Minimalism and Multipurpose

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Posted on February 20, 2013

While the nature of some tasks require a specific tool or space to complete the job, many things do not.

The first thing that comes to mind are the plethora of single-task appliances which seem to take up residence in many kitchens. You know the ones – waffle makers, ice-cream makers, popcorn makers, juicers, breadmakers and so on. I admit to having a breadmaker – The Duke makes all of our bread and has done for many years, although he is playing with the idea of artisan-style bread baked in the oven and successfully made a loaf the other day. We also have a juicer which could be used more.

However, today I want to take the concept of multipurpose away from appliances. When we had our kitchen re-modelled a few years ago we created a large amount of bench space, including this breakfast bar.

We use this space for eating meals, serving food and general food preparation so it does not always look like this. Once I have finished using the bench, it is cleared and we try not to use it as a ‘dumping ground’.

By having a clean, clear bench I am able to use it for other purposes.

I can pull the chairs back out of the way and I have a cutting table and workbench for when I am sewing. It is the perfect height and totally stable. I am also able to access it from almost any direction. My sewing machine is in the closest bedroom (a few steps along the hallway) but this is the perfect solution for me.

So, which comes first minimalism or multipurposing? If I had more stuff the bench would probably not be clear to use. If I could not use the bench would I acquire a suitable table and contribute to more stuff?

This is a winning solution whichever way I look at it.

Making Way

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Posted on February 18, 2013

As many of you would be aware, I have been streamlining my wardrobe for nearly 12 months. My goal is to have a modest selection of good quality clothes that I love and are flattering to wear.

The Duke generally keeps his selection of shirts under control but after our shopping spree in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago it became obvious that he had too many pairs of trousers that he rarely wore. So, this evening we went through them and culled 3 pairs of trousers as well as the suit he had replaced. I have also put 3 skirts into the op shop bag. I am planning on refashioning 2 other skirts but the these do not fit with the clothes I need and love. All of the items we are letting go of are good quality and in excellent condition so I hope someone can use them.

In the back of my mind I keep thinking of the money that we have spent on these (and clothes) over the years but I know that I cannot use that as a reason to hang onto them for ever. That is no way to recoup the money spent. However, it is a timely reminder to be very thoughtful about what you spend you money on, whether it be clothes or something else entirely.

It is far better to someone else the opportunity to gain some use from the items that are no longer wanted or required.

Finally, a warm welcome to all of the new readers and followers. I hope you find something of interest in my blog and thank you for joining in.

Transformed

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Posted on February 15, 2013

What a difference 75 minutes can make! Yesterday I showed you my small bit of organising. I had sorted the tangle of unironed clothes from earlier in the week into piles of shirts, skirts, t-shirts and so on.

This morning I caught the slightly later train so I decided to get as much of the ironing done as possible. There is no doubt that, not only am I a ‘fowl’ (morning person), I do perform better when I am working to a deadline. I knew that I had a window of 75 minutes, so naturally the challenge (in my head) was on to get as much done in the allotted time as possible. Here is the result.

All I have left to do are the 3 pairs of trousers for The Duke which are on the left-hand end of the ironing board in the photo.

Because I use a steam iron and we live in an area of high humidity, I always hang the ironed clothes to air and dry thoroughly before putting them in the wardrobe. Ironing seems to be a universally hated task, however, I actually do not mind it – especially once I get started. I find a great deal of satisfaction in having crisp, clean clothes hanging in the cupboard ready to wear. I know many people choose not to iron most of their clothes and some do not even own an iron. That is not an option for me as both The Duke and I work in a corporate environment and almost all of our clothes are either 100% or primarily cotton/linen. There are stories of people who iron everything – including underwear and bed linen. I think that may well be from a time when clothes dryers were not commonplace and it was a way of ensuring that everything was totally dry. I do iron handkerchiefs, pillowcases, tablecloths , serviettes and teatowels which some would regard as extreme but I guess it is a matter of each to his own. What is your ironing story?

Small Steps

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Posted on February 14, 2013

During the week I do not have much time to do housework but some of the smallest things can make a difference.

I have managed to do 2 loads of washing since we arrived home on Sunday evening. The folding is done and put away but I have not got near the clothes that need to be ironed.

Last night I quickly sorted out the pile which had been upended on the single bed in my sewing/ironing room into piles of similar items – The Duke’s business shirts in one pile, my skirts in another etc. It now looks much more manageable and I plan to do at least some it tomorrow morning before I catch the slightly later train in the morning.

Do you have any tips and tricks that make a task seem less daunting (and look more organised in the meantime)?

Project 333 – Clothes Shopping

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Posted on February 11, 2013

One of the things I did while I was in Melbourne was to buy some new clothes. I bought 3 skirts, 2 dresses and a jacket but they were not just random pieces. Each had to earn its place in my wardrobe and be able to be worn in a variety of ways.

Here is one of the skirts.

I wore it to work today with an existing black top.

These are the dresses I bought. They are the same style and can both be worn with the red jacket I bought. I also have a black cardigan and a pink cardigan as well as a black jacket so there will be several options.

I will show you some of the other items another day.

On the weekend, I hope to have time to go through my wardrobe and decide what I need move out. I am definitely getting closer to having a selection of clothes that I love, fit me well and can be worn in a variety of ways. I prefer to have a small number of quality pieces than a cupboard bursting at the seams with ‘bargains’.

Chasing My Tail

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Posted on February 5, 2013

It does not take much to get the organisation out of sync.

On the weekend I spent most of the time outdoors. I was helping The Duke with the fencing and my hands and legs bear testament to having done battle with the wire.

So, naturally the the jobs which I normally do on the weekends were neglected. I still cooked meals but the kitchen was not properly tidied.

The washing was done but not the ironing.

Floors were swept but not mopped.

I made a concerted effort last night and this morning and have mostly caught up. Now I need to give some thought to packing as we are going to Melbourne for a few days. There may be a couple of gaps between posts while I get on with my ‘real’ life but I will be back on track soon.

Dinner Module

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Posted on January 24, 2013

I have previously mentioned the concept of having modules to contain items fore a particular purpose. It helps to set limits so that you cannot begin to store more of a group of items than what will fit in the container.

Modules are also a useful concept to keep all of the things that will be used for a project in one place. It is this theory that I applied this morning in my kitchen.

Before I left for work I began the preparation for dinner. We will be having stuffed capsicums (red peppers) so the peppers are de-seeded and washed. I also thawed some rice which I will use when I make one for The Duke and there is grated sweet potato for the stuffing of mine. I have not finalised exactly what else I will use but there will definitely be mushrooms in the mix.

So, I grabbed a large plastic container (and lid), put all of the partly prepared ingredients in the tub and popped it in the fridge. Now it is all ready to go when I get home so I can quickly finish the preparation.

The Power of One

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Posted on January 22, 2013

This morning I opened a drawer in the sideboard – it was empty.

Surprised? I was about to put away the things that I store in it – the vinyl cloth for the outdoor table and the net food cover. The drawer was empty because I had been using these items and I only have one of each of them.

This started me thinking about other things of which I only have one. Do I need more than one of them? Are there things that could be reduced to a single item?

Here are some things that I own a single item whereas I know many people have multiples.

Dress
Washing basket
Pillow per spare bed
Television
Sheet set for for single bed and trundle bed
Camera
Mascara

I have also managed to just have 1 bottle each of conditioner and shampoo. We both use the same and have no need for an array of fancy specialist products.

I am working towards having 1 bottle of body lotion and 1 lipstick (have 2 at the moment) but that will take time as I prefer to use things up rather than just toss them for the sake of it.

We are not so good with other things, such as:

2 laptops as well as a desktop computer
2 sets of good tablemats
2 mops
3 hammers (all the same size)
I could go on but this just gives you an idea of some of how easily we can acquire (and keep) multiples of various items.

What is limited/streamlined at your place and what seems to multiply?

Doubled-Up No More

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Posted on January 15, 2013

We have been given a large number of titles for our Kindles so on the weekend I decided to check if some were double-ups of hard copies that we already owned. Sure enough, there were over 80 books that we already had on our bookshelves.

Here are some of the books which we will be letting go. It will mean less to store, dust etc. We will even have some empty shelf space.

I have listed some of the books to give away on a couple of sites including Freecycle but have not had any luck.

If any of my Australian readers have suggestions as to where I can give them away where they will be appreciated that would be great. In fact, if you are interested in any and live in south-east Queensland or are prepared to pay postage please let me know and I can send you a list of the available titles.

Clear The Clutter

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Posted on January 6, 2013

I have spent several years gradually decluttering in an effort to simplify my life. I am not sure what the end point of this journey looks like, or even whether there is a destination. Since I have most areas in my house fairly clear and streamlined, I am certainly at the point where it is easy to recognise potential clutter before it becomes entrenched.

It is important to identify things before they become clutter. An example is a plastic water jug that was in our refrigerator. It had obviously developed a hairline crack because I discovered a pool of water on the shelf where it was standing. Until yesterday this was a perfectly functional item in our kitchen, today it will not hold water which is what I use it for. So, I have thrown it in the garbage. Some people would suggest that it could be used to store/display non-liquid items or be refashioned into something else. I am all for minimising the amount of stuff that goes to landfill, however, I do not need this jug for any other purpose other than holding water, so out it goes.

Do I need another plastic water jug? I am trying to use more glass and less plastic in the kitchen so my plan is to look for a suitable glass jug. It is not desperately urgent so I may check out the op shops when I have time.

My sewing room is one area where I still have quite a bit of ‘stuff’. I am gradually working through it so tonight I did a little more. Just before Christmas it was a bit of a mad flurry to get the sewing table (folding) cleared so that I could fit bedding for 4 children in this room. I have previously resisted stashing things away without sorting them properly but as time was limited I carefully folded the remaining fabric and half-finished projects into 2 lidded boxes. I put the boxes in the wardrobe but as soon as Christmas was over and the table re-instated I brought the boxes out and placed them on the table as a reminder to me that I had to sort through the contents.

There are several garments which I had bought from the op shop last year with a view to using the fabric for my patchwork. I had begun unpicking this blouse which was in the box so I decided to finish that job.

Here is the material that I have for use in my patchwork project.

The buttons have been salvaged and are now in my button collection.

The scraps of fabric have been discarded.

I now have 1 less thing in my ‘to do’ pile. Here are another couple of garments which are the next things I plan to deconstruct and use for patchwork.