I received a comment yesterday in relation to craft clutter. Please read it below…

Gillie: I recently decluttered almost all of my craft supplies. Not because I was going to give up but because I wanted to take it back up again. There was always so much there that I was just overawed by it all and never really got around to doing anything. When I was younger and had very little I made a lot more, because I had little choice and got on with what I had.

I think this applies to so much of our stuff . The more we have the less we are able to do because it takes too long to choose or sort.

***

And there was an equally interesting reply that I can fully relate to…

Sanna: Gillie, you are making such a good point here! I also find that in the past I often have bought supplies for a hobby instead of pursuing the hobby (bought books instead of reading one, bought fabrics instead of sewing etc. etc.), whereas I purge most in the areas I actually work in most – because it bugs you most if you can’t get to things you need on a nearly daily basis because they are buried in an overflow of other similar items.

***

I also chimed in on this conversation…

Colleen: I have experienced this situation myself Gillie. I actually think that I gave up scrapbooking because it was too hard sifting through the 1000s of photos of every vacation we went on. In the end the decision making got the better of me. Now that I no longer scrapbook I also never bother to look at the vacation shots once we get home. I was there, I remember it, I had a wonderful experience and I don’t need to relive it through photos. It is all there in my mind when I want to revisit it.

And the same goes for me with the craft supplies and tools. I ended up with so much that they were also a pain to sift through every time I wanted to make something. Even lately I have been picking up some free bits and pieces from my mother and MIL for crafting, and it just starts to build up to too much aspirational clutter. KISS (Keep it simple stupid) really does apply when it come to craft. Right now I want nothing more to come in, even though there is more going out, because I just can’t bare the thought of it building up again and turning me off crafting altogether.

You name the situation, they may all be slightly different but they end in the same result, frustration, disappointment and abandonment.

So yesterday while I was making some new labels for my spice jars I ran out of a cartridge for a certain craft tool I have. I quickly improvised to finish the project. Then I made a split decision ~ If I can improvise on this occasion,  I can do without this item, whose cartridge are terribly expensive here in Australia. Add to the fact that this item doesn’t get used all that often these days when I am crafting a lot. So I put it in the corner of my living room with a pile of other stuff I intend to auction on ebay.

It is so easy to get carried away like this. Whether it be with craft supplies, décor items, clothes, shoes, tools, sporting equipment, pretty things, books, cooking ingredients, collections… you name it. We get all excited about a hobby or pastime and go crazy with catering to it. Before you know it the pressure to perform, so to speak, gets too much and we end up giving up altogether. Or the trouble sifting through trying to find just the right thing for a project that you know is there somewhere, get irritating. Or the aspiration to use up all the stuff turns into an all or nothing situation and you give in and give up. Or you thing the next purchase will improve your game but it doesn’t and meanwhile spenders guilt becomes unbearable.

So that is one less bulky, space wasting tool cluttering up my crafting space and one step to simplifying my options in this area.

I have done the same in my kitchen over the years of slow decluttering, also my wardrobe, my toiletries, make-up, jewellery, shoes, reading materials etc, etc.

I am now itching to take a good look at my other crafting tools and make some choices on other items I can declutter. I have a couple in mind without even looking. And the plastic containers in my kitchen are also in my sights right now too. I can feel some very satisfying decluttering coming on.

And before I go I just wanted to share another of this weeks comments that I found very true and satisfying. I love to hear from reading who have made big changes to their thinking that has helped them declutter. And this comment from NF is just such an example.

NF: As I’ve decluttered, downsized, whatever u want to call it, during the past four years, I realized my conglomeration of “stuff” was a combination of my depression era parents(save everything) and my 1980′s mentality of “buy everything.” Both were creating a huge conflict in my life. First I de -cluttered because I didn’t have the room in our smaller home, then I sat back and watched what I actually used and what I did with it, how i used it and and how often(and how often I had to dust it if it were decorative). It was like a minor epiphany. I understand the “I might need it one day” or “I spent a lot of money on this” guilt and logic. if I live to 100, I would never use all the stuff I’ve accumulated on a consistent basis, so off it goes. charity, eBay, heirlooms back to relatives. I used to take any free thing offered to me, no more, much to the affront of the giver. I had one of my biggest arguments with a friend over a pair of hot pink velour sweatpants (which I would only wear if I were comatose and naked), because I refused them. They weren’t a gift, someone had given them to her and she didn’t want them either. I now follow my own logic and heart, not my guilt. it’s really hard to do, but just like any habit, if you keep doing it, it will become standard practice. Minimizing is very liberating once you get past your own mental roadblocks and detours. Drive straight and don’t deviate. 

Have a great week-end everyone and happy decluttering.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter  a grooming tool or product that you don’t care much for using. Even I have one of these to declutter.

Eco Tip for the Day

Borrow and share rather than buy, clutter and add to your carbon footprint.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

I have never encountered a kitchen that wasn’t designed for clutter. There are nearly always cupboards in them that are too deep or high for practicality. These spaces are designed to store seldom used items. Everyone knows that the things you use all the time are the ones that are in the easy to reach places. In the fronts of the deeper cupboards and in the ones at the most convenient height. So I think it is entirely possible that everything else, at the very least, boarders on clutter and in most cases is clutter.

Yesterday I was doing some reorganising of my craft supplies and tools. Part of my plan was to rehouse some of them to the cupboard below the kitchen bench where I do my crafting. In order to do this said kitchen cupboard also needed rearranging. Most items in this cupboard are used regularly, so needed to be within easy reach. So to accommodate craft supplies I needed to install an extra shelf. In the end I was left with three shelves with most items neatly arranged to the front and nothing much in the back.

This is what got me thinking that kitchen cupboards really are designed for clutter. How much stuff do you have lingering in the far reaches of your kitchen cupboards that are rarely if ever used? How much would it really matter if you decluttered these items? And I mean, really matter. How much, just in case or, I use this only on special occasions or I used to use that, stuff are you hanging on to in your kitchen? Run a really critical eye over the murky depths of those cupboards this week and see if you can find at least a few things that you could happily live without.

To put things into perspective, these shelves are two feet (60cm) deep. The plates on the top shelf take up less than half of the shelf. And I am also considering decluttering some of those plastic containers. Although they all get used, they rarely all get used at once.

Today’s Mini Mission

Inspect the tools stored in your garage or other work space. There are usually a few that are a rarely if ever used. Declutter at least one.

Eco Tip for the Day

Save water and electricity ~think twice about how often you really need to wash your clothes and linens. Underpants and perhaps socks are the only clothing item the really need to be washed after one use. Most other clothing items are usually clean and fresh enough to wear twice unless badly soiled the first time round or if the weather is extremely warm and/or humid. Sheets need only be washed once a week at most while towels can last up to a week provided they are air dried between use.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

All that “I might need it one day!” clutter is about control. Control over your future, a future that may never unveil itself. A future created in your own mind that won’t allow you to relinquish items you don’t have a use for right now, probably never will and in all honesty, although used in the past, were never really needed even then.

What tragic outcome would ensue in the future if, today, you decluttered that spare potato peeler? If you got rid of that ever growing pile of ragged bath towels you save in case of a huge spill? If you put all those magazine clippings in the recycling bin that you have been saving to reference when “needed”? If you donated all those material scraps that you might use some day to a craft group who will use them now?

Would the world come to a screaming halt sometime in the future due to these scenarios and any other that come to mind? NO is the answer to that question. “But what if, later, I can’t afford to replace such articles?” I hear you say. And I reply… “STOP and really think whether this item is really even necessary in the first place. A potato can be pealed with a knife, a good towel can be washed and reused after cleaning up a spill, any information clipped from a magazine can be easily accessed via the internet (and more easily for that matter), and material scraps really didn’t matter that much in the first place. Apply this thinking to anything that you feel is contributing to the clutter in your home and see what rational conclusions you come to.

And while you are at it think what immediate positive impact decluttering all those unused items will have on the appearance, feel, ease of organising and cleaning  and the comfort level of your home and then explain to me why you are still holding on.

Let go of a little control and live for today. At the moment the clutter is controlling your life, not the other way around. So do something about it. You might be surprised at how liberating relinquishing control can be.

Today’s Mini Mission

Have a good look in your kitchen cupboards and drawers. This is usually a hotbed of only slightly useful stuff that you could declutter.

Eco Tip for the Day

As adults it is our job to teach our children to conserve power and water. If you raise your children with good habits now conservation will come naturally to them when they become the adults themselves.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

Do you have a few items you have been procrastinating over decluttering for some time. Well perhaps this week is the time to finally bite the bullet and let those annoying suckers go. Start controlling your clutter rather than letting it control you. Take a look at each item with a very critical eye and realise that the world won’t come to a screeching halt should you let it go. I’ll name six areas around your home in which to identify such and items and hopefully you will let these items go.

Monday – Take a look at all your sentimental items. There must be something among them that you really won’t miss.

Tuesday – Have a good look in your kitchen cupboards and drawers. This is usually a hotbed of only slightly useful stuff that you could declutter.

Wednesday – Inspect the tools stored in your garage or other work space. There are usually a few that are a rarely if ever used. Declutter at least one.

Thursday – Declutter  a grooming tool or product that you don’t care much for using. Even I have one of these to declutter.

Friday – Search among your craft/hobby supplies and let go of at least two things you will probably never get around to using.

Saturday – Go through your kids toys and declutter a couple of items they have grown too old for. If you don’t have kids, find something among your own “toys” that has fallen out of favour and declutter it.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Eco Tip for the Day

Spend less time in the shower. Long showers are one of the biggest water wasters in the modern home.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Deb J

60 Spools of thread & 100 skeins of embroidery cotton

We have talked about this before but I wanted to bring it up again.  This is another area I would like to declutter but there is resistance.  It’s all that thread and other sewing supplies.  I don’t know how well you can see this in the pictures but Mom has about 60 spools of thread and about 100 various colors of embroidery floss.  I can see having all of these when she used to sew and I cross stitched.  Now she barely gets something hemmed and I haven’t cross stitched in 10 years or more.

Why do we need all this?  Mom says, “We might need a particular color some day and they are hard to find.  Plus we have already paid for them.”  I can’t seem to get across the idea that over time colors change and I doubt we will get any clothes in the colors of most of those thread colors and little in the way of cross stitch or anything else in the colors of the floss.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they have faded over time too.

Do you have anything like this that you are dealing with?  

Today’s Mini Mission

 Choose three books from your book collection. Declutter the one least likely to be reread.

Eco Tip for the Day

This tip was something that Wendy F brought to my attention. Use the fabric from old mens’ shirts to make handkerchiefs. You will be repurposing the fabric in the shirt and saving paper used to make tissues.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

One thing I have noticed since I began my decluttering mission is how much more pleasure I get from the items I do acquire. The reasons for that are…

• I am more careful about my choices so therefore am much more satisfied with the items I do acquire.
• I acquire stuff far less frequently these days so it is a bigger novelty when I do acquire.
• The things I buy get well used because they are bought with much consideration and not just on a whim.
• I generally get things at a good price, if not free, because I don’t feel the need to acquire urgently, so am prepared to wait until what I want/need is at a good price.
• Much of what I acquire is secondhand which makes me feel like a good custodian of the planet I live on.
• I only acquire items that are suited to my needs not because they are fashionable, the latest trend so to speak.

Decluttering has taught me to be more appreciative of what I do have and be aware of each items usefulness or beauty. And these behaviours have spread to other areas of my life I may have taken for granted in the past.

Have you experienced to joy of acquiring less? How has that carried over to other areas of your life?

Today’s Mini Mission

Take out your three least comfortable pairs shoes. Declutter the pair that you are least likely to wear.

Eco Tip for the Day

Pay close attention the the waste in your life and do all you can to reduce it. Wasted power, wasted fuel, wasted resources of any kind… Be aware of what that is costing the planet. You have as much to gain for being less wasteful as the environment does.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Have your ever been or are you currently in denial about the state of the clutter level in your home? Do any of the following scenarios ring true for you?

1. I am happy with the clutter level in my home. ~ While at the same time you wish your home was easier to keep tidy.
2. I am comfortable with the level of clutter in my home. ~ But what you really mean is ~ you feel more uncomfortable with the thought of letting go of more of your precious stuff than you do of living with the resulting discomfort of keeping it.
3. I am more careful about what I bring into my home. ~ But really you’ve merely lengthened the time it takes to satisfy your desire to buy things. Taking longer to acquire but all the while still bringing in just as much. You think you are more responsible but in fact it only seems that way because you feel like you have deprived yourself by waiting.
4. I don’t care what other people think about what I own. ~ When in fact you are still struggling to keep up with the Joneses. Needing this fashion item, or that decor item or jewellery… , when you have perfectly adequate numbers of all of these things.
5. I need this item or this number of items. ~ When in reality it has simply become habit to provide for unlikely scenarios where you will need such things. Habits of a lifetime, or indeed previous life situations, are hard to break if you don’t realise they are a habit in the first place.
6. I can buy happiness. ~ Happiness never has and never will be dependant on how much unnecessary stuff you own. Trust me there are a lot of very rich unhappy people out there.

I am sure there are many more scenarios that I could add to this list but these are just a few that I encounter at times. Don’t get me wrong, I am not expecting all or any of my readers to live a minimal lifestyle. I don’t believe even I live such a  lifestyle so why would I expect such things from others. But I urge you to really search inside yourself and be honest with yourself about what it is you want out of your mission to declutter. You might find that one of these scenarios matches your situation well. Or even once confessed to yourself you decide you can live with that. But please don’t continue to live in denial of  being in a situation that has a negative effect on your life and possibly on the loved ones around you

Today’s Mini Mission

Take a look in your closet. Take out the three least used items of clothing. Declutter the least likely ever to be used again.

Eco Tip for the Day

It is possible to live without cling wrap. Put a plates on top of a bowls or use existing lidded containers to store things in the fridge rather than cover food in cling wrap. I haven’t had a roll of cling wrap in my house for some time now and I have never missed it.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

Some items in our homes are plentiful and there is usually some among them that just aren’t necessary to keep. This weeks missions are designed to weed out those least used items from an otherwise useful bunch. Let’s see how honest you can be at letting go of the least useful of these groups.

Monday – Take out the three least used utensils in your kitchen. Really think why you bother to keep them. Declutter the least used item.

Tuesday – Take a look in your closet. Take out the three least used items of clothing. Declutter the least likely ever to be used again.

Wednesday – Take out your three least comfortable pairs shoes. Declutter the pair that you are least likely to wear.

Thursday – Choose three books from your book collection. Declutter the one least likely to be reread.

Friday – Retrieve the three least likely to be used linen items ftom your linen closet. Declutter the one of those that is used the least.

Saturday – Choose three items among your craft supplies. Be that tools or materials. Declutter the least likely ever to be used again.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Eco Tip for the Day

Share a meal at a cafe or restaurant. Large portions are best shared. For your waistline and for environmental sustainability.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Hi Aussie readers, I recieved the following email last week. I decided to share it with you because the more opportunies there are out there to help you share your abundance the better. Please read the request below…

I’m writing to you from TuShare. TuShare is Australia’s fastest growing sharing platform. This sounds a little jargonny but it essentially means that via the magic of our phones, we’re helping people across Australia give and receive things they no longer need to each other.  This year, we’re the National hosts for Global Sharing Day, the biggest international movement to raise awareness about the awesomeness of sharing. 

We know your readers love you; they trust your judgment and appreciate your honesty. So were wondering if you might be able to please help us get the word out about a big event that we are doing between Global Sharing Day (1 June) and World Environment Day (5 June) this year?

We have just officially launched Australia’s first ever ‘Flash Share’, with the goal of sharing 5000 items in a single week between the 1st and the 5th June. Everyone who joins in will be prompted to share one thing a day for five days (focusing on different rooms of the house each day). 

In a busy home, there is usually a small mountain of things we no longer want, need or fit. We know you know how to de-clutter! And we think sharing is a great way of clearing out the new, and helping out another family in the process. We’re really passionate about what sharing can do for communities because not only do we help find new homes things we no longer need, we prevent landfill in the process.

So check out the site. Perhaps you will think of something you can share. But of course don’t go there looking for what you can get free whether you need it or no.

I am posting on a Friday for a change because I was too busy to put a post together yesterday. It has been a busy couple of weeks keeping up the stocks of my handmade cards at the art space where they are sold. It was Mother’s Day here in Australia on Sunday so cards were in demand. I have to say I will be happy to have a slower week next week. However I am also happy that a nice quantity of crafting supplies went out the door in the form of those cards. And the money I made was another added bonus.

So how has everyone’s contemplations gone this week? It is good to remember the wonderful results of decluttering, to pinpoint our clutter weaknesses and consider our acquiring habits… If we can give rational thought to these things and feel good about where we are at with out decluttering then we must be on the right track.

This week I decluttered an eight place dinner set which freed up some valuable space in my kitchen cupboards. Kitchen items used to be a particular weakness of mine, without me even realising it I think. These days however the more I reduce in this area the happier I am. It is one area in the house that is definitely easier to work in because of improved accessibility due to less stuff.

I think it is time I did a thorough sweep through of my home to weed out any remaining clutter I can find. Then it will just be a case of maintenance. And of course the continual decluttering of the craft supplies. I hope this gig at the art space doesn’t end for a while yet. It is helping me offload some long held on to clutter.

It has been interesting hearing about other peoples clutter weaknesses. Although, like mine, many of them weren’t really clutter because they were loved items and pastimes that will likely carry on forever and will never really be a burden so long as they are kept in check. I know I will always have crafting supplies as I would never be happy without something creative to do in my spare time. And all those avid readers out there will always have books on had to indulge their love of reading with. The fashionistas among us would be lost without a closet a little more stocked than others. And while there are kids in the house there will always be some in-between excess. In between hand-me-downs and in between dependant child and leaving home. So long as we are comfortable with all these things and enjoying our special vices then all is well.

So keep on working on those items you know your don’t care about or use and I will see you next week with a new set of missions.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter an item of your choice and spend 10 minutes thinking about it. Why you are letting it go and what other similar items you have around the house that you could also declutter.

Eco Tip for the Day

If you are in need of an item, investigate the possibility of acquiring it in good condition secondhand. It is environmentally guilt free, it will be cheaper and if it becomes clutter it will be easier to let it go.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow