Collaring the jewellery storage - part 3!

Back in January, I wrote two posts detailing my collar box conversion project.  At the time of publishing the second post, I hadn't tested the box away from home.  

It came away for a short stay soon after I finished it's revamp - and then during our Big Loop road-trip throughout February/March. 

Happy to report there is very little movement of my brooches during transit and I like the box so much, I've been using it at home, also.

Much of our time from June to September was spent house hunting and moving.  As stress relief, I'd look at Facebook marketplace.  Although I wasn't really intending to buy anything, in August I found a smaller collar box - for $10!

From my research, it seems this second box may have been used for a lady's collars.  I was able to look at old advertisements for Potters, a jewellery store operating in Newcastle from 1886 to 1950.  

The process of cleaning the smaller collar box was much the same as I usually do.  Some cleaning with saddle soap, followed by a few applications of a leather conditioner.

The strap was broken, so I removed it but kept the buckle as I liked how that detail.  There's room for four brooches inside this box and I used a silk scarf to hold them in place.  (I might cut a circle of non-slip mat to try next trip - but there's no rush).

We stayed close to Newcastle on our most recent trip, so I took the collar box with me for a photo of where it would have originally come from - all those years ago. Funny that at one stage of my life, I would have regularly walked past this building on my lunch breaks!

The historic image is from 1891 and was scanned from a glass negative. 

I'm standing on the other side of the building in the shot above, close to the original entry.

"Image created by Ralph Snowball, held by the University of Newcastle Library's Special Collections"

Done and (not) dusted!

This last week and the one before blurred together, cos of all the happenings.  

We had a lovely day on Saturday.  I went to a free talk about caring for historical photos, Di visited in the afternoon - then Nick and I saw an excellent string quartet performance that night.  

We really enjoyed taking some time out to relax but there was still more to be done at the old house, so we were back at work on Sunday.  

Nick finished clearing downstairs, while I continued to pack up the kitchen, dining and bathroom areas.  

It's tricky to catalogue everything we did - but we did a lot!  Given the house was going to be demolished, we didn't need to do a thorough exit clean - bonus!

My plants were taken to our new home, including my bottle tree who rode in Elmer (cos he was too tall for the trailer)!

You can read about Rupert (aka my bottle tree), here.  I haven't measured both of us at each birthday but he is now definitely taller than me and has developed a curve, which is sort of like my sciolisis!

I dropped my destiny cards when packing up.  The scattered reading was interesting.  Funny that Fulfilment, Strength and Reliability cards still featured - as they had when I'd done a reading the previous week.  

We had boxes left, so I listed them as freebies on FB marketplace, to be collected before our exit date (to save us carting them).  

There was huge interest and we were happy to help out someone else.  (As we continue to unpack, more boxes and packing materials will be given away - cos we're not expecting to need them again, anytime soon)!

We'd finished everything by Tuesday afternoon and the final inspection was done on Thursday - a week after we moved into our new home (and just under 13 weeks since we received our Notice to Leave).  I'm pretty impressed with all we managed to achieve in such a short space of time.  

Our Tweety Trailer was an excellent purchase and well worth our $700.00 spend.  We think Nick did 13 trailer loads in total.  (There were things the removalists wouldn't take and stuff that made more sense for us to move).  

I'd been given four moving boxes full of butcher paper and used just about all of that.  As I unpack, I smooth the paper out and fold it - ready for someone else to use.  We packed so many boxes but weren't really keeping track during the last two, hectic weeks.  I've found my tally book though and can add a few numbers to my spreadsheet. 

Final tally.  Boxes donated: 20.  Boxes packed: 155 (till we lost count).  Tape rolls finished:  8.  Trailer loads:  13.

Singing our praises!

Week 12 was huge! So much happened, it was hard to keep up.

Nick had his second gig at Platform 5, playing two sets of two hours each.  As much as there was still a lot to do for moving, we both needed some time out - so had a late lunch between those sets and dined out also, on the way home.  

It was back to packing on Sunday and we quite forgot about it being Fathers Day, till a lot later in the morning.  

We did a lot of work that day, which started with us taking fragile china boxes across to the new house - packed into Elmer, with larger stuff in the Tweety trailer.

Nick went back to work on Monday.  I'd booked a deep clean for the new house, so split my time between both properties (which impacted on my packing).  Erin and I did more work on Tuesday while Nick on day-shift.  

We opted for takeaway when Nick came home, watched some silly YouTube offerings as a family - then Nick and I stayed up till well after 1:00am, preparing for the removalists.  

I lost track of our box numbers.  Many were of the sturdy, open variety - and really we were too busy working to count how many we worked on.  It was hectic!  

Nick set his alarm for 5:30am on Wednesday morning, which gave us a bit of extra time for last minute preparation before the guys arrived, promptly at 7:00am.  

It was a huge day, not without a few hiccups (which is the way of moving).  Vaughan went to TAFE.  Erin and Bandit drove over to the new house (where it was quieter).  

Nick and I stayed at the old house, out of the way of all the lifting and carrying.  There was still work to do, that the removal guys weren't contracted for.  

I needed to direct the unloading at the new house though and there was lots of decision-making in terms of where furniture and boxes should be put.  

There was no real dinner that night.  I'd driven into town to collect Vaughan from TAFE (pleased of a reprieve from all the moving mayhem).  He'd brought home souffle crepes, pavlova and mango parfait.  We ate those samples at about 9:00pm - and then went to bed!  

I'd scheduled my regular chiro appointment for Thursday morning - and really appreciated the treatment!  I moved and walked so much better afterwards.  Nick and I brunched at a nearby cafe.  The waiter was concerned we might not manage to eat a full breakfast, till we told him of moving house and eating pavlova for dinner!

We did a few hours of clearing that afternoon - and then a solid day on Friday (with a pleasant pub lunch as a break between stints).

Week 12 tally.  Boxes packed: 20. Total packed: 155.  The actual numbers would be higher but we lost count!

Key achievements!

Another huge week! We achieved so much and are rightly chuffed with our efforts.  

Filling the skip was our main focus and we did excellent work with that, getting our money's worth from the hire.  To maximise useful space, we put all the flat things in first, creating many (and very neat) layers.  

An old desk was broken down into parts.  Given it's weight, Nick cut the top into pieces.  The smaller sections were lighter and easier to carry to the skip.

Our current house has issues downstairs during extended and/or heavy rain.  Those issues have worsened during our time here - and the old desk had water damage.

The second-hand carpet tiles, purchased in 2013 for our Victorian rental, came to Queensland.  

We'd used the tiles downstairs till we became aware of the water/flooding problems - so they were also binned (due to mould).

The skip was collected early on the morning of our settlement day, which was great timing!

Nick had modified our Tweety trailer during the week, to create a drop-down tailgate.  He'd filled it with our black metal shelving units (purchased to protect stored items from downstairs flooding) - ready to take over when we got our house keys!

Three of those four shelving units have been erected at the new house.  The previous owner was a metal fabricator and left a lot of very solid shelving already in place.  

We are still deciding where our stuff will go - so have measured some items, to aid decision making. The new living area is smaller than here - and though we have sold some furniture pieces, other items may also need to go (after we've moved).  

Our removalists are booked for next week.  I fine-tuned our inventory with them before paying the revised invoice.  Our $200ish of furniture sales reduced the volume of our move, saving about $120.00.  

Interestingly when I updated our address for insurance, we received a refund for one vehicle but the premium went up for another - both with the same insurer.  We're $55ish in front though - another bonus!

I've done a fair bit of admin for the move.  Services are semi-organised.  (We're working through some of the usual hiccups). 

Cleaners are booked - and yes, I'm really looking forward to them doing that work!  

We've packed up the greater majority of our current downstairs area, so will now shift (hah!) our attention to the main house, prepping everything for the removalists.  It still looks daunting at this stage but I'm sure we'll make serious inroads over the next few days - cos we'll have to!

Week 11 tally. Boxes donated: 1 (bringing that total to 20). Boxes packed: 22. Total packed: 135.  Tape rolls finished: 2 (five rolls emptied so far).

Skipping along ...

I modified my chalk board to include two countdowns - and updating it is part of my morning routine. 

There was a lot of organising this week, an unplanned dentist visit and a planned optical appointment - as well as many other happenings.

We're pleased with our progress.  On Tuesday night we purchased a bright yellow trailer - now dubbed Tweety (with a $9.99 sticker to add extra cheer)!  

The trailer was a good price and the seller was lovely, so it was a fun purchase - with him telling us stories, in spite of having laryngitis!  (We had another round of story-swapping when we returned on Thursday for an extra signature on the rego paperwork).  

Back in 2009 we made nine trailer trips when moving, in addition to the work done by paid removalists.  We're not sure how many loads will be necessary this time but having a trailer will greatly assist moving smaller items ourselves (and lessen the overall cost).

Our skip arrived on Thursday morning, which made for some early shuffling of cars etc in the back yard.  We had a skip last year also.  After researching, the cheapest rate was from our local council - so we did that again.

The 3 metre skip is the smallest size and will hold 4 tonne, the equivalent of three trailer-loads - or 12 wheelie bins. We'll put larger, flat stuff in first and then fill from there.

We've done well with our marketplace listings.  Most items have sold and we've recouped $195.00 so far.  Our $10.00 laundry bench cupboard was sold last weekend for $15.00 - and I deserved that small profit after helping load it!  

I later used the laundry cupboard cash to buy a fancy tea strainer from a local op-shop - much smaller, lighter and easier to pack!  Hooray!

Although I haven't yet tallied my efforts, I've packed a lot of my craft area and am pleased with my good work.

Vaughan brought home a big box of baked goodies on Thursday night.  We had a fire last night, and sat around it with baguettes and antipasto, a lovely finale to a productive week. Of course, we're always keen for fire-gazing but this one also helped our clean-up of scrap wood pieces.  Bonus!

Week 10 tally. Boxes donated: 2 (bringing that total to 19). Boxes packed: 1. Total packed: 113.

Sound progress?!

I started a chalkboard countdown on Saturday to keep track of days left till our removalists arrive.  We'll do some moving ourselves, once we have the keys - but will leave the big stuff for the professionals.  

We've mostly hired trailers for our previous moves but are thinking of buying one this time.

I'm pleased with my progress this week. Buddha is packed into a taller box with lots of pillow padding - and most of his treasures are also packed.  His chairs have been listed for sale - along with other furniture pieces.  

Erin and I bought more plastic tubs and some storage bags last weekend.  I've been packing away my craft room and infamous fabric stash. 

I'm more productive if I listen to an audio book as I work, so have been spending a few hours earlier in the day, which equates to several chapters of sort-of interesting story.

Around two years ago Nick made a vocal booth and studio downstairs - mainly utilising materials on hand, particularly all the moving blankets from our self-packed shipping container.  

We bought a roll of packing felt in 2015, then cut it into many large squares.

Nick's done great work over the past couple of days, taking down all that felt and removing his temporary wall.  

Usable components will be taken to our new house, possibly to be used there (along with the sound tiles he sourced last week).

Nick is back on night-shift for the next few days.  I'll continue with my missions - quietly!

Week 9 tally.  Boxes donated:  7 (bringing that total to 17).  Boxes packed:  21.  Total packed:  112.

Packing party?!

We achieved a lot this week.  Nick continued his work in the garage, packing stuff to go and sorting rubbish, ready for our skip bin.  (It's booked for the end of the month over a period when Nick is at home).

Nick has started taking apart his studio and some mouse-affected blanketing will be binned.  He found a great deal on older acoustic foam tiles and acquired those for a replacement set-up in the new house.  

Two insect enclosures were sold.  Various chairs were listed for sale.  Four of those have sold and we've had interest in others.  

Our larger tent is also advertised but we've decided to keep the smaller one.  

We talked about our removalist quotes and booked a company.  Now we have a moving date, I'm thinking a count-down might be good motivation.

I declared my birthday a packing free day, then planned an itinerary and enjoyed some excellent celebrations.  Nick and I spent the day in the city, viewed some wonderful jewelery - and generally took some time out.

Packing was a bit of a let-down after all that great adventuring but progress is continuing.  

Now our birthdays are over, I've packed away more glasses and a smaller teaset.  There are still a few glasses, for celebratory bubbles and similar indulgences as our settlement day approaches.

Erin donated another two bags in her down-sizing.  She's also sold more fish, to make moving her large tank set-up easier.  

Of course, life goes on around the moving missions. There's still work for Nick, TAFE for Vaughan, Erin's opshop volunteering - and my at-home efforts.  

Week 8 tally.  Boxes donated:  2 (bringing that total to 10).  Boxes packed:  14.  Total packed:  91.