It’s time to make a change

(Week 24, Day 3):

After two weeks away making art, and experiencing a beautiful environment, sitting at my computer blogging about discarding my stuff has lost its appeal to me.  I’ve struggled for months to find items to declutter, and while I do still have things that will eventually go, they won’t go until certain things in my life change.  Lately, I’ve spent too much time looking for and photographing declutter items.  It shouldn’t be that difficult.  I am not going to take down the blog, but I am going to take a hiatus.  I want to focus on art and jewelry making, while remaining conscious of not accumulating unnecessary things.  When I do have an AHA and find something that needs to go, I’ll post it.  I’ll leave you with a photograph of a beautiful swallowtail butterfly caterpillar that was nibbling on my dill a few days ago.

I’m home!

(Week 24, Day 2)

On Saturday night, I arrived home from my two weeks at an arts and crafts school in the mountains of North Carolina.  It was a wonderful experience.  I made new work, got very inspired, and met many interesting people.  I’m having trouble transitioning back to my life in the city.  This is my first post in over two weeks, since the others were written and scheduled in advance.

Declutter Item 164:

My declutter item for today is something I donated before it had the chance to become clutter.  I made this copper foldformed and enameled pin in my class, and decided to donate it to the school scholarship auction that was held at the end of the session.

Week 24, Day 1

(Week 24, Day 1)

Declutter Item 163:

These books went in the donation box after my husband did some decluttering.

Week 23, Day 7

(Week 23, Day 7)

Declutter Item 162:

My husband put this belt buckle in the donation box.

Week 23, Day 6

(Week 23, Day 6)

Declutter Item 161:

My husband made himself a new bedside table, and when he was setting it up he decluttered some items from the old one.  This piece of slate has become a permanent garden fixture.

Week 23, Day 5

(Week 23, Day 5)

Declutter Item 160:

This is one of the coffee cone filter holders we use to make coffee.  Actually this is the backup (cracked one).  A few years ago I dropped a dish on it and got a replacement, but this one was usable.  I kept it just-in-case.  I was always afraid it would split with hot coffee in it.  I discovered that my cloth hemp filter and stainless steel tea strainer can be used for coffee in a pinch, so I felt okay tossing the broken one.

Week 23, Day 4

(Week 23, Day 4)

Declutter Item 159:

This box was a gift, intended to hold batteries.  The clasp broke right after we got it.  Now we have rechargeable batteries, and there aren’t enough extra to need a storage box.