Messy excess + the desire to create.

here is to hoping you find balance - :0)

I hear you! It's a continual struggle to balance the more and the less. I'm trying to lighten my load recently also.

Ali, I couldn't agree with you more. We went so far as to purge everything in our lives last summer. We sold our house and moved onto a 30' sailboat! Living in this small space with only our necessities, some toys (!), books and of course my craft supplies, has allowed my husband to work less, me to be a stay-aboard mom and us to spend more time as a family and travel more. What more could we want? :) Purging of excesses is a freeing experience. Not only does it declutter our lives, but it declutters our minds.
Angie

This has been very much in my mind, as well. I have had the incredibly FREEING experience in the past of flinging/purging excess possessions, and yet I still struggle with it all...
Here is what one woman is doing in an effort to be more aware, I thought this is a very intriguing experiment:
http://intent.squarespace.com/journal/2006/8/20/30-days-of-nothing.html
So much to think about... and act on... thanks for your post.

I am learning to embrace this facet of my personality, these emotional "seasons" in my life. In fact I have decided, to quote someone I admire, that "it is ok!". Sure I try to practice "responsible shopping", moderating myself a little by planning most purchases before I leave the house etc. But really the most valuable thing I feel I have gained from you, Cathy & Donna is the reminder, permission and inspiration to recognise and appreciate the things that make me happy. And honestly, colours, textures and miniature just about anythings make me happy. Besides, when I donate our excesses to goodwill I love the thought that it contributes to happy discoveries for others. So I figure I'm just helping the world go round. Peace out:)

I just blogged a few days ago about simple living. I found a few cool sites to help out. I know what you mean. Get rid of the clutter and you just feel better :)
hugs

I agree ... like Bono says "What you don't have you don't need it now" - so true! Happiness comes from the inside - not from stuff!

I just came across this quote from Dr. Wayne Dyer and I thought it was so on point on what your post today is all about that I felt compelled to share it with you: "The mantra of the ego is more. It's never satisfied. No matter how much you achieve or acquire, your ego will insist that it isn't enough. You'll find yourself in a perpetual state of striving, and eliminate the possibility of ever arriving. Yet in reality, you've already arrived, and how you choose to use this present moment of your life is your choice. Ironically, when you stop needing more, more of what you desire seems to arrive in your life. Since
you're detached from the need for it, you find it easier to pass it along to
others, because you realize how little you need in order to be satisfied and at peace."

I find that I am very cycle orientated when it comes to stuff. I obsess, I collect, I rationalize, and then I purge. It has taken me a couple of years to start to get the obsess and collect under control. In the process I have found that I actually spend more time in my home enjoying it. I am no where near my dream of picture perfect organization where everything has a home but I at least know how I want it to be and when things start to stack up its time to get rid of more stuff and find homes for the stuff I value. The hard part is the fact that we do have ideas of the life we want to lead and "things" that we see when we are out in the world fit into that picture and we buy. Our lives will become more like our ideal because this object or thing was part of how we pictured it. This is not necessarily a bad way of thinking as long as we take the time to remove other objects that don't give us the same enjoyment. It's hard to change our world on a global or personal perspective but it is always worth trying. Change will eventually come. Striving for balance is always a worthwhile endeavor, no matter how many times we have to attempt it. No attempt is ever truly futile.
Thank you for sharing your life and feelings every day.

I am so with you on this!
I just went through all of Evan's clothes from last winter to give away to friends.
Going through all his toys and am so frustrated at all the things he NEVER plays with. A total waste of money.
He's happy with his race cars and art supplies.
Purged scrapbook supplies to RAK to friends. And some of this stuff is new.
I'm doing better though. I ask myself "Do I really need this?" more often for those impulse purchases. Have bought alot less scrap stuff lately. So I am getting there :)

we have traveled (and still travel) so much that this epidemic and feeling plagues us often. it is really apparent to us since we have never really left the european culture in over 3 years. the need to recycle, re-invent, and re-use is HUGE in our lives to the point that it even makes us a bit uncomfortable when in the states...it's sad...now we've been struck by an 'in-between' mentality that separates us even farther from our homeland. if you ever need to talk or vent, i'm al ears, ali. it's very difficult to meld the new with the old. it's refreshing, but hard at the same time. i'm always here if you need advice or a conflicted shoulder to cry on. all my best ~jan

I have been in that mode since Kiwi Scraps too.
Weird thing is that... I bought a bookshelf and a buffet to tidy the excess. To get my scrap room in order.
Then I lay awake last night thinking... there is always SO MUCH TO DO. Clean a draw every night and it would still take me a month to have everything "purged"... and I am a tidy person. My house is even a little OCD clean. So I dont know where this need for consuming and yet so wanting to minimilise comes from.
Its a bloody good question.
Bx

I am so there with you.
I have let go of a lot, and yet, *just last night*, found myself in the middle of a pile of what you call excess. I want to get rid of about 50% of my stuff...
and I have no clue where to start. I bought it all because I liked it. Because it was pretty, and I thought I would use it.
AAAHHH!
Oh well, at least I know I am not alone.

Ali girl I so know what you mean.
Awesome post today... you always amaze me with your words.

I spent my day the same way. Packed up five boxes of stuff I don't need anymore.
If I lived closer, I'd totally volunteer to organize your studio!

Ali,
I could have written your words - exactly...when you figure it out, please share!
(((hugs)))
Mary

yes we live in exess. i always ask myself is it a need or a want !??
i find it good when i purge the house of stuff we haven't used for a while, it feels so good does'nt it.
Mimi

...there is comfort in having "things"...they make us feel happy, feel rich, feel rewarded...that is what stuff is all about. And it is so easy to let it get out of control. Clutter overwhelms me...it is suffocating. I find if I continually sort...a drawer, a chest, a box, a desktop, I keep up with it. And, I am much better at saying 'no' or tossing/donating stuff now then I was in the past...as you get older you realize what has the real value. It is good to know that others can use the stuff we outgrow...Diane

Ah geez. I totally understand this, yet I'm compelled to buy the latest thing...continually. Thanks for these words!

Ali,
I was so moved by your "100 Things That Make Me Happy" layout in CK that I started my own list to make a layout to add to my "A Week in the Life" album. You know what? Very few of the things are things that I buy. Since making my list I am also purging, keeping in mind what truly makes me happy. Thanks for the inspiration.