When you let go of clutter . . . .

When you let go of clutter you free up space in your life for creativity. You un-block energy that is stuck under and behind the mounds of things. You make space in your life for the things you really love and truly want to have near you.

A few months ago, I pledged to de-clutter my home and pare down possessions. I wrote about it on this blog in October but I haven't updated the process.....until now.

I got to work cleaning my closet and drawers; I made donations of things I didn't need and wasn't using. Clothes that no longer fit and would probably never fit again went in the Good Will bags. My room was neater. I felt better and lighter.

Then I moved my efforts to my studio/playroom. And I will admit there was huge job of work waiting for me there. But undaunted by the task ahead, I went wading through the piles and stacks making decisions about what to keep and what to move along. The decisions got easier and easier. The more that went into the Good Will pile the easier it was to add more to the pile.


Here are some of the results:

This neat little stack of three-ring binders used to be row upon row of magazines taking space on bookcase shelves. Once I got to this phase of the 'de-cluttering' project I saw it for what it truly was: a
big,
heavy,
bulky,
mass
of paper that I wasn't using and couldn't efficiently use.

But it is no longer.

Now it is a nice, neat stack of projects and images that inspire me. They're slipped into sheet protectors and organized by project or type of craft.

Oh what a relief it is.

I moved, shuffled, cleaned, organized and made several trips to Goodwill with craft supplies.

One result is this nice neat wall of paints.

..... supplies.....

...... a knitting area .......

.... fabric .....

and pride of place for my Singer Featherweight sewing machine circa 1951.

(The Featherweight is sitting in front of one of my very first quilts.
I learned a lot about color on this project as you can see. )

Things, Stuff and Clutter - Part 3

“Simplicity is the examined life richly lived.
It is asking ourselves what’s important, what matters.
We all think that someday we’ll start living
But few of us feel fully alive.” Cecile Andrews

Today, as I continue to pursue the 100 things challenge, I am creating a value-based list of MUST-HAVE things to identify what is MOST important to me in my life of things.

I don't expect this list to add up to 100 because these are among my most favorite possessions and are things I really want to have in my life. Not because they are essential to every-day-living but because they touch my heart or my soul in different ways.

In this go-round, I am not counting furniture or books or tableware; I am counting collections as one thing.

Clothes, shoes, boots and accessories
Winter boots (3); my shoe size is only a 5; shoes and boots are difficult to find. These, I keep, until they are no longer wearable
Silk and wool jacket (1); Not new, made in a sewing loft in Greenwich Village by an older gentleman who created only a few each year, but surely loved for the last 15 years
Hand-loomed woolen shawl (1) in the various colors of autumn that I have owned for about 30 years and is still pristine in every way

Crafts, Sewing
Sewing machines (2); the Featherweight and the Pfaff, of course
Japanese imported fabric
African imported fabric

Pottery
Art Pottery Platter (1) from artstream that Larry bought for me last year
Japanese Pottery (5) a tea pot, winter tea bowls, summer tea bowls from St. Andrew's By the Sea, Canada; the potter, Tom Smith, has been awarded honors by the Japanese for faithfulness to Japanese traditions
Seattle Pottery (6) gifts from Stephen and Joanne, one large spaghetti serving bowl, one small serving bowl, 2 large mugs and three fish serving platters, all in various shades of green with some grey tones

Dolls, Yes Dolls!
Molly Doll (1); Yes, I have an American Girl doll gifted to me by Amy and Victoria a few Christmases ago
P.E.I. Soldier Doll (1); Canadian; doll Larry bought for me with hand-made costume
Quilts, Antique (1) circa 1810 of French imported fabric called pillar fabric but probably made in Maine
Quilts, made by me (3)
small mariner's compass, wallhanging
bedsize, hand-sewn, Monkey Wrench with an Attitude
the Egglady, wallhanging

The quote with started off this post is from www.mysimplerlife.com

Things, Stuff and Clutter - Part 2

I am taking this topic of stuff and clutter very seriously.

Today, I cleaned and organized my closet and bureau - - clearly, I would have done this any way in preparation for cooler weather and the need for warmer clothes.

But today, I approached the job with a different mission for the task and looked at the 'stuff' through a different lens. And the result is that I brought two large bags to the Planet Aid box around the corner --- things from last autumn and winter that didn't fit then, don't fit now, and probably won't fit next year either.

But what about the real job of paring down to a reasonable number of other things?

I've been thinking about that question as I've gone about my day today. For example, I have four - yes, four - sewing machines. How many sewing machines does a person really need, any way?

First, I have a Singer Featherweight circa 1951 and frankly the workhouse of all sewing machines. This little beauty was made from 1933 until the late 1950s or maybe early 1960s and in all that time the design was changed very little. Oh, there was some scaling down during the war but nothing that impacted its functionality. It is the kind of machine that has a very simple structure; even I can troubleshoot problems -- and when I can't, Larry can. No, it doesn't sew in reverse. It doesn't do any fancy stitches, either. But it is a classic. A collectible. I have to keep it. I don't use it every day, or even every month but I would be bereft without it. Truly.

Then there is the New Home sewing machine circa late 1930s. Made in Orange, Massachusetts (Larry and I lived in New Salem, Massachusetts for 13 years just up the road from the old New Home factory). Well, I could live without the New Home and if truth be told, I always found the bobbin mechanism difficult to use. I could put it on Craigslist. Yes. Great idea.

I have a Singer sewing machine from the 1960s, I think, that belonged to my husband's great Aunt Mildred. It really needs a LOT of work and I'd like to get rid of it ---- I mean, 'pass it on to someone who would appreciate it!' Frankly, I'd give it away. In fact, one year Larry and I had a big yard sale and I sold it. I was very frank with the woman who bought it saying that it would need servicing before she could run it. She was fine with that and paid, $50, I think for the pleasure of taking it away. Then, some weeks later she called to say that she'd brought it to her friendly sew and vac shop for servicing and was told that, yes, it did need some work but it was worth a lot more than $50. She, being a stalwart Christian, returned the damnable thing, feeling guilty! OMG. OMG. And, I still have it 7 years later!!!!! PLEASE, please, take this sewing machine off my hands!!!!! Craigslist????? Maybe.

And, then there is my Pfaff. About 8 years old and a faithful machine. A gift from Larry who said he would purchase a new machine for me and it took me at least three years to choose between a Pfaff, a Viking and a Bernina. It was the built in walking foot that caught me!! It does lots of things but is not one of those show-ey computerized machines. I love it and wouldn't part with for anything.

So, there.

Two out of four. Not bad.

Things, Stuff and Clutter

Last week, we were riding to the Deerfield Fair. I was driving; Larry was snoozing. On the radio there an interview with Dave Michael Bruno, 37, was airing. Dave has created quite a stir with his personal challenge to pare down to 100 things by a date certain in November.

I was immediately intrigued by his challenge and over the next few days the thought of owning only 100 personal things kept re-surfacing -- but with questions.

How was he doing it? Was he counting every item in his possession? Like flatware? Dishes? Pots and pans? Surely, it would not take long to reach 100 by that method. Was he using categories and counting, for example, all flatware in the house as "1" item.

What with weekend quests, work and other obligations, I hadn't a chance to google Dave for the answers to these questions but the concept and his challenge kept my interest peeked. And I kept thinking about stuff and things and how it becomes CLUTTER in our lives.

We know about Clutter. It's the stuff we are stuck in. That fills our rooms, basements, attics and garages. That's stacked in boxes. Stuffed into drawers, bags and containers. Hangs in closets. That stuff we spend money to acquire and then spend more money to house and contain.

We spend our life's energy paying for it (you remember that great book from about 15 years ago, Your Money Or Your Life! --- I've forgotten the author's name), working for and working at purchasing, collecting; housing, containing, dusting and cleaning and repairing these things!

I think clutter starts as a must-have -- a gift to ourselves or our kids that we believe will fill a hole, comfort a need, make us happier, feel sexier, be more joyful or content with our lot in life. It does not, of course, do these things and is soon relegated to all the corners of our lives.

But I admit to it! I am one of those!

I am a collector of things: I love to read; my collection of books is varied and way too large; I have a passion for dishes. I love scarves. I quilt, sew, make altered books, fabric art journals and have a stash of supplies, equipment and tools for these crafts. And, truth to tell, I have way more than I need. I collect antique linen and lace and quilts. And CDs. Jewelry. Shoes and pocketbooks?

What exactly is Dave doing?

And what is his 100 Things Challenge?

Well Dave's goal is to have pared down to 100 personal things by November 12 --- that's this year, --- and to live with only those 100 things for one year. By his definition, personal things are not family-shared or household items.

Also, in pursuing his challenge, he says he will keep family memorabilia pared down to one small storage container and will not open it for one year.

Further, by way of qualification, Dave is sort-of-but-not-quite eliminating books from his challenge: he is "considering getting books down to 100".

And, he notes that, "some things will be counted in groups like underwear and socks" but that he is not keeping a lot of either of these items.

And, to be clear, his wife and children are not participating in his challenge.

But I might.

I am sympathetic. But could I do it? How would I do it? I don't think I'd use Dave's rules entirely. I'd have to 'start small' -- and begin by thinking in terms of overall categories rather than individual items because I surely could not pare down to just 100 things in such rapid-fire fashion.

I suppose I could think in categories such as books and clothing, cosmetics, jewelry and accessories. Magazines. And craft stuff.

Craft stuff? Yikes!