Hi there! I am writing to you from the strangest little place in the world. I am hidden in a room (not my own) with permission to buzz into the blogosphere for a teensy moment (from an unusual computer).
Update: It is Monday and I am still trying to move back in. I never expected this to be soooo insane, it is sooooo Twilight Zonie!! I need chocolate, hugs and margaritas!!!! Sorry for Saturday’s post below, still up… Let’s just pretend EB’s party is still on!! See you in, well, I don’t know when, soon I hope!!! Thanks for the good vibes!!!
The photo above is a luck photo. It happens to be living in this computer I am using. Alas, this kind computer does not allow me to make rounded corners, or fix color in photos. So, you can say, this is a raw sort of post, hee hee…
You see, we are trying to move back into the plumbing fiasco house this weekend, so I am away from my computer. We have several new walls & new ceilings. All fresh and painted and completely replumbed!! YAY!!!!
However, we would never forget to have major limes in coconuts, for the Polar Festival…
Life is scheduled to be back to larger doses of normal (was it ever normal?) as of Monday!! Wish me huge amounts of luck, and party your hearts out with EB at Be… Dream… Play…
Baby (pre-named), my wonderful yard sale dog, is racing through the Snow Queen’s Land, trying to get to the Polar festival in time!!
She knows she is close, she sees everyone gathering…
Oh yes, a little further down the road, and we seem to have found the party! I think it is taking place in that glowey snow cloud, up above…
Lucky me, I happened to have pictures of our last snow, saved into an old e-mail. And I thought I wouldn’t have any snowey photos to join in the Polar Festival, from a remote computer!! Yipppeeee!!!
Off I run for now. Oh, and, don’t forget you can still get your Free Valentine’s, and, I will still be taking taking names up until early morning hours of Feb. 13th for the One World – One heart giveaway (drawing on Feb. 13th, winner announced on Valentine’s day)!!!
See you very very soooooon!! xoxo
ps: Any tips on how to convince myself to get rid of things I just don’t need anymore? I need a little help easing into this…
I’m partying at the festival!! Good luck with your move. I’ll be thinking of you and sending lots of good vibes your way.
If I knew how to get rid of things I’d not be sitting here in a house full of stuff I don’t need!! Let me know if learn any secrets to accomplish this!
hey miss fancy – typepad is not editting for me – yikes – will try again – but love to you and I am with you in spirit as well
xox – eb.
It is so hard getting rid of things that you don’t need, isn’t it! I have put aside today to do that very thing as my house is literally over flowing, but it’s so hard!!
Good luck with your move 🙂
xx
Good luck with your moving back home.
Blessings and much love to you~
Everything you share is magic.
Love Jeanne
“Stuff” deserves to be used or loved so if you really don’t need or want it anymore give it a chance to serve it’s purpose elsewhere.
It dosen’t surprise me to see you in Polar Land with us, You look marvelous in white! Happy Moving back in friend!!
xox
Constance
A glowing, snowy cloud is the perfect place to party!
I don’t know any magic tricks about getting rid of stuff – I wish you good luck with that though. Lovely party!
Oh!! I’m so happy for you with being able to move back into the “plumbing house”! Hooray!!!! I hope everything goes smoothly… 🙂
When I get rid of my excess “stuff”, I always like to think about how it might bring joy and happiness to someone else’s life! I love making people happy, so that makes *me* feel a wee bit better about letting go. 😉
Hope you have a lovely weekend filled with joy, Vanessa!
Am missing the festival, alas! But am thrilled to hear your plumbing issues, etc. have been resolved so quickly and you can move your things back into your town house. Hooray! Good luck trying to sort everything. BTW, because of you, some of Christine’s dolls have winged their way to Paris. Have linked you in one of today’s posts. xoxox
Have a happy moving back in weekend.I know the joy I feel when I find that special little treasure that someone got rid of so when I get rid of my things I hope it brings special joy to someone else.Love the little birds in the snow!!
Look at all of that snow! Perfect for a polar fest indeed. Let’s see…I usually wait until I am grumpy and then get rid of stuff…But really, I think I am able to take a look around at all of the things I love and the treasures I have and then kind of judge certain things that way. I then either gift them, sell them or donate them…It always feels better to let go that I think it will. It frees the space up for other things that you may love even more! I’m glad you’re getting all moved back in…good luck with purging as well…
So glad you are coming to the party! Love those snow pics! And that puppy…. how doggone cute! See ya there!
I saw the festival invite for the first time this morning…”we” went and “we” are still having alot of fun meeting all of you…Thanks so much…I have an idea for getting rid of your stuff….how about a stuff swap…I have tons of groovey things that I don’t need anymore that someone else in blogland can use for their collages etc and I can always use everything. That way it is all put to good use….away we go!
I am having lots of fun with eb’s polar festival, yay!!!
now, you are asking the wrong person, me love stuff too much, LOL
have a great weekend!
friendly,
COOOLLLL!!! Ok…Here is the very best tip to get rid of “stufff”. From my own personal experience. Since I decided that I am moving across the Country…that REALLY helped me get rid of “stuff”. Anything deemed totally unnecessary was out the door. I either gave it to friends or Goodwill or trashed it. You gotta do it fast without too much thought ..Make 3 big piles..YES(keeping) ..NO ..MAYBE. Take the No box out of the house immediately. Go through the Maybe box again..and put those things in NO or Yes. Give yourself only a few minutes. Pretend you have to move to a tiny cottage and you can only take your very favorites1 It works..I am still doing it …I feel so much freer!
I’m so jealous of your snow!!! It’s been pouring down rain here in Portland for days, though it’s nice and sunny out today. But, no snow, no snow at all. It’s a sad state of affairs, indeed. Best wishes getting back into the house this weekend, I hope all goes as smoothly as possible.
In terms of getting rid of stuff you don’t really need… if having to pack all of it up and move it out of your house didn’t make you want to get rid of it, then I’m afraid I cannot help you 🙂
I got your package last night! Thank you so much! Everything is lovely! As far as getting rid of stuff… you can just send it to me. I like stuff.
Otherwise, get rid of stuff in shifts. I’m a huge packrat, so I play games with my self. Like, I’ll let myself keep one thing, if I get rid of two. Or, if I haven’t looked at it for over a year, I’ll play with it a bit and then get rid of it. Stuff like that.
I just discovered your beautiful, magical journal and wanted to say thank you for the inspiration and good feelings it/you invoke.
The best advice I got about getting rid of things is that if the object doesn’t make you feel good, if you don’t absolutely love it, get rid of it with no guilt. No matter how much it cost or who gave it to you. Everything you have should make you feel happy.
quick! vanessa read this! don’t get rid of stuff!!! just find a more clever, compact way to save it. old suitcases are lovely, boxes, boxes BOXES that are pretty. a swath of fabric to hide your treasures! you will need them someday. tee hee!!!
xxxooo
I can’t get rid of anything either. I would be the worst person to give advise on this subject. I always look at my stash of things and think, I can make something fun out of that. The dilemma of being an artist I guess. Anyway, I’ll have to see if Some Pink Flowers will let me borrow one of her party outfits for the Polar Bash. See you there.
When I want to clear out some space for myself I ask: “Do I own my things or do my things own me?” I look at how much space they get. Well, I need space too! When I try to put a shirt in the goodwill box and think “but I can still wear that and its nice”. I think, “but I have plenty of nice things to wear and someone else might NEED it. By the way, I LOVE this site 🙂 I’m new too!
Oooooh snow! Ooooh, party in a cloud! Have I missed it?
I’m so chuffed for you and your replastered walls…it’s the fun bit next….choosing the paint colour!
I’d stick everything you don’t want anymore, or are umm-ing and aah-ing about, into little boxes. You could leave them in trees around the place, or stick them behind books in the library…leave them as treasures for others to discover??
I’ve given you a little mention on my blog, by the way.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Erica
xoxo
You my dear are amazing…no matter what you will make the party.
Put the lime in the Coconut and drink it all up, put the rum in the coconut and drink it all up…ooooops…did I sing that out loud? Anyway a great party, lovely photos…did you have snow this year? Now that beats all…we have not had any snow to speak of and I had to use snow photos from two years ago…did you come to my party and meet the Snow Queen…well what are you waiting for…put the rum in the…come before I drink it all up.
Good luck on your move back in…I know it is hard to get rid of ones treasures…good luck with that :)xoxox
Your photos are wonderful – and LOVE THAT BABY DOG !
Scads of luck and sorry SO SORRY to hear about the plumbing issue…ohhhh that stinks ! I mean that figuratively.
I had a back up a few weeks ago and I was praying (since our house was built in the fifties…) that it would last a little longer w/o really BAD BAD NEWS. I made it thru another one….BUT now…the heater went. Laughing. SO there you go ! I was going to have to fork out a mint either way.
Hope you are doing fine. Won’t running water and NO WORRIES be nice ?
Will Be Thinking of You….Love, S.
I have an idea!
Start small..take jewelry or whatever and put them in a little box and bury or hide them somewhere. Then leave a note or map some place where someone can find it. Or leave it in the open with an imaginative note inside. (Think Amelie!) It may become so fun to watch people find these treasures that soon you’ll want to give more things away.
And I don’t know who’s been saying this maybe Oprah, something about how you cant make room for new things unless you’ve released the old things. Maybe she didn’t mean it literally but hey, it’s fitting I think 🙂
Ok..I just read up and saw someone else suggested the same thing. That’s two votes..do it!:)
You can do it darling girl, you can purge. Take an unemotional stance and tell yourself, I can do this. THEN when you have been able to get rid of some things and you survive doing it…let me know. I still haven’t mastered it.
Look at that dog racing to mingle at the Festival, so glad she doesn’t have a bunny in her mouth.
XOXOXO
I love how everyone is gathered in the snow waiting for the festival to begin…brilliant!
Look at Baby run… I love the snow pics…. Hugs…
I’m so glad you were able to take a few minutes out of your water troubles to join in the polar party!
and oh goodness! I can’t image you giving up any of your magical acoutraments!!!
probably spelled that wrong, but you get the drift!
OH! More magic snow pictures!! How lovely!!:)
Happy moving back in weekend!! 🙂
Noah no more!!! Glad to hear you’re coming upon dry land.
Don’t ask me about parting with things. My motto can sometimes be ‘qauntity, not quality. HA!
D.
How much excess stuff do you have, darling Vanessa? Perhaps you could pack smalls into pretty containers or trunks and then pull them out when you need a fix for new stuff.
I think the most difficult thing in decorating and just living, these days, is striving for simplicity. Good luck and keep me posted!
Christine
AKA,
Zwee!!!!!
Tips for ridding yourself of things….hmmmm….send them to a Womens’ shelter maybe. It could bring a little bit of joy to their lives to have some pretty things! I did that once, it felt really good.
You’re replumbed!! Er, i mean your space is!! hee! Thank goodness for that! Wishing you gi-normous heaps of luck Miss V!
When is the last time you had all that snow?
Maybe you’ll get some this week! We have tons!
Glad to see that nothing could keep you from attending the polar party!
Polar Party? Oh, better peek in on that one!
Ok, dear Miss V. You simply need to take a picture of something you’ve loved but no longer need. Keep the photo for yourself and give the item to someone else who needs it. Then if you want to revive the memory, look at the photo! Or do a little sketch of it and put it up on your wall!
Happy day, glad you will be moving in to a fresh “new” place again!
MUAH,
xoxo
Vanessa I know how you feel. I have the same problem. So while cleaning out my closet recently I played with my imagination a little and made it a good conquering evil kind of thing. Here is the link to that post. Hope it helps and I can’t wait to hear your creative story. Good Luck – Mya http://creativemusingswithmya.blogspot.com/2008/01/witch-in-my-closet.html
Hey, I am in your neck of the woods! And I love it! It is beautiful here. Tumbleweeds and all. Cacti up the yin yang. Such neat things and luscious scenery. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed visiting!
Here til Tuesday…went to Tombstone today, very groovy little town. Going back in the morning to buy some jewelry. Then to Bisbee? Does that sound normal? Oh well, enjoy getting things back to normal!!! Best of luck too!!!! xoxoxo
Vanessa, I have an idea. Hold the item in yuor hands and let it tell you if it is time to move on. It will either tell you that it has loved you far to long and ready to find a new home 🙁 or it will not let you go.
Or…
You could put all the questionable items in a box. Wait a month. If you still long for or remember anything in the box, keep it. If not, well it’s time for them to find love elsewhere. 🙂 Best of luck to you! Suzy
I wish I had seen this festival!!! My life has been consumed by work, puppy, mean cheese
miss you
if ANYONE missed
the Bloglandia Polar Festival,
well,
we still have some pink*berry snow*cones
left over here at my place.
🙂
do drop in and say hello to ~petal~
who taught me this
about purging through stuff & things…
1–can *the thing* be repurposed?
2–are you married to *the thing*?
no? no?
pass it on with smiles.
PS–you will have such fun
moving back into newly painted rooms,
you will be on cloud 9…
That photograph is dreamy. And I hope the festival was a success!
hello dear v.!
when i need to purge i usually do it in stages. first a few things i know i am fine getting rid of, then i create maybe lists or piles and return to them after a day or two and get rid of a few more things and put a few things back and then i do it again a day or two later.
but i still have WAY too many boxes of maybes in our storage unit in the basement…
Instead of just trying to get rid of stuff you don’t need anymore try to remake those things. Maybe you could find a theme among your old things that would allow you to reinvent them into something purposeful. Then maybe you could give them away, passing old treasures along from one person to another may be a great way of letting yourself know it isn’t just being thrown in the garbage.
Good luck.
Just choose 1 thing per day to giveaway. That way it’s not so emotionally tough.
I also meant to say.. I love all that pink in the top picture.. my favorite!
Hope things start to go more smoothly with moving back home- it must be so strange to be displaced from your own home. I’ll be looking forward to seeing a happy blog post saying that you’ve moved back and are all settled and cosy again. It might not feel like it, but things will settle down and you’ll be able to make that post! :o)
As for giving things away, I haven’t read through all the comments but I’m sure others have suggested this anyway- but give them to charities or people in need and then you know you’ll be brightening someone else’s day.
Hope you get to go home and back to normal very soon!
okay…this is how i do it…i say to myself, “self, we have much good and fun with this, now it is time to release it to another to enjoy!” then i let it go…most times, rebecca
so glad to hear you are moving back home…i bet you miss your familiar surroundings SO much….love the pics!! somedays I wish it would snow in Sydney but Im sure Id be too cold to move or do much…ive never experienced living in a cold cold place…
make sure to come by tomorrow to see the dancing owl on top of the red fungi…you will swoon I am sure!
good luck with your move back to the nest!
best,
carol
Having just moved back in after a floor refinishing exile, I sympathize. But, what a lovely photo you found on your host’s computer. Keep warm
barbara
Have I entered in time, alas no blog for me.
I love the purple sky, pink mountains and rainbow knit creation. Most of all I love your positive energy. Blessed be.
Hi Vanessa! I soooo covet the Love Pirate in the photo! He is precious! I had to abandon my last blog and start over–I am now writing on DeThroned. The new name is not stealing yours–although that is certainly not beneath me;) but is what many people have mistakenly called me over the years–When I came upon your blog, I felt a little connection because of it. Anyway…still love coming here to visit and I’m so glad your house repairs are complete!
here’s my annual plan for getting rid of things you don’t (think) you need any longer. I pick through my studio and large studio walk in closet and load up boxes for children’s art groups sponsored by our museum or most recent by our famous local artist Derek Gores (look him up…he’s amazing) who has a free art camp for kids every week in our local art district. Now this is not to say that once I have done this, I’ve come up with multiple uses for many of the items I’ve given away, but that gives me an excuse to start collecting/saving again. You can’t believe how many people come to me and say “Do you have a (fill in the blanks) and happy to say, I always do.