Day 29 - Concert T-shirt

I did actually go to this concert and even got a t-shirt. I must be very picky about my t-shirts though since this one feels bulky and a little snug in the neckline. Living in a hot and humid climate makes it hard to want to wear it! Fortunately I have some great digital memories from the concert to hold on to.

Sometimes you just get what you need...

I really do believe the world works in mysterious ways. I took a big bag of stuff to a charity the other day, but I didn't feel good about it like I normally do. The more I thought about it, the more it came to me why that was the case. You see, my process is like an onion or a series of concentric circles.
Getting past the first layers were easy, in fact, I do them everyday with junk mail. The next couple layers were increasingly more difficult. "I have the space to keep lots of items and it even looks aesthetically appealing." That is the old me. To dig deeper is so hard because I am shedding the mid layer of non-essentials, but these are items that weren't cheap! My inner cheapskate was now in a struggle with my inner minimalist (for lack of a better word). It was a bloody mental battle!!! I then realized that my bedroom is the staging area for the accumulation and processing of this stuff I had been sitting on the fence about. I missed my clear physical space and I missed my clear mental space. So I bagged up 99% of this "potentially valuable" stuff and donated it. I felt sick to my stomach.
In a wonderful stroke of serendipity though, Zen Habits had just the blog entry I was needing to read today. I feel better about the big purge already. What's funny is that I would give the same advice to someone else, anytime and anywhere! Sometimes we just need to hear it from someone different than ourselves when it is our own onion we are peeling.

Day 28 - Spiral Candles

These were purchased from a candle chain that was going out of business. I know I have come a long way over the years because I used to buy things just because they were cheap and cool looking, not because I had an actual need. Hanging out at the mall is no longer fun for me. The act of going to the mall makes me more anxious than anything these days. It reminds me of the deeply unfulfilled life that I once had. Shopping was the only bandage that seemed effective at the time. Things are different now and I am immensely grateful for that!

Day 27 - Postage Stamp Pins

I think I might have already mentioned that a stamp collection was started for me when I was a child. Well it didn't include only actual stamps! I had puzzles, necklaces, books and these stamp pins to go along with my stamps. I never wore these and would never in the future (maybe because of my hatred of the USPS). So bon voyage stamp pins, I hope someone loves you out there.

Day 26 - Over-The-Door Hooks

These were totally a "just in case" item. I prefer not to have anything hanging on the backs of my doors, although I do from time to time. By not having these, hopefully it won't bring anymore encouragement! I believe this was a principle I read about in Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui by Karen Kingston which is a really good book for those of you who haven't read it.

Day 25 - Photography Supplies

Ever take a class that changes your life? Photography was life changing for me! This wasn't the easy kind where one would snap a digital picture and Photoshop it to perfection! This class was very difficult because there was so much attention to detail (that is even one of my strengths). I learned how to cut and roll my own film in bulk. I painstakingly had to load it on to a spool to put in the developing canister and then go through the entire chemical process of developing it. After that comes using an enlarger to print your pictures... by hand! It is extremely tedious and time consuming, but perhaps something you can only truly appreciate if you have done it all the hard way. I feel incredibly grateful when I see photographic work now that is done in the traditional process because that person put in so much hard work in creating it.

With that said, I was very fortunate to attend a school that had a well stocked photography department. To recreate even a small lab would be quite an investment. I purchased the materials in the picture for class and this was some of what was leftover. I decided to donate it to the school that I went to. Hopefully these tools can help change someone else's life too.

Day 24 - Craft Supplies

My rollaway craft cabinet has seen quite a bit of decluttering lately! This collection included acrylic pants, blank cards, ribbon, foam stamps, lots of scrapbook paper and other odds & ends. I know an art teacher and so I gave these supplies to him so that the kids in his class could make good use out of it. It was great timing too since the school year is about to begin again. I held on to the two actual scrapbooks that are pictured since they wouldn't need them for art class. They are going to either be given away or sold. It was one heavy box by the time it was full! That is at least 20lbs. of stuff that is gone!