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The Dreaded Spring Clean

 

After cleverly managing to avoid actually spring cleaning my house, and instead attempting (and failing) to clear out my handbag last year, I have realised that I can no longer afford to avoid the clear out any longer. I am notoriously bad at both organising my stuff, and at letting go of useless bits and bobs, so this should be fun!

 

I began in the living room, but as an all-or-nothing person, this is where I made my first mistake. Instead of doing the sensible thing and working on one section at a time, I decided to empty all the shelves and cupboards at once, put everything together, and organise from there. As I’ve said, this was a big mistake; I ended up surrounded by a huge pile of photos, books, souvenirs and other random clutter with absolutely no idea what to do with it all!

 

After a good few hours, (I wish this was an exaggeration), I had sifted through and decided to part with a measly four items, and then simply returned everything to its original position, having given up on a room revamp. The changes I made were hardly noticeable, but I felt a strong sense of achievement after a whole morning’s work.

 

I then ventured into the bedroom, where again I made the same mistake by emptying my whole wardrobe onto the bed and immediately regretting it. I realised it was too late to do this in an orderly fashion, and so began rifling through my clothes, making a ‘yes’, ‘no’ and ‘maybe’ pile. It may be no surprise to you that the largest pile was ‘maybe’, and the smallest, ‘no’. After a lot of trying on and ‘when will I actually wear this?’, I managed to say goodbye to some long forgotten pieces and even rediscover some old stuff! The wardrobe’s clear out was definitely more successful than the living room’s, though I did keep way more handbags than I should have!

 

 spring cleaning wardrobe done

 

I thought that I was bad at throwing away things I no longer use, but I had nothing on my two boys. Within ten minutes of sorting through Herbie’s toys, most of the things I had thought we could lose had been returned to the cupboard; as soon as a toy that hasn’t been played with in months is threatened, it becomes their favourite! Although I managed to sneak out some of the odd socks and the occasional soft toy, unfortunately most of the clutter in the boys’ bedroom stayed.

 

So that was my (arguably) successful attempt to clear out the house. I think next year I might just stick to cleaning out my handbags as it’s a lot less hassle! I did however, feel strangely proud of what I had managed to get rid of, and so I rewarded myself with a brand new leather saddle bag which is the perfect size to store all the bits and bobs I carry with me constantly.

 

Enjoy your Spring Clean! 

Christmas is Coming - Get Organized NOW!

It seems ridiculous that we have started thinking about Christmas, but with Halloween out of the way and Guy Fawkes Night just over, winter seems truly to be upon us. Reminiscing last night on last year’s mad rush the week before Christmas Day, I decided that I would be more organised this time and try to have all of my Christmas presents bought before December really hits us.  As I’ve set myself this (seemingly improbable) target, I figured making it public may be the incentive I need to ensure that come 23rd December, I am not running around Oxford Street (although it’s beautiful at this time, it is also terrifying), desperately searching for that one specific toy that the boys wanted so desperately or the ‘sold out everywhere’ Christmas toy of the year.

 

To motivate myself, and maybe even a few of you, I thought I would share the top three tips I found for buying presents that friends and family will love for years to come:

 

1.  Although it sounds pretty obvious, finding out what your loved ones would like really is the start to buying them an awesome gift. Whether you ask them straight up, or try to discover what’s on their Christmas present wish list more subtly, it’s important to have an idea of what they would appreciate. So, before you impulse-buy something that not only they might never use, but could also be a waste of your own money, set out to uncover what they really want. And don’t forget to drop some subtle hints about the presents you’d like while doing this!

 

2.  This may sound like another obvious tip, but keeping organised is pretty important. Make a list of all of the people you want to buy Christmas gifts for, and when you covertly discover what they want, or just stumble upon an idea, write it down. You will therefore have a go-to list of all the options you have and there’ll be no mix-ups – hopefully! This is also really useful when it comes to Christmas budgeting and making sure you don’t forget anyone.

 

3.  Last but definitely not least (in fact, probably the best advice out there): order things online. Not only does it stop you from traipsing around every department store looking for the same item, but it means you have more time available and can really appreciate the beautiful Christmas Markets (which we have carefully researched and recommended to you) and all of the endless amazing events during the best season!

 

One last word of advice for any of you who successfully manage to get the Christmas shopping finished before December begins; find a good hiding place! Oh, and for some great gift ideas for those who don’t know themselves, check out some of our lovely bags, satchels and leather accessories.  This year we can even emboss any leather gift with your own personal message (more on that later).

Elephants need lessons in packing!

Nellie the Elephant packed her trunk And said goodbye to the circus Off she went with a trumpety-trump Trump, trump, trump”   I was recently revisiting some of my old favourite songs (for my son, Herbie, of course) and after thinking about Nellie and her departure from life at the circus, I couldn't help but wonder; why did she pack a trunk?!   I know that an old-fashioned trunk looks lovely and Nellie already has a trunk of one kind but I struggle to understand how an elephant can walk around with a wooden chest balancing on (excuse the pun) her trunk!   If only she could have bought herself a lovely Vida Vida Leather Weekend Bag before she ran away; then at least she could have hooked one of comfortable straps or handles around her enlarged nose.  She would then found it much easier to leave. In fact, maybe she wouldn't have made such a ‘trumpety-trump’ as she walked away!