Sparks Joy decluttering flowchart

Based on my own experiences moving house and decluttering using the Marie Kondo method. The "does this spark joy" test really works for me.

Ivar v Hejne

I've moved house 6 or so times in the past two years. When I was moving first, I needed to buy shelving. I knew that it was likely I'd be moving again so the shelves I bought had to be capable of moving with me! And boy, was I right about moving again...!
I dismissed the idea of buying Ikea Billy shelving - bookshelf units that seemed permanent once built. And bulky to move.
So I narrowed the choice down to Ikea Ivar or Ikea Hejne.

Hejne was sooo much cheaper. And they won me over. I bought three Hejne units and 1 Ivar (for testing purposes!). And what am I left with? 0 Hejne + many more Ivars that I've bought over the years.
I didn't like Hejne at all. They were flimsy and cheap. No choice in height. Supposed to be adjustable but really the adjustable heights were so wide apart that the options were limited. I think there was a deep/narrow shelf depth option. I used them both in my utility room and in my sitting room. They didn't look well in the sitting room, the books were never the right scale on the shelves. The utility room was a bit scary cos the shelves didn't feel sturdy enough for all the paint and tools piled on, but then I didn't attach the shelves to a wall which would have provided sturdiness. I thought it would be handy to have four stand-alone posts at the corners that could be used on narrow or deep shelf depths but I think the stand-alone posts caused some of the wobbliness and lack in firmness.

Whereas, Ivar, I love. Very easy to deconstruct and reconstruct. Easy to move (well, with a big car for the super-tall side posts!).
In order to change the shelf heights of Hejne, the unit had to be moved away from the wall to access the allen key screws at the back (and an allen key had to be located) whereas with Ivar, the pins can be pulled out of the holes and the shelf heights adjusted without moving the shelving unit.
Dunno if I'll have them forever and ever, if they'll last *that* long. But they've lastest the 6 moves so far and there's more moves on the horizon.

Soap Collection

Since I was about 7 years old - that's more than 25 years ago! - I have had a "soap collection". My granny used to add to the collection, buying me a new coloured, smelly, shaped soap every week or so for a while.

I've carried them with me every house move I made. I tried to use a soap or two from time to time. Maybe a Christmas-theme to add yuletide atmosphere to my bathroom.

Or a fun soap when I expected friends with children to visit.

Now it's time to get rid of them.

So I took time out, photographed my collection and put together this slideshow together as an Ode to my Soap Collection. Some of the details are quite stunning.

My brother asked me will I sell them... but I don't think anybody would be interested. They're at the door, waiting to be taken away. Not sure where to. 27 years is a long time, I'm quite attached to these soaps in an odd unfunctional way.

Spice Rack

For years, I've been needing a proper spicerack. And today, I got delivery of one which I bought on ebay.

 It's wonderful to have all the spices standing on a custom-made shelf.

So simple but so hard to find. I'm delighted I finally bit the bullet and made this purchase. Well-packaged, simply made: ian5088

Looking at that picture, my next requirement will be a carrot storage area! And something for all the bottles to :) but just imagine what the place was like before the spice rack arrived!!!