Friday 22 June 2018

A Bit More Subtraction

Over a year ago, I made a start on a process of subtraction, that removal of unnecessary "clutter" of all kinds from one's life in order to create more. More in terms of time, space, lightness and simplicity. You might remember that I began with the enthusiastic and wholehearted declutter of this single kitchen drawer. Funnily, but sooo NOT surprisingly for me, I never got back to the other three kitchen drawers. But, I have sorted our clothes, my son's books, my magazines, my email Inbox, our pantry and now my craft shelves. 


Newly sorted craft materials are much more inviting.

Yesterday, after reading this post, over at A Simply Good Life, about Cheryl's plans for the remaining 29 Mondays of this year, I got to thinking about what I've been doing with my "free" time of late. With lots of full-time relief work since we got back from holidays, I've been sinking, exhausted, into the lounge chair and staring at the television after dinner each night. For someone who normally watches very little television, I've certainly found myself there too often and then lamented the fact I've not done any making for ages. My sewing machine has been idle. My first-ever shawl has not grown that much longer. My cluttered and disorganised shelves were not helping this situation. It was time to restore order!


Cottons and elastics sorted by colour in an old plastic biscuit tray.

My small collection of patterns filed in clear clip lock folders.

So,  I got stuck in and sorted out my little crafting space in our spare bedroom. There were tangles of wool, scraps of material, pattern pieces and half-finished projects galore all cluttering my little set of shelves. I couldn't even see my sewing machine for I'd covered that too in a half-traced pattern! Now, after a very thorough clean out, my shelves now hold baskets of what I decided to keep. My sewing cottons have been gathered up and are sorted roughly by colour in an old plastic biscuit tray that fits neatly into a drawer of my sewing cupboard. Patterns and their pieces have been filed in clip-lock folders so I can find them again easily. This calmer and more organised space is much more conducive to making than the mess it was in before! 

The same can be said for our small pantry. I'm sure a neatly organised pantry, where one can actually see and reach what's in there, is much more conducive to cooking efficiently. A while ago, I pulled everything out, wiped down the shelves, tossed anything out of date and poured things into jars from half-opened packets. Then I put a lot less back in again! 

 Two clean and organised pantry shelves.
 So much easier to find everything now!

The books and magazines in our home got the same thorough treatment. The novels in my son's current collection are now organised on a sturdy little bookshelf right next to our lounge chair. Like me, my book-inhaling boy can spend whole days absorbed by reading (a wonderful indulgence that I encourage whenever possible). Now his books are right where he likes to read, flopped like a slow-moving sloth on the sofa. ๐Ÿ“–


 A bookshelf and a basket for books and magazines.)

I sorted through my not insubstantial collection of magazines and made two piles. Keep and give away. The ones I've kept, because they are full of gardening, simple living or wellness tips or projects I hope to do one day, have been sorted by title and are now stored in an easily accessible set of wire drawers I pinched commandeered from another area of the house.


 Sorted and stored magazines.

The wire drawers  now storing my magazines used to hold clothes. After sorting and folding, many items of clothing were boxed up and taken to the op-shop. Those not suitable (ripped, stained, holey) for passing on have been cut up into rag squares or ripped into strips for staking plants. My hubby's old football socks, stretched and strong, make great shrub ties and he's not missing them ... yet! This created a lot more space in our wardbrobes and drawers.


An old sock holds back branches in the garden.

I've tried very hard to avoid sending any of this stuff deemed superfluous to landfill. Thankfully, there wasn't a lot out of date in the pantry. Most of that went to feed the compost bins. Little bundles of books and magazines have been tied with ribbons and sent on to others who will love and enjoy them. It brings me joy to know that those much-loved books I read over and over to my son when he was small will be adored all over again rather than sitting on shelves here because our boy is too old for them now. I recently heard about street libraries and this would be another really great way to share books with others in a community rather than have them gathering dust on shelves. The excess materials I subtracted from my craft shelves have been boxed up so I can donate them to the little haberdashery shop at this nearby community centre the next time I visit.  I'm sure they'll become someone else's crafting treasure.

Still somewhat organised!

There are still many large and small spaces in our home that would benefit from a little or a lot of subtraction. (I won't even mention the study where I'm typing now!) And, while I may not have returned to sort out those remaining kitchen drawers just yet, my bottom kitchen drawer remains somewhat organised. ๐Ÿ˜‰That's a challenge in itself, isn't it?

Meg


18 comments:

  1. WOW that's excellent, what a huge (if somewhat exhausting) clean up, I bet you feel great now! I managed to get through my kitchen cupboards, flu ridden and all! And while I didn't need to donate or throw much out (I'm not a huge hoarder) cleaning and rearranging everything, and filling up some empty cupboard spaces I had has helped enormously with the cluttered feel of the space, I can open a cupboard now and actually see what I am looking for, and I know I will be more likely to put it back in it's rightful place.

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    1. It's a big effort to clean anything when you have the flu, Cheryl! I cleaned my pantry a while ago now and making space in there has really helped to keep it organised. When it was cluttered to begin with, the was no room so things just got put on top of other things. I find the glass jars, which I collected over time and from friends, fantastic for seeing what and how much of an ingredient I have which helps with grocery shopping. Hope you are feeling better! Meg:)

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  2. You are very neat and organized! I bet it feels good too! Your baking looks so good on your blog. I especially loved seeing your zinnias from your summer flowers! I am going to have to look and find some! Andrea

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    1. Zinnias are one of my favourite Summer flowers. They are so vibrant when other things can seem so faded in our harsh Summer light. I hope you find some to grow in your garden, Andrea. Meg:)

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  3. I love the feeling of knowing what is in cupboards and drawers and not being faced with a big mess when I open one! I have a few that could do with some work right now, actually..

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    1. Yep, the old "open the door and stuff falls on top of you" trick! Had that happen many a time. I am enjoying getting rid of things I don't have a use for any more, opening up spaces in cupboards and life. Meg:)

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  4. Nothing beats a good sort out, and I love you baskets on your craft shelves. We buy most of the toys and books for our grandsons at charity shops, it's lovely to see them being reused and when we are finished with them we take them back to the shop.

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    1. I always find great books at op-shops, Marlene. I love hunting through their shelves and finding treasures. I'm sure your grandchildren love it when you read stories to them. Meg☺

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  5. Meg you have done a wonderful job, it is so nice being organised, I am about to embark on some decluttering myself.
    Best wishes
    Marlene

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    1. Thanks, Marlene. I am just sorting through things a little at a time. Trying to do so thoroughly so that it's easier to maintain. Have fun with your decluttering. Meg:)

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  6. Love your basket-filled shelf, it all looks so accessible, I'd be itching to create. I like to keep odd things too, and use for storage like your biscuit tray. All your decluttering and reorganising looks wonderful.

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    1. Thanks, Nanette. I like that I can just pick up a basket or one of the little project bags hanging off the shelf and work away on a little project. Meg:)

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  7. I'm having a break from an impulsive subtraction session myself! It's all been moved downstairs into boxes for a plan that may or may not come about but either way it's left some lovely spaces in the house.

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    1. I think I work best with frequent breaks between subtraction sessions;) I'm looking forward to hearing about this plan when we see each other soon... MegXx

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  8. I agree it's great to just get in, and sort out all those hot messes in the house! Although, they always seem to emerge some place else, lol. Good luck sorting your kitchen drawers, next. :)

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    1. Ha! So like me to do one kitchen drawer then move on to some other area before (maybe) getting back to the other three! I hope, in removing a lot of stuff during "the great subtraction", there'll be less that can gather together to create new hot spots. Meg:)

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  9. Great job on the organization. I so need to do this, too. It's hard to do with working full time, yard work, and housework.

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  10. Wow! You did a beautiful job, Meg. Everything looks so neat and organized. I just did a few shelves in my pantry, and I feel so much better. I need to go through each cupboard and do the same. Thanks for the inspiration. I love your writing.

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