More of Less - Picture Gallery

I am not sure how, but another week has gone by and it is time for another post for the William Morris Project.  I have absolutely no idea how Jules did this every day this past October, but I am starting to suspect that super powers were be involved.

I have had a gallery of family pictures in all of our homes.  It took me awhile to hang them when we moved here (yeah, big surprise) and I was perfectly happy with the layout.  Then my brother-in-law had to go and get married last summer and it went to pieces.  I had the picture in the frame and all I had to do was add it. 

It should have been an easy task and yet before I knew it all of the pictures were off of the wall.  They ended up stacked on the stairs and there they stayed, let's say, awhile.  Naturally re-hanging the pictures made my list of things that I wanted get done.

I started off trying a few different layouts and thought that I had it with this one.  Once I started hanging them it just looked off and before I knew it I had moved two of the pictures into different frames.  Does anyone else always find dirt under the glass after their done framing something?  Is that just me?

After lots more shuffling I finally had all of the pictures up and I am totally happy with the layout. There is plenty of room for future expansion and I added an empty frame that I had on hand.  I am thinking of filling it with one of these.

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”

- William Morris

More of Less - The Entry Closet

The entry closet should have been an easy (and quick) project for my next William Morris post.   Turns out it took me a little longer than I anticipated and I ended up spending the last few weeks in a sort of photo and memorabilia haze. 

Here is the culprit.  Looks innocent enough, right? 

Even with the doors open it isn't too bad, but kind of frustrating  because last January I posted about that top drawer.  It was kind of the beginning of my quest to a more organized home.  Here is the proof that I am still struggling with it a year later.

No use lamenting though, so back to the task at hand.  I followed usual purging protocol and started pulling everything out,  Yes, those are three lint rollers.  One for each of us? I also dug out three umbrellas, quite an assortment of mints, gum, tissues, charging cables etc.   The decision of what to do with this stuff came pretty easy.   Trash, relocate, keep here and I was done in under 30 minutes.

The real work started on the other side and it was all hidden in those photo boxes and art files you see on the shelves.  Instead of just pulling them out and putting them back when I was done (like I have been doing), I opened them to purge the contents. Pictures and keepsakes covering a span of over twenty-five years all "organized" into boxes.

 I sorted and then I sorted some more.  With each pass I became more ruthless.  No pictures were safe, not even wedding pictures.

I didn't like them, didn't care to keep them;  they ended up in the recycling container.  Thank goodness for the digital age is all I have to say.

 At first glance, the difference isn't huge.

But look at the empty hangers!  Now guests can actually hang up their coats instead throwing them on the stairs.  I also know that things are looking better in those boxes and drawers.

I had this container in another part of the house and think it will be good for the umbrellas.  It is also housing the lint rollers for now.  I will definitely weed down to one and may end up getting rid of that too.  During my purge I found a clothes brush that I brought from my grandmother's house (you can see it in the top right of this picture).  If it works well, the rollers are history.

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”

- William Morris