Day #11 of 30 Days to a Simpler Life --- Consider Minimalism

The day #11 challenge is:

Today, create a minimalist environment in one room.  In that room, remove the wall art.  (You might put it under your bed temporarily.)  Next, remove everything except the lamps from tabletops, dressers, and counters.  Most people live in rooms that are overfurnished and overstimulating.  In these spaces, we are distracted from the present moment by too many objects from the past.  This task will enable you to experience one extremely simplified room. (30 Days to a Simpler Life, p. 69)

OR for serious simplifiers only---

Create a minimalist environment in every room of your house.  What more can we say?

(30 Days to a Simpler Life, p. 73)

With house guests arriving to stay for the weekend at my house tonight (eek!), I don't know how feasible this task is for me.  I might be able to get it done in the family room (but I'm leaving the family photos out...after all, it is the family room).  We'll see...

The Day #10 knickknack removal challenge did not go well for me.  In the main living space, there is a curio cabinet where I keep all my knickknacks (my husband is a Ford junkie so all his model cars, autographed photos of him with Bill and Edsel Ford, etc. are in the office).  From the time I was a small child, I collected Royal Doulton Beatrix Potter figurines.  People gave them to me for birthdays and Christmas and I saved my money up to buy them.  I finally stopped buying them around the time I moved into my own place when I was 21.  I have 40 of them.  Here's a sampling:

They don't take up much space and I like them so my Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddleduck and Timmy TIptoes and Tom Kitten and Thomasina Tittlemouse and all their other little friends are staying.  I found only one knickknack that I could definitely call meaningless in the whole cabinet---

I think my aunt may have given this to me at some point over the years for some occasion that I can't remember.  I think I can let the angel fly.  In lieu of knickknacks, I got together a stack of books to donate.

I think I'm finally ready to donate Ty's Tricks.  I had the hots for Ty Pennington back before Extreme Makeover Home Edition when he was on TLC's Trading Spaces.  The Cobbler got it for me as a joke for Christmas 2003 when it came out because there is literally a photo in it of Ty showering.  I have no idea what that had to do with home improvement, but it improved my home --- ha ha. Now some other girl can enjoy page 20. :-)

See you on day #12!