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The trouble with Kondoing is simply

6/10/2015

16 Comments

 


..that the closer I get to finishing the more obvious it becomes that the whole house really, really needs redecorated!

What I passed off in my mind as sort of shabby-chic can now be seen for what it is. Plain shabby.

Oh dear.

Thanks Marie.

You can tell I hate decorating, can't you....


In the light of my recent state-of-the-world angst I was glad to receive this poem which made me laugh  -

Things had been going so well
That he took an anxiety break
To keep centred.


Brian Andraes

Thanks Julia!

16 Comments
julia
6/10/2015 03:30:16 pm

hi freda, first, i owe you all an apology.....i misspelled brian andreas' name when i sent that poem to you. it is corrected here, in this comment.....next, do i know you well enough to disagree with you yet? you hate decorating? it seems to me that in one post after another you are giving us such lovely ideas for a table arrangement, niche decor, a new way to display flowers, a serene bedroom! you have such an artistic eye. and have inspired me hundreds of times in these past 5 years! i will be so interested to hear more about what parts of decorating you find difficult, or irksome....and here's to marie kondo again, for getting this whole conversation started for us!

Reply
Freda
6/10/2015 03:51:45 pm

Oh its the wallpapering and painting Julia! We always do-it-ourselves, and I've done it soo often, in soo many houses......if I wasn't saving all my pennies to go to Venice I'd pay someone to do it! Moan, moan.:( :)

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julia
7/10/2015 03:05:05 am

oh! i see now....in america, decorating would be the easy part: choosing colors, and decorative items for the room....i don't like the painting and wallpapering part either! it's the prep work that is the hard part.

elaine link
6/10/2015 11:24:37 pm

Oh I know exactly what you mean. Decorating is so disruptive to normal living. We have been doing our living/dining room for a month now and it is still nowhere near finished!!! The trouble is my husband is meticulous and a perfectionist so it is slow going. He even washed the ceiling first. If it had been me I would have just sloshed on some emulsion - ha! I feel like we are squatters in our own home - everything is still in boxes and under dust sheets. One half is almost finished - then to start all over again on the other half - hey ho!

My friend has a decorator in to do all her work and he charges £100 a day it would have cost us a couple of thousand at that rate.

Reply
Lotta
7/10/2015 01:56:38 am

I'm in a similar situation Freda, everywhere I look something needs decorating or repairing. When I have the energy, I'm seriously considering doing a wall a day - not a quick fix, but a lot less daunting than a room under dust sheets and chaos everywhere. I think I'll ease myself in gently and start by painting the mouldy landing window!
I wonder how Marie would suggest approaching it? Maybe the whole thing could be a joyful experience - choosing beautiful colours, picturing how the finished room will feel, creating somewhere lovely for yourself...
Just a shame I got rid of all the clothes I might have worn to decorate in!!!

Reply
julia
7/10/2015 03:03:03 am

hahaha..that was the boat i was in lotta...after my kondoing, i had to go to the cahrity shop to find some clothes for our painting project this summer....i made sure i bought two men's shirts i really loved...got them for $2 each, and have a lot more joy while I am painting. and yes, we painted one wall or ceiling per day, and gave ourselves plenty of free days. we did our whole 2 bedroom cottage, with loft,...about 30 surfaces, i figured out. no room was out of commission for more than 4 days. it took us over 4 months. today will be our last day! it has been much easier than i thought it would be when we contemplated the whole idea.

Reply
Lotta
7/10/2015 08:21:47 am

Wow, congratulations for getting it all done Julia - you can celebrate tonight! I'm glad the 'wall a day' idea worked for you, it feels more manageable I think. Charity shop shirts sound like a good plan, either that or I may have just found a new use for a martial arts uniform I was wondering what to do with!!

Simple Happy M
7/10/2015 02:19:41 pm

I was thinking how your kondoing is going... But didn't expect this! The pictures you've posted from your house were so nice and welcoming. Painting and wallpapering are two things I don't expect to be doing for a few years, but it's nice when it's finished.

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Freda
7/10/2015 02:21:43 pm

Maybe having spent so much time out of doors all summer I am just extra critical now my attention is focused more on indoors!

Reply
Freda
7/10/2015 02:19:45 pm

Thank you all for the interesting comments about decorating (in the uk sense of the word!) and to Lotta for suggesting it might be a joyful experience. This is called 'reframing' I believe !
Food for thought.....watch this space.

Reply
Linda
7/10/2015 02:44:33 pm

I just love that poem. I'm one of those - a worrier who worries about having nothing to worry about!

Reply
Freda
7/10/2015 02:57:42 pm

Hello Linda. It's brilliant isn't it!

Reply
Madeleine
8/10/2015 01:04:19 am

I laughed out loud twice during that post!! Once because you realised your house is now shabby (same here) and once for the poem. As an anxious lass I could really relate ;-)

The header photo is gorgeous - did you take it Freda?

Madeleine.x

Reply
Freda
8/10/2015 09:34:20 am

What fun I made you laugh Madeleine! Yes, I took the photograph of the squirrel - I was so thrilled to get it. The family of five squirrels who have been here all summer are becoming less timid when we are around..
Thank you for commenting.

Reply
Angela Wade link
9/10/2015 04:24:49 am

I think you're very good at decorating, Freda! You have an excellent eye, and all your adornments are refreshingly simple, in the nicest sense of the term. You make flowers, vases and candles a work of art! My attempts just look like I've stuck some things together and hoped for the best! If you do decide to redecorate, we all know the result will be lovely x

Reply
Freda
9/10/2015 08:44:36 am

Thank you Angela. It seems we in uk mean something slightly different by 'decorate' than do America and Australia (see next post!)
You are most kind in your compliments, and I'm sure better than you give yourself credit for in your own efforts! You take some pretty good photographs - same skills really....

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