Crafting as Motivation

Had a hard time keeping up with the blog.  It actually really had me going strong on decluttering and thinking!  Two things happened, there was so much i wanted to do and I found that I was not doing a project or passing on a possession because I was not ready to sit down and blog it, or I didn't have my camera on me....and so eventually it was silly to hold back progress for these reasons, but then i just let it go.  Also, I felt like all I should do is declutter, and would not allow myself to make any thing new.  Well there was no, balance there, and so I just sort of fizzled.

I find that creating is relaxing, and fun. I find that after I make something new I want to put it in a nice pace. I want to clean up and get rid of old things, or at least pass them on. creation can be a wonderful motivator.
After a couple of days of crafting projects for both the House and presents has left me wanting to improve my surroundings.

In the positive direction...I have not been buying the kids any clothes or shoes.  Just trying to use what we have (we are small adults and they are small kids-so no crazy growth like most parents get to purge closets! 9 yo has her favorite outfit from 4 yo and it still looks great on her!)  This spring i went through 4 boxes of baby clothes that we never unpacked after moving and they are gone (well i kept about 6 outfits and 2 pairs of little shoes)  Just today i unpacked a box of maternity clothes and it is slated to go!

We also spent 2 unexpected child-free hours rearranging our bedroom.  It is amazing.  I have to say it is a great place to start.  If you have a chunk of time dive in and get it done!  then when you wake up you look around and it is so clean and fresh that you want to make the bed and pick up your clothes to keep it that way.  It is an inspirational way to start the day!   And when you get overwhelmed at say 2 p.m. you can retreat for a few min. to put away some laundry and remember why you are working so hard.

We took out all of the what-nots out,  all of the kids things are gone.  Stacks of books that i am not going to read, leaving just a few that I might if i feel like it.  the dust is gone!   We sweep regularly, but just from moving all of the furniture i had to clean the air filter.

 I do have one 'bowl' of yarn in here still.  It really needs to go....but i love the wooden bowl, it is turned on a pedestal...I can no longer knit, well i can for a few minutes, but it is painful, and so i don't really enjoy it.  I would like to eventually spin some of the angora from when we had a rabbit, and make a second shawl so that i can give one to each daughter....but i don't need a bowl of yarn i have not touched in a year to do it ;)  but what else to put in the bowl?  and where to put the yarn (hand spun mind you....maybe i should try etsy?!)



The closet, it is up next.....when i sat down to type this i thought, I will first get up and put out those short black boots i never wear, and that pink shirt with the vertical ribbing, because it bulges funny....when i got to the boots i found myself thinking they match anything, are simple, and dressy enough but kinda casual, and easy to walk in.  If I had to pick only one pair of boots it would be those or the brown ones......yet i have not worn them in more than a year.  I put them back and moved on to the pink shirt.  I tried it on.  I realized that most of what I own is really exercise wear.  so while i don't like it, it is one of the few real shirts i own, and looking in the mirror i don't think it looked too bad....Maybe now i will wear it more?  Otherwise it has to go.  and those boots are very practical, high quality, and versatile...but i don't wear them, and even if i had to pick one pair of boots, to be honest I would pick the brown ones!