Tackling the Desk of Doom

Today, I was motivated to clean my desk. The desk is the my kitchen, next to the fridge. The drawers have been full for years and the top ends up being a catchall for anything that needs a place to go. Here is the before picture:

The desk is built in and made of maple. The things on top include books, magazines, empty boxes, hats, school supplies, etc. Inside of the desk are more school supplies, boxes, unused cards, CDs, DVDs, and even some vintage purses and wallets!

I began by cleaning out the drawers and used by one-year rule. I threw away a lot of things! We used to have a fish tank, so there were unused fish tank decorations, old Hello Kitty things from the $1 area at Target, and more junk.

Then, I cleared off the top, because some of the things that I have on top were school supplies that we will use. I ended up throwing away not just one, but one and half bags of trash. I also found a box full of things to donate to Goodwill - like children's books, art supplies for younger kids, and other goodies. I also found a few iPhone chargers and cords to keep.

So, after about 45 minutes and 45 gallons worth of trash and one big box of donations, here is the view of the desk:

Now, the plates are the focal point! They are all antique souvenir plates from places we have been. Most of them are antique Florida plates because my entire kitchen has a beach-theme to it. There are a few plates from other locations like Hoover Dam, Mammoth Caves, and the Bahamas. Some of the plates have beautiful cut work and most have bold colors.

My daughter was so excited to see the top of the desk and empty space in the drawers because now she can actually use the desk to do her work!!