Every once in a while... a mood strikes... and right now I'm in the mood to... PURGE. Meaning I hate clutter. Things that I don't use, don't like any more, STUFF... I want it GONE!
Right now it's our "office" that is the unfortunate target. It has long been (well ever since we've lived here), the catch-all room, where all our STUFF went that didn't have a home. Well. No. More. If it doesn't have a home, and isn't something we need, well, it's gone.
Sometimes this is a problem... Here's my problem.
I love sending and receiving cards. Especially from my hubby:) So between the 2 of us we have lots of cards from waaaayyyy back, birthday cards from my 1st birthday, special cards from family and friends that I just couldn't throw away. Cards from our wedding and shower. And now cards from when Evan was born. The pile is only going to get bigger from here. Hopefully as more children are added to our family, then there will be birthdays, graduations... The list just goes on!
So here's the thing. WHAT CAN I DO WITH THEM!?!? Besides keeping them in a worn out old shoebox that only takes up SPACE. Which is something we DO. NOT. HAVE. in this house.
Should I create some sort of a scrapbook? Make something with them? But how can I preserve the sentiments written inside if I make something out of them???? AAAHHH!!! Stuff like this almost drives me crazy.
I hate clutter so much that stuff that only sits around in boxes must GO. But stuff like this I don't want to part with, but it takes up such precious space!
On another note, I have the same question for something completely different. Magazines. How do you keep the ones that are inspiring, like as in ideas that I want to keep in mind for decorating, crafting, organizing, etc. I hate to keep the entire magazine around because, well, they take up SPACE. And also because who has time to sit around and hunt through a pile of magazines to find a particular idea? So any ideas as to how I can handle this problem as well?
I would soooo greatly appreciate any suggestions you all have for my dilemmas:)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Something I did with a cooking magazine, is take out the pages with recipes etc. that I wanted to save. I then put them in a three ring binder (in page protectors),then I could throw out the magazine. As for old cards, no great ideas. I try to weed out, but like you said, there are some you want to keep!
ReplyDeleteI had the same problem with magazines! So I started tearing out the pages of stuff I wanted to keep and then put them in file folders for each category (decor ideas, plants and gardening, recipes, ect.). It's worked well for me so far! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteClaretta
Oh my goodness, you sound just like me! Clutter just drives me crazy! I don't know what to do with the cards...I have been keeping the girls cards in file folders for them for when they are older(as my mom did for me). Just the really special ones though. My mom sends money in the girls cards for every holiday and I just leave the money in them and when the girls are older they will go through all the cards and find the money. I think that will be fun for them. As for magazines, I file away articles I like(and then never look at them again). ...I must go declutter something...
ReplyDeleteWith the magazines, I was going to suggest what Brenda already did. That's how I organize my favorite recipes.
ReplyDeleteThe best idea I can come up with for the cards is to find attractive boxes to store them in, according to dates or people who gave them to you. Perhaps, labeling them creatively with handmade tags or labels so they're beautiful to look at while they're stored....I hope you find a solution that feels inspiring and creative for you!
You are just like me! :) I drive my husband nuts and before he asks where something is he usually asks if I already tossed it. For magazines: I quit keeping most of them at all because you can usually find the article pretty easy on the internet anymore. I do keep recipes in a 3 ring binder. I also have a "decorating" file so I still tear pages out that I like and put them in that file. And, of course, I occasionally purge the file. And my recipes!
ReplyDeleteFor cards, I found white photo boxes at the Flower Factory. Any craft store or Wal-Mart might have something similar. They are meant to be decorated but I like white and simple so I left them that way. Each family member has their own box and I do occasionally purge those too. Have fun!