Week 8! almost 2 months and whilst still small we are keeping going. No makes from me this week apart from a tag idea I have been playing with, in a vintage style and had to include some machine embroidery.
De-Cluttering
As crafters think we all buy stock and store some of which is used immediately and others that gets put away for a rainy day, just in case buys or because we want it. Having been crafting for over 30 years I have plenty of 'stuff'. Having been suffering from a creative block recently and so fed up spending ages looking for that certain item I know I have but cannot put my hands on thought now is the time to
de-clutter. The sewing machines have been hung up for a small amount of time, well okay I admit they are still there and ready to produce if the calling gets too bad. The de-cluttering has started and after sorting and repacking the fabric ottoman and cutting out table have a huge bag for the charity shop, a bag for ebay and space.........
Feeling so much better and clearer to think and only done a small part, I had been dreading starting and you know how it is you procrastinate which is the best way to tackle such a mammoth task but the creative side is calling but then not there, would highly recommend to anyone. So much so that DH has started on the top attic, again boxes for stuff bought in case needs to go back, old tv's and computers now all relegated to the dump. The attic spaces may not be clear yet and like my sewing and work rooms have a long way to go but oh boy feel as if a weight has been lifted already.
Perhaps this is to do with Spring and a long held tradition of cleaning out the houses, washing curtains etc before the onset of the long balmy summer months, okay hold that thought may not exactly be long or balmy but we can live in hope and so true that de-cluttering your home de-cliutters your mind.
I follow the SPACE formula as aired on Oprah years ago by Julia Morgenstern author of 'Time Management from the Inside Out' an excellent read if you have the time:
Julie's Organizing Formula
- Sort: Identify what's important to you and group similar items.
- Purge: Decide what you can live without and get rid of it (e.g. donations, sales, storage, garbage).
- Assign: Decide where the items you keep will go. Remember, make it logical, accessible and safe.
- Containerize: Make sure they're sturdy, easy to handle, the right size, and that they look good. The art of containerizing is to do it last, not first.
- Equalize: Spend 15 minutes a day to maintain what you've done.
Read more: http://www.oprah.com/home/SPACE#ixzz2LE4tSLzb
and it works, so often I have 'De-cluttered' to rush out and buy storage first only to find half not needed or not right for the job, sadly we do not have the half the wonderful storage products available in the US but with a bit of finger searching on google amazing what you can find.
As said at the start of this post not a lot of crafting atm but Spring just around the corner a time to clear the mind, shake off the winter and look forward to the summer.
