stash busting - I will use my mountains b4 buying more!

loopychriss

Happy New Year to everyone.... have been babysitting, just got home and am wide awake....

Thank you Susan and Toonie, mum and dad are both vastly improved today, although still being kept in hospital for a few more days. So I'm not likely to get any serious crafting/stash busting done for at least a week. One of my New Year Resolutions is that I'm going to work on at least one thing on my list every day, even if only for an hour. That will inspire me to do more when I can, and slowly reduce my stash.

There are times when I've been tempted just to give it all away, indeed I've had many such decluttering sessions where I have given craft stuff away, but I just cannot part with all my fabric, I love it too much!!! Well, if I didn't, I wouldn't have bought it in the first place, would I!!!!

So, starting today (1st January) I will be updating my list daily and reporting on progress. (Well, that's the plan at any rate). I will beat this stash in 2014!!!

heather2409

Happy New Year all. Hoping this thread will keep me motivated to use up my stash which seems to have spread to all rooms in the house except the bathroom! OH taking early retirement at end of January,so much reduced income. We already run a small business selling his wildlife photography and I split our regular market stall selling his stuff and odds and ends of my hand made stuff (mainly cards and small sewn items). Plan is to make at least 500 items by December 2014 (and hopefully sell many of them!) Good Luck everyone

craftingmad

loopychriss wrote: »

Happy New Year to everyone.... have been babysitting, just got home and am wide awake....

Thank you Susan and Toonie, mum and dad are both vastly improved today, although still being kept in hospital for a few more days. So I'm not likely to get any serious crafting/stash busting done for at least a week. One of my New Year Resolutions is that I'm going to work on at least one thing on my list every day, even if only for an hour. That will inspire me to do more when I can, and slowly reduce my stash.

There are times when I've been tempted just to give it all away, indeed I've had many such decluttering sessions where I have given craft stuff away, but I just cannot part with all my fabric, I love it too much!!! Well, if I didn't, I wouldn't have bought it in the first place, would I!!!!

So, starting today (1st January) I will be updating my list daily and reporting on progress. (Well, that's the plan at any rate). I will beat this stash in 2014!!!

Happy New Year to you too - glad your Mum and Dad are on the mend.


Sounds like a brilliant resolution to me. I'm looking forward to your updates. I need all the motivation I can get xx

craftingmad

heather2409 wrote: »

Happy New Year all. Hoping this thread will keep me motivated to use up my stash which seems to have spread to all rooms in the house except the bathroom! OH taking early retirement at end of January,so much reduced income. We already run a small business selling his wildlife photography and I split our regular market stall selling his stuff and odds and ends of my hand made stuff (mainly cards and small sewn items). Plan is to make at least 500 items by December 2014 (and hopefully sell many of them!) Good Luck everyone

Welcome heather and good luck on your stash busting quest


I have already noticed the difference in the extra money left at the end of the month after starting this challenge so hopefully it will also work for you with your changed circumstances.


Good luck with the craft business makes and don't forget we all want to see your wonderful creations - they sound lovely

BMG

My craft room is in such a mess, I don't know where to start. I don't use most of the things in there so I am wondering if to just empty all the surfaces into a box and go through them and if I can't give a yes keep or no bin decision straightaway then I obviously don't need it. Hopefully this will get me back on an even keel. I have started so many different craft hobbies that I no longer do.


My plan for this year is NO MORE SPENDING ON CRAFT ITEMS (excluding glue/double sided tape) FOR 6 MONTHS

loopychriss

craftingmad wrote: »

Happy New Year to you too - glad your Mum and Dad are on the mend.


Sounds like a brilliant resolution to me. I'm looking forward to your updates. I need all the motivation I can get xx

Thanks craftingmad xxx

Today's achievements are........ made 1 mini bag towards a Christmas advent calendar..... and stuck a load more buttons onto a picture frame. Not a lot, but didn't take long and I feel I've achieved something if I can just tick one thing off the list.

Good luck to everyone else... I think the way to tackle it is one bite at a time. My stash looks overwhelming when I look at it all together, so I don't!!! Just get the one thing out that I'm working on and ignore the rest!

Now.... what shall I do next!!!

suzeesu2000

Happy new Year fellow groupies

1. Finish lighthouses
2. Paint/dye glass jars and bottles, decorate
3. Make letters for wall – made, painted with first coat, 1 to go
4. Make three new lampshades using thread and/or doilies
5. Make paper flowers
6. Make new patchwork skirt
7. Dye tea towels
8. Bleach & dye hand towels
9. Make magnetic coupon holder for fridge door - got magnate!
10. Gloss spray covered plant pots
11. Decorate soap pump dispenser and gloss spray
12. Make candles
13. Decorate a guitar to hang on bedroom wall

I just do not seem to have enough hours in the day!
Have decided that this year I have GOT to keep on top of things. Have just ordered some new filling boxes for home files and now have to sort all our paperwork properly into date order. Been a bit slap-dash of late.:o This will free up a 32ltr storage box for other things.
Also still decluttering from last year - I really do not know where it all comes from. I am struggling a bit.
Main issue I have is that my house is very modern and open plan so we have zero storage space - no cupboards or hiddy holes. Seriously, who designs these houses!?!:mad:

memo to self: Keep away from Pinterest...its addictive and i keep seeing stuff I want to make ; my list will be endless:rotfl:

craftingmad

BMG wrote: »

My craft room is in such a mess, I don't know where to start. I don't use most of the things in there so I am wondering if to just empty all the surfaces into a box and go through them and if I can't give a yes keep or no bin decision straightaway then I obviously don't need it. Hopefully this will get me back on an even keel. I have started so many different craft hobbies that I no longer do.


My plan for this year is NO MORE SPENDING ON CRAFT ITEMS (excluding glue/double sided tape) FOR 6 MONTHS

Hello and welcome BMG


If it's any help when I tidied my craft room about six months ago (you would not know it now as I have bought so much more stuff again that the piles have reappeared and it is full to bursting!!!) I took everything out the room and put like with like in its own cardboard box i.e. papers, stamps, ribbon, stickers, cards etc. I then took on each box in turn (and there were a lot of boxes) and sorted through each one putting the things into five piles.


Pile 1 was the stash I knew I wanted to keep because I still loved it, wanted to use it and was fairly new stash so these went straight back into my craft room in an organised fashion.


The second pile was items I no longer wanted or needed and I could sell on Ebay, facebook, craft fairs etc (by sorting like for like as mentioned above I found that I had duplicates of lots of things like stamps, dies etc).


Pile no 3 was for stuff which I could donate (I donated lots of bits to my kids school for art and craft projects). I got a full box full of little bits and bobs which were no longer any use for me but the kids at the school loved.


Pile 4 was the bin pile (this actually went straight into a black bin bag and then was put straight into the bin as soon as I had finished my tidying session). This prevented me from changing my mind and putting back all the things which I knew were no good any more (such as stickers which no longer stuck because they were so old, scrunched up or torn paper, little tiny scraps which although pretty were just too tiny to use etc - I'm sure as crafters you get the picture


And then pile 5 was a "use it or lose it pile". In this pile I put things that I still loved but that I had purchased ages ago and never used or used some but left the rest. These items I put back into a small clear box at the side of desk in easy reach and told myself that if they were not used in 3 months then they would be donated, sold or binned. It worked for me as in this pile were some beautiful bits which I had been saving for that "special project". I had bought them because I loved them but the truth was I never looked at them and enjoyed their beauty because they were always buried under piles of stash. I am glad to say that the threat of losing such beautiful bits inspired me and gave me a kick up the *** to actually go ahead and use them.


I actually have some of the projects I used them on sitting in my study to remind me that there is no such thing as "a special project".


And one last thing - if you saw the state of my craft room (actually my whole house) at the minute, you really would not feel that you had that much of a challenge ahead - trust me.


Remember we all craft because we enjoy it so do what works for you and just keep enjoying it.


I have found that this challenge is really helping me to focus my mind and get back to creating things using my already "enormous stash". I hope it can do the same for you

craftingmad

suzeesu2000 wrote: »

I just do not seem to have enough hours in the day! Me neither!!!
I really do not know where it all comes from. I am struggling a bit. Me too xx
we have zero storage space - no cupboards or hiddy holes. Seriously, who designs these houses!?!:mad: It's got to be a non-crafter as our house has no storage either

memo to self: Keep away from Pinterest...its addictive and i keep seeing stuff I want to make ; my list will be endless:rotfl:I LOVE Pinterest too - I even searched stash busting projects yesterday and wasted a good hour or two pinning items to my "want to make" board

I am so glad it's not just me


Good luck with your decluttering - if you get it done can you come and help me please

craftingmad

Went to do some crafting yesterday and had a power cut!!!!


Got 6 cards made today though (well actually the kids made two each but it was using my stash so counting them in my total:)


Total for 2014 = 6 / 2014