I've Got Too Much Stuff! (Said in an exasperated tone of voice!)
The more I pare down, the more stuff I have coming out of the woodwork! How does this happen?!?! Part of it is hobbies...I knit, spin, weave, draw, make baskets, 'play' music, etc. etc. etc. Each of these hobbies comes with it's own little cache of goodies that needs to be at the ready for when the mood strikes. Plastic bins here, plastic bins there! Here a spinning wheel, there a guitar, everywhere a flute, flute♫.
Because 99% of my hobbies involve 'making things', I have a bunch of knit goods, baskets, jewelry, etc. laying around. I give most of the stuff I've made away, but now that I'm trying to get my Etsy store going the 'homemade stuff I had laying around' now turns into 'official inventory' and needs a place to live.
Because of my Etsy shop and the fact that I work from home some, I have an 'office'. OK so it's a corner of my bedroom, but still...it involves papers, writing utensils etc. and we all know how those things multiply when you leave two or more on a desk or in a drawer together. I've never understood folks who say that they can't never find a pen when they need one. WHAT?!?!?! My problem is deciding which one to use; ink, gel, porous, fine point, medium point? And then there's the matter of colors. Dear Dog! All of the many, beautiful, colors!
I have a few books. I have pared down extensively from the mass of paper I used to own. I used to single-handedly keep Frugal Muse use bookstore in business. Now I get my books through our excellent library system or electronically, but there are still those books that are special...ones that just can't be given away for whatever reason, and the small stack that folks have given me to read that are still waiting to be read and returned
Clothes...as a woman, I have clothes that I wear, clothes that are too big (YAY!) and clothes that are too small. I keep the clothes that are too small because I'm going to fit in them some day. I keep the clothes that are too big because I'm afraid I might fit back into them one day. Of course all of these clothes come in three categories-dressy, casual, and 'Lord, I hope no one sees me 'cause it's laundry day'. And there's also the matter of the climate in Wisconsin. I have to have cold weather clothes, warm weather clothes, hot weather clothes, cold and wet, warm and wet, snowy, the combinations are endless...and don't get me started on the 'old' clothes I have to keep around for working at the barn.
I have a penchant for shiny things. Because I don't have money for the royal jewels, I compensate by collecting many, many cheap (but awesome) pieces of jewelry that migrate from my jewelry box to my dresser to my bathroom. I swear they're always on the move!
I live in a small place by choice. I've looked at condos and houses etc., but decided that this cozy, little, nest is the place for me right now. Low maintenance and upkeep. You'd think it would be easy to keep neat as a pin and uber-organized. A place for everything and everything in its place right? Except there isn't a place for everything? Now what?
Over the past few months (mostly fueled by Pinterest) I've been trying creative organizing and storage techniques. Seems like I've been picking up and cleaning constantly but when I stopped and looked around, I still wasn't happy. It's still looked cluttered. Of course in a place this small, one thing out of place looks cluttered, but that's beside the point. I was getting anxious and overwhelmed until I sat down and had a long, hard think about it and had an epiphany. I have too much stuff! What a wonderful problem to have! How blessed am I to have so many things I love to do and the materials to do them, a job that allows me to work at home when I need/want to, wonderful books to read, nice clothes and pretty bling to wear, things I love all around me. How many people aren't so lucky? My house isn't 'dirty', it's cluttery at times because it contains a lot of things I am so fortunate to have. Could I get rid of more stuff? Of course! There isn't a thing here that I couldn't get rid of if I had to, but I don't have to...I'm not excusing a big mess, everything can still be neat and clean, but I have a new perspective and I've changed my tone of voice. I've got too much stuff! How lucky am I!?!?!?
Because 99% of my hobbies involve 'making things', I have a bunch of knit goods, baskets, jewelry, etc. laying around. I give most of the stuff I've made away, but now that I'm trying to get my Etsy store going the 'homemade stuff I had laying around' now turns into 'official inventory' and needs a place to live.
Because of my Etsy shop and the fact that I work from home some, I have an 'office'. OK so it's a corner of my bedroom, but still...it involves papers, writing utensils etc. and we all know how those things multiply when you leave two or more on a desk or in a drawer together. I've never understood folks who say that they can't never find a pen when they need one. WHAT?!?!?! My problem is deciding which one to use; ink, gel, porous, fine point, medium point? And then there's the matter of colors. Dear Dog! All of the many, beautiful, colors!
I have a few books. I have pared down extensively from the mass of paper I used to own. I used to single-handedly keep Frugal Muse use bookstore in business. Now I get my books through our excellent library system or electronically, but there are still those books that are special...ones that just can't be given away for whatever reason, and the small stack that folks have given me to read that are still waiting to be read and returned
Clothes...as a woman, I have clothes that I wear, clothes that are too big (YAY!) and clothes that are too small. I keep the clothes that are too small because I'm going to fit in them some day. I keep the clothes that are too big because I'm afraid I might fit back into them one day. Of course all of these clothes come in three categories-dressy, casual, and 'Lord, I hope no one sees me 'cause it's laundry day'. And there's also the matter of the climate in Wisconsin. I have to have cold weather clothes, warm weather clothes, hot weather clothes, cold and wet, warm and wet, snowy, the combinations are endless...and don't get me started on the 'old' clothes I have to keep around for working at the barn.
I have a penchant for shiny things. Because I don't have money for the royal jewels, I compensate by collecting many, many cheap (but awesome) pieces of jewelry that migrate from my jewelry box to my dresser to my bathroom. I swear they're always on the move!
I live in a small place by choice. I've looked at condos and houses etc., but decided that this cozy, little, nest is the place for me right now. Low maintenance and upkeep. You'd think it would be easy to keep neat as a pin and uber-organized. A place for everything and everything in its place right? Except there isn't a place for everything? Now what?
Over the past few months (mostly fueled by Pinterest) I've been trying creative organizing and storage techniques. Seems like I've been picking up and cleaning constantly but when I stopped and looked around, I still wasn't happy. It's still looked cluttered. Of course in a place this small, one thing out of place looks cluttered, but that's beside the point. I was getting anxious and overwhelmed until I sat down and had a long, hard think about it and had an epiphany. I have too much stuff! What a wonderful problem to have! How blessed am I to have so many things I love to do and the materials to do them, a job that allows me to work at home when I need/want to, wonderful books to read, nice clothes and pretty bling to wear, things I love all around me. How many people aren't so lucky? My house isn't 'dirty', it's cluttery at times because it contains a lot of things I am so fortunate to have. Could I get rid of more stuff? Of course! There isn't a thing here that I couldn't get rid of if I had to, but I don't have to...I'm not excusing a big mess, everything can still be neat and clean, but I have a new perspective and I've changed my tone of voice. I've got too much stuff! How lucky am I!?!?!?
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