As I was reading through the book Zero Waste Home (look for the full review at the end of the month), one quotation from the section on Crafts really jumped out at me:
"As I let go of potential/unfinished projects and seldom-used materials, I let go of frustrations and expectations. I had realized that the unused art supplies had been nagging at me. They were just sitting there, waiting to become something better, something artful, something amazing, something that would allow me to vanquish my fears and exceed my abilities."
I think this is one of the issues I have with the craft supplies I still have. I have gotten rid of many, but I still have quite a few, and sometimes seeing them just sitting there when I don't have time or energy to create anything causes more stress than joy.
So I started grabbing things to get rid of. The first bag was easy. Some empty tins, small ribbons, bits and pieces of old projects that I had gotten from someone and never done anything with. And I felt lighter.
Then I organized some of the bigger categories I had left, and made a list of what projects had been started and what needed to be done to finish them. And it was still a long list, but I like having lists. It gives me something to work towards, a visual way of seeing what I couldn't see when it was bagged and boxed up on my shelves.
I don't know what's next. I know there are more things I can get rid of. Just writing the last few paragraphs, I've thought of a few that I know I can use to start the next bag of giveaways. I know that the baby wipes tubs don't work for storage, because I forget what's in them, even with the labels. I know that once I finish some projects, there are tools and materials I probably won't use again. I know that at some point, we're going to need the space for a desk for Jesse to work at home, or storage for homeschool supplies (yes, homeschool...more about that soon, I hope). So it's good for me to continue to narrow things down.
I'm excited for a few of the bigger projects that I gathered together, some of which I had planned awhile ago and forgotten. I'm excited that I found and organized my stationary and envelopes so I can hopefully start writing letters again. I'm excited that I was able to finish a few quick stash-busting projects with materials that I had saved for a specific purpose. But mostly, I'm excited that I was able to start letting things go.
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