardly ever wear them.  That's how I used to be with hats.  I had a nice collection of pretty hats, but I finally came to the realization that I am not a hat person.  I got rid of all of them.  All except my baseball caps. I just discovered a few years ago on a cruise that they can actually be a helpful accessory item.  Caps can keep your hair from going crazy in high winds and they are perfect for "bad hair" days.  As my personality goes, I now have a stash of close to a dozen of theses babies.  After all,  you have to have different colors to match different outfits.

I went through my jewelry today as well and managed to come up with a "baker's dozen" between my necklaces and earrings.  I have a bunch of pretty necklaces, but often find myself not wearing a necklace at all.  I couldn't purge as many as I probably should have because I had that strong feeling of "I might wear it" come over me.  For now though, I am still making my quota of getting rid of 27 items a day.  I  have committed to get rid of 27 each day for a total of 27 days.  Yes, that is 729 items and  I am still holding my own!

My house is feeling so much lighter with a total weight loss so far of 253.4 lbs.

My Personal Challenge
Day 22-

Today I collected a bit of bric-a-brac.  I don't really have a lot of "extras" in this department as I "pared down" quite a bit when we had the living room painted a few months ago.  But, all of us have something that we can give away. I did manage to, once again, find my quota of 27 items.

 I mentioned it earlier, but for those of you who are joining us a little late, all of the items that I gather from My Personal Challenge, are being donated to the Junior League of Memphis Repeat Boutique Thrift Store (3586 Summer Avenue).   Every dollar that they take in at the store, goes directly back into the community.  It truly is a "win-win" situation;  I thin out my home and I support the people of my community at the same time.

To see some of the projects that The Junior League of Memphis supports, visit:
jlmemphis.org

With just 6 days to go in my challenge, I am still going strong.

I wonder what I will find tomorrow....

My Personal Challenge
Day 21-

I will admit it; I enjoy yard art.  Although personally, with the exception of a classic item or two in the front yard (a pretty pot or iron piece), I prefer for my lawn accents to be in the backyard.  I think a lot of little knick-knacks in the front yard can look junky, taking away from the curb appeal of a home.

With that said, I have collected a number of things to tuck into my backyard flower beds since we moved into our home 20 years ago.  But with constant exposure to the elements, even the nicest garden treasures can begin to look rough after a period of time.  Occasionally I will go through and get rid of items that have become broken or faded and replace them with newer fresher "finds".  I say finds because most of my lawn accents were purchased at yard sales or rummage sales.  It's hard to appreciate pretty "new" accents when there is a bunch of broken stuff hanging around. 

My Daughter mentioned recently that she felt I had just a little too much stuff in the yard.  My purging efforts were obviously overdue.  I figured my 27 day challenge was a perfect opportunity to attend to this task.  I will say, the removal of a couple dozen garden goodies has given my yard a fresher feel.

Is it time for you to clear your yard of some unsightly statues, broken pots or tangled wind-chimes? 

Weight loss to date-226.4 lbs.   Loosing weight never felt so good!

My Personal Challenge

Day 20-

This journey that I have been on for the past 20 days is showing me a lot about myself and my areas of weakness and compulsion.  Today's "27 FB" was a prime example.

 I saw these cute little pins in a local fabric store a few years ago.  They were made out of coordinating fabrics that came from a fabric sample book and were embellished with various buttons and fibers.  One of the ladies working at the shop was making them and had them for sale. 

 I knew that I could make one if I could just find a pattern.  With just a little help from my friend, Google,  I found simple directions on the internet. I knew in order for them to turn out the way I wanted, I needed to get my hands on some designer fabric sample books.  My husband's office was located next to the store where I discovered the pins, so I decided to ask a lady who worked there if she would mind saving some sample books for me and that I would come get them.  She said that she would be happy to.  A week or so later she walked over to my husband's office with twenty or so sample books.  The fabrics were beautiful.  I could not wait to make my first pin.  I made several and showed other people how to make them.  I gave them sample books so that they would have their own "stash" with which to work.

After I got over the "newness" of this project, the remaining sample books sat idle in my studio along with lots and lots of other materials that I have gathered for other "great" projects.

I seem to have a pattern going where I will get excited about  a new project, track down all the needed materials and then jump full steam into making whatever it is.  The excitement then soon wanes.  A "new" idea will come along and the cycle repeats itself.  

Luckily I am a very thrifty person and am able to find lots of what I need at yard sales and thrift stores, so I don't have a huge financial investment in most of my art supplies. I also have lots of art friends that I trade with.  My frustration comes from me hesitating to get rid of things, especially in my studio.  My theory is that I might need it for a future project. Today I "flung" 24 fabric sample books.  I kept a few just incase I decide to make more flowers.  

If these flowers sound like something you might like to try, visit this site:  http://blairpeter.typepad.com/weblog/2006/03/fabric_flowers.html

My Personal Challenge
Day 19-

  

Today was a second go round for thinning out books during my 27 day challenge.  When my first "27 fling boogie" of reading material proved to be surprisingly painless, I decided to "dig deeper" to see if I could let go of even more books.  This turned out to be a successful venture. 

Just like day 11, I discovered books that I had acquired, but had never read.  I sat down on a little bench in my reading room and read the first page of several of these books.  If they sounded like something I would like to read, I put them back on the shelf, if not, they were added to my give away pile.  

I also decided to pass along some of my "favorites" that I had been holding on to.  I am not one to reread books so there was really no point in keeping them.

 *I keep a log of the books that I have read so that I don't make the mistake of re-buying them.  

My bookshelf looks so much better now.  In the future, I am going to think twice before bringing in new reading material.  I have so many books that I have not read, that I will be busy for some time!

My Personal Challenge
Day 18-

A customer of mine asked me the other day if I was seeing a change in how my house looked now that I had been at my challenge for over two weeks.  

I think she was shocked when I told her , "No". When I walk through my house, things really do not look any different. I had been so optimistic about my efforts until she asked me this question. 

 To date I have gotten rid of 166 lbs. of stuff, so a change is being made somewhere. But where?

Most of my work has been in drawers and closets, but even in those areas, I don't see a significant improvement.  I am not a hoarder (not by my standards at least), but I am beginning to get a true grasp of the meaning of excess.  I have already done a "27 fling boogie" in my studio, but I was back in there again today in effort to further reduce my "over-stock" of art supplies and such.

I truly think that having so many materials to work with has been stunting my creativity.  I am finding that letting go of some of my rubber stamps, fabric and craft supplies is very liberating!  I will probably need to revisit this room again in the next few days.  Until then I press on...

My Personal Challenge
Day 17-

After having such a hard time in the garage yesterday, I decided for today's "27 fling boogie" that I would not concentrate just on any one area in particular.  

I basically walked through the house and grabbed things. The majority of my items were from a shelf in my "studio" that houses books that I have set aside for using in my altered art projects. These are books, magazines and other publications that I either bought at yard sales, thrift stores or got out of the free bins at McKay's, my favorite used bookstore.  

There is a McKay's in Nashville and Knoxville.  If you are ever in either one of these cities, you MUST go there.  They have excellent prices on their used books and music, but one of the coolest things is that they have great big bins in front of their stores full of FREE books.  I always leave with an arm load full. 
The store in Knoxville is my personal favorite http://mckaybooks.com/locations/knoxville

So back to the altered art.  Besides sewing for the Baptist Hospital, this is what I enjoy working on. Under My Blog List I have listed several of the sites and blogs that I visit for inspiration.  If just the term "altered art" is foreign to you or you don't feel that you have a crafty bone in your body, just take a minute to peak at a site your two.  Who knows, you might get sucked in just as I did close to a decade ago.  

My Personal Challenge
Day 16-

It's amazing to me that the areas that need decluttering the most are the places in which I am having the hardest time with.  It's very frustrating because I really want to be able to "see" a difference in the appearance of my home when I am finished with my 27 day challenge.

The garage is a perfect example. Both of our cars fit in there (which for some folks, would be an accomplishment), but there is no space to spare.  Our daughter who just graduated from college is storing some of her things there, but that only accounts for a segment of one wall.  We have a few bikes and your basic lawn care items and tools.  So I asked myself, "What is all this other stuff and do I really "need" it?  Would I miss it?"

I've always admired the folks who have pristine garages.  You know what I mean.  They literally have nothing in their garage besides their cars and maybe a recycling bin.  There is not even a lawn mower present.

I've come to a conclusion.  They must be unhealthy boring people.  They have a lawn care service who cuts their grass and they don't own a bike, so they don't get much exercise.   Also indicating that they clearly are not physically active: there are no golf clubs, tennis racquets, baseball bats, soccer balls, volley balls or lacrosse sticks. They don't have any hobbies because their garages are void of half empty paint pans, odd pieces of lumber, saws, drills, spray paint, salvaged shutters, unfinished refinishing projects...

Okay, so I just figured out how we have what we have, but I feel better about myself knowing that we get a little exercise here and there and that we are not boring people.  That gives me some sense of comfort.

I did somehow manage to find 27 things to "fling, but I will say today was my hardest day yet.

My Personal Challenge
Day 15-

Don't let the colorful and organized display of craft supplies fool you.  My "studio" is far from being in the order that I desire.   

Although I have two large work surfaces in my room,  the actual size of my work area gets smaller by the day.  I'll work on a project, leave my materials sitting out, start a new project, leave those items out and the vicious cycle starts.  Every once in a while, I'll go up there and spend a few hours getting things back into place, but purging things doesn't really happen.

 I have art supplies that I have purchased and never used. I have items that my generous art buddies have given me over the years.  I even have somethings that I used to use with my children when they were little (they are now 23 and 24 years old).

Today I just worked on cleaning out a few drawers.  I discovered that I had 13 shaped scissors.  No wonder my top drawer would not open!  I had several knitting needles of various sizes.  Since I only know how to make scarves, I decided that I could stand to get rid of a few.  I had a crochet hook and I don't even know how to crochet.  I lost count of the punches that I had, but I know that I have not used these smaller ones in years.  I will never miss this bright assortment of materials.  

Maybe they will bring a little joy to someone who is just building their art supply.

My Personal Challenge

Day 14-

There are certain things that seem to multiply at my house.  Bows, bags and gift tags-where do they all come from? 

 We have been in our home for 20 years now and I guess with 20 birthdays, 20 Christmases, 20 anniversaries, 20 Valentine's Days and 20 Easters, it's no wonder I have such a collection.  Today's "27  fling boogie" barely made a dent in my supply.  Hallmark has nothing on me!

Plastic bins are great for storing seasonal items and such, but I am learning that when they are "out of sight" they truly are "out of mind".  At our next celebration, I think I'll let someone else take home the bright colorful packagings.  Well, if there is a bag that is exceptionally cute, I may have take it home with me.  But for now, I can say that there are 27 less party products over here.

Today I hit the two week mark of My Personal Challenge, and although some days are more challenging than others, I  am still just as encouraged as I was the first day of this journey.  

Tomorow is another day for "flinging"away...

My Personal Challenge
Day 13-

  

This colorful assortment of random trinkets is what I came up with today for my "27 fling boogie".

 I started out in my gift closet and found a few, what I call, "dregs" (little items that were intended to be tucked into gift baskets). 

 I also discovered that I had a few little toys that were left over from Operation Christmas Child 2011.  Billy Graham's son, Franklin Graham, started OCC, which is a ministry that anyone can get involved in, for either a one time donation, or a yearly project. Participants fill a shoebox with little gifts of toys and personal care items.  They are sent around the world to children who might not otherwise get anything for Christmas.  It's amazing how many goodies you can pack into a small shoebox!

 For further information, check out their website : (http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/Pack_A_Shoe_Box/). 

The balance of my "27FB" came from my endless craft stash.  I feel certain that more of these items will be "flung" in the next several days.  Having an over abundance of "raw materials" to work with has proven to be overwhelming and has actually stifled my creativity.  I believe that paring down the number of things that I have to work with will actually encourage me to work on some projects that I  have neglected lately.

This challenge has proven to be a blessing.  It is definitely "better to give, than to receive"!

My Personal Challenge
Day 12-

12 days ago I started a 27 day challenge, a personal quest to reduce the nonessential items in my home.  

Each and everyday I am gathering 27 things to get rid of.   Why 27 items?  I got the idea from The Fly Lady (flylady.net).  She calls her clutter removal system, the "27 fling boogie".  
Everything I collect will be donated to The Junior League Repeat Boutique, a thrift shop located at 3586 Summer Avenue. However;  if you see an item that you are interested in, you are welcome to have it.  Just let me know as soon as possible because I move the things out of the house pretty quickly.

The Repeat Boutique is owned and operated by The Junior League of Memphis, a nonprofit organization of women who are committed to be a catalyst for change and improvement in the quality of life in the Memphis community.  For more information about the JLM, visit their website: jlmemphis.org.

Today I spent some time in my "studio" weeding through my ridiculously large collection of rubber stamps.  I'm sure that I will probably be getting rid of more in the days to come.  I purchased lots of these stamps for had a card ministry that I had a few years ago.  The ministries that I am involved in now (Baptist Women's Auxiliary and The Community Art Room) call for the use of fabric and various other materials.  So it just seemed appropriate to pass along some of my stamps. 

Total weight loss so far-106.8 lbs.!

My Personal Challenge
Day 11-

Today my "27 fling boogie" took place in, what I call, my reading room.    It's really my son's old bedroom, but when your children move out, you can start calling their old spaces things like: guest rooms, studies, craft rooms, reading rooms or offices.  

As soon as our son got his own place, I painted his bedroom, added a daybed  and put a bookshelf in there. It was soon coined my "reading room".  It is a place that is free from technology-no t.v., computer or phone.  I don't even have a clock in there, just a reading lamp or two.  It is a peaceful place to retreat to and read. 

 I have accumulated lots of books on my bookshelf in the past few years.  Many I have read, many I have not.  I decided that my 27 day challenge was a perfect opportunity to thin out my collection.  I don't feel too bad getting rid of books that I haven't gotten around to reading, as most of the books that I purchase either come from a thrift store or a yard sale.  

My personal Challenge
Day 10-

I thinned out my wardrobe back in March before going on vacation, so today's "27 FB" was a tad bit challenging. I still managed to come up with 27 items from my closet to get rid of.  Most of us run on the 80/20 theory; in which 80 percent of the time we only wear 20 percent of our wardrobe.  I know that this is true for myself.  I probably won't even miss these pieces.

Today the things that I "flung" were: 1 bathing suit, 2 scarves, 1 wallet, 2 skirts, 1 tote bag, 2 pairs of shoes, 1 sweater, 1 pair of pants, 2 necklaces, 11 tops, 1 dress and 1 pendant and  bracelet.  

The items that I gathered from days 1-9 were donated today to the Junior League Repeat Boutique.  This helps their inventory and it keeps me from being tempted to reclaim any of these things.  Gracie, the manager, was thrilled to receive my donation!

My Personal Challenge
Day 9-

My 27 fling thing today happened in my sewing room. In effort to reduce the over abundance of fabric in my sewing room, I spent some time being selective about what types of fabrics that I truly do not need.  

I make chemo caps, lap robes, walker pockets and surgery pillows for the Baptist Hospital so cottons and knits are all that I actually need to keep in my reserve.  

Anything else I can pass along to others.  In my supply I  found large pieces of velvet, terry, felt and thermal knits.  If you can use any of these, please let me know.  I have purged well over 20 yards of fabric today.

I am finding that the further that I go into my challenge, the easier it gets to let go of stuff.  

My Personal Challenge 
Day 8-

I did my "boogie" today in my master bathroom.  This was a bit harder than I thought it would be. 

 In the bath you have mainly towels and consumables (shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, toilet paper, make-up, tooth paste and such).  Since I just purchased new towels and passed on the old ones, I knew I would not be "flinging" any of them. 

I did however find a few personal care products that were either brand new or still had lots of life to them, some hair accessories and a handful of jewelry. 

My cabinets and drawers look so much nicer after doing my "27 fling boogie" in the bathroom today.  They seem to get "out of whack" so easily.  

I decided to do a second weigh in since I was already in the bathroom with the scale.
Total weight loss to date is 48.3 lbs.  

My house is feeling thinner already. I am very pleased with my progress!

My Personal Challenge
Day 7-

     
     
           
Don't let the seemingly small stash of paper goods fool you; I accomplished a lot during my "27 Fling Boogie" today. My stationery drawer is now more organized than it has been in years!  

All this cleaning out of stuff is not just about flinging things, it is also about putting each zone that I pare down in a more orderly fashion.  I used to be a Girl Scout so I know that we are supposed to "leave a place better than we found it".  When it came to the top drawer of my desk, that was not hard to do. 

 I had a greeting card organizer box right in the middle of my drawer, it's just that 75% of the cards were not in the box.  They were scattered about , making it nearly impossible to find anything.  I had several stationery boxes in the drawer with only one or two cards left in each of them.  These boxes were taking up precious space.  

After I paired my cards with their envelopes and put them in the organizer, I found that I had close to 100 mismatched pieces of stationary, note cards and envelopes left over.  I bagged them up and counted this bundle as one "flung" item. So along with 26 greeting cards that I discarded, I met my quota for the day.

My Personal Challenge-
Day 6

                For my "27 Fling Boogie" today I decided to see what I could come up with from my computer room.  

I discovered boxes of brochure blanks and a zillion note pads that my DH has brought home from various trade shows.  I use a note book each day for tracking my "to do" list, but by the time I go through the pads in my cabinet, he will have accumulated a half a zillion more. He will never miss the 1 or 2 that I have removed.

 I found that I had two boxes of staples with  5,000 staples in each box.  I don't know about you, but I don't believe that it is possible for two people, who do not work from home, to go through 10,000 staples in a lifetime!  Out went a box.

The pen and pencil population is a whole other situation itself.  I had a hard time opening my desk drawer because of the number of writing implements it contained.  This is the result of, not only trade shows, but also companies who are constantly handing out pens in effort to advertise themselves.  A few pens may have been inadvertently heisted from some unsuspecting cashiers.  

I am so glad that I have taken on this 27 day challenge. With 3 weeks to go, I truly think I will see a difference in my home's "waste line".  In the even that I do not, I may have to revisit my challenge again in the winter.  Time will tell.