Making Space for More….

Making Space for More….

Hi there.

Thanks for popping in. Beautiful sunny day here in Kent. I am having a clear out – doing a bit of late summer spring cleaning! We crafters like hanging on to stuff, don’t we?!? I think it is a condition called KEFROS *. Look it up. Dave suffers from it too, but the male strain is more IMCIH**. My brother Steve is the worst, although he leans more towards IMBA***. He is a total skip diver. I remember having a massive clear out at the old farm, and hiring a skip. I also remember looking out of the bathroom window, and seeing Steve IN the skip, salvaging our old shit. As I say, IMBA…

So before I go to potty pottery I am taking a trip to the skip. Yikes. I hope Dave doesn’t get home first!

There really is something quite cathartic about having a clear out. Even down to deleting a load of old texts, and phone numbers of people who no longer figure in your life. Yep I have had quite a refreshing morning!

***Let’s see how in tune you are with my mad head. Can you guess what the acronyms stand for? Leave your guesses below, and I will let you know tomorrow….

Love & Hugs,

Barb

xxx

20 thoughts on “Making Space for More….

  1. Hi Barb, aye a good spring clean does lift a weight off for some strange reason. I’ve just finished mine, I think, only took me 9 months to complete…!!! I decided if I hadn’t used it since moving here, then I don’t need it!!! Crafting stuff being the exception of course, although I do have a wee box of stuff waiting to go to somewhere appropriate.

    Nae idea what your acronyms are, rubbish at them. Being autistic, trying to understand folks normal language is hard enough…!!! And head no working the day, so no funny alternatives either, sorry.

    My grandad was like your Steve, from a wee boy. He loved bin day!!! In those days folk just put their stuff out next to their general waste bins.

    Very warm, and muggie here today too, not som uch sun though. Started off with winter jammies on, and had to keep going back to put something less warm on!!! Can I say thank you to the person who changed to their winter duvet the other day!!!

    Hope you enjoy your pottery class xxxx

  2. Hello Barbara, IMCIH is definitely me – It might come in handy. I’ve also been having a spring/autumn clean. Very good for the soul. I’m still working on the other acronyms! X

  3. Hello Barbara – a beautiful day here in Suffolk, cold this morning, but now warm sunshine, blue skies, wonderful. Also had a recent clear out of my craft room, my goodness, I couldn’t believe some of the daft things I’ve kept, one example being scraps of paper. Not normal size ones you would keep, I’m talking tiny bits of paper that can hardly be seen with the naked eye, masses of it. Haven’t a clue why I kept it but needless to say I had to be firm with myself. Funny what you hang on to. Craft room a lot more organised. Loved the YouTube this week, nice to go over the basics. Enjoy the rest of your day, Lots of love Donna X

  4. I know what you mean, ‘keep everything for reuse or swapping (or maybe selling)’. Men have drawers full of ‘it might come in handy’ and I sympathise with Steve that ‘it might be antique’! I can spend ages tidying my craft area if only to make enough space to work in! Wish I could find where I put the Christmas stencils I bought at the retreat after my last clear up though! Would like to start thinking about Christmas cards. X

  5. The trouble with having a clear out/reorganise/tidy up is that you can never find anything afterwards. I have so much crafting gear that I have now put everything in plastic boxes – like for like – and labelled them so I don’t have to root about to find what I need. Of course it doesn’t help when other people go looking for stuff and put the boxes back with the labels facing the wrong way!!! I have vowed not to go to any craft shops until at least 50% of my old stash is used up as I need to make more room for future Clarity goodies. However I do tend to put my unwanted stuff straight in the bins or a charity box so it cannot be retrieved.
    On the subject of men, they will chuck out anything except their junk. My hubby threw out a perfectly useable spin dryer recently as he said I didn’t use it not realising that I did hand washing while he was out at his radio club. I was too late to save it!!! Funny thing – the washing machine broke down a few weeks later and a spare part had to be specially ordered and it would be 3-4 weeks before the repair could be done. I had to hand wash everything but was without my spinner and so had to buy a new one. Have to say though, it’s better than the old one.
    Happy crafting everyone.

  6. I do have things saved that will come in handy but have decluttered quite a lot over the summer. It certainly clears the head, unfortunately I have been filling the space with crafty purchases which will definitely come in handy

  7. Sore point in our house. I decluttered loads of craft stuff a few months ago to give to a lady who makes and sells products for charity. I only gave away my machine and spirals that I made my Twas the night books for our grandchildren a few years ago. Then you brought out the next set of stamps so decided I would make a book for my goddaughters little son. Could I find my machine and spirals, no chance. Given away. Luckily Jane had made a book concertina style which helped me out. Thanks Jane.
    My decluttering in the wardrobes needs to be done, so many lovely clothes that I can’t get into. Hubby give him his due has done his wardrobes.xxx

  8. I need to seriously sort out my craft stash, have stuff that has been there for years but style of crafting has changed but IMCIUOD!!!!
    I start but then find something I haven’t seen for ages & start to play, must just get on with it but can guarantee that as soon as I get rid of it someone will ask ”have you got ‘
    ‘Now you have sown the seed perhaps I will make a start !!

  9. Well, KEFROS sounds like one of those Greek islands! I’m guessing you mean Keep Everything For Re-use On Something? I understand the lure of It Might Come In Handy, too; and I’ve always been a hoarder, because Dad used to say “it might be worth something one day”, which is pretty much the same as Steve’s It Might Be Antique!
    Glad you’ve found your clear-out cathartic – me, I find the very idea of decluttering quite stressful!

  10. I had a clear out too recently using the justification….I haven’t used it for over 2 years so out it goes.
    My husband keeps everything, puts it somewhere safe and then months later when he wants whatever it was he becomes ITIKWIS…..and has several sleepless nights trying to remember wher he put it😄

  11. I am afraid both me and himself are IMCIHOD’s. When we pop our clogs the kids are going to go into shock when they open up the garage and attic!! They have threatened to get a in skip or maybe two for a clear out. I have told them to look through it very carefully as I have things up there that people bring to the Antiques Roadshow. His garage is full of jars and biscuit tins full of “stuff” that hasn’t seen the light of day for decades. And don’t get me started on that raggedy old brownish jumper that I keep putting in the recycling bin only for him to fish out and wear again. It has even padded out the dog’s bed, guess where it is now, not on the dog’s bed!!

  12. Never a hoarder always a collector!!! Had a declutter over the summer but it’s slowly filling up again with wonderful things. Offloaded onto my minimalist children not sure if they were pleased or not. Everything has a use……. eventually 😉

  13. I love having clearing out days i call it achieved days , yesterday starting my sons room he says he is finally moving out even though each time he still leaves clothes in his wardrobe ,

  14. Hi Barbara & friends – just wanted to say I’m loving being able to be part of this blogging community while I’m recuperating. I only get chance to catch up on your posts at the weekend whilst I’m working. I’ve decided that I’m going to spend the next few weeks doing some decluttering ( you can do a lot with one hand) so I don’t just fritter the time away. Thanks for the inspiration!

  15. I think my daughter must be amongst the most avid of hoarders, she has items in her wardrobe that she has had for 30 years or more. Must say I can understand some of them as I made them for her and I still get nostalgic when I see them. Some things aren’t meant to be dicarded

  16. Hi Barbara oh you do make me laugh, yes I can relate to this. We have a lot of clutter that needs getting rid of, it will happen one day, but why oh why does my darling husband keep every computer and cable just in case it might come in handy one day or he might need something from a hard drive he’s already backed up onto cd and saved to the cloud!
    Love Diane xxx

  17. Hello Barb, Looking at the comments, some of the acronyms if you think long enough about it, make total sense. I am not going to attempt the guessing though, although I am also a IMCIH type, but sometimes just have to put that aside and be ruthless. We had a clear out earlier in the year, but need another one. Still have to do my craft room, but yet again the day job gets in the way. Our kids will get a huge shock when we depart this world one day, but hopefully may have sorted some of it by then. Hope the pottery lesson went well. Take care all. Bx

  18. We are quite ruthless with decluttering throughout the house, except in my craft room, but I have been on a “using stuff up” new years resolution for about 4 years now, so there are some empty boxes and more drawer space to put things away. I’ve also given away some scrapbooks and freebie magazine kits recently, so maybe I am getting better. I think the advice about decluttering is, do you like it, do you really need it, and if you didn’t have it, would you buy it now? If the answer is no, just sell it or give it away!

  19. During my last “clean-out”, I decided I have about 10 years of crafting left, so I asked myself “will I use this in the next 10 years?” If the answer was “probably not” it went in the boxes for the art teachers in Texas who lost so much during the hurricanes a few years ago. The only problem with a “cleanout” is: Nature abhors a vacuum and heaven forbid there be an empty shelf in my craft room!!!!

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