Once again it was a strong week for insightful comments and here are the five I selected for you not to miss.
I loved the words of wisdom at the end of this comment from Kelley ~ Having done quite a bit of decluttering this year it’s clear to me how much better I feel with less stuff around… Read the entire comment here.
If you read no other comment this week make sure you read this one by Deb J it is a perfect example of what slow and steady decluttering is all about ~ Oh how I know what you mean about “interesting†papers… Read more
I have received several comments from Chelle this week, a new reader who was becoming overwhelmed with her decluttering efforts. ~ Thank you for these words. I have been working frenetically and it’s overwhelming… Read more. You can read her three comments that lead to this point here, here and here.
I had to add this comment even though it was by me but once you read it I think you will understand why I wanted to include it ~ Congratulations Cindy…Read more
And finally, I really liked this comment from Cindy giving her take on declutter regrets. I think it says it all about how the memories are more important than the stuff.
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I had some good input this week from readers comments that helped me find some great links for you to digest and here are my favourite five.
Unclutterer ~ Ask unclutterer – dreaded filing
www.pbs.org ~ World balance – Material world by Peter Menzel This link was inspired by Becky’s comment and you just have to love how easy Google makes it to find stuff on the internet.
You have more than you think ~ What’s your gazingus pin Yet another link inspired by a readers comment ~ Thanks Delores
I didn’t have to go much further than my comments section to find this little gem either from one of our fellow readers/commenters/bloggers *pol ~ Once was a Crow ~ Another decluttering epiphany
And I couldn’t resist throwing this one into the mix which is also from *pol at Once was a Crow ~Today I am David What a great effort don’t you think?
Today’s Declutter Item
I have dragged this around with me since I was a child and I have to admit I have rarely looked at it. Someone might find it at the thrift shop and think it is great. I hope so anyway because that is where it went.
My Old Stamp Album
My Gratitude List
- Something that made me laugh ~ Liam making fun of me because I can get a little scatter-brained at times. I believe it is a good quality to be able to laugh at yourself and I have had a lot of practice.
- Something Awesome ~ Warm towels straight out of the dryer.
- Something to be grateful for ~My husband arrived home safe and sound again and I have my bed warmer back.
- Something that made me happy ~More sunshine ~ I have opened up all the blinds in order to do some natural heating of the house while it lasts.
- Something I found fascinating ~ This video that I added to a comment response to Willow. Even though I have seen the full series over and over again I still find it fascinating. The method used to cut the exact notch for the posts to fit together captivated me from wo to go.
It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow
thank you! Your recognition of my efforts is such an incredible validation! I feel inspired to keep going, thank you.
My pleasure *pol and thank you for two great post for my Friday’s Favourite Five. Good job on that office too! ★★★★★
What *pol said!
I have forced myself to slow down and am working on getting rid of just one or two things per day. Like you said, it took me a long time to bring all of this stuff into my house. It doesn’t have to all go out at once.
It is inspiring to keep going when there are others in the same boat and they are encouraging you to swim!
Chelle
Hi Chelle,
I understand that sometimes it feels like you are paddling up stream but so long as you are making steady progress and not letting it overwhelm you the process can be rewarding and actually enjoyable. Good luck and keep us updated regularly on your progress.
Ack! I haven’t watched that video yet and I’m on a six day trip! I’ll try to find time/place to watch it.
About my photos~ the most recent one shown on my blog is from 2004, seven years ago. I’m a little thinner and much cuter now 🙂 And my hair is shorter. One of these times I WILL put up a real photo of me on my blog–if I ever find one I like.
Hi Willow,
there is no hurry or obligation to look at it at all for that matter. I can sympathise with the challenge of finding photos of yourself that you like. I usually look awful in photos because of my round face and fair skin I do not photograph well.
Hi Colleen! I loved the link “Material World”. After reading the comment I was really curious but too lazy to look it up on the internet. Thanks for saving me the trouble. Good place to put things in perspective.
Hi Andréia,
I enjoyed that link too and you are right it does put things into perspective.
By the way, my husband would have loved your old stamp album… Glad we don’t live nearby that thrift store 😀 !
Yes, just as well because you know once he gets it he won’t want to part with it. 😆 😉
Never ever! 😀
I was feeling all self righteous thinking I was a superior being because I had no “gazingus pin”. Then I went over the post “What’s your gazingus pin?” and read thinking that I didn’t do that, and went to the comments and a guy said “I can’t go into a book store and leave without a book.” Oh the shame! The horror! The guilt! 😀 😀 :-D. I do THAT. Everytime I go in a book store I go out of it with a bought book. Mea culpa mea culpa maxima. Seems I am like everybody else.
Well you certainly wouldn’t be Robinson Crusoe (all alone) with that gazingus pin that’s for sure.
Hm, I don’t know my gazingus pin actually. I had a lot of course. (Craft supplies, books, more books, cookbooks, candles and books of course…)
Now I can’t go to the market without buying vegetables. But I use it up, so does this count?
I’m sure that I still have a gazingus pin and at some point I will realize it. But I’m really curious to see what it will be.
But maybe I should look in the non-material area. What about reading blogs?
Hi Sarah,
I think buying vegetables sounds like a much healthier gazingus pin than most people have and if you are eating them all and none are going to waste then I think that is a vice you should be quite happy to live with. But please don’t declutter my blog if you do decide to cut back there. 😉
Hi Colleen, once again a great week of blogs from you, I do enjoy them so and get a lot out of them.
I have a question: I am a quilter and when I left South Africa in 2004 (to travel for two years and then settle in New Zealand) the little group I met up with every week gave me a lovely gift of a miniature quilt (A4 size) from each of them and a group one wishing me all the best. The work is lovely and very reminiscent of them and I have stored them in plastic sleeves in a folder. I practically never look at them and although I am very pleased to have been given them, I don’t really want them any more. I could take pics of them, but what would I do with them. They are so personal I can’t imagine anyone else wanting them. Any ideas?
I also have a couple of group quilts with the same associated problems!
Hi Janetta,
I would suggest that you go to a quilting shop near to wear you live and ask for their advice. There is always the possibility that they may want to display them in the store or one of their customers might want them. It would be a shame to just throw them away. If this doesn’t work for you why not try advertising them on Freecycle where you would have a wide audience of people and maybe just one person among those would be happy to take these off your hands.
This may seem like a strange idea, but given the size of the individual quilts, they seem perfect for dollhouse size – or are they too thick to lie properly? Some little girl – or some adult interested in scale dollhouses – might love these.
Great suggestion Jo!
Hi, Colleen…Thanks for finding the link to the book I talked about earlier. I searched for awhile because I had wanted to post it for everybody, but got interrupted and then didn’t go back to searching.
As for your stamp album, those of us who do collage or mixed media would LOVE all those stamps to use in our creations!
And Janetta, those who use fabric and fiber in their art would probably love to have your mini-quilts too. They can always be cut and used in other craft or art projects.
Hi Becky,
thank you for drawing attention to the book, I am going to go back and have a good read of the article again and then see if I can borrow the book at my local library.
What book are you talking about?
I can’t find the World in the balance by Peter Menzel. But Amazon has a book Material World: a Global Family Portrait by him, maybe this is the one.
That is the book ~ sorry for the slip up ~ here is a link to the web site . I really need to slow down a bit and focus, but then decluttering really is the only thing I seem to be able to do slowly.
Thanks for the suggestions about the mini-quilts. I’ll take them down to our local quilt shop tomorrow and ask if they would like to display them. Oh, I’ll take pics this afternoon!
Hi Janetta,
good luck mate I hope you find the perfect solution. Please let me know how you go.
Success! I took my mini quilts to our local quilt shop and Alison, the owner, was very pleased to take them, she said they are a perfect size for decorating and filling in corners in the shop!
I also donated the wooden file they were given to me in (I think intended for decoupage) and donated it to an opshop (together with 35 other items), so I am feeling very satisfied with the solution to the problem. Thanks for your advice.
Janetta, that is great, I so hoped you would be successful with this and there is never a better target than people who are enthusiastic about what it is you are trying to declutter.