Conquering the Clutter: My Latest Home Organization & DIY Wins

There’s a particular satisfaction that comes with finally ticking off those long-standing items on your to-do list – the ones that have been lingering for what feels like an eternity. Recently, I’ve found myself in a whirlwind of productivity, tackling projects I’ve put off for months. It’s a feeling of accomplishment that’s truly exhilarating, and I’m excited to share a roundup of these recent home improvement and organization triumphs with you. This post is a little “Friday smorgasbord” of updates, a chance to celebrate progress and perhaps inspire you to tackle your own lingering tasks.

Just a few days ago, a comment popped up that sparked a memory: “Hey, I miss your ‘Dude Get On That Already’ updates – will those ever come back?” For those who might not recall, these were posts where I’d finally get around to completing a project that had been sitting around, usually something simple like painting a wall or hanging decor. Remember updates like this wall plaque, this decorative box, this coat hook installation, or this high chair makeover? As I read that comment, a thought struck me: I actually have gotten on a few things lately! What has come over me? Is this a burst of nesting energy? Has my body been snatched by a productivity alien? Whatever the reason, I’m thrilled to share the details of these completed projects.

1. Ding Dong, The Dining Room Table is Cleared!

You might recall a recent house tour video that unveiled the chaotic state of our dining room and guest room. It’s an unspoken rule in our home that when one room gets a major overhaul, a nearby room often becomes the casualty, accumulating clutter and becoming a temporary storage zone. Here’s a still shot from that video, a stark reminder of the organized chaos:

For months, this beautiful dining table had been buried under a mountain of miscellaneous items – craft supplies, decorative pieces waiting for a home, and various other bits and bobs. It wasn’t just unsightly; it rendered the space unusable for its intended purpose. The sheer visual weight of the clutter was a constant low-level stressor, a silent reminder of an unfinished task.

The Decluttering Process & Its Impact

I finally got my act together and embarked on a major decluttering mission. A significant portion of the craft supplies that had congregated there found a proper home in my newly organized craft closet upstairs. This dedicated space has been a game-changer, proving that having a designated spot for everything is key to maintaining tidiness. The decorative items, which were essentially orphaned pieces, were tucked away into the two bottom cabinets in the living room, joining other vases, cloches, and similar decorative accessories.

The transformation was immediate and profound. It’s incredibly satisfying to see the warm wood of the table again, gleaming under the light. (I’ll spare you the dusty details from before I gave it a much-needed wipe-down for this shot.)

Workspace & Entertaining Potential

Some of you asked if, with the dining table cleared, I would start using it as a workspace, especially since I admitted to using the kitchen table until our office is perfectly set up for two people. Interestingly, even with the dining table now pristine, I still gravitate towards the kitchen table. My main reason? From the kitchen, I have a clear view of Clara playing in the living room, offering a sense of connection and ease. The dining room, due to its layout, feels a bit more isolated. However, it’s wonderful to know that if I need a moment of true solitude or focused work, the dining room is now an option. And, of course, the thought of hosting a “fancier-than-the-kitchen-table” dinner party, perhaps a Downton Abbey-esque affair, is now a delightful possibility!

The Ongoing Battle: Kitchen Counter Chaos

The bad news, however, is that while the dining room table shines, our kitchen counter remains a battlefield. It pretty much still looks like this (minus the crockpot full of stew), a direct consequence of our in-progress pantry reorganization. Everything is painted, and we’re just waiting for it to dry completely so we can install some fantastic new storage systems. Sigh. It truly is a vicious cycle of home improvement, where one project’s success often temporarily displaces items into another area.

2. Hemmed Clara’s Comically Long Curtains

Sometimes it’s the small, seemingly insignificant tasks that nag at you the most. Clara’s curtains were a prime example. You can sort of spot them in the picture below (I often tried to just curl them under to make it less obvious), but they were a good 6 inches too long. While I generally appreciate a drapey effect, these were borderline sloppy, with an excessive amount of fabric pooling on the floor, collecting dust, and creating a somewhat unkempt appearance in her otherwise charming room.

The Simple Solution: No-Sew Hemming

Last weekend, inspired by my newfound productivity, I decided to tackle this minor but persistent issue. With Clara happily engrossed in playing with her dollhouse in the middle of the room and some cheerful tunes setting the mood, I got to work. My secret weapon? Heat N Bond hem tape. This brilliant no-sew solution made the job incredibly quick and painless. It probably took me only about half an hour to measure, cut them all, and then iron on the hem tape. I deliberately left them still slightly drapey, just skimming the floor, to maintain that relaxed, casual vibe I love.

The feeling of accomplishment from this small task is disproportionately huge! Seriously, I’ve questioned whether there’s something wrong with me that perfectly hemmed curtains can bring such immense satisfaction. But I think it’s simply one of those things that had popped into my head a million times over the last eight months (“I should really hem those curtains” was a weekly mantra as I put away Clara’s laundry). To finally check that box off feels absolutely fantastic, transforming a minor eyesore into a polished detail.

3. The Extra Pieces of Our Sectional Have Found Greener Pastures

Remember the saga of our full Karlstad sectional? It simply didn’t fit the cozier dimensions of our living room, leading us to embark on a project playfully titled “Honey, I Shrunk the Sofa.” We ended up using only a portion of the sectional, leaving us with several random, unused pieces.

From Attic Storage to Unexpected Sale

For the past eight months, these extra pieces – specifically the corner section and the loveseat-sized end – had been relegated to our attic, patiently waiting under a drop cloth. We had initially considered listing them on Craigslist, but our expectations were low. We mused, “We just figured selling the corner and loveseat to a sofa that’s incomplete without another end piece that someone would have to purchase might fetch us $20 tops.” Given this pessimistic outlook, we decided to simply hold onto them, thinking we might find a use for them in a future design configuration. We hadn’t given them a second thought.

Then, months later, something completely unexpected happened. We received an email from someone offering to buy them for $250! We hadn’t even looked at those pieces in the attic for months, so the decision was a swift and enthusiastic: sold! It felt like finding forgotten treasure.

A Serendipitous Connection

The most amusing part of this story is that the buyer wasn’t a blog reader. She was simply googling around, desperately trying to locate these exact Karlstad pieces, which are not sold separately by the manufacturer. She stumbled upon our old post about storing them in our attic. This woman wasn’t even from our area; she lived in Florida but had other items in a storage unit in New Jersey that she was driving down to Florida in her SUV. On her way, she swung through Richmond and (miraculously!) managed to fit all the cumbersome pieces into the back of her vehicle. So now, we’ve got an extra $250 in our pockets, and “Karl” – or at least the unused portion of Karl – is living a sunnier, more integrated life in St. Augustine! It’s a fantastic example of how one person’s clutter can truly be another person’s treasure.

4. Donating, Gifting, & Consigning Clara’s Old Clothes

In that same house tour video, I mentioned four large bins brimming with Clara’s outgrown clothes and baby gear. My plan was to send these items in a multitude of directions: some would be returned to sweet friends who had loaned them to us, some would be donated to local charities, others would be handed down to pregnant friends and relatives, and I wanted to experiment with consigning some of the higher-quality pieces.

The Multi-Stage Decluttering & Profit

These bins sat there for months, a silent monument to a task undone. But finally, I committed to the process. I meticulously sorted through everything, fulfilling my promises to friends and preparing items for donation. Then, I decided to take the remaining high-quality items to “Once Upon A Child,” a local secondhand baby store, just to see what the consignment experience would be like. Forty-five minutes after dropping them off, I returned to receive a nice little check for $141! I was genuinely surprised and delighted by the return.

There were a few things the store didn’t end up taking, so on the way home, I swung by another donation box with the remaining extras. And just like that, the infamous “Corner O’ Bins” in the living room was no more. The funny thing is, I had dragged those bins downstairs from the storage room when I was about 18 weeks pregnant, in anticipation of finding out if we were having another girl or a boy, so I could sort through everything accordingly. This means they sat in that corner for over 10 weeks, patiently waiting to be dealt with. Better late than never, right? This project not only decluttered our space but also provided a lovely financial bonus and ensured that many beloved items found new homes.

5. Clara’s Birdcages Are No Longer Birdless!

For quite some time, Clara’s charming decorative birdcages sat empty, a design element awaiting its finishing touch. That’s right, I finally put a bird on it. Make that six birds! About a month ago, I noticed that West Elm was having a huge ornament sale, and among the clearance items were these gorgeous, colorful little decorative birds. They were too perfect to pass up.

Bringing Life to the Decor

For a mere $20, I acquired six of these delightful birds. When they arrived, I reenacted Snow White and put them all over my arms used their built-in clips or ornament loops to carefully place them within Clara’s birdcages, making them look perfectly cozy and at home. A few of you keen observers even noticed them in this picture on Instagram/Facebook, and I promised an update, so here it is!

I even added a small wooden dowel to the grey birdcage, which didn’t originally have one. This created a perfect little perch for one bird and a spot for another to hang, adding to the naturalistic feel. You can just barely make it out in this shot – the cut-off bird on the right is sitting on it, and the flying bird just below that one is hanging from it. That’s what I get for trying to be artsy with my photography!

Clara’s absolute favorite is this charming little fellow right here. She affectionately named him Prince Sam Bluebird, and we make sure to say goodnight to him every single evening. It’s a small detail that has brought immense joy and character to her room.

Appliance Upgrade: The New Washer is Here!

In other exciting update news, our new washer made its grand arrival bright and early on Saturday morning! Many of you have been sweetly asking about it, and let me tell you, its presence is a HUGE relief. The journey to getting this washer was a bit of a saga – an appliance conking out, living without it for a while, the new one arriving broken, and then waiting another week and a half for a functional replacement. It really highlights that “you don’t know how good you have it until…” kind of feeling.

Now, doing laundry has transformed from a chore into a joyful activity. I actually sing and occasionally pirouette while folding clothes! I’m sure this newfound exuberance won’t last more than a week, but for now, it’s pure bliss. A functioning, efficient washer truly makes a significant difference in daily life, proving that sometimes, the simplest upgrades can bring the most profound improvements to household routines.

What’s On Your “Gotta Get On That” List?

So, there you have it – a few of those “I actually got on them!” updates, along with a little washer status report. Each completed task, no matter how small, contributes to a greater sense of calm and order in our home. I still have a bunch more “should-have-done-that-yesterday” things bouncing around in my brain, occupying precious mental space. Perhaps I should set a future check-in date with all of you to force myself to attend to them!

Wanna get stuff done with me? We could all reconvene and attempt to hold ourselves accountable to the internet at large. What’s currently on your “gotta get on that” list these days? Share your lingering projects, big or small, in the comments below! Let’s inspire each other to tackle those tasks and celebrate every single win, transforming our homes and our peace of mind, one completed item at a time.