De-cluttering... An update!


A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my attempts at having a little de-clutter and how it wasn't going too smoothly.  You can read about it here (Minimalist mind, hoarder at heart) if you like.

It seems I wasn't alone in my cluttered quandary and many of you have similar battle between the clean and streamlined and maintaining the homely feel, whilst finding a way to deal with just too much stuff.  It seems the balance isn't always easy to find.  I was relieved to hear some of you could also identify with having a child who hates to throw anything away.  (So glad not to be alone on that!)

You also were able to give me some good tips, so thank you very much for that!  A few of you have enough space to box up and store things that fall into that 'not sure I can chuck' pile.  I like this idea and will do this, if I can free up some space in the loft.  (Currently full of Little Miss cast-offs).



Jennifer mentioned a 'bite-sized' approach, just tackling a little at a time and doing it in stages, rather than taking the whole project on at once.  I so agree with this.  I find I have to be in the right frame of mind for a successful de-clutter too.  I do actually have to feel quite strong, upbeat and determined to make a change, otherwise I end up shuffling and moving instead of shifting and clearing.

Some of you also said that I should be more lenient, especially with the craft room things.  After all, these are things that I use and give me pleasure.  I also really liked the idea of using the need for more space up here in my crafty little house as an incentive to use what I have!

I keep saying I want to do that, and I have been working on it, but I want to do more and so I love the reminder that actually not only will it feel good but it'll also free up more space.... duh!  A simple thing and yet it's a reminder I do seem to need.

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So I took your words and I tried again, feeling more positive and it really helped.

I've had a bit of a light pruning in the wardrobe, nothing too drastic as I'm not my 'usual' size at the moment, but enough to give my clothes a bit of breathing room.  I've also just generally kept on top of the tidying around the house, constantly demanding that things be returned to whence they came and not left lying around, which has done much to make the place feel a little sleeker to be honest.

Little Miss and I even tackled the clothes in her room.  We did good work there between us.  It wasn't always easy for her, tears were shed (bless her) but we stuck at it, we negotiated, we compromised, and overall the girl done good.  Almost two bin liners of clothes to pass on to smaller relatives or for charity.  It was desperately needed and she did it, I'm quite proud of her actually.

But I've also eased the strain in my crafty house, even if it did mean using a quite different tack...  If you've got to much stuff to store, you either need to get rid of some stuff... or find some more storage!

Yup, I kind of went with option two, at least up here in my crafty place.  I could feel guilt about that I suppose but really it's quite a nifty little solution.  It didn't cost much, it didn't take much time or effort and best of all, it hardly needed any extra space.  It solves the problem I was having as well as making it easier for me to see and get at what I have got.  Surely that'll make it easier to use what I have... that's the plan anyway!



BEFORE

The change is almost unnoticeable really.  See the before shot above and now the after shot below...

AFTER

Doesn't look like much does it?  But it's made a huge difference!

So what did I do?  Well, you see the shelves with all the fabric sitting on in the before shot?  That's a set of shelves which are like a book case.  They are only 20cm (8") deep, enough for a novel, but not a reference book.  Super duper for displaying books (obviously), or in my case, fabric.

But, you can also get a matching set of shelves that are a little deeper, 40cm (16"), that's what the adjacent shelves are and they are deep enough for all sorts of boxes, books and just perfect for indy dyed yarn hanks!  I just swapped the 20cm deep fabric shelves for another set of 40cm deep shelves.  That's it.

So I only had to loose a very little of my floor space, and I got a nice new chuck of storage in exchange.  The fabric now sits in those white plastic containers at the moment, nice and easy to pull out and see them all.  I made some more space for my books which is just as well as I got some new ones for Christmas...and of course, some more space for yarn, yippee!  Well, not space for more yarn, just more space for the yarn I already have.  (So I can get at it and it's not all packed in together like a tin of sardines.)

I have to say I'm very pleased with the results.  Having somewhere to put everything feels like a breath of fresh air in here.  Such a relief!

Now I just have the dreaded outside shed and the loft to do.  Argh!  But that's enough for now and luckily those two jobs really need to wait til spring!

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I'll leave you with a few 'during' and 'after' shots...












Read more about the craft room before:  Craft Room Shuffle, The Reveal!
My last post about decluttering: Minimalist mind, hoarder at heart


S x



#CherryHeart

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Comments

  1. Clever of you to change the shelves. This helps to keep all your craftstuff neatly.

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  2. Love your craft room. It's so bright and cheery. Your re-do works well to keep everything neatly organized yet visible and easy to use. Great work.

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  3. Your room looks awesome! So glad you found a solution that will work for you & help your creativity in your craft room 😃 I have read these posts with great interest because I think how we organise our homes & belongings is very specific to us, what is perfection for one person another couldn’t stand (for whatever myriad reasons!). I think we find what works for us by cherry picking from all the different ideas out there & trial and error 😉 have a great week enjoying your newly ordered space,
    Helen

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    1. Thanks so much! Yes, I agree, it’s a personal thing isn’t it and I definitely think some things work and some don’t. Like you, I like to pick and choose too!

      S x

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  4. Oohh what fun. A very happy sanctuary I'd say.

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  5. Love the shelving hint! I just went back and read your hoarder at heart post and it fits me to a T. I hate having so much stuff and feel almost paralyzed by it all. When we redid the flooring in the house about 7 years ago, we had to empty the house of furniture and anything on the floor. It was a great time to clear out stuff and get organized. We took 4 pickup loads to charity and a load or two to the dump. I loved the feeling of the house at that time! Unfortunately, with full time jobs and other activities things have piled up again. I keep trying, but like you, seem to shuffle more than donate. Then when I do donate, I somehow end up buying new stuff to take its place. Yikes! I guess I'd better find time to make more quilts, so I can at least clean out some of the fabric and batting! Thanks for the encouragement.

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  6. Wish I had a room dedicated to crafts, but I don't. My crafts are in totes all over the place. I just call it my craft house. :) I am having to part with a lot of my yarns and papers. I enjoy making cards/tags, journalling and knitting. I am making a tiny blanket from crochet granny squares for a friends doll, boy the squares go quickly but all the ends?!?!?!! Anyway, love your creative space, absolutely love it.

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    1. Thanks so much and yes you are right, it is a bit of a luxury isn't it? I started out with a desk in the corner of our spare room, but I seem to have taken over rather! ;)

      S x

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  7. I am a hoarder. My hubby is a minimalist and a clean freak. So we had a bit of a clash at first. We now have an agreement. Anything that can be seen by the "public" such as bathrooms, living room, kitchen, etc., needs to be kept neat and clean. My office however can be the cluttered disaster that I function best in and I can claim confidentiality reasons (for my clients) to keep people out. My Wife Cave needs an overhaul sadly as it is more visible (half of the finished half of basement) and the hubby keeps reminding me that it needs to be straightened up a bit. lol

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    1. It's funny how sometimes it's easier to find things in the chaos than it is when things are tidy isn't it? I often get to the 'it might be a mess, but it's my mess' stage!

      S x

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  8. Looking lovely... and oh my, what is happening with January? It is almost gone and I have not much to show for it. We are all fed at approximately a good hour with approximately the right food, clothes are ironed and put away (actually that is one proud January moment - seeing the bottom of the ironing basket again) and home is vaguely tidy. But that has been it. Patch has a new bookcase arriving today so I am assuming I will be enthused to attack his room... Until then I may just stay cosy

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  9. I too have had the tidy up bug for my Christmas present! It started when i decided i did not like where my cotton reels were stashed. Annoyed me to get up and walk to them every time I needed a new cotton for the sewing machine. So I was able to get into my sewing room which had been the room for all my mothers bits and pieces when she went into a nursing home, they went then there were the items I was buying to pass onto my son when he moved into his new house, they have gone now and this meant I could get into my decluttering. I gave myself permission to throw out things and donate things to charity. Now the room is neat and I even made up the top quilt pattern layer this week, now for backing, quilting etc. The cotton reels now sit next to the sewing machine and it is a pleasure to work with them there. I had thought that to get up and move to the cotton reels was good exercise BUT I think having them close is a great mindset for me. The wardrobe got an overhaul, more with the style of hangers as the last set of you beaut hangers did not work. Thin hangers with an area for the sleeves to stay has made a big difference and because they are thin, one can put more on hangers to hang. Return to work in February and hope to keep this up all year. I like your new room Cherry.
    Sue

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    1. It's funny how sometimes a small fix makes a big difference isn't it? But also how when a good clear out after a long time can feel like a revelation!

      S x

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