2011 Revisited

Good Afternoon everyone!

(Cards from Etsy shop dodelinedesign)

I apologise for the lack of posts lately, but y'know, life was happening.  Nothing exciting, just life.  So, I figured it was about time to take a look back at 2011, and especially my first post of the year-Things for 2011.
The first thing to note is that I made no 'New Years Resolutions' and I broke none. (It is also worth noting that I celebrate New Years properly on the 1st November, anyway).

There were quite a few changes around here last year.  we finished the Living Room, we painted the bedroom, we upholstered the bed (and I discovered Daniel over at Manhattan Nest...), I finished the bathroom, repainted the dining room aaaaaaand painted the hall, stairs and landing.  Actually, we painted EVERY SINGLE ROOM in our apartment this year.  I've finally started to be able to put together finishing touches without worrying that the actual paintwork wasn't finished...

I needed to get more organised.  I still need to get more organised.  The Great Wardrobe Experiment was a great start, and to be fair, that wardrobe is still looking pristine, so it seems that the experiment worked.  The 'Junk Cupboard/Loft' is quite another story though.  In 2012 I think I'll kickstart the year with a picture of just how bad this baby is.  The Mr is a hoarder, and I'm a minimalist/hider-The ultimate combination.

The second part of 'Things' was the intention to be more mindful of the stuff that comes into the apartment in the first place.  I think we've done a pretty darn good job of this actually.  By we, I mean me.  I think I've done pretty well here.  I reckon that this is the first year of my adult life in which I haven't bought a cushion or a lamp or a duvet set or some inane kitchen item.  I have bought a few things though, like the 1960's Hi Fi turntable, a Typhoon storage jar, a cake stand or two...  Okay, so it may not have been perfect but there's been such a vast improvement.  Honestly.

After the festive season is over and things start to die down and settle back into routine, we'll attack that cupboard.  If there's something in there that I haven't laid hands on in the last year it's going.  I still have a spare wedding dress in there. (Yes, Spare.)

Anyway,  I hope that you've enjoyed this year's journey, and hopefully we'll have another rollercoaster ride next year too.  For now though,

Happy Whichever Holiday You Celebrate.

Things for 2011.

I never make any New Year's Resolutions for the simple reason that I never seem to be able to stick to them.  I always say 'This year I'll x,y,z...And I MEAN it this time..." But it never happens.  The only year I succeeded in keeping my resolutions was when I decided to drink more, start smoking and bite my fingernails.  That was a good year.  The moral of this story then?  I'm going to put into words my New Year's Resolutions, and then call them something else.  Simple.
So.  Things for 2011 then.
First of all (and I really, really mean it this time) I need to get myself more organised.  I think the only way to do this is to figure out just how much actual stuff I have, how much of it I use, and how much of it I like.  We have no loft space in our apartment, but we do have a large, walk-in cupboard built right into the eaves.  Last year Mr E built bespoke shelving with the intention of coralling all the 'stuff' that ends up in there.  I don't even know what's in there any more.
This cupboard is number one on the list.  It will be neat, it will be useful.  It will contain blissfully folded towells, stacks of neat, ironed sheets in bundles ready to be grabbed should we have unexpected guests.  It will huose the emergency food and tools, it will, in short, be amazing.

This cupboard will then start a chain reaction, I feel.  Although everything is always 'away' in our apartment, nothing really has a home (except the rice crispies).  We have enough storage, but everything always seems to be in the wrong place.  Hopefully, when the cupboard is sorted, the Christmas china can go up there, freeing up space in the dining room for the lesser used casserole dishes and cake tins, freeing up space in the kitchen for...you get the picture.  Hopefully having a coherent plan of HOW we use the apartment will help us to understand where our stuff needs to be.

Secondly, I think we need to look at the stuff that we bring into the place, almost mindlessly sometimes.  I am terribly guilty of impulse buying, only for things to sit on a shelf somewhere before eventually being given to charity.  I therefore 'resolve' (whoops, oh well, it's down now) to think about every little thing I aquire, and not just grab everything that takes my fancy in TK Maxx.  If we need one and we don't have one I will buy one.  If we have one and I find a nice one, I will buy one-but give the old one away.  At one point last year, we had no fewer than FOUR yucky plastic measuring jugs, as well as one nice on and a glass one.  This is what I'm talking about.

I guess the mantra for 2011 is THINK!