Hello friends! It is a quiet evening here, and we are waiting on a storm to arrive. I love storms during the day, but at night they can be a bit scary for both man and beast. Our little poodle/Italian greyhound mix dog is 13 and she gets scared when we even mention the word 'rain' or 'boom booms' (our silly talk for thunder.) So I hope they come and go before bedtime or I will have a little friend in my bed tonight. :)
This post is about a little trick I'm using to help me get big projects started and sometimes even finished. A big project looms large to me...I'm really a quick project person. I like to see results right away and not spend hours on one thing. The trick I have learned is to spend 15 minutes at a time on something, unless I really want to spend more.
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| For instance, gardening. I LOVE flowers. All the color and cheer and the little bouquets to bring in and the butterflies and...you get the picture. But by late July I am pretty much 'over' working on them in the humidity. I hate to sweat. That's a problem in the summer isn't it? Ha! But if I go outside and work on the garden and flower beds for just 15 minutes, I can get some things done and not get too hot. Tonight I tackled the spent Black Eyed Susans. In 15 minutes I got them cut back and thrown away, plus pulled weeds in another small bed. Ta Da! Then I came inside without feeling like I needed a shower, plus knowing that I got another part of the yard back into shape. |
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| My little friend Gracie kept me company. |
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| Another big project on my summer list was to clean the tile grout in our bathroom. Oh how I dreaded it. But one day I mixed up the potion (see the recipe above) and gave it 15 minutes. The success was unbelievable! This recipe really works! Leave it on for 5 minutes in each grout line before you scrub with a toothbrush and you'll be amazed at the difference as you can see in my photo above. I worked on this project 3 different times for 15 minutes, and it was all done. |
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| I make handmade cards for my Perfect Darlings business (on Etsy and on Facebook HERE.) Sometimes getting myself started on a new set of cards feels like a big job. But if I take 15 minutes to choose a design (here I was using vintage book pages) and papers to coordinate, then lay it all out on my ironing board (such a fancy work space!) then I feel like the job is 1/3 done! It's easy to come back later and get started with the fun part...creating! PS..if you 'like' my Perfect Darlings Facebook page, you'll be eligible to enter a drawing for free product very soon! |
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| In 15 minutes you can take a couple of photos of something you want to sell, list it on Facebook or Neighborhood Next Door, and wait for your sale. This sweet girl sold in 24 hours. |
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| Redecorate your fireplace mantle for the season in 15 minutes. Especially if you took a photo of how you did it last year at this time and can refer back to it for quick inspiration. I have started a private Facebook photo album of my mantlescapes so I can quickly locate the pictures of previous designs and do them again. |
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| Write a letter to your grandchild in 15 minutes. We have 2 little grands going back to school this week, so it was a good occasion for sending them a real letter in the mail. :) |
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And even start decluttering your home in 15 minutes. This little pile came together on Sunday, and I plan to add to it before I take it all to the Evansville Rescue Mission Thrift Store for donating in a few days. I purge our house 2-4 times a year, but can always find more 'stuff' that we don't need or use any more.
So there you have it! Are you a 15 minute project girl too? What kinds of things do you work on for 15 minutes at a time? Organize a drawer? Wipe down baseboards? Read a magazine? Dust the house? Order photos online? I am creating a Summer 2018 photo book online, just a few minutes at time so I don't go crazy. Those things are so tedious. :)
Thanks for stopping by! I have more posts planned...come back soon!
Blessings,
Donna |
