Declutter Challenge 2023 - Day 21 - A Few Last Things
Welcome to Day 21 and the final day of the Declutter Challenge. it once seemed so far away. And now we are just about done!!!
As I stand here in the afternoon light, I see all the clean surfaces and feel a huge weight off my shoulders. I did this challenge last year and remember feeling so…clear. Not only have we been decluttering our sewing rooms but we have been decluttering our minds.
There remain a couple more things to do. The first is to follow through with your boxes.
Take out the garbage and the recycling which should not be too hard.
More difficult will be items that you want to donate and the items to sell. They need to get out of the house so that they do not talk their way back in
If you are part of a guild, donations will be easier. There might be particular projects or new quilters you might want to assist. Or there might be a donation table. If you are not part of a guild, share the items with your online friends. As I mentioned my TMQG is having a garage sale at the end of the month that mine extras will be going to.
For the items that you want to sell, you’ll need to figure out what platform you want to sell them on, take the necessary photos, write descriptions, decide on a price and shipping costs. Once you know how much effort it will take, some items might move to the donation list.
Next you need to cull all your excess boxes, bags and containers.
Containers can be project boxes, plastic containers, rubbermaid tubs. Try to eliminate by type or by size. Your space will be easier to organize if items are stored in the same type of container no matter how much is inside them. Clear and stackable is best.
Bags might be cloth or plastic. Again, try and eliminate the sizes that are less useful.
I never throw out a zip lock bag. But there are definitely some sizes that I am not using. So I will move some to the kitchen and some to the studio to be used there
I also find that I am using less bags. I used to have so many to store my projects in them. But I am using my space differently now. With my longarm they are not stockpiling the way they used to. I find the ones that fit one of these project-totes the most useful. So I am decluttering any that cannot fit one.
It’s not a bad time to consider cleaning the windows and washing the floor as it might not be this spacious again.
I hope that you have found this experience as rewarding as I did. I hope that you have reclaimed space in your sewing room for an amazing creative year ahead. You have all been a delightful, supportive and generous community. And not to mention hilarious. You should be proud of all the hard work and effort you invested in yourselves.
And if you are still on day 15, or day 5 or just beginning, You are not behind. Stay Steady and that will get you to the finish line. These videos will remain online for you to revisit from my website or from my Youtube channel throughout the year.
Before you go, if you have not yet subscribed I would really appreciate it. I hope to make it to 400K this year. If you enjoyed your time here, consider joining Karen’s Quilt Crew
where you'll get access to me in our monthly stitch N chats.
Take care and I’ll see you next time.
Take out the garbage and the recycling, which should be too hard.
More difficult will be items that you want to donate and the items to sell.
If you are part of a guild, donations will be easier. There might be particular projects or new quilters you might want to assist with. Or there might be a donation table. If you are not part of a guild, share the items with your online friends.
For the items that you want to sell, you’ll need to figure out what platform you want to sell them on, take the necessary photos, write descriptions, decide on a price and shipping costs. Once you know how much effort it will take, some items might move to the donation list. If you want to learn more about selling, you should check out my Karen's Quilt Circle interview with Kim Soper of Feel Good Fibers.
I have already asked my guild’s new members to identify themselves. Now I need to produce a list of photos and see who wants what. Then I need to look into where the easiest place for me to sell them is.
The second task for today is to cull all your excess boxes, bags and containers.
Containers can be project boxes, plastic containers, Rubbermaid tubs. Try to eliminate by type or by size. Your space will be easier to organize if items are stored in the same type of container. Clear and stackable is best.
Bags might be cloth or plastic. Again, try and eliminate the sizes that are less useful.
I never throw out a Ziploc bag. But there are definitely some sizes that I am not using. So I will move them to my kitchen to be used there
I also find that I am using fewer bags. I used to have so many to store my projects in them. But I am using my space differently now. With my longarm, they are not stockpiling the way they used to. I find the ones that fit one of these project-totes the most useful. So I am decluttering any that cannot fit one.
I hope that you have found this experience as rewarding as I did. I hope that you have reclaimed space in your sewing room for an amazingly creative year ahead. You have all been a delightful, supportive and generous community. And not to mention hilarious. You should be proud of all the hard work and effort you invested in yourselves.
If you are still on day 15, or day 5 or just beginning, remember - You are not behind. Stay Steady and that will get you to the finish line.
Before you go, Please take a moment and share photos of your reclaimed space online and in the FACEBOOK group with the hashtag #jgidqdeclutterchallenge2022 or #declutterchallenge2022.
Take care and I’ll see you next time.