Clutter-clearing produces space — physical, mental, emotional. Clutter- clearing is a spiritual practice, one that needs doing on an ongoing basis. And even though clutter-clearing is “first world problem” (and therefore slightly embarrassing to discuss?), it is a vital subject to explore openly because we need support to do it.
And we need reminding of its profound benefits.
I will be talking about clutter and order this year. One of my special challenges. Today, I’ll leave you with my go-to source on the subject: Sandra Felton, aka ‘The Organizer Lady’, author of many helpful books on household order. You can also find her at MessiesAnonymous.com.
Today I ask the question – what is it I want to invite in to a beautifully ordered home?
[DO NOT CLICK on light blue words with two underscores… I have been hacked. Bear with me while I attempt to figure this out].
for me decluttering and making order out of the chaos in the studio is a practical form of procrastination & yet quite a necessary part of the process as a maker. I find all the bits and pieces that had disappeared in the chaos of the making and it helps me move forward with making the next dream thing.
likewise for me Mo on the putting off as well as the necessity… sometimes I think I would really miss the process of unearthing scraps and semi-assembled things long forgotten!
what is the beautifully ordered home for?
i read the post and then left it here on the screen, went away to continue
stitching and kept having this question above. i’m not sure what i mean
by it…
Hi Grace… I want a beautifully ordered home so that I have more spaciousness of thought and spirit. More ease of locating things. Blank spaces that allow the kind of looking at things that you describe so often and well on your blog.
READERS, do not click on the blue words with two lines under them!! I don’t know how these links have been inserted and until I rid the post of the problem, I don’t want to spread the problem.
Just the phrase “beautifully ordered home” strikes lightning into my heart. I long for order and beauty in my life, but the act of living seems to produce so much mess. I agree about spaciousness of thought and spirit rising out of clear spaces and considered arrangement.
ease in locating things….yes. Big.
am thinking.
you know this place is so small, where i am….
well, still thinking…..
what I can gather about your place Grace is that it IS beautiful and it IS well ordered and more, that the nature of your space allows an expansive exploration of other things… I’m not talking about ‘House Beautiful’ beautiful… I’m talking about pleasing to my eye… with some surfaces cleared off… with a rhythm working between windows and framed pictures… clutter can be a definite interference with a sense of peace.
yes..i understood that…”house beautiful beautiful”
this place gets totally UNDONE when i am working on a cloth in it’s beginning.
then once it’s underway, i need order. i roll back and forth. sometimes
there’s just no other way but that chaos.
where i always want some order is OutSide….which to me is like just the
rest of the house. there i need simplicity and order. i like thinking about order.
this is nice. like knowing other’s sense of it.
My answer is space to create. And in a strange way, energy. I am really focusing on what I really want to do and not storing things for someday I might get to that…
Dee, I’ve seen your SoulCollage cards on Pinterest, so I was very happy to see you come up in my tag feed here! Looking forward to checking out some of your other SoulCollage posts. I’ve started illustrating my posts with my cards as well, and I love the process of creating both together.
I’ve been working to clear (mostly paper) clutter for several years, and have made some good progress … this is a post I wrote about the methods I’ve used, including all my favorite inspirational clutter-clearing books–hope you find this helpful 🙂 http://aboutwhatmatters.wordpress.com/2013/09/08/how-to-eliminate-and-prevent-clutter/
Nice post on clutter. Thanks for the link and the introduction to your blog. I read a number of other posts and look forward to reading more. I had no idea my cards were on Pinterest. I assume that they were attributed to me since you knew they were mine?
Hi Deb — I am finding that I can create in my ‘usual mess’ — but I am quite convinced that somethinge ELSE will emerge when I get through a few more layers of stuff…
it’s funny you mention the outside Grace b/c I think of your yard as every bit as much a part of your space as the kitchen and sitting room!
i’m glad…that makes me feel good that that has come through. with the renewed
study of Permaculture, i hope it will be even more….
I am finding simply less creates it’s own order. space around things is the best arrangement. any which way works.
Thanks, Dee, glad you liked it 🙂 Yes, they are attributed to ‘Dee at Cloth Company.’