A Fresh Start

I'm sure I'm not alone in spending some time at the end of the year in cleaning and decluttering. Being on the cusp of a new year, it seems fitting to freshen things up a bit. I spent some time the last few days attempting to sort, clean, and reorganize my craft room. I'm a collector of stuff, and boy do I have lots of it! Some of it I've moved across the country a couple of times because You Never Know! When it reaches the point that I can't function any more, something's got to go. I forced myself to get rid of things I know I'll never miss. For example, I've held onto a good-sized stack of hard back book covers, because I like to use them as a canvas. It dawned on me that it's hardly worth having them take up space when I can get a book for 15 cents from the bin at Goodwill. I think my space is worth that, not to mention the emotional heaviness that I find comes from too much stuff.

While cleaning, I also looked for new ways to store some items that hadn't found a permanent home yet. This little overnight case belonged to my grandmother. My sister brought it to me a few months back, along with many other treasures from the past. (Thanks, Ann!) It sat in my room since then, lonely and without a purpose in life. It occurred to me that it would be just the right size to hold several large spools of baker's twine I had bought online recently. I cleared out a space on a shelf that seems made for it, and now I can use it and enjoy thinking of my grandmother each time I see it and open it up.

I also love labeling things, but I didn't want to use my labeler with the sticky tape on this lovely vintage case. I remembered some decorative paper tags I bought (you never know), and pulled one out. I used one of my favorite alphabet stamp sets, and a little baker's twine to tie it to the handle. Form and function, all in one!

I hope 2011 ends well for you! 2012, here we come!
Immi