Uncluttered vs. crafty?

Unclutterer ForumsLiving SpacesSentimental Clutter

(13 posts) (11 voices)

Started 1 year ago by camille
Latest reply from librarygal
RSS feed for this topic

Overall Rating: votes

Tags:

crafts

camille
Member

First of all, I apologize if this topic has already been addressed, I couldn't find a "search" button for these forums.

Here's my conundrum: whenever I get something that's wrapped in a pretty ribbon or a beautiful sheet of paper or a neat piece of cardboard, or when a piece of clothing is no longer wearable but is in a fabric I like, I feel compelled to stash those items away, thinking they may come in handy for a crafts project at some point.

Now, I'm not extraordinarily crafty, but when the mood hits, I'm always happy to have things to play with at home, and not have to go out and buy much at all. The drawback is that I hoard a bunch of stuff I may never use at all, scattered in different bags and drawers.

So I'm wondering what my policy should be about keeping/tossing these things. Can anybody relate, and if so, how do you handle these sorts of items?

Thanks for your thoughts!

Posted 1 year ago #
morfydd
Member

If you'll actually use them, then the problem would seem to be more with the "scattered in different bags and drawers."

Would you be able to consolidate things into one box? Then you could:
--Find the things when you want to use them
--Not have them in the way the rest of the time
--Easily see when you're saving duplicates of something
--Commit to not storing more than will fit in that box

Posted 1 year ago #
ValH
Member

I am completely the same way, Camille. I have old shirts and paper and all sorts of stuff that I would normally not want, but keep just in case I want to use it for some project. To manage it I make sure everything is put in the same area, if at all craft related, and limit myself to a specific amount of organized storage. If I have too much for something new to fit I need to go through everything and toss enough for it to fit.

I also tend to purge things every so often, for example a couple of years ago I tossed all but a couple of my collection of pieces of cardboard and colored paper. I knew I am always finding more and had too much to manage.

Posted 1 year ago #
chacha1
Member

I only keep pretty things that I KNOW I will use for a project. And how I KNOW is I have a specific project in mind. Not "oh, someday I could use that for something" but "I will use that for the wall hanging project I'm planning for next year" or "I will make a piece of jewelry for the etsy store with that."

It was really hard for me to stop hoarding pretty crafty stuff. I started applying the specificity test a couple of years ago after sending several cartons full of art/craft supplies to my sister, then teaching art in a middle school.

I just thought, I've kept all this stuff, and moved all this stuff, for YEARS - and have not used this stuff - because it is either just not in my true idiom, or because it's randomly collected and too non-specific.

Having stuff to play with is important, because you'll never play if you have no toys. :-) But if you're asking yourself "am I really going to do anything with this?" the answer is probably No.

I'd suggest making a top twelve list of projects you really WANT to do, sort your crafty stuff accordingly, and discard anything that does not fit in any of those project stashes.

Then when you get the urge, you can pull out your project stash and be ready to go with an assortment of things that spoke to you for that project specifically.

Posted 1 year ago #
klutzgrrl
Member

Specific projects is a great idea!

I understand though - as an artist who loves collage, I've hoarded things too - buttons, beads, bits of vintage ephemera waiting for inspiration to strike. Sometimes you do just need things; but you do have to put a limit on it.

Maybe you should just stick to paper craft or fabric craft, don't try to do both?

Posted 1 year ago #
pkilmain
Member

I was really bad at this as well. I had scrapbooking stuff, quilting stuff, needlepoint and knitting stuff, etc. I got rid of all of my rubber stamping stuff, and the scrapbooking stuff. I gave away the needlepoint stuff including half done projects. I'm down to quilting, knitting and photography (which is 90% digital so doesn't clutter as the cameras/equipment are corralled). The quilting is big clutterer - I have LOTS of fabric, and dozens of mental and started projects. I retired 6 months ago, and thought I'd be getting a lot more done, but it hasn't happened yet.....

Posted 1 year ago #
Another Deb
Member

I do hoard stuff because I use odd things for teaching,crafting and repurposing. I have yards of beautiful silk fabric from Hawaii I bought on a honeymoon in 1986 to a man I am not married to anymore! The hoarding of crafty stuff comes to haunt me when I have to move it or when I am looking for something I thought I had but can not find in the bins. I am sometimes reinforced in the habit because once in awhile I use something I have been carting around for many years. Arghh!

As much as I promised myself that I would avoid that super-consumer scrapbooking hobby I got sucked in... and now the stamps and papers and tooks are taking over. My solution here is to start a little scrapbooking club at school and use things in kids' projects. LEt's see if I can turn loose of that pretty paper!

Posted 1 year ago #
camille
Member

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, everyone, it's all very helpful!

I like the idea of devoting a single, reasonably-sized box to those things, and not keeping more than will fit into it.

Now I just have to find the proper box. And maybe decorating it will be my next project! :)

Posted 1 year ago #
lottielot
Member

camille: I have an Ikea cardboard box for my sewing stuff (I don't have that much, no machine and just some bits and pieces of fabric for making toys and random things for my sons, plus my jewellery-making stuff). I glued some squares of felt onto the front and top of the box and then cut out felt letters and glued them to the top to label it, for the sides I glued on some pretty origami papers. I love that box, much better than boring white!
However, the rest of our family craft stuff is chaotic...

Posted 1 year ago #
Rosa
Member

I learned to let go of things by giving them away through crafty groups, and then when I want to start a new (specific! Like Chacha said, that's important!) project I just put the word out that I'm looking for X, Y and Z and usually someone has some on hand.

The thing is that almost all crafty folk have hoards of craft supplies, so there's no reason for all of us to have every kind.

Posted 1 year ago #
chacha1
Member

Also (I suggested this in another thread that meandered onto the topic of crafts), there is always the possibility of selling the supplies themselves on etsy.com. I'm preparing to launch a store and a small part of it will be selling off the supplies that weren't appropriate for my sister's classes' needs.

Because there is ALWAYS another pretty thing! I don't know how or why or where it came from, but I somehow had that "scarcity" thing going for a while. You know ... "I'll never find one like THIS again!" But there's always another one. Maybe not identical, but better a Workable Thing at the right time than the Perfect Thing that we never have time (or inspiration) to use.

Posted 1 year ago #
bandicoot
Member

i thank heavens that i am not crafty!
i don't consider cooking to be craft...and anyway, i am strictly practical and brutal with what is allowed into my kitchen these days.

the only real craft i ever took up, i ended up turning it into a business (soapmaking).
so the stuff from that doesn't count! does it?
i have a big workshop jammed full of my supplies and equipment and while it is a bit cluttered, it is mostly essential stuff for the biz.
it just needs some serious organisation.
i feel quite organised and disciplined with the house....but at work i turn into some creative free spirit who cannot be burdened with the mundane tasks of organising and cleaning.
i know i have to get a grip and turn it around and create some good habits over there.
every now and then we have a massive clean out in the workshop and it feels amaaaaaaaazing.
i have to focus on that feeling.

Posted 1 year ago #
librarygal
Member

Repeating some of above, but...

I used to keep many craft supplies Justin Case. And what I found was I never used them. When excited for a specific project, I found I wanted new fabric (or whatever) to complete it, something "perfect" for that project.

My ability to par down The Collection of Possibly Very Useful Things was aided by the realization that I don't have enough time to be crafty right now (and haven't done much crafting the last two years). Once you're really honest with yourself about how much time you have to devote to creative endeavors, it's easier to let go of some things. How often have you looked through the things you've already been keeping in order to make use of them? If you're like me, not often at all, if ever.

I've tried to keep:
1) things I have in mind for a specific project - that I still want to do
2) things contained in some limited way - I have one plastic tote box for fabric and one for yarn. I donate all excess to the summer camp I used to work at, where they can always use more craft supplies.

And as a crafter, I'm sure you already know... you can always get more. There is no shortage of fabric, yarn, cardboard, ribbon, etc. in the world (new and recycled).

Good luck, camille!

Posted 1 year ago #

Reply

You must log in to post. If you do not already have an account, you can register here.