In this episode, we continue our yearlong Fix It or Free It challenge with September’s focus: broken holiday pieces. As fall decorations came out, we were reminded of our cherished Department 56 Halloween village that had been stored away with cracks and chips. Instead of letting them sit for another year, we finally took action with ceramic glue and repaired the pieces. This month’s challenge isn’t just about fixing porcelain, it’s about aligning our actions with our intentions, and the joy that comes from restoring what truly matters.
In This Episode We Talk About
- The journey of the 2025 Fix It or Free It challenge so far
- Why certain collections, like holiday villages, are worth the time and care
- The life lessons that come from repairing items instead of replacing them
Mentioned in This Episode
- The Fix It or Free It challenge and monthly progress updates
- Department 56 holiday villages and their significance
- The importance of modeling patience and care when fixing items
Review full show notes and resources at https://theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast
Review Transcript:
 Hey friends. Welcome back to Organize and Cherish with me Stephanie here at the Organized Domingo, and today we're diving into the September edition of My Fix It or Free It Challenge. If you've been following along this year, you know, I've committed to facing one item or one little pile of items every month and making the decision if I'm going to finally fix it.
Or if I'm going to free it. So this is that box that we all put away and say, oh, we will fix it one day. Oh, it still has a little bit of life left. I will get to it. So that's the box I'm talking about. You know, I've said, and I meant to let it go, maybe, but either or, I've never, and I have not made that decision yet.
So this year I've committed to at least making a decision over one item every month, keeping it achievable, easy to follow and follow through. So it gives me a full month to make a decision, fix it or do something about it. So the whole idea behind this challenge is to stop putting things off and actually take action.
We all have those items. We say we'll fix 'em one day, but really they just end up sitting around weighing on us. So that is what I will be updating you on for the item that I chose for September, and then I'll give you some tips along the way. So here we go.
Welcome to the Organized and Cherish podcast with the Organized Flamingo. I am your host Stephanie. Passionate and efficient professional organizer. Whether you are part of the sandwich generation helping a loved one declutter, or just trying to simplify life, this is the place for you. Together we will tackle those overwhelming piles of stuff, uncover purpose in what we keep, and let go with dignity and care, because it's not just about throwing everything away, it's about respecting memories and simplifying life.
Sound like a plan? Let's jump in and get organized. So before I start the episode in, go full in into September, let's do a very quick catch up on what the year has looked like so far. So what I have done every month, so if you're new here, great, I'm catching you up. But if you've been here for a hot minute, I'm so glad that you're here and you've been here along the way, and I hope you are following along, or that I've inspired you to fix at least one thing this year and or let it go.
So, but let me give you a recap just to kind of refresh our memory and then you can kind of start to see how I've evolved and have changed the things that I've fixed, just to give me some variety and exposure to different things, but also give me some momentum along the way. So in January I did the. My beloved work bag with the ripped straps, and I replaced the handles and started using that again February.
It was the dress that I turned into a skirt. I loved the color and I thought it would be, it would make a lovely skirt. I went and priced out how much it would cost. Also, along the way, I found a great, great Taylor seamstress person in a little shop here locally, so now I have someone in my back pocket to go to whenever I need those services.
In March, I tackled the infamous fix it drawer, that whole drawer. Uh, and as you can see, I started with individual items. I just went for it. But then in March I started to get that momentum and decluttered that fix it drawer and made decisions on what to fix and what to let go. So like I starting to feel more confident in my ability to, to know what I could fix or I wanted to fix.
Uh, or finally let go. In April, I fixed a broken wheel on my little office cart In May, I dealt with some jewelry chains and necklaces and just like that jewelry, um, that gets tangled, fixed, a few, let go of the rest. In June, I gave new life to some favorite high heels, uh, with anti-slip pads, and finally freed a pair that I didn't like.
So basically I found ways that I could continue using some of those shoes that were, I thought were uncomfortable, but they just needed a little bit of padding and help. And I've been using them a lot since then. And then the rest I just let go of. And then in July I took care of a hiking travel backpack, finally fixed that hole.
Just went and got a needle and a thread, and I did it. Then in August I did electronics. I tackled the those, that pile finally said goodbye to a couple of headphones that I was not going to repair, that I thought I could repair. But new ones have come out since it's just not serving me at all. So I let those go Now, September.
This month was about holiday decor. It wasn't really planned that way. It just worked out that way. And honestly, it's been a long time coming, so it was perfect timing. As soon as September hit, my son was ready, Halloween and fall items and needed to come out. We usually wait for my husband's birthday because it is in early September and it's still summer, so we always give the, let's not take anything out that's fall or Halloween related until his birthday has passed.
But once his birthday passed and even right before that, my kiddo was ready just with the boxes, just like ready to go. So he was really excited and he, he's at that age where he is understanding the holidays and gets excited about it and is able to help. And so it's really cute. So while we were unpacking those items, we came across my department, 56 Halloween Village pieces.
If you aren't familiar, department 56 is a company that makes these porcelain villages, miniature houses, like their little buildings and characters, and you can set those up for the holidays or year round displays. You know, everybody has like a little, their own version of what, how, how they like to use it.
It's, um, you know, kind of more like the modern take of those old little chotkis that your parents or grandparents had. I love them. That's like my one little collection. They're really, they're like whimsical and detailed and they're very collectible and I love them. So here, let me just give you a cute quick background on how I started collecting it, because I think you can relate to this.
To also tell you that like I am, I'm doing all of these challenges and journeys with you, so I totally understand. So I'm not only preaching or telling you what to do because I, I have the experience of it and the education of it, but also I'm living through it. So I started collecting these years ago, back when I had a little extra spending money, like my first extra, spending money for the first time.
So, in fact, I, I remember buying them at the new downtown Disney when it first opened in California, because that's where I grew up in Southern California. And I carried them through multiple moves. I mean, from California all the way to Colorado. They've always been special to me. And this is kinda like my first little like luxury collection, if you will.
You know, that made my house and apartments feel like home. Like it was my personality. It was no longer someone else's stuff. So that was really fun and over the years, a few pieces though broke and I always told myself I'd fix them, but then they sat year after year. Wrapped, stored, carried, cleaned, but not fixed.
And in fact, many times I would open one of the boxes. Oh, I would just do this, like sigh of frustration, like, oh, I didn't fix it. I said I would last year. And here we are again. Um, so my intentions were good, but my actions did not line up at all. Hi, cherish friends. Life can get overwhelming, especially when you're juggling caregiving, clutter and everything in between.
That's why I created the Organized and Cherish weekly email. That goes out every Wednesday straight to your inbox to help you keep the momentum inspiration going with tips and reminders of our upcoming events. All you have to do is head on over to organize and cherish.com and sign up for the email newsletter.
It's free and you can up subscribe whenever you'd like. It's my way of helping you simplify your life and respecting memories along the way. Now back to our show. Okay, so let's talk about the actual fit. So finally this month I decided let's, let's go and let's fix it. So we bought some ceramic glue. Big thank you to my mother-in-law who got that for me.
She was in town and so it was perfect timing. She heard me say that I wanted to get some glue and she got it for me. So it was great. She got me two variations, like two types, and we can talk about that on a separate episode about what glues and what accessories or items that I prefer to fix items. Um, but we'll save it for another day.
So anyway, back to the conversation. So. I sat down and started repairing each piece, and I'm still uncovering as of this recording, by the way, because we haven't completely taken all of the village out, just a few of them. Um, but as I, they come out now, I have like a little workstation and how to fix it.
So I can't tell you how liberating it felt. I set up my little shop, you know, I'm all about preparation, so, um, put some newspapers down. I got the glues and tried a few. One of 'em has a brush, one of them didn't, so, you know, just kind of tried depending on what was broken. And then I went for it. So I fixed it.
They're glued, they, they're part of the decoration now. Not only do I get to display them again, but my son also got to watch me take care of my things. And that was a big moment for me. To show him that fixing something, having the patience and taking time to do something is very powerful. It's about value and what you have, you know?
Okay. So that's what I ended up picking a little bit of the history around it. So let's talk about some of the lessons that I learned. And I know I just said that I would talk about the glue and the type of items that I've used to fix items in another episode, maybe at the end of the year. But I do wanna talk about it a little bit in the lessons learned here.
Okay, so this month's fix was kinda like reminded me of that bigger truth that actions need to match our intentions. Like that was like really clear for me this time around. If we say something matters to us, then let's act like it. I do encourage people to do that along the way, like whether it's any of our programs or if I'm working with you or you're part of our community or a client, that if you say something matters, let's do something about it.
If I'm there with you, I can be your body double. I can be your accountability buddy, but if I, you don't have someone you're working with, get someone that you trust, like a friend or a neighbor that has similar values to you and work through that together. So if something's mattering, so if you've said something matters to you, then again do something about it.
So if we, Sarah, we're gonna fix something, like in this case for me, I thought, well, let me follow through and. We're in month nine at this point that I'm doing this right and it's gonna be 12 at least. I mean, I'm hoping to continue this in a different way, but this was really encouraging me because one, I made the commitment to all of you out loud on the podcast to our community.
So I said, okay, I'm not gonna let all of you down and not, you know, not do what I said I was going to do. So that was one, that was first commitment. Uh, but then the two to myself, the habit continued to grow in a positive way because then I started making the promises to myself and that was really important.
Even more so, I mean, I adore all of you and I respect all of you and your time. And so I would not commit to something and then, you know, just fall off the cliff and, and not talk about it. But most importantly, it was to me, and I didn't wanna let myself down. Once I started, especially once I started to create the habit, that was really a big factor, like month nine.
Wow. Like if I say I am going to fix something and I say something matters, I'm going to follow through. So that was a big lesson. That was a big revelation. The other non, you know, internal, not like a, a big, um, psychologic psychological factor, I guess was about the glue that I used or just more about the brands that I use.
I'm starting to, uh, realize and find kind of what, how my body, like my hands, because if I'm fixing things and do it things myself. I'm starting to lean towards certain brands or certain ways of doing things, and that discovery has been very powerful and I'll tell you why. I do see this a lot in, in clients and community and having done this for over 20 years, the more action you take, the more realization.
More discovery about your own ways of doing things that come up, which makes it easier. Next time you say you're going to fix something or do something, now you know what brand you want to go get. What feels comfortable in, you're less in that discovery learning curve mode and more in the do it mode, like you skip that discovery, having to learn how to do it again.
So I'll give you an example. So the glue, so let's talk specifics for my little figurines. Because I hadn't done this in a while. I hadn't really worked with different glues or whatever, like miniature things I kind of had forgotten. And now I realize like I'm a brush person. Like I, I really like having that brush.
My eyesight has changed over the years, so anything that's small or I'm working with my hands, um, hobbies that, you know, I'm working with my hands and stuff. I realized that I just really like the workspace, like having, having a, a workspace ahead of time where I can see with good lighting, so good lighting, like a little like a lamp, something like that is important to me or else I won't do it or else I will procrastinate.
And that's actually something that I realized. I, one of the reasons I had procrastinated over doing these figurines because I could not see, I got under good lighting. I used one of those brush type of glues. Now I have my way and my preferred method. So that was really a fun discovery. And going forward, whenever I am fixing something that is small, I know that it needs to be in the daylight, really good lighting and or with a brush, uh, maybe even a magnifying glass, and set that up ahead of time so that I can be set up for success.
So that was a fun realization. Okay, so that's the September Fix it or free it. The few porcelain houses, uh, figurines glued back together and a whole lot of joy was put back into my Halloween display. Really proud and glad about this. You have no idea, and I hope that this also has inspired you to keep that momentum going.
To know that sometimes it feels a little slow or awkward at the beginning of you starting to finally take action, but eventually, like it did for me, now I'm starting to just, it just feels right, like it feels like an obvious, taking the time, having the patience to go and actually do something about it and make a decision as opposed to letting it be a stalled decision.
So I'd love to know. If you are doing the Fix it or Free It challenge and what your fix it item is, is there something you've been carrying around waiting for someday? Maybe this is your month to finally fix it or maybe just let it go. I love to hear it. Tag us over on any of the social media platforms at the Organized Flamingo.
You can also email us at hello@theorganizeddomingo.com. You can message me however you like to let me know. I would love to hear it and cheer you on. Thanks for joining me today. Until next time, remember, respect the memories, simplify your life and take care of the things that matter most. Happy organizing.
Thank you for listening to the Organized and Cherish podcast with the Organized Flamingo. If you enjoy today's episode, I'd be so grateful if you left a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. It helps others discover our show. For full show notes, resources, and more organizing inspiration, visit www.theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast.
Until next time, happy organizing.