Re-organized!
Clutter busting, don't you love it?! A great way to start a New Year.
It's been a steady project here since right 'round Christmas. Oh, not in all areas. My closet is still a mess; "What?! Haven't worn that jacket all year -- oh well, it's pretty and only takes up an inch or so of space hanging there..." But some key areas have been re-worked.
My tea drawer for example (yes, I have a drawer next to the stove just for tea, so very "Martha" don't you think?). I had no idea I was such a tea hoarder -- the oldest box in there was stamped "best if used by April 2004"! Gaads.
If you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed by the shear amount of stuff to go sort through, try using "if I haven't used it in six months it may have to go" as your main criteria. You really can reclaim a fair amount of space! Yes, it's easier said than done. When you hold that thinga-ma-gig in your hands you can become sentimental: "Oh, we got that when...", or "my favorite aunt bought me that!" Sometimes it's hard to let go.
Clutter-busting experts suggest taking a picture of that thinga-ma-gig and then placing it reverently in the give-away box.
After three major trips in 2009 just to clean out my parents' house, I can be a bit ruthless now. The refrain "man, if this had been donated back in the day, someone else could have gotten great use out of it!" ran through my head during each trip.
But obviously if I had six-year-old tea in my own kitchen I have a ways to go to utter efficiency!
A bit of sorting out at a steady pace is effective. We have reclaimed a back bedroom, a funny little 8' x 12' space that had been a cluttered catch-all. It's now a cozy studio annex for sculpting and packing, newly painted in the very yummy color, "Melted Butter". Let me tell you, ordering a gallon of "Melted Butter" was great fun. Imagine the look on the paint mix-master's face. Yes, it was priceless!
Here's to a New Year -- make room for creative growth by doing some sorting out early in 2011!
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