clutter challenge number 4

today's sixty second de-clutter happened because I was planning a felt making workshop.  The boxes of dyes and miscellaneous textile supplies.
The dyes were not too bad really but time had moved on and now I use gallon containers for the dye rather than 1l bottles.  A stock take of the box revealed old paper towels, some empty bottles and other bits and pieces.  Now that the old bottles are gone, there is room for some of the gallon containers in the box and therefore more space in the cupboard...

Flushed with success after only 30 seconds, I spied another box in my textile workshop that continues to bug me.  Miscellaneous.  Having replaced a white plastic bag with a clear one, I can now see at a glance what is inside.  Some bits and bobs have been re-homed or offered for sale and it all now fits in the box.  A total of two minutes and I am off for a cup of tea.

A few days into this and the sixty second de-clutters have achieved more already than a day-long tidy and sort session.  And the total time spent is probably no more than ten minutes.  It is a powerful tool that somehow gets around resistance.  Probably because your brain thinks a minute is painless and not scary...

It's a funny thing, because we have kept on top of clutter and had a 'one in one out' policy for years, but it seems to creep in during the night.  having a home based business doesn't help.  Nor does being too busy to focus on home stuff.  So this year, the focus is changing to more home based time to garden, look after our house and just hang out. 

Clutter crunch day three

So today's wee clutter jobs are... The sewing boxes.  Everything came out onto the floor in the large box first.  Some bits of fluff in the bottom, gone.  Several reels of lurex thread will never be used so will be donated to a craft group.

And despite having a number of old zips, saved from old clothes, none are the right length for the two pairs of trousers that need zips.  There is a great one for a sleeping bag and well worth keeping given the price. 

So two zips are on the shopping list and the sewing project on my 'to do sometime' list.  Those two pairs of trousers are really worth repairing but have not been worn for a couple of years as the zips will not stay up.  I thought I needed more trousers till the sewing box reminded me about those ones that are not wearable.  So a quickie, sixty second de-clutter of sewing box number one has saved money.

There is more space in the box after letting go of some stuff and I now know what is in there.  And I just remembered there is a half finished skirt on top of the filing cabinet, so that is another job worth doing.  Sometimes I have taken clothes to a repair shop for new zips.  It only cost me £8  to get trousers repaired that cost £40 new and I don't

often find good trousers in charity shops for some reason.

Sewing box number two contains mostly reels of thread.  And I got some really cheap ones in a charity shop. But how many reels of pink thread can I use in this lifetime?  Have let go of a couple of them and that wee box now has a lid that shuts easily.  It surprising how much difference a small thing can make.

life moves on...

So Knit 1 Bike 1 is a success! The book has been published (get your copy at www.createwithfibre.co.uk ) the exhibition opens 14th oct 2016  at the borders textile tower house in hawick, Scottish borders. Being away for ten weeks alone and by cycle changed so much and things have been changing ever since.

We have been de-cluttering and i realised how important it is that i grow food. So this summer we grew lots of it and had many WWOOFers (volunteers with worldwide opportunites on organic farms). Not that we have a farm, but seriously growing veg in a suburban, vertically challenged garden qualified us as wwoof hosts.

 I am focusing on what is important. It can be hard to figure out what that is and has taken a year to re-focus and figure it out.  Change is hard.  Turns out i want to live on a lot less again and to work part time so that i can get out on the bike more. We did that when getting out of debt but our motivation was less thereafter.  Now it is more again and it feels good.

So here is our progress to date:

• Hubby has sold a lot of tools etc from the garage. Loads more space
• We have had gardening volunteers and grown lots of food.
• We have sold the caravan and a vehicle and vehicle a campervan
• My tiny studio space now has amazing shelving and space to actually work in
• I have been steadily assessing my clothes and have even less than before
• I bought some additional,  very lightweight camping gear including a stove 
• Create With Fibre has grown and i have help with admin etc
• Our daughter is assistant weaver
• Hubby re-designed the website and has helped with the business too
• we decided to stay put after years of wondering whether to move house
• This has led us to become more engaged with the area where we live
• And the ongoing project is to simplify still further

And here's the big news - 

We have decided to offer simplicity and downsizing mentoring and to have people stay at our home for workshops and retreats. They will be bespoke and we hope it will often be just a couple of people coming to see what we do. So if that is you and you want some help to re-design your life, get out debt, and look at work- life balance, get in touch mail@createwithfibre.co.uk 

Knit 1 Bike 1 update

I set off on the Knit 1 Bike 1 project on 29th June 2015. The recent Kickstarter campaign was not successful but I want to make sure everyone knows that this project will go ahead regardless. I am looking at other funding options meanwhile and here is a Paypal button if anyone would like to support the project. I would be most grateful.

Knit 1 Bike 1 options

Option 1 £5.00 GBP Option 2 £10.00 GBP Option 3 £20.00 GBP Option 4 £25.00 GBP Option 5 £27.00 GBP Option 6 £37.00 GBP Option 7 £50.00 GBP Option 8 £53.00 GBP Option 9 £78.00 GBP Option 10 £100.00 GBP