Discard clutter,
not the memories

What good timing, I thought, for this year I am truly ready to divest myself of all the excess stuff that I've accumulated.

A thorough purging is something I've thought about for months, but there's nothing like a deadline to get me moving! In fact, a close deadline is better than having too much time, because my creative mind can think of lots of possibilities, making it hard to let go of anything.

Mentally I went through each room and listed items I no longer need -- board games, fabric, cookbooks, vases, towels and such, separating them into "keep," "probably use" and "no possible use" piles.

I decided to begin in the family room. Sorting through the board games and puzzles was easy enough. I kept the family favorites and purged the rest.

Then I emptied the top shelf of my sewing closet, which was packed to the ceiling. Down came seven plastic bins -- not the shoe-box size, but the large flat ones. They were full of what I call "USOs" (unidentified stored objects).

Looking through the bins was like taking a walk down memory lane. What fun it was to see the assortment of fabric I had purchased through the years, the muslin bunnies that I was going to make Victorian dresses for, and the extra appliqué patches from the baby quilt I had sewn when pregnant with my second child.

I know I'm not alone, for just about every seamstress and crafter I know has boxes and drawers full of fabric and supplies, but I had enough fabric to start a small store! I decided to allow myself to keep three bins -- one each for sewing fabric, decorating fabric, and craft projects I would follow through on.

TO THE garage sale pile went the muslin bunnies, the Christmas vest pattern and fabric that I never got around to using, including yards of felt and gingham. I'm not attached to any of them anymore, and it's not likely I'll ever use them.

It was fun to remember my good intentions for each of the items, but the best discovery was finding the unfinished cross-stitch Christmas calendar I had started years ago for one of my sons, who's now 30 years old. I hope I can finish it before he applies for Medicare!

I invite you to join me on this sort-and-purge mission. Pick one room to start, and from your stored items, keep treasures and items that you will "probably" use, and let go of the rest. And don't forget to look for that very special find hiding among the USOs!

See you in two weeks!