Minneapolis

Photo by Eastlaketimes

Spring Cleaning Part #2: Garage Sale

Have you done your spring cleaning yet? I haven’t either, but once I get around to it, I’m pretty sure I will have an embarrassing amount of unwanted items that I don’t know what to do with. Luckily, there are many options for getting rid of our home clutter. One option is to donate your surplus (check out last week’s post for more info), another option is to have a garage or yard sale. At first, the idea of holding a garage sale seemed too daunting. I thought, “First I go through my house and unearth things that I’ve never used, but somehow moved four times….now I have to catalogue them, put prices on them, and display them?!” At this point my brain shuts down. But have no fear, interwebs to the rescue! I have found dozens of “how to” lists about how to not only schedule and hold a garage sale, but also how to correctly price your items. I also discovered that many areas of the Twin Cities hold neighborhood-wide garage sales. Meaning they do all the advertisement, you just have to sign up and get your unwanted wares priced and displayed. How great is that! Maybe this garage sale idea isn’t as daunting as I thought.

Interested in having a garage sale? This is what I recommend:

· Find out if your neighborhood has a group garage sale. If so, join in!

· Check out a few of these “how to” lists for ideas on holding an organized and (dare I say it) profitable garage sale. Ehow.com, Howto.com, Garage Sale Tracker (great for pricing your items).

Photo by Brad.K

Spring Cleaning Part #1

Spring has finally arrived in Minnesota (at least until Thursday), and it’s time to throw open your windows and clear out your winter clutter. But before you toss out your lightly used clothes and household wares, consider donating them. Check out the below organizations that do amazing work with your unwanted items.

General Donations: Takes donations of clothing and most household items

Goodwill-Easter Seals, Salvation Army, Vietnam Veterans of America (does not accept furniture), Lupus Foundation, Arc’s Value Village, Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota

Clothes Only

Dress for Success, Courage Center, Also check your neighborhood thrift store for their donation rules and locations

Furniture and Kitchen, Dining, and Bedroom Essentials

Bridging

Cell Phones

Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women

Learn how to sell your unwanted items next Tuesday in Spring Cleaning Part #2.

Photo courtesy of Whitewall Buick

Join artist Witt Siasoco on Sunday, April 28^th for Drawing on Central Avenue. This event is part of Creative Citymaking, a partnership between artists and city planners to "develop fresh and innovative approaches for addressing the long-term transportation, land use, economic, environmental, and social issues facing Minneapolis[i]”. As part of this program, Siasoco has invited people of all ages to join him in documenting Central Avenue with his Mobile Tracing Unit. Drawings from the event will be incorporated into art works displayed in a community art exhibition at Sen Yai Sen Lek on Thursday, May 16^th.

· 1:00-2:00: Central Ave. between 27^th and 24^th Avenues NE

· 2:00-3:00: Central Ave. between 24^th and 21^st Avenues NE

· 3:00-4:00: Central Ave. between 21^st and 18^th Avenues NE

Hope to see you there!

[i] http://www.intermediaarts.org/Creative-CityMaking

Designing and renovating your home can be confusing and overwhelming. It helps to have some professional help when making the big decisions. Check out the South Minneapolis Housing Fair, Saturday, April 13th, from 10:00 to 3:00. Check out the details and meet us there. We can answer your questions and enter you into a drawing for some great prizes.

Photo by Michael R. Perry

When I moved to Minnesota, I used the morning dog walks to explore my new neighborhood. After about a week, I stumbled across an odd bird house looking structure in someone’s front yard. I could see it from several houses away and approached with some confusion about who would build a birdhouse next to the sidewalk. Lo and behold, it was my first Little Library sighting! I thought to myself, “What a brilliant idea, good job Minnesota!” I later learned that Little Libraries are actually a nationwide movement started in Hudson, Wisconsin in 2009. I also learned that there are over 5,000 little libraries across the county, with almost as many different looks and designs. On the website, they offer libraries for purchase with inlaid wood sunrises, ones that look like Amish barns, two story houses, and red phone booths, just to name a few. In Minneapolis, I have seen little libraries painted to look like the homes they are installed in front of, painted to match the owner’s garden, or to reflect a favorite hobby or animal. Check out the website for different designs, to find the closes Little Library to you, or to look at plans on how to build one yourself.

Photo by Joe Biewala

Spring break!!! My favorite spring break memory is from my senior year of college. Before making assumptions, this spring break did not include me on a beach somewhere with hundreds of other college kids. I actually spent my break exploring the Twin Cities with a few friends. Despite the freezing temperatures and unexpected blizzard, we had a great time enjoying amazing restaurants, wandering through world class museums, and exploring new parts of the city. Although I no longer have the free time for a full on spring break vacation, I have decided this year to have a mini Twin Cities staycation.

Want to plan your own spring break staycation? Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

-Eat at a green restaurants or take a green adventure http://www.minneapolis.org/visitor/green-minneapolis

-Take a walking, biking, or even running tour of the city http://thefittourist.com/

-Make a staycation meal at home with locally sourced foods http://www.twincitiesfarmersmarkets.com/

-Take advantage of the cold weather and ski or snowshoe around the Landscape Arboretum http://www.arboretum.umn.edu/skiandsnowshoetrails.aspx

-Try a watercolor or ceramics class at Silverwood Park’s LEED certified center http://www.threeriversparks.org/events.aspx

What ideas do you have? What are your favorite things to do in the Twin Cities?

Every year at this time, we begin to have that all too familiar feeling, the dreaded spring fever. We begin to fantasize about being outside without a parka, seeing flowers and grass again, and having that first outdoor BBQ. Spring and summer are prime time to plan reunions, weddings, and other outdoor parties. Why not make your next outdoor event a green event.

Believe it or not, spring is just around the corner! It’s time to talk about spring home repairs. Tune in to MPR’s The Daily Circuit on Friday, March 8^th at 11am to hear our own Samantha Strong answer your questions about what projects you should be working on to get your home in shape for the warmer months. Click on “Awards and Media” to listen to Samantha’s past Daily Circuit broadcasts.

We are excited to announce that Metamorphosis will be hosting another class at Natural Built Home! Samantha will discuss remodeling to get your home ready to put on the real estate market. Come with lots of questions!

"Remodeling for Resale" with Samantha Strong of Metamorphosis

With the Twin Cities' real estate market on the upswing, are you thinking about listing your home for sale? Samantha Strong, Realtor and General Contractor with Metamorphosis, talks about which remodeling projects will have buyers running to your door.

*Saturday, March 16th from 10am-11am

The emerald ash borer has ruined many trees around the Twin Cities, but that won’t stop the trees from going on to live a second life as a beautiful table top, or wood wall paneling. The team from Wood From the Hood salvages unwanted urban trees and rips them down to smaller sizes for customers who want to use the wood for building materials. Rick Siewert recently appeared in a story on MPR about his company and the significance it has made to re-purposing local trees. Next time you are looking for a cool piece of wood, check them out!