Before and After: Decluttering Task 2

After a trip to IKEA yesterday I spent the evening working on my understairs cupboard - task number two from my decluttering list. This cupboard contained a jumble of sewing and knitting, small cleaning tools, photos, scrapbooking stuff, and old family photos and memorabilia. And Henry, now in a state of suspended animation. (Thanks to the intentions of our favourite domestic appliance repair man, his motor runs again, but the switch still won't stay down. Repair Man has gone away to research the finer points of Henrys before trying again.)

Before ...
After ...
All the craft items except my scrapbooking bits and pieces are now in the baskets, along with the photos. Four baskets are still empty waiting for various items of stationery and computer clutter that I need to clear out of my messy desk (task one). Cleaning things and bags are neatly on top of the storage unit, and the memorabilia is stacked neatly at the far end of the cupboard. It turned out to be a long job - I didn't finish until after midnight - as although I had carefully measured the cupboard, I forgot to work out how to get the storage unit through the door. Oops! In the end we had to partially dismantle it, then rebuild it in situ. Henry is going to have to find a new home in the garage (assuming he can be resuscitated), and the scrapbooking box will eventually go into our bedroom, once I have done task six and cleared out the wardrobes.

Overall I am making good progress with the list. Task four - filing the girls' notebook pages - is done and I am part way through five ... I have moved the reference books into the space left by the notebook folders, and am part way through organising shelves for Little Cherub. My IKEA shopping trawl included some baskets for her toys that will work nicely here. More before and after photos to follow soon, I hope.

Little Cherub also now has her own little table and chairs. We still have those we got for Angel and Star, but they are too large for our tiny Cherub to use comfortably. The cheap set I bought yesterday are much less sturdy, but are Cherub sized and will work nicely until she grows into the others.