![[REPLAY] Let's Declutter: Arts + Crafts | Melissa Russell](https://cdn-images-3.listennotes.com/podcasts/minimalist-moms/replay-lets-declutter-arts-wyskQ5oTIpV-wZAzO-6ypJ4.1400x1400.jpg "[REPLAY] Let's Declutter: Arts + Crafts | Melissa Russell")
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[SPEAKER_01]: This feels like the perfect time to revisit this conversation because fall has a way of bringing all the crafts back into our homes.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Between school projects, rainy activities, Halloween and the holidays right around the corner, the paper, markers, paint, glue, and the half finished projects can really pile up quickly.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So before we head into an even fuller season, I wanted to bring back this conversation with my guest Melissa Russell.
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[SPEAKER_00]: We're talking about how to decide what craft supplies are actually worth keeping, how to store what you use, and how to let go of the rest, whether they've supplies belong to your kids or to you.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So let's get into this replay episode of Let's Declutter Arts and Crafts with my guest Melissa Russell.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Hello and welcome to the minimalist mom's podcast.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I'm Diane, a mother of three living in Columbus, Ohio.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I'm trying to make room in my life for what matters by getting rid of the clutter and living life with purpose.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I hope you'll join me on the journey to think more and do with less.
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[SPEAKER_00]: A question that keeps coming up in the minimalist mom's community is how do I declutter crafts?
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[SPEAKER_00]: I knew this was a topic that could be applied to not just our kids' crafts, but to our own.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Where do we store it all?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Do I have too much?
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[SPEAKER_00]: How do I know what to keep and what to get rid of?
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[SPEAKER_00]: So joining me today to tackle these questions and more is author of a simple lion-hurt life blog, Melissa Russell.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But before we get to the conversation, I wanted to ask how you've been enjoying my new book, minimalist moms living in parenting with simplicity.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So far, I've heard some wonderful feedback and I've really been blown away by the positive responses.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I do have a huge favor though, if you have recently finished or about to do so, would you mind leaving a rating or a review on Amazon?
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[SPEAKER_00]: It really helps other readers find the book and it prompts the publisher to print more copies to keep them in stock.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you again for taking the time to do this.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I've included an
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[SPEAKER_00]: Alright, so I was trying to think about what I wanted to share with you guys this week.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I happened to cluttering my home.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I recently declared the pantry, my boys clothing, and the refrigerator.
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[SPEAKER_00]: That said, I know that's a little dull.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So I was really happy to stumble upon this section in the book called Memory Making Mom by Jessica Smart.
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[SPEAKER_00]: This book really has nothing to do with minimalism.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's more of a book for building traditions that are just impactful to your children in their childhood.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She makes it clear that you don't have to spend a lot of money to do this.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's more about the intentionality going into that memory making, so anyways, I digress.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There's a section in her book that I stumbled upon tonight while I was getting ready to edit the podcast, and it talks about beauty.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So she's talking a little bit about decluttering and weaving the men's of traditions, and she says, why am I talking about decorating homes?
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[SPEAKER_00]: What does this have to do with traditions?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And she says, you see, beauty inside the home becomes in its own right, a sort of tradition, because our homes themselves form memories for our children.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Remember, you choose strategically what enters your home, things are memories too.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So, I just thought the parallelity a lot of what I say on this podcast of, not getting rid of everything, getting rid of what's superfluous, getting rid of things that aren't essential, but sometimes what is essential are the things that are kind of...
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[SPEAKER_00]: kitschy and kind of silly or have been passed down through generations.
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[SPEAKER_00]: One of the things she continues to keep in her home is a silver base with pink tingeed white roses.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And she says even though it's chipped and some of the flowers are loose, it remains because it makes her happy.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And her goal is to make a practice of filling her home with those types of momentos.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So again, I think as minimalist if we're taking a minimalist approach to this book, it would be what is superfluous, what is nessential, what isn't take priority.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And yes, to steal some mary condos does the spark droi if it sparks droi, keep it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But if it's outlived, it's time in your home, or it's adding clutter, or you have an unhealthy attachment to it, let it go.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The challenge that she presents to you in this section is when you cast your eyes around your home, what do you see, and what will your children remember?
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[SPEAKER_00]: So yes, isn't minimalist, but this is a wonderful book, especially if you're looking to be more intentional in this area.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that it really minimalism is really woven into so many books that I've read that are nonfiction.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And we know that there's research that ties clutter to anxiety and overwhelm and decision fatigue.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm not surprised that we're seeing these little elements woven into the random books we just happen to pick up.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So that's my thought for you today.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I can't wait to get into this conversation with Melissa Russell about
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[SPEAKER_00]: art supply and craft decluttering.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So let's get into it.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Well said.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks so much for joining me today on the minimalist moms podcast.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks for having me.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm so happy to be here.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I've got a lot of questions recently about how to declutter the crafts and if there's such a thing as too much.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I can't wait to hear more of your tips today.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But before we get into our conversation, you can go ahead and introduce yourself to listeners and then we'll get started.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, so I'm Melissa.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I'm from the blog simple line heart life.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I live in rural Alberta, Canada with my two kids and my husband and our very elderly dog.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So yeah, I first kind of found my way to minimalism when my daughter was just a toddler, a very young toddler.
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[SPEAKER_02]: At that point, I have a lot of stuff in my house.
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[SPEAKER_02]: It was all neatly organized and put away, but there was a lot of it.
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[SPEAKER_02]: and she made it her life's mission to get into all of it and to make it all out and make big messes so I felt like I was feeling so frustrated spending so much time at energy picking up all this stuff day after day after day and finally I kind of had a light bulb moment that I was spending so much time picking up all this stuff that we
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[SPEAKER_02]: didn't use.
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[SPEAKER_02]: We didn't even like a lot of it.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So that led me to decluttering and words minimalism.
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[SPEAKER_02]: It took me a while to get there lots of rounds of decluttering and kind of peeling back layers as I went.
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[SPEAKER_02]: But yeah, I'm just so happy I found my way here and it's given me so much more time and freedom and opportunities.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So that's a little bit about me.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Great.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And then, how did your blog come about?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Because that's how I discovered you.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I, like I said, I'd have people reach out to me about crafts.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I had some tips, but I'm like, someone has thoroughly gone through this.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I just googled craft minimalism and your blog came up.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And it was one of the first ones.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I loved everything that you had to say in that original post.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, how did that all come about in this journey of minimalism for you?
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[SPEAKER_02]: It took, like I said, it took me a while to get here, and I kind of struggled along the way.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I didn't, when I started this as a boat, 10 years ago, so there wasn't a lot of, like books, or blogs, or podcasts on the topic, so I was kind of just muddling my way through it as I went.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And I made lots of mistakes, and I learned a lot, and I thought, you know, I should share this.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I should help other people kind of learn from my mistakes, and
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[SPEAKER_02]: get through all that hard stuff faster so that they can enjoy a clutter free and a simplified home and life easier and faster.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So it just came from my desire to share and make the journey a little bit easier for other people.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's so hard to not talk about minimalism once you've discovered it because it's just it makes you feel so much freedom that you just want to share that with others.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So I can definitely relate to that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But let's talk about craft.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So it's it's a very basic question where do we start where did you start when you first decluttered this area.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, that's like a really good point because it does.
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[SPEAKER_02]: It feels overwhelming.
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[SPEAKER_02]: You don't even know where to start.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And I think it's worth noting, I myself am a creative person.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I so, I make jewelry, I paint, I like to do art journaling.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So I totally get the struggle.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I have been there and totally understand.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And for me, it was kind of the first step was actually shifting my mindset, simplifying my craft supplies doesn't mean getting rid of everything.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And it doesn't mean I can't have creative hobbies.
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[SPEAKER_02]: It just means I'm going to get rid of the stuff that's kind of getting in the way.
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[SPEAKER_02]: The stuff that I don't use, I don't love, it's just making it harder to do the crafts that I do love.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So that was the kind of the very first step from you was getting to that point.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And then the next kind of step from there was getting to a place where I was willing to let go of some of that stuff.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I think it's creative people.
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[SPEAKER_02]: It's so easy to see potential in everything.
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[SPEAKER_02]: You know, you have supplies and materials and you can think of all the ways you could use them.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And it's hard to let go because all of that stuff has potential.
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[SPEAKER_02]: but it was really kind of turning that thinking off for myself and realizing that again, I'm just going to get rid of the stuff that's making it hard to find what I need, hard to have space to work.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I'm just getting rid of the stuff that's in the way.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So I have more time and space for the things I really do love.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And then another important thing when I was starting was realizing there's
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[SPEAKER_02]: and buying supplies for a craft and those can almost be like two separate hobbies in themselves because I get it, it's fun to look through the stores and browse shelves and think of all the ideas you could do.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So it's, I totally get it, but it was again kind of shifting my mindset to think, you know, maybe I have enough and maybe I need to focus more on making and less on buying just so I kind of got out of that buying more and more, but not having enough time
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[SPEAKER_01]: So those are like the first big mindset shifts for me.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And then beyond that, before I even started decluttering, I really took some time to think about what crafts I really love, what things really light me up, what things do I get lost in?
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[SPEAKER_02]: And I just have so much fun.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And I tried to do this before I even looked at my supplies.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I just tried to think like, what do I, what do I love doing?
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[SPEAKER_02]: So then I can focus on those and maybe think about getting rid
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[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I was trying to think through my own life and at one point, I was obsessed with scrapbooking.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It was one of my favorite things to do.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I was honestly I was maybe 13 and my mom would drop me off at cord camera.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's a place in Ohio.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I don't I think they're gone now, but they had a scrapbooking center and I would go on the weekends on Saturday and just scrapbook all day.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And they had all the supplies there that you could purchase or use and all that to say you said to separate shopping for the fun stuff and the crafts outside of just what we're even doing at home and I think that it that did become a hobby and itself is what can I buy here and then what if I need this and so I would buy things just for that what if oh, maybe if I go to the beach I'll have these stickers on this paper that work really well for that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: crafting as well.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I used to do a lot of scrapbooking too.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And it is it's so cute and fun.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And you can think of all the potentials.
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[SPEAKER_02]: It's easy to kind of get sucked into that by then you're making 100%.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So that kind of leads me into this next question.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And it's how do we know what to keep and then what to get rid of because again, I think so many of us just dwell in that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: What if what if what if so where do we start here?
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[SPEAKER_01]: What do we keep?
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[SPEAKER_02]: all of your supplies for all of your crafting activities together because it's hard to declutter if you don't know what you have in total for one.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And then for two, sometimes it's a bit of a shock factor when you see just how much you have, it just can kind of give you that push to be a little more ruthless when you're decluttering.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So that's what I recommend is gathering everything together and then separating it into each type of craft.
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[SPEAKER_02]: You do if you do multiple things, you know, you might have you're knitting over here and you're squat booking over here and then within each type of craft, kind of organize it into categories.
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[SPEAKER_02]: It could be as broad or as general or as specific as you'd like, but you know, if you're a knit or maybe you'd have
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[SPEAKER_02]: your patterns here and your needles here and your cotton yarn here and your wool yarn here just whatever makes sense to help you kind of see what you have so you can start to wittle it down and then again once you have that I just really encourage you to look at it
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[SPEAKER_02]: and see what really lights you up and really excites you and maybe what, you know, you don't really love that anymore.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I think part of the creative process is trying new things and exploring different activities and it's okay if you don't love all of them and want to do them all forever.
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[SPEAKER_02]: That's just part of being creative and trying and experimenting.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So don't be afraid to say, I thought I would really love knitting, but it's just not for me, so I probably don't need to keep.
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[SPEAKER_02]: all that stuff, maybe I could just keep a few really key essentials if I want to pick it up again.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And then as you're looking at what to keep and what to get rid of, I think you should keep the supplies you love, the things you use often and you use regularly, the things that are still in good conditions still in usable condition, and then maybe look at supplies that you don't use very often, you don't love, you don't really enjoy that craft.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe supplies that are unused that you've had for a long time.
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[SPEAKER_02]: That's a good sign that maybe you're just not into that anymore.
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[SPEAKER_02]: You can look to get rid of worn out or unusable supplies that if you're painter and you have tubes of paint that are dried out or just about dried out.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe that would be something to get rid of.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And then another really good thing to look at is duplicate supplies.
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[SPEAKER_02]: If you have a huge stash, it can be really easy to forget you have things, or maybe you can't find them, so you buy something twice.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So if you have multiples of things, maybe keep your favorite or keep an appropriate amount and then be willing to let go of some of the extras, it's pretty important to remember as you're doing this to try to make like fast, ruthless decisions.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Don't overthink it, just trust your gut.
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[SPEAKER_02]: If you start, you know, we talked about like the what ifs, it can be really easy talk yourself into keeping just about anything so try to be fast listen to your gut feeling just keep the things you love let go of the things you don't don't over think it don't stress out and I also find it helpful to focus more on what I'm keeping then rid of so instead of thinking like oh I spent you know x amount of money on all this stuff and I'm just going to get rid of it think about.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, I'm getting rid of that.
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[SPEAKER_02]: But now I'm going to have room for like this fabric that I really love.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I'll be able to find what I need.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I'll have room to work.
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[SPEAKER_02]: It's going to be so fun.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Think about that more than dwelling on what you're getting rid of.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I also really find it helpful with craft supplies to give yourself space limits.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So decide, you know, I have this shelf and I want to have.
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[SPEAKER_02]: supplies on this shelf.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And that's based on it can just help you be a little more ruthless.
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[SPEAKER_02]: It can just give you a hard limit to help you decide what's really important and what's not so important.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And then with that, if you have supplies you haven't used yet or projects you haven't started, I think it's okay also to give yourself deadlines to do those things.
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[SPEAKER_02]: You know, because you might have the greatest of intentions and you really want to work on this project, but it just never happens.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So give yourself a deadline.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe in six months, if you haven't used these supplies, maybe you can start to think,
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[SPEAKER_01]: This is all such wonderful advice and I think with my kids' crafts, it's really easy to go in and get rid of the things that are maybe the markers that are dried up or the paints that are dried up, but I like to store everything in one big bin.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I wouldn't say we craft a daily, but I like to have a few things on hand that, hey, we're going to get into this today, but all that to say.
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[SPEAKER_01]: We store it in one bin, and I just pull it out of the closet when need be.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But for other parents that are listening, some of them have craft rooms.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And if you're an adult that likes to craft, some people have sewing rooms or scrapbooking rooms.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So what are your suggestions?
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[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I think having boundaries and space limits is so helpful, because otherwise it's just easy to feed into those what ifs and I might use that, we might need it.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So space limits are really helpful.
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[SPEAKER_02]: If you have, you know, whatever is it, if it's a tote bin or a shelf, like whatever you use, it's so helpful to do that.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I have also found, if crafting is something that's really important to you or your kids,
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[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe you can make space by getting rid of something that's less important to make room for that.
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[SPEAKER_02]: If that's something that you really enjoy, your kids really enjoy, it's worth maybe clearing out some other stuff you enjoy less to make room for that.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And just my own personal example, I love sewing.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So I am happy to keep my wardrobe really simplified and then use the extra space in my closet for my fabric and my sewing supplies because that's worth it to me.
16:49.604 --> 16:49.865
[SPEAKER_02]: That's
16:50.505 --> 16:53.928
[SPEAKER_02]: something that really brings me value at the same in our playroom.
16:53.948 --> 16:59.012
[SPEAKER_02]: We have like an art cart for the kids and they use that thing at so much use.
16:59.052 --> 17:00.814
[SPEAKER_02]: They're always crafting always making.
17:00.854 --> 17:03.596
[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm happy to have like a dedicated space.
17:03.636 --> 17:07.759
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm happy to maybe have fewer toys to make room for more art supplies.
17:08.842 --> 17:12.784
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think in terms of where to store on, we're really lucky in this house.
17:12.804 --> 17:18.888
[SPEAKER_02]: We have kind of a pretty much unfinished basement, which gives me space to keep this kind of stuff.
17:18.948 --> 17:25.572
[SPEAKER_02]: But it really depends on what your space is, where you're working, just what you're working with in general.
17:26.112 --> 17:34.558
[SPEAKER_02]: So I think instead of seeing someone else's example, or going on Pinterest and seeing these beautiful craft rooms, really spend some time thinking about what will work for you.
17:35.518 --> 17:51.123
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, it has be something you can maintain, something that's feasible for your space, um, even thinking about open storage where you can see all your supplies, maybe you're someone who needs to see everything or maybe that's really overwhelming for you and you'd rather have it all.
17:51.943 --> 17:53.044
[SPEAKER_02]: tucked away out of sight.
17:53.604 --> 17:59.188
[SPEAKER_02]: So just thinking about those kind of things, do you want, you know, you had mentioned you keep all your supplies in one big bin.
17:59.669 --> 18:08.215
[SPEAKER_02]: Does that work for you or would you rather have, you know, markers over here and paints over here and little bobs and bits and things like that in this bin?
18:08.235 --> 18:09.516
[SPEAKER_02]: They're just thinking what?
18:10.296 --> 18:23.615
[SPEAKER_02]: What is realistic for you to maintain and what kind of works in terms of how your mind works and how your house works and what you think is going to be something that you can use and enjoy and use the space you have.
18:24.799 --> 18:25.440
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
18:25.680 --> 18:27.362
[SPEAKER_01]: And I wanted to say a couple of things too.
18:27.402 --> 18:32.628
[SPEAKER_01]: We also do have a transportable little basket that I thrifted and it has little compartments in it.
18:32.708 --> 18:38.135
[SPEAKER_01]: So we have markers in there crayons, these little stamp markers colored pencils and some scissors.
18:38.195 --> 18:40.878
[SPEAKER_01]: So that is easier to just say, hey, we're going to grab this.
18:40.898 --> 18:44.242
[SPEAKER_01]: You want to color in your coloring books because that is something that does happen every day.
18:44.542 --> 18:45.243
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's maybe not.
18:45.543 --> 18:49.184
[SPEAKER_01]: We're not getting all the glue out and everything, but little basic things here and there.
18:49.344 --> 18:53.124
[SPEAKER_00]: I like to have the little thing that we can transport easily and especially because I drifted it.
18:53.144 --> 18:55.025
[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't have to spend a ton of money on it.
18:55.525 --> 19:04.306
[SPEAKER_01]: Also, that to say, you said, maybe my space is not going to look like the perfect Pinterest perfect craft room or art room.
19:04.947 --> 19:06.427
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm really glad that you said that.
19:06.447 --> 19:09.287
[SPEAKER_01]: And I want to tell people my space that I use.
19:13.348 --> 19:22.358
[SPEAKER_01]: it's actually colored on and it has paint dried on it and it first from that first start happening I would try and clean it up and get it back to its pristine element.
19:22.758 --> 19:28.644
[SPEAKER_01]: But now I find it so charming that the remnants of their arts is left there and
19:29.885 --> 19:47.562
[SPEAKER_01]: Just know that this is a season and it doesn't have to be perfect and that again, maybe that's not for everyone, but I told my husband, I'm like, I just love that this table is colored on and that we have little ones right now because one day we'll have a much nicer table and we're going to miss that they used to be here gathered around it coloring so I think that.
19:48.459 --> 20:07.207
[SPEAKER_01]: I guess maybe my note here is that if you're someone that doesn't craft a lot and you'd like to do it more, but you're someone of a control freak because I kind of in the control freak when it comes to keeping the mess at bay, but that's why I've just let the reins go and say, this is your space, this is where you're going to be, this is where you're going to color and that's okay because you're only going to be little for so long.
20:07.748 --> 20:14.891
[SPEAKER_01]: That has nothing to do with everything that you just said, but I just wanted to put that out there because I think it can be really overwhelming to know where to store and to keep
20:17.372 --> 20:29.102
[SPEAKER_02]: When it can be easy to end up spending a lot of money and, you know, stressing yourself out, like, in a perfect world, I mean, I would have our art cart with the markers in rainbow order and it would be so pretty.
20:29.563 --> 20:31.605
[SPEAKER_02]: But it's just not feasible from my kids.
20:31.645 --> 20:32.906
[SPEAKER_02]: It's not feasible for me.
20:33.827 --> 20:35.708
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just that's not how they craft.
20:35.768 --> 20:37.950
[SPEAKER_02]: So instead our art cart is just.
20:38.991 --> 20:40.514
[SPEAKER_02]: To me, it looks like a mask to them.
20:40.594 --> 20:43.418
[SPEAKER_02]: It looks like all of these creative opportunities.
20:43.498 --> 20:53.755
[SPEAKER_02]: So yeah, I totally agree that you kind of have to just let go of the Pinterest idea in your head and just embrace what creative creativity looks like in real life.
20:54.258 --> 21:10.570
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and I think that as they grow in their skills, their abilities and age that maybe I can get because I am I am definitely I'll admit I'm a control freak when it comes to keeping things organized and I do like to color organized I guess not way.
21:11.390 --> 21:19.677
[SPEAKER_01]: and have the googly eyes here, the feathers here, the pain's here, but that does, it's not the window right now with the 6, 3 and toddler.
21:19.897 --> 21:38.351
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think that as my kids all get to those 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, maybe it might be a little bit simpler, so again, maybe it won't, but I think that we have to just remember that we can take, we can loosen the reins, take the pressure off because I think that one of the reasons we feel so much pressure is I think we do compare it to those things that we're seeing and it
21:39.572 --> 21:44.215
[SPEAKER_01]: And so if it isn't, that's overwhelming because we're comparing it to this thing that actually doesn't exist.
21:44.715 --> 21:45.696
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if that makes sense.
21:45.976 --> 21:46.556
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, totally.
21:46.596 --> 21:48.297
[SPEAKER_02]: It's like a staged photo versus.
21:48.858 --> 21:52.140
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you know, my daughter is 10 now.
21:52.860 --> 21:54.241
[SPEAKER_02]: And there is hope.
21:54.301 --> 21:59.344
[SPEAKER_02]: Like now she has her whiteboard markers on his old chalkboard in rainbow order all lined up in a row.
22:00.073 --> 22:03.538
[SPEAKER_01]: I love it, but yeah, I mean, it's not always so chaotic.
22:03.578 --> 22:13.753
[SPEAKER_02]: Like at some point, they will figure out a system that works for them and it's not always like it is when they're little and just you kind of like you're surrounded and mess.
22:14.630 --> 22:18.151
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I just got my, I say three year old, he'll be for next week.
22:18.231 --> 22:22.513
[SPEAKER_01]: But I just got him to learn how to put the markerlets back on.
22:22.713 --> 22:26.114
[SPEAKER_01]: I can't tell you how many markers we've gone through because they just completely dry out.
22:26.214 --> 22:30.076
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm glad we're out of that season where the markerlets are kept off.
22:30.436 --> 22:36.298
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, my last question for you before we kind of wrap things up here is, is there such a thing as too much?
22:37.151 --> 22:57.078
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, I think too much of anything can kind of become overwhelming and stressful and especially with craft supplies when you have too much it goes from something you can use and enjoy to something that's in your way and bogging you down and it can even steal your creative energy you know it's hard to find but you're looking for it's hard to get them organized and
22:57.738 --> 23:13.921
[SPEAKER_02]: the more organized you might be buying duplicates because you can't find what you had or you can't you just forget you had it already you might not even have enough space to actually do your craft because the splizer just taking over and then even sometimes crafting just becomes frustrating you
23:14.802 --> 23:29.157
[SPEAKER_02]: You spend so much time looking for what you need and trying to clear space and you can't find what you need, you don't have enough room to work that it kind of takes the joy out of the craft because you don't even really have the room to do it anymore.
23:30.247 --> 23:34.768
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I think it's really key to find what feels like enough for you.
23:35.148 --> 23:36.509
[SPEAKER_02]: So this will be different for each of us.
23:36.569 --> 23:40.429
[SPEAKER_02]: Like what feels enough for me might be overwhelming to someone else and vice versa.
23:41.390 --> 23:50.432
[SPEAKER_02]: So really thinking about what feels like an aft and noticing if getting the craft supplies out starts to feel frustrating or stressful.
23:51.312 --> 23:57.638
[SPEAKER_02]: or like you don't even want to bother because it's such a hassle, like that might be a good sign that it's too much.
23:57.839 --> 24:05.086
[SPEAKER_02]: You just you need to simplify, come back to the basics a little bit more and just give yourself some breathing rooms so that you'll have a little more creative energy again.
24:05.106 --> 24:06.547
[SPEAKER_01]: All great advice.
24:06.587 --> 24:07.668
[SPEAKER_01]: This was so wonderful.
24:07.868 --> 24:10.611
[SPEAKER_01]: As is that blog post, which I'll make sure that I link in the show notes.
24:10.691 --> 24:13.514
[SPEAKER_01]: But where can listeners find you if they want to connect with you online?
24:14.592 --> 24:15.753
[SPEAKER_02]: you can find me on my blog.
24:15.913 --> 24:18.133
[SPEAKER_02]: It's simplelineheartlife.com.
24:19.034 --> 24:22.055
[SPEAKER_02]: You can find my own Instagram, simplelineheartlife again.
24:22.075 --> 24:27.597
[SPEAKER_02]: And I also have a Facebook group that's just it's such a wonderful community of people.
24:27.637 --> 24:35.720
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm so lucky to have all these wonderful women in the group and it's nice to be able to connect with other people as they're simplifying as your questions, get some advice.
24:35.740 --> 24:38.101
[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm just that's another great place to connect with me.
24:38.875 --> 24:39.095
[SPEAKER_01]: Great.
24:39.115 --> 24:43.136
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, these are two kind of fast questions for you that I ask every guest.
24:43.176 --> 24:47.157
[SPEAKER_01]: And the first one is, what is something that is dear to you that you could never part ways with?
24:47.177 --> 24:48.177
[SPEAKER_01]: You could never minimize.
24:49.578 --> 24:51.738
[SPEAKER_02]: I think for me that would be our photo books.
24:52.358 --> 24:54.639
[SPEAKER_02]: I kind of do like a annual yearbook each year.
24:55.199 --> 24:59.320
[SPEAKER_02]: And for our family, we really try to prioritize experiences over things.
25:00.320 --> 25:06.922
[SPEAKER_02]: So we try to take lots of big and little adventures and going back to those photo books and just remembering all the fun.
25:06.962 --> 25:09.443
[SPEAKER_02]: We've had that's just so special to me.
25:09.463 --> 25:13.264
[SPEAKER_02]: And so those photo books are just, yeah, there's something I really value.
25:14.004 --> 25:15.644
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I can definitely relate to that.
25:15.664 --> 25:19.025
[SPEAKER_01]: I feel like that is the first thing I would grab if there was a fire outside of my children.
25:19.125 --> 25:21.086
[SPEAKER_01]: If my children weren't home, I would grab my photo books.
25:21.720 --> 25:27.286
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I have to say I have my photo books backed up like three different, maybe a little excessively, but I know I get that.
25:27.667 --> 25:32.372
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, lastly, what is an area that you struggle to minimize and keep minimal in your home?
25:33.269 --> 25:42.193
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, this is kind of ironic since we were talking all about decluttering craft supplies, but for me, it's definitely the craft supplies.
25:42.553 --> 25:55.519
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I have journaling supplies and sewing supplies are my weaknesses and yeah, I have given myself space limits and thank goodness because it would be easy to get too much those space limits saved me and make sure.
25:56.259 --> 25:58.800
[SPEAKER_02]: I keep what feels like enough without being overwhelming.
25:58.880 --> 26:01.522
[SPEAKER_02]: So yeah, ironic that we're talking about this.
26:01.582 --> 26:02.842
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's my biggest weakness.
26:03.002 --> 26:03.603
[SPEAKER_02]: So yeah.
26:04.003 --> 26:04.263
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
26:04.283 --> 26:05.884
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, Melissa, this was so wonderful.
26:05.944 --> 26:08.905
[SPEAKER_01]: I think listeners are going to be really happy to hear what you have to say.
26:08.945 --> 26:10.246
[SPEAKER_01]: This was really informative.
26:10.466 --> 26:15.248
[SPEAKER_01]: And I can't wait to honestly go back through my craft been and see if any of this is applicable.
26:15.568 --> 26:16.309
[SPEAKER_02]: Thank you for having me.
26:16.349 --> 26:18.069
[SPEAKER_02]: I was so happy that I could be here in Chad.
26:18.089 --> 26:18.630
[SPEAKER_02]: It was really fun.
26:19.670 --> 26:20.951
[SPEAKER_00]: What did you think of the episode?
26:21.211 --> 26:22.831
[SPEAKER_00]: Did you find Melissa's tips helpful?
26:23.272 --> 26:26.453
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll have a post on Instagram today where you can tell me all about it.
26:26.873 --> 26:30.655
[SPEAKER_00]: I also invite you to keep the conversation going at minimalistmomspodcast.com.
26:31.035 --> 26:34.976
[SPEAKER_00]: There you'll find links to the Instagram account, Facebook page, and where you can find me all around the web.
26:35.556 --> 26:39.218
[SPEAKER_00]: Join me back here next week as we talk about getting kids involved in the kitchen.
26:39.738 --> 26:41.019
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for joining up on this journey.
26:41.099 --> 26:44.060
[SPEAKER_00]: I wish you a lovely week as you think more and do with less.
00:00.331 --> 00:06.879
[SPEAKER_01]: This feels like the perfect time to revisit this conversation because fall has a way of bringing all the crafts back into our homes.
00:07.340 --> 00:17.953
[SPEAKER_01]: Between school projects, rainy activities, Halloween and the holidays right around the corner, the paper, markers, paint, glue, and the half finished projects can really pile up quickly.
00:18.493 --> 00:24.500
[SPEAKER_00]: So before we head into an even fuller season, I wanted to bring back this conversation with my guest Melissa Russell.
00:24.900 --> 00:34.750
[SPEAKER_00]: We're talking about how to decide what craft supplies are actually worth keeping, how to store what you use, and how to let go of the rest, whether they've supplies belong to your kids or to you.
00:35.791 --> 00:41.137
[SPEAKER_01]: So let's get into this replay episode of Let's Declutter Arts and Crafts with my guest Melissa Russell.
00:50.392 --> 00:52.815
[SPEAKER_00]: Hello and welcome to the minimalist mom's podcast.
00:53.055 --> 00:56.039
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm Diane, a mother of three living in Columbus, Ohio.
00:56.820 --> 01:01.506
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm trying to make room in my life for what matters by getting rid of the clutter and living life with purpose.
01:02.206 --> 01:05.230
[SPEAKER_00]: I hope you'll join me on the journey to think more and do with less.
01:06.051 --> 01:10.834
[SPEAKER_00]: A question that keeps coming up in the minimalist mom's community is how do I declutter crafts?
01:11.534 --> 01:15.277
[SPEAKER_00]: I knew this was a topic that could be applied to not just our kids' crafts, but to our own.
01:15.917 --> 01:16.858
[SPEAKER_00]: Where do we store it all?
01:17.098 --> 01:17.998
[SPEAKER_00]: Do I have too much?
01:18.619 --> 01:20.680
[SPEAKER_00]: How do I know what to keep and what to get rid of?
01:20.920 --> 01:27.064
[SPEAKER_00]: So joining me today to tackle these questions and more is author of a simple lion-hurt life blog, Melissa Russell.
01:27.944 --> 01:33.766
[SPEAKER_00]: But before we get to the conversation, I wanted to ask how you've been enjoying my new book, minimalist moms living in parenting with simplicity.
01:34.507 --> 01:38.748
[SPEAKER_00]: So far, I've heard some wonderful feedback and I've really been blown away by the positive responses.
01:39.408 --> 01:46.331
[SPEAKER_00]: I do have a huge favor though, if you have recently finished or about to do so, would you mind leaving a rating or a review on Amazon?
01:46.811 --> 01:51.733
[SPEAKER_00]: It really helps other readers find the book and it prompts the publisher to print more copies to keep them in stock.
01:52.053 --> 01:53.894
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you again for taking the time to do this.
01:53.994 --> 01:54.594
[SPEAKER_00]: I've included an
01:57.395 --> 02:00.997
[SPEAKER_00]: Alright, so I was trying to think about what I wanted to share with you guys this week.
02:01.557 --> 02:02.777
[SPEAKER_00]: I happened to cluttering my home.
02:02.937 --> 02:07.259
[SPEAKER_00]: I recently declared the pantry, my boys clothing, and the refrigerator.
02:07.660 --> 02:09.440
[SPEAKER_00]: That said, I know that's a little dull.
02:09.540 --> 02:15.283
[SPEAKER_00]: So I was really happy to stumble upon this section in the book called Memory Making Mom by Jessica Smart.
02:15.743 --> 02:17.984
[SPEAKER_00]: This book really has nothing to do with minimalism.
02:18.124 --> 02:23.567
[SPEAKER_00]: It's more of a book for building traditions that are just impactful to your children in their childhood.
02:23.727 --> 02:26.308
[SPEAKER_00]: She makes it clear that you don't have to spend a lot of money to do this.
02:26.868 --> 02:31.572
[SPEAKER_00]: It's more about the intentionality going into that memory making, so anyways, I digress.
02:32.032 --> 02:38.737
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a section in her book that I stumbled upon tonight while I was getting ready to edit the podcast, and it talks about beauty.
02:39.097 --> 02:45.202
[SPEAKER_00]: So she's talking a little bit about decluttering and weaving the men's of traditions, and she says, why am I talking about decorating homes?
02:45.242 --> 02:46.723
[SPEAKER_00]: What does this have to do with traditions?
02:46.763 --> 02:54.909
[SPEAKER_00]: And she says, you see, beauty inside the home becomes in its own right, a sort of tradition, because our homes themselves form memories for our children.
02:55.249 --> 02:59.410
[SPEAKER_00]: Remember, you choose strategically what enters your home, things are memories too.
02:59.691 --> 03:14.916
[SPEAKER_00]: So, I just thought the parallelity a lot of what I say on this podcast of, not getting rid of everything, getting rid of what's superfluous, getting rid of things that aren't essential, but sometimes what is essential are the things that are kind of...
03:15.496 --> 03:20.638
[SPEAKER_00]: kitschy and kind of silly or have been passed down through generations.
03:21.078 --> 03:25.921
[SPEAKER_00]: One of the things she continues to keep in her home is a silver base with pink tingeed white roses.
03:26.401 --> 03:31.683
[SPEAKER_00]: And she says even though it's chipped and some of the flowers are loose, it remains because it makes her happy.
03:32.243 --> 03:36.145
[SPEAKER_00]: And her goal is to make a practice of filling her home with those types of momentos.
03:36.585 --> 03:44.707
[SPEAKER_00]: So again, I think as minimalist if we're taking a minimalist approach to this book, it would be what is superfluous, what is nessential, what isn't take priority.
03:44.947 --> 03:49.147
[SPEAKER_00]: And yes, to steal some mary condos does the spark droi if it sparks droi, keep it.
03:49.347 --> 03:55.909
[SPEAKER_00]: But if it's outlived, it's time in your home, or it's adding clutter, or you have an unhealthy attachment to it, let it go.
03:56.369 --> 04:03.170
[SPEAKER_00]: The challenge that she presents to you in this section is when you cast your eyes around your home, what do you see, and what will your children remember?
04:03.910 --> 04:09.532
[SPEAKER_00]: So yes, isn't minimalist, but this is a wonderful book, especially if you're looking to be more intentional in this area.
04:09.572 --> 04:15.674
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that it really minimalism is really woven into so many books that I've read that are nonfiction.
04:15.894 --> 04:22.636
[SPEAKER_00]: And we know that there's research that ties clutter to anxiety and overwhelm and decision fatigue.
04:23.096 --> 04:28.478
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm not surprised that we're seeing these little elements woven into the random books we just happen to pick up.
04:28.638 --> 04:30.279
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's my thought for you today.
04:30.499 --> 04:33.520
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't wait to get into this conversation with Melissa Russell about
04:33.840 --> 04:35.541
[SPEAKER_00]: art supply and craft decluttering.
04:36.221 --> 04:37.062
[SPEAKER_00]: So let's get into it.
04:41.824 --> 04:42.144
[SPEAKER_01]: Well said.
04:42.164 --> 04:44.745
[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks so much for joining me today on the minimalist moms podcast.
04:45.326 --> 04:46.126
[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks for having me.
04:46.146 --> 04:47.027
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm so happy to be here.
04:47.647 --> 04:48.167
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
04:48.247 --> 04:54.470
[SPEAKER_01]: I've got a lot of questions recently about how to declutter the crafts and if there's such a thing as too much.
04:54.510 --> 04:57.032
[SPEAKER_01]: So I can't wait to hear more of your tips today.
04:57.092 --> 05:01.274
[SPEAKER_01]: But before we get into our conversation, you can go ahead and introduce yourself to listeners and then we'll get started.
05:02.014 --> 05:03.314
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, so I'm Melissa.
05:03.334 --> 05:05.275
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm from the blog simple line heart life.
05:05.555 --> 05:11.596
[SPEAKER_02]: I live in rural Alberta, Canada with my two kids and my husband and our very elderly dog.
05:12.176 --> 05:18.297
[SPEAKER_02]: So yeah, I first kind of found my way to minimalism when my daughter was just a toddler, a very young toddler.
05:18.578 --> 05:20.838
[SPEAKER_02]: At that point, I have a lot of stuff in my house.
05:20.878 --> 05:24.839
[SPEAKER_02]: It was all neatly organized and put away, but there was a lot of it.
05:25.659 --> 05:45.267
[SPEAKER_02]: and she made it her life's mission to get into all of it and to make it all out and make big messes so I felt like I was feeling so frustrated spending so much time at energy picking up all this stuff day after day after day and finally I kind of had a light bulb moment that I was spending so much time picking up all this stuff that we
05:45.927 --> 05:46.767
[SPEAKER_02]: didn't use.
05:46.807 --> 05:48.268
[SPEAKER_02]: We didn't even like a lot of it.
05:48.508 --> 05:52.069
[SPEAKER_02]: So that led me to decluttering and words minimalism.
05:52.489 --> 05:58.570
[SPEAKER_02]: It took me a while to get there lots of rounds of decluttering and kind of peeling back layers as I went.
05:59.311 --> 06:05.572
[SPEAKER_02]: But yeah, I'm just so happy I found my way here and it's given me so much more time and freedom and opportunities.
06:05.672 --> 06:07.773
[SPEAKER_02]: So that's a little bit about me.
06:08.673 --> 06:08.933
[SPEAKER_01]: Great.
06:08.993 --> 06:10.955
[SPEAKER_01]: And then, how did your blog come about?
06:11.056 --> 06:12.397
[SPEAKER_01]: Because that's how I discovered you.
06:12.597 --> 06:15.780
[SPEAKER_01]: I, like I said, I'd have people reach out to me about crafts.
06:15.880 --> 06:19.204
[SPEAKER_01]: And I had some tips, but I'm like, someone has thoroughly gone through this.
06:19.244 --> 06:22.167
[SPEAKER_01]: So I just googled craft minimalism and your blog came up.
06:22.227 --> 06:23.448
[SPEAKER_01]: And it was one of the first ones.
06:23.528 --> 06:26.691
[SPEAKER_01]: And I loved everything that you had to say in that original post.
06:26.771 --> 06:30.435
[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, how did that all come about in this journey of minimalism for you?
06:30.915 --> 06:34.698
[SPEAKER_02]: It took, like I said, it took me a while to get here, and I kind of struggled along the way.
06:34.738 --> 06:45.346
[SPEAKER_02]: I didn't, when I started this as a boat, 10 years ago, so there wasn't a lot of, like books, or blogs, or podcasts on the topic, so I was kind of just muddling my way through it as I went.
06:46.027 --> 06:50.851
[SPEAKER_02]: And I made lots of mistakes, and I learned a lot, and I thought, you know, I should share this.
06:50.891 --> 06:53.433
[SPEAKER_02]: I should help other people kind of learn from my mistakes, and
06:54.555 --> 07:01.920
[SPEAKER_02]: get through all that hard stuff faster so that they can enjoy a clutter free and a simplified home and life easier and faster.
07:02.000 --> 07:07.283
[SPEAKER_02]: So it just came from my desire to share and make the journey a little bit easier for other people.
07:08.075 --> 07:15.438
[SPEAKER_01]: It's so hard to not talk about minimalism once you've discovered it because it's just it makes you feel so much freedom that you just want to share that with others.
07:15.498 --> 07:16.859
[SPEAKER_01]: So I can definitely relate to that.
07:17.039 --> 07:19.099
[SPEAKER_01]: But let's talk about craft.
07:19.119 --> 07:25.402
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's it's a very basic question where do we start where did you start when you first decluttered this area.
07:26.077 --> 07:29.718
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, that's like a really good point because it does.
07:29.758 --> 07:30.718
[SPEAKER_02]: It feels overwhelming.
07:30.738 --> 07:31.939
[SPEAKER_02]: You don't even know where to start.
07:32.479 --> 07:35.820
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think it's worth noting, I myself am a creative person.
07:35.920 --> 07:40.521
[SPEAKER_02]: I so, I make jewelry, I paint, I like to do art journaling.
07:40.961 --> 07:42.642
[SPEAKER_02]: So I totally get the struggle.
07:42.662 --> 07:45.223
[SPEAKER_02]: I have been there and totally understand.
07:45.403 --> 07:52.845
[SPEAKER_02]: And for me, it was kind of the first step was actually shifting my mindset, simplifying my craft supplies doesn't mean getting rid of everything.
07:53.485 --> 07:56.008
[SPEAKER_02]: And it doesn't mean I can't have creative hobbies.
07:56.108 --> 07:59.872
[SPEAKER_02]: It just means I'm going to get rid of the stuff that's kind of getting in the way.
07:59.912 --> 08:05.718
[SPEAKER_02]: The stuff that I don't use, I don't love, it's just making it harder to do the crafts that I do love.
08:06.398 --> 08:10.162
[SPEAKER_02]: So that was the kind of the very first step from you was getting to that point.
08:10.963 --> 08:17.829
[SPEAKER_02]: And then the next kind of step from there was getting to a place where I was willing to let go of some of that stuff.
08:18.189 --> 08:19.290
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it's creative people.
08:19.330 --> 08:21.773
[SPEAKER_02]: It's so easy to see potential in everything.
08:21.913 --> 08:25.716
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, you have supplies and materials and you can think of all the ways you could use them.
08:26.537 --> 08:29.359
[SPEAKER_02]: And it's hard to let go because all of that stuff has potential.
08:30.400 --> 08:43.168
[SPEAKER_02]: but it was really kind of turning that thinking off for myself and realizing that again, I'm just going to get rid of the stuff that's making it hard to find what I need, hard to have space to work.
08:43.769 --> 08:46.050
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm just getting rid of the stuff that's in the way.
08:46.070 --> 08:49.412
[SPEAKER_02]: So I have more time and space for the things I really do love.
08:49.752 --> 08:53.615
[SPEAKER_02]: And then another important thing when I was starting was realizing there's
08:57.077 --> 09:08.179
[SPEAKER_02]: and buying supplies for a craft and those can almost be like two separate hobbies in themselves because I get it, it's fun to look through the stores and browse shelves and think of all the ideas you could do.
09:09.320 --> 09:24.603
[SPEAKER_02]: So it's, I totally get it, but it was again kind of shifting my mindset to think, you know, maybe I have enough and maybe I need to focus more on making and less on buying just so I kind of got out of that buying more and more, but not having enough time
09:26.950 --> 09:29.571
[SPEAKER_01]: So those are like the first big mindset shifts for me.
09:30.571 --> 09:41.514
[SPEAKER_02]: And then beyond that, before I even started decluttering, I really took some time to think about what crafts I really love, what things really light me up, what things do I get lost in?
09:41.554 --> 09:42.795
[SPEAKER_02]: And I just have so much fun.
09:43.555 --> 09:45.936
[SPEAKER_02]: And I tried to do this before I even looked at my supplies.
09:46.556 --> 09:49.337
[SPEAKER_02]: I just tried to think like, what do I, what do I love doing?
09:50.037 --> 09:53.478
[SPEAKER_02]: So then I can focus on those and maybe think about getting rid
09:57.908 --> 09:58.449
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
09:58.609 --> 10:03.955
[SPEAKER_01]: I was trying to think through my own life and at one point, I was obsessed with scrapbooking.
10:04.075 --> 10:05.517
[SPEAKER_01]: It was one of my favorite things to do.
10:05.697 --> 10:10.663
[SPEAKER_01]: I was honestly I was maybe 13 and my mom would drop me off at cord camera.
10:10.703 --> 10:11.564
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a place in Ohio.
10:11.584 --> 10:17.772
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't I think they're gone now, but they had a scrapbooking center and I would go on the weekends on Saturday and just scrapbook all day.
10:18.392 --> 10:42.058
[SPEAKER_01]: And they had all the supplies there that you could purchase or use and all that to say you said to separate shopping for the fun stuff and the crafts outside of just what we're even doing at home and I think that it that did become a hobby and itself is what can I buy here and then what if I need this and so I would buy things just for that what if oh, maybe if I go to the beach I'll have these stickers on this paper that work really well for that.
10:47.879 --> 10:48.780
[SPEAKER_01]: crafting as well.
10:49.540 --> 10:51.662
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I used to do a lot of scrapbooking too.
10:51.702 --> 10:54.103
[SPEAKER_02]: And it is it's so cute and fun.
10:54.163 --> 10:55.604
[SPEAKER_02]: And you can think of all the potentials.
10:55.664 --> 11:00.788
[SPEAKER_02]: It's easy to kind of get sucked into that by then you're making 100%.
11:01.248 --> 11:03.710
[SPEAKER_01]: So that kind of leads me into this next question.
11:03.770 --> 11:09.674
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's how do we know what to keep and then what to get rid of because again, I think so many of us just dwell in that.
11:10.134 --> 11:12.696
[SPEAKER_01]: What if what if what if so where do we start here?
11:12.816 --> 11:13.417
[SPEAKER_01]: What do we keep?
11:14.203 --> 11:21.465
[SPEAKER_02]: all of your supplies for all of your crafting activities together because it's hard to declutter if you don't know what you have in total for one.
11:22.065 --> 11:31.128
[SPEAKER_02]: And then for two, sometimes it's a bit of a shock factor when you see just how much you have, it just can kind of give you that push to be a little more ruthless when you're decluttering.
11:31.868 --> 11:37.970
[SPEAKER_02]: So that's what I recommend is gathering everything together and then separating it into each type of craft.
11:37.990 --> 11:47.473
[SPEAKER_02]: You do if you do multiple things, you know, you might have you're knitting over here and you're squat booking over here and then within each type of craft, kind of organize it into categories.
11:47.493 --> 11:54.275
[SPEAKER_02]: It could be as broad or as general or as specific as you'd like, but you know, if you're a knit or maybe you'd have
11:54.835 --> 12:09.876
[SPEAKER_02]: your patterns here and your needles here and your cotton yarn here and your wool yarn here just whatever makes sense to help you kind of see what you have so you can start to wittle it down and then again once you have that I just really encourage you to look at it
12:10.717 --> 12:16.780
[SPEAKER_02]: and see what really lights you up and really excites you and maybe what, you know, you don't really love that anymore.
12:17.221 --> 12:27.807
[SPEAKER_02]: I think part of the creative process is trying new things and exploring different activities and it's okay if you don't love all of them and want to do them all forever.
12:28.287 --> 12:31.229
[SPEAKER_02]: That's just part of being creative and trying and experimenting.
12:31.309 --> 12:38.533
[SPEAKER_02]: So don't be afraid to say, I thought I would really love knitting, but it's just not for me, so I probably don't need to keep.
12:39.053 --> 12:43.877
[SPEAKER_02]: all that stuff, maybe I could just keep a few really key essentials if I want to pick it up again.
12:43.897 --> 13:05.234
[SPEAKER_02]: And then as you're looking at what to keep and what to get rid of, I think you should keep the supplies you love, the things you use often and you use regularly, the things that are still in good conditions still in usable condition, and then maybe look at supplies that you don't use very often, you don't love, you don't really enjoy that craft.
13:07.075 --> 13:09.959
[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe supplies that are unused that you've had for a long time.
13:10.019 --> 13:13.384
[SPEAKER_02]: That's a good sign that maybe you're just not into that anymore.
13:13.604 --> 13:22.736
[SPEAKER_02]: You can look to get rid of worn out or unusable supplies that if you're painter and you have tubes of paint that are dried out or just about dried out.
13:22.756 --> 13:24.378
[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe that would be something to get rid of.
13:25.119 --> 13:28.261
[SPEAKER_02]: And then another really good thing to look at is duplicate supplies.
13:28.441 --> 13:35.645
[SPEAKER_02]: If you have a huge stash, it can be really easy to forget you have things, or maybe you can't find them, so you buy something twice.
13:35.725 --> 13:49.454
[SPEAKER_02]: So if you have multiples of things, maybe keep your favorite or keep an appropriate amount and then be willing to let go of some of the extras, it's pretty important to remember as you're doing this to try to make like fast, ruthless decisions.
13:49.494 --> 13:51.235
[SPEAKER_02]: Don't overthink it, just trust your gut.
13:51.815 --> 14:15.997
[SPEAKER_02]: If you start, you know, we talked about like the what ifs, it can be really easy talk yourself into keeping just about anything so try to be fast listen to your gut feeling just keep the things you love let go of the things you don't don't over think it don't stress out and I also find it helpful to focus more on what I'm keeping then rid of so instead of thinking like oh I spent you know x amount of money on all this stuff and I'm just going to get rid of it think about.
14:16.537 --> 14:17.578
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, I'm getting rid of that.
14:17.618 --> 14:21.362
[SPEAKER_02]: But now I'm going to have room for like this fabric that I really love.
14:21.382 --> 14:22.783
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll be able to find what I need.
14:22.823 --> 14:23.784
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll have room to work.
14:23.824 --> 14:24.865
[SPEAKER_02]: It's going to be so fun.
14:25.366 --> 14:28.088
[SPEAKER_02]: Think about that more than dwelling on what you're getting rid of.
14:28.388 --> 14:33.694
[SPEAKER_02]: I also really find it helpful with craft supplies to give yourself space limits.
14:34.314 --> 14:37.677
[SPEAKER_02]: So decide, you know, I have this shelf and I want to have.
14:38.618 --> 14:39.659
[SPEAKER_02]: supplies on this shelf.
14:40.160 --> 14:42.703
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's based on it can just help you be a little more ruthless.
14:43.384 --> 14:48.930
[SPEAKER_02]: It can just give you a hard limit to help you decide what's really important and what's not so important.
14:49.330 --> 14:57.400
[SPEAKER_02]: And then with that, if you have supplies you haven't used yet or projects you haven't started, I think it's okay also to give yourself deadlines to do those things.
14:57.700 --> 15:02.945
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, because you might have the greatest of intentions and you really want to work on this project, but it just never happens.
15:02.965 --> 15:04.487
[SPEAKER_02]: So give yourself a deadline.
15:04.507 --> 15:08.711
[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe in six months, if you haven't used these supplies, maybe you can start to think,
15:18.482 --> 15:33.225
[SPEAKER_01]: This is all such wonderful advice and I think with my kids' crafts, it's really easy to go in and get rid of the things that are maybe the markers that are dried up or the paints that are dried up, but I like to store everything in one big bin.
15:33.245 --> 15:41.227
[SPEAKER_01]: I wouldn't say we craft a daily, but I like to have a few things on hand that, hey, we're going to get into this today, but all that to say.
15:41.767 --> 15:46.249
[SPEAKER_01]: We store it in one bin, and I just pull it out of the closet when need be.
15:46.369 --> 15:50.871
[SPEAKER_01]: But for other parents that are listening, some of them have craft rooms.
15:51.111 --> 15:56.073
[SPEAKER_01]: And if you're an adult that likes to craft, some people have sewing rooms or scrapbooking rooms.
15:56.333 --> 15:57.614
[SPEAKER_01]: So what are your suggestions?
15:58.517 --> 16:08.299
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I think having boundaries and space limits is so helpful, because otherwise it's just easy to feed into those what ifs and I might use that, we might need it.
16:08.820 --> 16:11.040
[SPEAKER_02]: So space limits are really helpful.
16:11.080 --> 16:17.182
[SPEAKER_02]: If you have, you know, whatever is it, if it's a tote bin or a shelf, like whatever you use, it's so helpful to do that.
16:17.682 --> 16:22.343
[SPEAKER_02]: I have also found, if crafting is something that's really important to you or your kids,
16:23.488 --> 16:29.072
[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe you can make space by getting rid of something that's less important to make room for that.
16:29.112 --> 16:37.477
[SPEAKER_02]: If that's something that you really enjoy, your kids really enjoy, it's worth maybe clearing out some other stuff you enjoy less to make room for that.
16:37.537 --> 16:40.339
[SPEAKER_02]: And just my own personal example, I love sewing.
16:40.919 --> 16:49.564
[SPEAKER_02]: So I am happy to keep my wardrobe really simplified and then use the extra space in my closet for my fabric and my sewing supplies because that's worth it to me.
16:49.604 --> 16:49.865
[SPEAKER_02]: That's
16:50.505 --> 16:53.928
[SPEAKER_02]: something that really brings me value at the same in our playroom.
16:53.948 --> 16:59.012
[SPEAKER_02]: We have like an art cart for the kids and they use that thing at so much use.
16:59.052 --> 17:00.814
[SPEAKER_02]: They're always crafting always making.
17:00.854 --> 17:03.596
[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm happy to have like a dedicated space.
17:03.636 --> 17:07.759
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm happy to maybe have fewer toys to make room for more art supplies.
17:08.842 --> 17:12.784
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think in terms of where to store on, we're really lucky in this house.
17:12.804 --> 17:18.888
[SPEAKER_02]: We have kind of a pretty much unfinished basement, which gives me space to keep this kind of stuff.
17:18.948 --> 17:25.572
[SPEAKER_02]: But it really depends on what your space is, where you're working, just what you're working with in general.
17:26.112 --> 17:34.558
[SPEAKER_02]: So I think instead of seeing someone else's example, or going on Pinterest and seeing these beautiful craft rooms, really spend some time thinking about what will work for you.
17:35.518 --> 17:51.123
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, it has be something you can maintain, something that's feasible for your space, um, even thinking about open storage where you can see all your supplies, maybe you're someone who needs to see everything or maybe that's really overwhelming for you and you'd rather have it all.
17:51.943 --> 17:53.044
[SPEAKER_02]: tucked away out of sight.
17:53.604 --> 17:59.188
[SPEAKER_02]: So just thinking about those kind of things, do you want, you know, you had mentioned you keep all your supplies in one big bin.
17:59.669 --> 18:08.215
[SPEAKER_02]: Does that work for you or would you rather have, you know, markers over here and paints over here and little bobs and bits and things like that in this bin?
18:08.235 --> 18:09.516
[SPEAKER_02]: They're just thinking what?
18:10.296 --> 18:23.615
[SPEAKER_02]: What is realistic for you to maintain and what kind of works in terms of how your mind works and how your house works and what you think is going to be something that you can use and enjoy and use the space you have.
18:24.799 --> 18:25.440
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
18:25.680 --> 18:27.362
[SPEAKER_01]: And I wanted to say a couple of things too.
18:27.402 --> 18:32.628
[SPEAKER_01]: We also do have a transportable little basket that I thrifted and it has little compartments in it.
18:32.708 --> 18:38.135
[SPEAKER_01]: So we have markers in there crayons, these little stamp markers colored pencils and some scissors.
18:38.195 --> 18:40.878
[SPEAKER_01]: So that is easier to just say, hey, we're going to grab this.
18:40.898 --> 18:44.242
[SPEAKER_01]: You want to color in your coloring books because that is something that does happen every day.
18:44.542 --> 18:45.243
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's maybe not.
18:45.543 --> 18:49.184
[SPEAKER_01]: We're not getting all the glue out and everything, but little basic things here and there.
18:49.344 --> 18:53.124
[SPEAKER_00]: I like to have the little thing that we can transport easily and especially because I drifted it.
18:53.144 --> 18:55.025
[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't have to spend a ton of money on it.
18:55.525 --> 19:04.306
[SPEAKER_01]: Also, that to say, you said, maybe my space is not going to look like the perfect Pinterest perfect craft room or art room.
19:04.947 --> 19:06.427
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm really glad that you said that.
19:06.447 --> 19:09.287
[SPEAKER_01]: And I want to tell people my space that I use.
19:13.348 --> 19:22.358
[SPEAKER_01]: it's actually colored on and it has paint dried on it and it first from that first start happening I would try and clean it up and get it back to its pristine element.
19:22.758 --> 19:28.644
[SPEAKER_01]: But now I find it so charming that the remnants of their arts is left there and
19:29.885 --> 19:47.562
[SPEAKER_01]: Just know that this is a season and it doesn't have to be perfect and that again, maybe that's not for everyone, but I told my husband, I'm like, I just love that this table is colored on and that we have little ones right now because one day we'll have a much nicer table and we're going to miss that they used to be here gathered around it coloring so I think that.
19:48.459 --> 20:07.207
[SPEAKER_01]: I guess maybe my note here is that if you're someone that doesn't craft a lot and you'd like to do it more, but you're someone of a control freak because I kind of in the control freak when it comes to keeping the mess at bay, but that's why I've just let the reins go and say, this is your space, this is where you're going to be, this is where you're going to color and that's okay because you're only going to be little for so long.
20:07.748 --> 20:14.891
[SPEAKER_01]: That has nothing to do with everything that you just said, but I just wanted to put that out there because I think it can be really overwhelming to know where to store and to keep
20:17.372 --> 20:29.102
[SPEAKER_02]: When it can be easy to end up spending a lot of money and, you know, stressing yourself out, like, in a perfect world, I mean, I would have our art cart with the markers in rainbow order and it would be so pretty.
20:29.563 --> 20:31.605
[SPEAKER_02]: But it's just not feasible from my kids.
20:31.645 --> 20:32.906
[SPEAKER_02]: It's not feasible for me.
20:33.827 --> 20:35.708
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just that's not how they craft.
20:35.768 --> 20:37.950
[SPEAKER_02]: So instead our art cart is just.
20:38.991 --> 20:40.514
[SPEAKER_02]: To me, it looks like a mask to them.
20:40.594 --> 20:43.418
[SPEAKER_02]: It looks like all of these creative opportunities.
20:43.498 --> 20:53.755
[SPEAKER_02]: So yeah, I totally agree that you kind of have to just let go of the Pinterest idea in your head and just embrace what creative creativity looks like in real life.
20:54.258 --> 21:10.570
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and I think that as they grow in their skills, their abilities and age that maybe I can get because I am I am definitely I'll admit I'm a control freak when it comes to keeping things organized and I do like to color organized I guess not way.
21:11.390 --> 21:19.677
[SPEAKER_01]: and have the googly eyes here, the feathers here, the pain's here, but that does, it's not the window right now with the 6, 3 and toddler.
21:19.897 --> 21:38.351
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think that as my kids all get to those 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, maybe it might be a little bit simpler, so again, maybe it won't, but I think that we have to just remember that we can take, we can loosen the reins, take the pressure off because I think that one of the reasons we feel so much pressure is I think we do compare it to those things that we're seeing and it
21:39.572 --> 21:44.215
[SPEAKER_01]: And so if it isn't, that's overwhelming because we're comparing it to this thing that actually doesn't exist.
21:44.715 --> 21:45.696
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if that makes sense.
21:45.976 --> 21:46.556
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, totally.
21:46.596 --> 21:48.297
[SPEAKER_02]: It's like a staged photo versus.
21:48.858 --> 21:52.140
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you know, my daughter is 10 now.
21:52.860 --> 21:54.241
[SPEAKER_02]: And there is hope.
21:54.301 --> 21:59.344
[SPEAKER_02]: Like now she has her whiteboard markers on his old chalkboard in rainbow order all lined up in a row.
22:00.073 --> 22:03.538
[SPEAKER_01]: I love it, but yeah, I mean, it's not always so chaotic.
22:03.578 --> 22:13.753
[SPEAKER_02]: Like at some point, they will figure out a system that works for them and it's not always like it is when they're little and just you kind of like you're surrounded and mess.
22:14.630 --> 22:18.151
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I just got my, I say three year old, he'll be for next week.
22:18.231 --> 22:22.513
[SPEAKER_01]: But I just got him to learn how to put the markerlets back on.
22:22.713 --> 22:26.114
[SPEAKER_01]: I can't tell you how many markers we've gone through because they just completely dry out.
22:26.214 --> 22:30.076
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm glad we're out of that season where the markerlets are kept off.
22:30.436 --> 22:36.298
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, my last question for you before we kind of wrap things up here is, is there such a thing as too much?
22:37.151 --> 22:57.078
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, I think too much of anything can kind of become overwhelming and stressful and especially with craft supplies when you have too much it goes from something you can use and enjoy to something that's in your way and bogging you down and it can even steal your creative energy you know it's hard to find but you're looking for it's hard to get them organized and
22:57.738 --> 23:13.921
[SPEAKER_02]: the more organized you might be buying duplicates because you can't find what you had or you can't you just forget you had it already you might not even have enough space to actually do your craft because the splizer just taking over and then even sometimes crafting just becomes frustrating you
23:14.802 --> 23:29.157
[SPEAKER_02]: You spend so much time looking for what you need and trying to clear space and you can't find what you need, you don't have enough room to work that it kind of takes the joy out of the craft because you don't even really have the room to do it anymore.
23:30.247 --> 23:34.768
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I think it's really key to find what feels like enough for you.
23:35.148 --> 23:36.509
[SPEAKER_02]: So this will be different for each of us.
23:36.569 --> 23:40.429
[SPEAKER_02]: Like what feels enough for me might be overwhelming to someone else and vice versa.
23:41.390 --> 23:50.432
[SPEAKER_02]: So really thinking about what feels like an aft and noticing if getting the craft supplies out starts to feel frustrating or stressful.
23:51.312 --> 23:57.638
[SPEAKER_02]: or like you don't even want to bother because it's such a hassle, like that might be a good sign that it's too much.
23:57.839 --> 24:05.086
[SPEAKER_02]: You just you need to simplify, come back to the basics a little bit more and just give yourself some breathing rooms so that you'll have a little more creative energy again.
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[SPEAKER_01]: All great advice.
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[SPEAKER_01]: This was so wonderful.
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[SPEAKER_01]: As is that blog post, which I'll make sure that I link in the show notes.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But where can listeners find you if they want to connect with you online?
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[SPEAKER_02]: you can find me on my blog.
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[SPEAKER_02]: It's simplelineheartlife.com.
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[SPEAKER_02]: You can find my own Instagram, simplelineheartlife again.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And I also have a Facebook group that's just it's such a wonderful community of people.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I'm so lucky to have all these wonderful women in the group and it's nice to be able to connect with other people as they're simplifying as your questions, get some advice.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm just that's another great place to connect with me.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Great.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Well, these are two kind of fast questions for you that I ask every guest.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And the first one is, what is something that is dear to you that you could never part ways with?
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[SPEAKER_01]: You could never minimize.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I think for me that would be our photo books.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I kind of do like a annual yearbook each year.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And for our family, we really try to prioritize experiences over things.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So we try to take lots of big and little adventures and going back to those photo books and just remembering all the fun.
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[SPEAKER_02]: We've had that's just so special to me.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And so those photo books are just, yeah, there's something I really value.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I can definitely relate to that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I feel like that is the first thing I would grab if there was a fire outside of my children.
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[SPEAKER_01]: If my children weren't home, I would grab my photo books.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I have to say I have my photo books backed up like three different, maybe a little excessively, but I know I get that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: All right, lastly, what is an area that you struggle to minimize and keep minimal in your home?
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[SPEAKER_02]: Well, this is kind of ironic since we were talking all about decluttering craft supplies, but for me, it's definitely the craft supplies.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I have journaling supplies and sewing supplies are my weaknesses and yeah, I have given myself space limits and thank goodness because it would be easy to get too much those space limits saved me and make sure.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I keep what feels like enough without being overwhelming.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So yeah, ironic that we're talking about this.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And that's my biggest weakness.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So yeah.
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[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Well, Melissa, this was so wonderful.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I think listeners are going to be really happy to hear what you have to say.
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[SPEAKER_01]: This was really informative.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I can't wait to honestly go back through my craft been and see if any of this is applicable.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Thank you for having me.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I was so happy that I could be here in Chad.
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[SPEAKER_02]: It was really fun.
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[SPEAKER_00]: What did you think of the episode?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Did you find Melissa's tips helpful?
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[SPEAKER_00]: I'll have a post on Instagram today where you can tell me all about it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I also invite you to keep the conversation going at minimalistmomspodcast.com.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There you'll find links to the Instagram account, Facebook page, and where you can find me all around the web.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Join me back here next week as we talk about getting kids involved in the kitchen.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for joining up on this journey.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I wish you a lovely week as you think more and do with less.
