I’m weary of swords and courts and kings. Let us go into the garden. 🌸 Mary Johnston🌸 Chair dance anyone? Oui! ☺️ MUSICA
I ask myself the same question every day when I get up, “How do I move myself forward today?” It’s a great question, it gets me moving . . . because, I have places to go and people to see, and I need to work diligently in the direction of my dreams. Or I’m not happy. Even my tiniest steps forward add up!
For several years now, I’ve been on a mission, to learn more about the writing process, to see if I could figure out how to write my memoir books, to figure out how to get them 
published, and then to get it done. And while I did it, many other things in my life went onto the back burner. I was busy! And, one thing I wasn’t doing was deep cleaning, no good old-fashioned organization, or home care for my darling dear house that deserves better. But it got me for a mom, and 
therein lies the problem. As you are about to see. I can’t believe I am going to show such terrible photos. Normally I clean up before I take the pictures. It’s probably the worst I’ve ever seen it, mainly because we were hardly home last year, and when we got back, I began to “drop off” stuff in my studio, move it out of my view “until I had time to clean it.” I’m thinking someone else out there may experience this problem, so I thought I would do some before and after photos and talk about Spring Cleaning and how to de-clutter, lighten up, and simplify your life.💞 Shield your eyes, here we go . . .
The question is: Who’s in charge here? It was a daunting project to begin. I almost didn’t know where to start, every cupboard and drawer in our house is stuffed to the gills. But as 
time goes on, I’m becoming quite cutthroat about it. I choose emptiness. I took pictures of some of the harder things to get rid of. Now I own the memories associated with them forever! The bookshelves are full of books, some of which have been there since we moved into the house in 1989, any new books since then have had to find another place to go ~ I keep inserting tiny bookshelves in corners of the house, packing it all in even further, and now the only place left is the floor. But the floor is already almost totally covered with projects and boxes of who knows what, it’s layered. You could do a dig here, like James Michener’s The Source.
I began to empty the shelves and take most of the books to the living room, where I’m packing them to give to the second-hand bookstore on the Island. Not all of them of course. I kept the good ones! But not too many. I want empty shelves. I want empty shelves so bad. Room for new thoughts, new ideas! Room to breathe.
Because I can no longer live like this. I think it’s stealing my energy just having to look at it. There are three stacks of original art in plastic pages on the floor under the shelves! I don’t recognize the rest of it, it’s too much of a jumble. Stacks of books, stacks of papers, crowded Beatrix Potter people. I had to design cups on top of the mess in order to get them done in time. Doing a Willard in this mess would be impossible!
All so wrong. That door to the front hall has been blocked closed for maybe three years (It was way worse than this, I’d already moved most of the stuff!). And as I begin to move through it, I ask myself, do I need this, is it adding value to my life, and if the answer is no, then I say bye-bye! I want smooth surfaces, table tops especially. I’ve been getting happier and happier every day, and lighter and lighter, and basically, I’m downright giddy now! Waking up singing! The unbearable lightness of being!
It doesn’t look like this anymore. And as I’ve done it, shelf by shelf, going through everything piece by piece, file by file, box by box, I found interesting things I’d forgotten all about . . . and realized I was engaged in a form of treasure hunt.
I washed each shelf which had not seen the light of day since 1989. Basically the answer to how to do this, is one shelf at a time.
Yard by yard, it’s very hard, but inch by inch, it’s a cinch.
See the cupboards underneath? Same thing, one at a time. And that mess on the 
worktable? That BIG pile on the left is recipes, ideas, and quotes for my Tea Book which I’ve been adding to and saving for years, with no place to put it. It’s not there anymore. Now it’s organized, and my Tea Book project has one of those clean empty shelves all for itself!
And, I think, in my most maniacal of moments, now I have room ~ I can go antiquing again! 😜
Here’s one of the treasures I found, this card was in a recipe box I did for my mom around 1979. I forgot all about it, I don’t think I’ve seen it since then.
I’d brought home my mom’s recipe file from California, and inside were handwritten recipes and letters, from my mom, my grandma, and my great grandma. I also had recipes from my dad and my sisters . . .
And this detailed letter to my mom from my grandfather Willard’s mother, my mom’s “Gram,” and my great grandmother . . . her typing strokes are indented in the soft blue paper ~ Sioux City, Iowa is written at the top ~ and she is writing my mom in California about the only news that ever really matters to our lives. Turn off the TV, and this is what there is, the real stuff of life. 💌
This is the rest of the box I did for my mom . . . so I put all the recipes from everyone else in it . . . and a card explaining who is who, for the future people who will someday find it, maybe my brother’s and sister’s children, or who knows. Maybe some rescuing type of person in a second-hand store. But I have a picture of it now, so it’s mine forever, and the box will be saved in a special family file box.
Then I began on the file cabinet, pulled out each file, went through it, threw out tons of useless paperwork, then rearranged and put back what mattered. This de-cluttering adventure is a long-term project, but I would rather do it now when I choose to, than later, when I have to! Right now I just want to! Not all of it is memories, some of it is just stuff I don’t need. I’m recycling, donating, and throwing out. I already cleaned the kitchen and emptied the sideboard in the dining room, and got rid of 
half of it, and after I get this room done, I go upstairs! That’s also when I will get to start seriously painting four hours a day. As soon as the studio is clean and I feel the spaciousness of it, I’ll dip my brush in water, and hear the ringing sound as it hits the side of the dish and put my first color on the paper, early one morning, in the quiet, with my tea and my cat. I don’t think I’ll get the whole house done until sometime around August. I go as slow as I want. I go to the garden, I stare at the dogwood tree in bloom. Joe and I go to the nursery. I’m planning a tea party. I shoot hair bands for my kitty. I talk on the phone to Siobhan and Rachel in England. I design cups. I brake for John’s Fish Market chocolate shakes! But all while I’m lightening my life, and indulging in the treasure hunt and the joy of memory.
Luv-lee letters like this get photographed, and put into a “children’s letters” file. I’ve looked up names on some of the old letters ~ and amazingly found and followed them on Instagram (@susanbranchauthor)! Sometimes I don’t like the Internet, and sometimes, I love it!
And now, I have all my ideas for books in one place, in files, and NOT, as was before, in piles on the floor. Every day I feel better, I feel more and more inspired about what will come next . . . and think of the words I heard on some TV show, ” I tremble on the brink of life’s next great adventure.” But I can’t get there until I am out from under the weight of this stuffed house!
I’ve consolidated, whittled down, and distilled . . . honestly, so much of it just didn’t belong here anymore. I saved a few old things, like products I’ve made . . . put them into boxes, labeled them, and up the attic they go, saved for posterity. A very little bit of it. Stuff I hope that someday someone else will want. But if they don’t, at least it’s consolidated. I’m doing this thing just like I redecorate. Taking everything off the shelves out of the cupboards, washing and cleaning them, and putting back only what I can’t live without, and getting rid of the rest.
I had to keep a little bit of this! Just in cases.
And this too!
And of course the piles of original artwork . . .
All organized and stacked on those empty shelves where I can access them. Most of my original art is in an old bank safe in California. Each book I’ve written is totally intact, all the original pages are there, and each book is in its own acid-free box. 
Look at that. I’m making white space . . . ahhh, emptiness . . .
A finished person is a boring person. 💙Anna Quindlen
Don’t worry, I’m not the minimalist type, for me that would be going too far. And I’m not done. Only about half way right now . . . but I can see the trees in the forest! I thought you might like to see some of the treasures I found:
First off, this. The box of everything, all the photos, all the memorabilia, the diary pages, even some souvenirs, everything from the trip we took in 2001 with our nieces Heidi and Holly, to London, Paris, and Bath (where we first discovered the English Countryside) . . . our theme music from that trip was Dusty Springfield from the British Invasion cassette we had in the car . . . we sang as we traveled hill and dale . . . we still sing it. Joe sang it too . . .🎵 I don’t know WHAT to do with my self . . .🎵
Here we are boarding the ship in New York. In this photo, Heidi, on the left, is 11, my 
brother Brad’s daughter, who grew up in Colorado. On the right is Holly, she’s 12, she belongs to my sister Mary and grew up in California. The cousins had met only once before we took them away across the wide ocean for six wonderful weeks. We’d been planning it since they were six. It was the very best time I ever had. They were wonderful and funny and smart! The box with everything from this trip was on a high shelf here in my studio and hadn’t seen the light of day in years. I still have to go through it, and someday, when I get the photos scanned, I’ll do a post about that magical trip.
Something else, a note from my dad. Writing me about the correct way to drink tea.💞 Now it’s in my mom’s recipe box.
And this painting my dad did of his beloved dog, Chief.
And my mom’s jacks and balls. Which I labeled and saved.
And I found this photo of me and my brother Jim with my cute mom and dad, which I don’t remember seeing before, something else to put in her recipe box. Too bad about the over-exposure, but still . . . look how their arms lean into each other. They are in it together. And there’s a picket fence back there! I must have seen it and fell in love!
And this book was in the pile. I still remember the night I met Julia and how much it meant to me.
Deep in the files was this little notebook I used when writing my first book with all kinds of little reminders, quotes and notations, and even grocery lists. The address of Little Brown, and Random House. Lots of dreams tied up in this messy little book.
And I found the hollyhock seeds sent to me by Nicoline, one of our girlfriends from Holland, over a year ago! But I wasn’t here to plant them last spring, and we also went away in the fall, so they didn’t get planted then either ~ I decided to see if they would sprout, and look, they did!
Kind of a miracle . . .
You might remember Nicoline from our picnic in England! She and her husband came from Holland and she brought her own Petey doll to show me!
And now her hollyhocks are planted in my garden . . . I get so many plants from my girlfriends, I call my garden a friendship garden!
This was what it looked like outside this morning, the wisteria has begun to bloom, Lowely’s bluebells are blooming too, at the far corner of the picket fence!
I bring the blooming things in for the little shelf over my kitchen sink . . .
And took a photo of the inside of the little bells of Lily of the Valley . . .
And, you may ask, what has Joe been doing all this time! Oh, we are a team! He has been doing to the yard, what I have been doing to my studio. He’s been thatching, raking, mulching, top dressing, seeding and watering. Men ask, “What do women want?” But they should know . . . This is every woman’s aphrodisiac, someone to build a life with.💞 When we stand next together, our arms press together.
💛💛💛
You can hear Jack meowing! I love it when he talks in a video, not easy to get him to do it!
I heard the ferry boat whistle just now like a long musical note. 🎵 Sometimes I forget where I am, how close the sea is, until I hear the boat whistle!
And as so many of you know, the Studio has been busy too . . . sending out your new English bone china cups . . . 💞
And these are the people who’ve been making that happen. Alfredo, Sheri and Kellee at the Studio. Couldn’t do it without these wonderful people! Monday is Kellee’s birthday!
And I got mine!! Just as excited as everyone else!
I’m very proud of them. It’s hard finding really beautiful things, and then being able to afford to get them made, especially in foreign countries! Now we are importers! We talk palettes, air freight, and customs! TMI for sure!
It’s been a lot of fun on Twitter, so many Girlfriends have written and sent photos, saying, “Got mine!” Marcia (@msmrph) sent this darling photo of herself and her best friend Julie captioned “Tea for two Besties!” Makes my day! Our cup club is not very big, but it’s very wonderful!
We’re working to make your Christmas especially easy this year. I know it’s a long time until then, but in order to get things made in time, we have to start now… we love planning surprises. Especially for you. Like our dream charms. So many of you have asked us to bring them back, so we did. 💞 Here they are! I think they’ll be in our web store the first couple of weeks of June.
We reordered three of our most popular charms . . . Autumn (in that first photo), A Fine Romance (see the hedgerows?👍),
and the ever-popular “Be an Elf,” all with small gift cards . . .
And in the midst of cleaning the Studio, sort of on top of the layers, I did manage to finish designing the bottoms, the handles, and the backs of the new mugs, and sent them off to England where the process of manufacturing has already begun. They are supposed to be here by August! We’re taking no chances they would be late for Christmas, and we need that Autumn cup first! And, yes, they are in the web store for Presale right now! I know it’s hard to think Christmas, but please try, because, like with the last ones, when these are gone, they are gone. You’ll be glad when December comes and you don’t have to go Christmas shopping! ❤️ Here they are:
Santa Claus is coming to town! In 16 ounces of fine bone China from “the Potteries” in Staffordshire, England! And, yes, they are all dishwasher and microwave safe!
This is the back . . . (only a mockup, made from paper in these photos, will look a lot better in real life!)
I did a construction-paper chain for the handle. Oh by gosh by golly!
And we have a 16-ounce Bluebird of Happiness. Which is going to look really good in my new blue kitchen! 💙
Here’s the back. It’s trying to be whimsical!
And the handle. I think it’s adorable. But still, only paper!
And my Autumn cup is a little bit smaller, 11 ounces, because you asked! I’ll do one for every season, all this same size. The only difference between this design and the real life one to come, the handle is actually going to be on the other side . . . This quote will actually be on the “front” of the cup. . .
And this will be the back ~ the handle will be on the other side from what you see here, and the squirrel will be on the left facing the other way . . . I decided I liked it better like that. Decisions, decisions.
The handle. 🍂 Signifies abundance.🍁
And now, my Martha’s Vineyard, Isle of Dreams 16-ounce cup. You drink from it, and I hear, could be a rumor, but I think not, your dreams will come true. ⚡️
It’s a short trip to the Island, via cup. 🛳
And here’s the handle. 💙
Be sure to read the small print on the ordering page, it explains lots of things, like what we are doing, and why, when we retire each of the cups . . . too long for the blog, but extra reading while ordering and good clarification! Hope you like them!
Now, last but definitely not least, Jack. He has taught me a couple of new tricks. You know 
how cats jump up to rub on your leg? Well, he gets on the table and rubs (sort of butts) my forehead, and now I softly butt him back, and we have a meeting of the minds. He puts his head near mine and wants me to do it. We are blood cat brothers. He also LOVES the running water in the bathroom . . . we go there to play . . . he is rather calm in this video, because I have the camera and he knows it, but usually he makes me turn the water on and off really fast, he bites it and grabs it and sometimes he comes out of there wet! It’s his secret life. Joe doesn’t even know about this. How do I explain that I’m being trained by the cat?!
💙💙
And one more thing, I have a surprise for you . . . I thought we’d give away one of these new cups! If you already have yours, it’s okay, you’ll have a best-friend gift all ready to go!
And whoever our lucky winner is will get their choice of which one! In Love with Nature on the left, Little Things in the middle, or Love on the right. All you have to do is leave a comment! And in a week or so, we’ll get Vanna back from Bali (I think that’s where she is ~ she’s hard to keep up with!) to pull the winning name. And I hope it’s YOU! 🌸
Bye for now Girlfriends, have a wonderful day! Love and ❌’s, Me.
Oops! P.S. Almost forgot to say, in case anyone will be around, I’ll be signing books and visiting at Titcomb’s Book Shop on Wednesday, June 7, from 1 to 3pm … joining this wonderful, independent, family-owned bookstore in celebration of their 50th Anniversary! Please come by and say hello if you can! It’s on Cape Cod in East Sandwich, click above for details. There will be cupcakes, and you don’t need a ticket to come! 😘
Oh! You brave, dear darling you! I think you have just saved me with this today, for you’ve been so honest and now I don’t feel nearly so bad about my own “state of affairs” with overcrowded rooms, and I actually feel inspired and motivated to follow suit! I hope I’ll find long lost treasures of my own, and I will be happy knowing that someone else is benefiting from things that have long passed their usefulness to me, and even from the money raised that the Charidee Shop will pass on to the cause!
Of course, it will be hardest of all sorting out books though ~~~
~~~Waving~~~From Across the Pond~~~Deb in Wales xoxo
p.s. I adore the Autumn mug!
All good Deborah! Waving right back to you! xoxo
Good Morning!
Woke up this morning to your new post and a cup of PG Tips tea! Would LOVE to win one of your mugs…I am going to preorder the bluebird and Santa mug today. I had the privlege of meeting you in New Hope, Pa.(planned trip with tickets to see you) and again a few month later in Asheville, NC.( totally by accident, a stop over overnighter , coming from Tenn. and Miss. heading back the South Jersey). We stayed in the same inn in PA. and we stayed in the hotel right new store in NC. Joe was so kind to take and mail my Mother’s Day card for me ( along with yours) at the inn in PA…..Enjoy this beautiful Sunday! Crossing my fingers to be an winner <3
I remember Kathy! Small world! xoxo
What a wonderful new blog, thank you. Thank you also for the beautiful cups that arrived safely packaged and so promptly. I love them and will use them daily, for what is the purpose of something you love being hidden in a cupboard?
They are pretty strong too . . . I’m so glad you like them!
Lovely new mugs! Inspiration for decluttering!
Very inspirational and uplifting – I sometimes too feel weighed down by my “treasures”. Perhaps I can make a start now…. I love your new mug designs!
Yay! Thank you Georgeanne! (I love your name!)
Oh dear Susan what a treasure you are. .. My attention is suddenly awake and alive to the idea of clear, clean shelves, tables and work surfaces! How I’ve needed this wonderful post and to know I am not alone .. I am a collector and gatherer of note😊
The Santa mug would be my heart’s desire!
Thank you again Pat x
Thank you back Pat, love hearing from you!
‘My attention is suddenly awake.’ Amen. Perfectly worded.
What a perfect beginning to a rainy Sunday morning. I have my coffee, my cat, Sam, purring at my side, Frank Sinatra singing in the background and your wonderful blog to read and inspire me. Thank you, Susan!!
Busy, busy! I think it is the time of life to clear out — I am doing the same… Things don’t matter as much as time…
Love the friendship garden! Bluebells… sigh…
I figure when it’s all done, we can run away with abandon! xoxo
It does all speak to freedom, doesn’t it? When did our stuff begin to own and control us and almost trap us/hold us down?
I keep saying I need to hire a home organizer but they’re hard to find in my locale and they’re exorbitantly expensive, plus I really don’t like the idea of other people going through my stuff when it’s so unorganized, but what really hit me in a tremendous way with your post today, Susan, is that YES I CAN DO THIS. Empowering! Yes, I can indeed tackle it myself, just like you are doing. I have the capability! And it’s really me, no one else, who has to do it. I don’t need to keep getting stalled just because it’s hard. Look at you, Susan – -you’re not putting massive pressure on yourself but you’re still making tremendous headway (congrats!) and that’s been a valuable takeaway, for me. It’s like dieting; you just have to keep at it, even if you have a cheat day. Discipline! Resolve! I feel really charged up since reading you today, and I don’t want to lose the inspiration. You’ve given us an outline of how it’s working for you, how you started it; something real (if it can work for you, maybe it can work for me). Again, many thanks for sharing; I’m beating myself up less, knowing that you and your readers are in the same/similar boat which, by the way, we will not let sink and instead lighten its load, hoist the sails and go free and unfettered…wherever the trade winds take us!
Dear Susan,
As I was reading your blog, I kept glancing at the bookcase in my living room. You have inspired me to tackle it today-shelf by shelf, of course❤️ My fingers are crossed that my name is pulled for one of your beautiful mugs!
One shelf at a time Linda! And suddenly, they’re all done! xoxo
You continue to inspire me, so real! Now off to tackle my craft room!
Good luck Susie!
You are an inspiration , too much of my shelves and drawers look the same way ! I COULD do this too ! I swallowed hard when you mentioned Books ,( my downfall) , and it was funny to see the old recipe cards , because my table is covered with my Mom , Grandma , and Great grandma’s recipe cards this morning ( desperate search yesterday for my brothers Favorite Rhubarb pie recipe) He tells me he is sure it was just 3 cups of rhubarb and 2 cups of sugar , that’s it ! LOL . Love the art work and videos , your post sure felt Springy !
Kindred spirits!
How inspiring to see your before & after photos! The video of Jack was too cute. I’m just coming to the last pages of A Fine Romance, but I don’t want it to end…which is why I hopped over here to see what was new. Gorgeous mugs!
Thank you Kirsten! I’m glad you’re liking it! xo
Dear Susan,
Thank you so much for showing your clutter. Sometimes I would look at the photos of your house and then look around me at my mess, and sigh…. A clean up began earlier this year, but I had lost momentum. After reading this post I am ready to get going once again!!
So good to hear that . . . it was worth it! 😜 I do live a pretty regular life here, we have messes too! Good luck with yours!
Oh what a wonderful blog to read on a Sunday morning here in Pittsburgh,PA…I would have loved to helped you clean all those dust bunnies you found on those shelves…LOL I wanted to share with you how I discovered you… I was in a thrift store near us and found several packs of your month stickers, I bought a few and came home and got on your website…I just love your artwork and my daughters do too…thank you for sharing with us…Terry
Thank you back Terry! Happy Sunday!
Thank you so much for sharing your trips to England with us and introducing us to people and places we would not other wise have known. Next month we are off to spend a week with Carrie and Stuart in Oxford. Though you have made me feel as if I have been before, this is our first time to England and I can hardly believe it is happening.
You are going to love it Cyndee, give Stuart and Carrie a big hug for me!
What a charming post! And thanks for getting real with us…. we all make messes when we create. I think most of us are at that stage where the time is now to rid ourselves of the unnecessary and the unwanted. A very freeing experience. Sure hope I win one of your lovely mugs!
I hope you do too Jacki! Thank you!
Thank you, thank you for taking us out in the garden! I needed the fresh air.
Cordelia
Good Morning, Susan!
Nothing better than reading your always beautiful blog on a sunny Sunday morning. Being a very organized person myself, I understand the effort it takes to purge, and change things up. It’s hard for me to part with anything, but this year, I started doing the same thing myself. I saved a grocery list my Dad had written, and I found a shop which will make a bracelet in the writing sample of anyone you wish. Since I have now lost by my parents, I have ordered two~ one with my Dad’s and one with my Mom’s. This is my way of keeping them close to me always. I thank a “Susan Branch Friend” on twitter for telling me about this!
I will never be a minimalist either, I think when you are raised by parents who grew up in the depression, we are taught to save. But I am weeding out things that have no meaning or sentimental value to me, which in all honesty, isn’t that much.
But you got me jazzed about blue and white again, and I have changed my bedroom quilts and curtains and now it’s exactly that.
You are always such a comfort and joy and always instill a happiness that is contagious.
Sending love!
Good morning Susan! Love your blog. Good for you that you organized your office. I’m glad you are continuing to create. I can’t wait for your next book. There is a new book in the works right???????
Always. xoxo
What treasures you uncovered!
I am not a minimalist.. I like my keepsakes..treasures..but I need to see order.
I was very happy to pull the seedling flats out of my craft room and put them outside..I like things in their place or I don’t feel well..lol..even the gardens..
funny you mention a man in the garden..I had been planting most of the morning and day..and mid aft Jacques mowed the lawn while I was out on an errand..when I came home..it looked beautiful..my neighbor..also a gardener but a much better one complimented the look of everything ..I beamed and said:”I know..when he mows the lawn I fall in love all over again”:)
I received an email from the Titcomb bookstore last week:)
Have a nice Sunday..love all the cups..the handles look so fine..the MV one is so dear.I have great memories from there.
How exciting that Vanna is visiting Bali! I understand it is beautiful there. Fun to hear “Jack” on the video. I need to deep clean, too. I think I’m going to start in the kitchen cabinets first — out with the old spices! Love love love your mugs. I’m going to start writing more letters (snail mail of course). Nothing quite like a letter in the mail … the excitement of seeing your name on the envelope … and then reading all the latest news. Just like being there! Throw my name in the hat please! Happy Sunday!
A beautiful and inspiring post, Susan. We’re on the same page as far as decluttering and longing for “white space” in our homes. Not long ago I managed to pare down our five floor-to-ceiling bookcases to just two. I won’t kid you — it was painful. Those books held so many memories for me. And just yesterday I ended up completely cleaning out a closet when all I originally meant to do was switch out my winter shoes for summer shoes. I am convinced we spend the first 50 years of our lives accumulating stuff and the second 50 years clearing it out! All your hard work paid off, as your “new” studio just sparkles and shines. “Lightness of being” indeed!
I forgot to mention that your Jack and my Peekaboo are kindred spirits when it comes to drinking and playing with running water from the faucet. Peekaboo much prefers the faucet to her bowl, and she has me trained well. We spoil each other!
Good Morning Dear Susan! What a sweet surprise it was to read your new blog on the 2nd day of our annual Fishing Trip/Honeymoon/ at Kentucky Lake!! We arrived to our Little Cabin#3 yesterday, got settled and went fishing until dark. This is our second year doing this and I guarantee that it will be a continued event!! We arrived on Art’s 72nd birthday and will celebrate our 5th Wedding Anniversary this coming Thursday. All happy, wonderful, good stuff….hygge away from home….it follows us!!! What you have been doing with all of your cabinets, shelves, nooks and crannies, I finished doing 3 weeks ago. This adventure took me well over 6 weeks and I enjoyed every minute of it! It was like cleaning and sorting through a time capsule, finding so many little treasures that have been tucked away and forgotten about! I am now better organized than ever before! I made labels and tags for every box and drawer, suitcase and cubby-hole in my art studio and now will be able to find exactly what I need to find!! I was so involved with this project that I continued doing it in my dreams at night!! To me it feels like fresh ironed sheets lightly scented with a clean scented linen spray, a cool breeze blowing across my face and drinking a tall glass of fresh squeezed limeade with ice all the way to the top!! Such an accomplishment and a wonderful fresh start!! I am sitting in a recliner having a cup of coffee and watching a red-headed woodpecker nailing a hickory tree right outside of the cabin window. At home we only have flickers and downy woodpeckers, so watching “Woody” is a real treat for me. Also there are Piney Squirrels everywhere! My husband thought that they were baby squirrels, but they are just very small compared to the Fox Squirrels that we have in Terre Haute. When I lived in Northern Indiana I had Piney Squirrels in my area. Art went fishing early and will be back soon for breakfast and then we will both go out fishing for the day with a picnic basket in tow. Hopefully I will catch an 8 lb. bass!!! 😊 I’ll give it a kiss and then release it!! Have a beautiful day Susan!! xoxoxo
Good morning, Susan, and happy Sunday! And you’ve started my day/week with inspiration! I would just die if anybody opened a closet around this house! They are jammed with “priceless treasures” that need to be weeded out, and the thought of all that work has stopped me in my tracks. But I think I can use your one-shelf-at-a-time plan and get this going! Then I’d have room for more beautiful Susan Branch cups!! So thank you for sharing your process, pictures of your life, opportunities to win, and the warmth and friendship you share through your work!
❌⭕️
Dearest Susan,
You’ve been a wonderful influence on me since I discovered you in the 80’s and so when you started blogging I was right there from the beginning soaking in everything you shared. Today’s post made me realize that you are the only person I “know” who is a shining example of How to be Happy. When I read, “How do I move myself forward today?”, I understood why. Now that you have the space (you are encouraging me to tackle my files!) please make a file that says “Bookmarks” and put that quote in it for a future bookmark. WE NEED IT !! Desperately.
I’ve been waiting for you to give away one of your cups to finally win one of your giveaways–little did I know it would be one you designed. Is it possible THIS might be the time I get chosen??!! It would be my cup for when I watercolor (I’ve been working on learning to draw and paint for 2 ½ years now because of you) AND for my morning coffee–double duty! I should think the Little Things one would be appropriate. ☺︎❤️🎶
Thank you for posting all of your “before” pictures! You can feel the nice exhale on the after photos 😉 The new mugs are gorgeous! Thank you for putting your energy out in the world – you make it a better place!
I do want to do a really clean-out! Admire you for sharing your mess with us. Life gets in the way for sure. Thank you for your blog, your books and for sharing your lovely life.
You brighten up my day! Thank you so much.
Oh Susan I can so relate to the purging and cleaning out that you’re doing. We’ve been in a moving mode all year. I have things boxed up and started going thru things. Put our house on the market and my husband got sick and now everything is on hold. I have lots of stuff to go thru still. I love the mugs. They make me happy to look at them. I can always find room for one! Thanks for sharing!
This post is absolutely fantastic! I loved every single word of it. I love cleaning out cupboards and shelves and seeing the before and after. It makes me very happy to stay organized and tidy. You’ve done a beautiful job, Susan. And of course all your new mugs and charms, gorgeous! Jack couldn’t be any cuter, he’s a keeper, that’s for sure. Enjoy all your purging and cleaning and organizing, it’s kind of addicting! Wishing you love and happiness!
Flinging hair bands for the kitty ranks high on the list of “Best Use of My Time” list! 🐾
Lovely blogpost with a convicting topic I needed to hear – declutter – again! (So I may go antiquing again! ) I love being one of the girlfriend Twits. If I won a mug I’d pick the bluebird. We love seeing them here in the local prairie open lands. Hugs and prayers!
Hi Susan! As soon as I read your Instagram post yesterday about a new blog coming today I planned my morning around it. I’m outside sitting on my deck with my mug of tea (wishing it was one of your mugs, and now wishing I’ll be the winner of one), watching the birds at my feeders, listening to the wind rustling the leaves on the trees that are finally here, and happily reading your post. The perfect start to a beautiful Sunday! I, too, have a room that looks like your studio. It’s where I put things and say, “I’ll deal with that this weekend when I have time.” Then the weekend comes and I find a million other things to do, and the piles keep building. Thank you for sharing because now I don’t feel quite so ashamed at this room of disastrous hoarding tendency build up I’ve created, and instead feel inspired to start tackling it “one shelf at a time”. I adore all of the new mug designs and I don’t think that you could create anything that I didn’t adore. Love seeing videos of Jack! My cat, Remy, loves the bathroom faucet too. Hope you have a wonderful day!
Thank you for sharing your story–we are doing the same thing over here in CA, but I’ll admit that your mess looks a lot more interesting than mine! Blessings and peace to you.
Me: Mom! Susan’s got a new blog post!
Mom: I’m getting my coffee!
❤️❤️❤️
I love this post! It is funny because I had just begun my “less clutter campaign” about a month ago, and I thought, “This is a very Susan Branch thing to do. Keeping only what I love and brings me joy.” Thank you for the encouragement to press on. It is lovely to have “white space” and to know things are not so jumbled any more. Good luck with the upstairs!
I’ll need it…hugs to you and your mom!
Is it possible to be in love with a blog? This post speaks to me on so many levels, and of course, the Susan Branch-iness of everything lifts my soul into new realms of creativity. What a wonderful gift you give us all, inspiration…motivation…color…and love.
Someday I will be lucky to meet you in person, and I’ll probably break down in tears of gratitude. Until then, thank you! ❤🎶
You’re making me cry right now! 😘
Every day I check your site to see if you’ve posted something new and get so excited when I see a new image appearing. While I let it load I hurry and get my tea ready so I can then sit down and savor every word and photo. I too have been “mucking out” and it feels so freeing. Love your new mugs and the size of them. Love a nice big mug of tea. Thank you for sharing your life with us Susan. God bless you!
Thanks for the inspiring post! Can’t wait for the new tea cups!! 💖
What a great post. You’ve inspired me to get off my rump and cleeeeean. My house is cleanish, but cupboards, drawers, and closets are stuffed to the gills with stuff and projects. It is time to purge and you were just what I needed. It is such a good feeling, but I always seem to look back and wish I had saved everything. I like the photo idea. Maybe that would help me. It was so fun to see all the little treasures you found. Your mom and dad ones brought misty eyes. One of the projects I am working on is to take all the older photos of family from grandma and grandpa in their younger years and back to people nobody remembers anymore and put them into ornate mini frames to hang on the Christmas tree. At least that way I get to see them 2 months a year instead of never seeing them because they were boxed up. It seemed kind of cozy to have all your relatives on your Christmas tree to me. I want to honor them. I saw a beautiful tree done like that in Victoria magazine years ago and it never left me.
I laughed so hard when I read…”And, I think, in my most maniacal of moments, now I have room ~ I can go antiquing again! 😜” Kindred spirits for sure.
Your mugs! Your mugs! Your magical mugs! For all the readers who aren’t on twitter. These mugs actually made my tea taste better. I kid you not. I think because they are real bone china from England and the thinness of the lip and the magic Susan puts in everything she does. It’s kind of like the difference between drinking wine out of a plastic cup or a glass made for your specific wine. AND they are GORGEOUS.
I already ordered on presale. They look beautiful. You’ve outdone yourself yet again. So thrilled for you
Aww Joe! What a prince of a man. I mean really. XOXO
HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES TO KELLEE AND MANY THANKS TO THE WHOLE TEAM FOR ALL THAT THEY DO ESPECIALLY WHEN MUGS OR BOOKS COME OUT 🙂
Thank you Susan for all that you give to make us think, remember, do, and be Love you xoxoxo
Ah the bliss of clearing out! I did much the same this past fall preparing for new flooring. I still have much to give away but the lightness of it all is still cheering me on.
Your new china cups are delightful. I didn’t realize some were 16 ounces. That is a fun surprise! I drink tea everyday in porcelain china. I wouldn’t do it any other way 🙂
Boy, after seeing your shelves and the work you’ve done, I’m sure I can tackle my sewing room! We did a lot of purging when we moved and downsized six years ago but I think it’s time to give it another go. Thanks for the inspiration and the fun video of Jack playing in the water. Cats are good trainers!
You should (not) see my craft room. I need to clear out my mess, too! You’ve indirect me…but, wait, the birds are singing outside. Maybe later!
I ordered the Autumn cup yesterday. A free one from the blog would be nice!💕❤️💕❤️
Auto correct got me again. That should say you’ve inspired me!😱
Thank you for this post, Susan! My husband and I just bought our first (and hopefully only) home. We have a one-year-old and we both work, so packing and unpacking has been a bit overwhelming. We all have clothes to wear and our kitchen is unpacked, but there are a LOT of boxes still piled up in the garage. I keep getting really overwhelmed when I think about it – I basically periodically open the garage door, stare at the pile of boxes, close the garage door, and then go on my way as if nothing has happened. I love the question you ask yourself every morning, and I may start adding it to my morning routine.
I love the Christmas cup and will be ordering one!
One box at a time! xoxo Someday your garage will be all clean! ☺️
Your timing is amazing, Sue! This weekend I have been wrestling with my own clutter, which had grown to such formidable proportions, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. Your sensible one-inch-at-a-time method arrived at the psychologically perfect moment for me ~ it must be the kindred spirit thing. So thank you! Again! Batteries recharged, I’m ready to get back to work ~ and I know where to come for a boost when needed. 💕
Love it! Seeing the organization process is so oddly therapeutic! The best part is now all your treasures are where you can find them. Your lust for life, real life, shines through to your writing & products…it’s magic. Thanks for sharing!!!!
Lovely post. I love the plants in the tea cups. I especially liked the drawing of Chief your dad did. Made me tear up. Guess I’ll have to start organizing my house as well. Wish it was easier to get rid of a lifetime of memories.
Happy day, Susan!!! I actually love the feeling of a room that is all clean and organized from top to bottom!! It feels so fresh and sparkling. You do have to be in the right mood to tackle such projects and then usually in the middle you think….”WHY did I start this?”!!! Your cups are so darling and I would love to win one for my Mom who introduced me to your work so long ago. Full circle…how lovely would that be?? Love you so much and hope you and all the girlfriends and Jack and Joe have a wonderful Sunday surrounded by love❤️❤️
Dear Susan,
Thank you for the inspiration to declutter … I’ve been trying, and have been successful in donating stuff to the Thrift Shop and many, many books to the library for their book sale, but there is just soooo much stuff in this house after forty years of me buying things! So, with your encouragement in this blog, I’m determined to get it done!
Unfortunately, for my family, when I’m gone there will still be a lot for them to go through. I really love so many of the things I’ve accumulated … maybe your idea of taking a photo for remembrance and then letting it go. We do get so attached to our “things”, don’t we? Well, I know I do …
Things I will not let go: My Susan Branch books and related books, such as The Black Dog Summer on the Vineyard Cookbook and The Book of Stillmeadow by Gladys Taber, my collection of Beatrix Potter people, my new Little Things mug and several future mugs by Susan … and a whole lot of other stuff that my family will groan over and say, “Why in the heck did she buy this??”. I hope my grandniece, who is now eight years old, will discover and love many of these things.
I don’t store many things in my attic, because it gets so hot up there. If stored in a hot attic, china may crackle (lines in the glaze) and glass may break. A friend of mine stored her snow globe collection there, and one very hot summer many of them broke due to the heat. So we have to be very careful when putting things away.
Congratulations on your empty shelves, Susan, and I’m hoping to see some empty spaces in my house, too!
All the best to you, Joe and Jack …
Barb
Dear Susan, what a wonderful, inspirational post and thank you for sharing! Cleaning out does get so daunting sometimes. I just wanted to let you know that the cardinals have been flying around & singing their hearts out here on the outskirts of Tucson. They are so beautiful! I’m off to drink some tea in my new Susan Branch mug. My kids all ask if they can have all my Susan Branch things when I don’t want them anymore 😉 Thank you for all the beauty you add to our everyday lives!
I’ve learned over many years of collecting various things, to pick and choose the items that mean the most to you. All your new mugs are wonderful but, I cannot afford all of them. That being said I did preorder 3 (the ones that spoke to my heart, autumn, bluebird and santa). Thank you for giving us such lovely choices and hard decisions!
Susan, there are two things that I just love in your studio. That blue and white striped chair is a dream come true. The legs just seem to flow. What an excellent fabric choice. My very favorite is the red gingham pillow with Heart of the Home embroidered. I have a picture of it on my phone and often I try to figure out how to make it. So much inspiration!
It was a gift. I’ll have to show it up close sometime!
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these sweet cups! Hope I can win one! Cleaning out things here, too; thanks for the inspiration!
Susan, your decluttering has inspired me! By the way, thank you for introducing me to Gladys Taber. I joined the club and now enjoy the newsletter with my cup of tea. Delightful!
…good spring morning !..as I write to you I am once again back up in the Seattle area after spending time with my dear Mom down in Cali. … this morning is glorious ; the rains have subsided ( for now anyway..lol..) and it is forcasted to be in the 70’s ..birds are singing and calling me to go outside but I have to write first and say what a perfect post you’ve given us once again ! ..perfect photos, quotes, inspiring ideas ; perfection and hygge ! I could relate in so many ways, as I’ve been going through similar times.. what spoke to me mostly was how when we really clean and clear deeply , we often find lost treasures !.. I’ve often told my ‘kids’ this when they were little.. actually, also,when I was down in Cali. with my Mom as she healed her broken arm , I had the bittersweet task of going thru my dear Father’s suits for the church’s rummage sale..in one of his suit pocket’s was his very worn and treasured old rosary..and now it is my treasure !.. I could go on rambling but the morning is calling and you have lots of comments to read !..thank you for this lovely post..’sooo inspiring ! ..’loved seeing the photo of your parents and now I know where you get your art ability from..your dear Dad !! ( and, of course, your domestic bliss from your dear Mom ! )..and ‘love your creative mugs !!..with love, as always…
Such a treat to see your garden in bloom and hear sweet Jack in the background. Thank you! Isn’t it the most delicious feeling to tackle a big project and come out on the other side. You’re doing a great job. Hope you’ll post the end results after it’s all completed. And thank you for posting “yard by yard” ….. we just began our landscaping of 2 acres yesterday …. I now have a mantra in my head that will help with the overwhelming feeling that we need to get it done all in one day! Much calmer now with this in my head!! Wishing you a beautiful Sunday.
X Chy
How inspiring–your pictures and the thoughts of white space and cleared minds as well as rooms and space to breathe and come up with new ideas. Thank you.
I have moved twice in the last six years (hardest thing ever!) but, by golly, that finally did the trick in the plan to really weed out my life. (Although it took both moves … both out and in … to accomplish it.) Now I’m surrounded by white space galore, and I couldn’t be happier. I have loved following you on Instagram … and for basically the last 25 years. Thanks for admitting out loud and in Technicolor what we all try to sweep under the rug. Which, of course, is where the problem starts …
Bless your heart,
Mary
Oh my gosh…my office, I think, could almost be a twin! I’m think I’m to the point of….”where do I start”? But…like you…I will start with one shelf at a time…copy-save-donate and or throw away! You are so smart…you’re young enough to do this and then be able to enjoy your “space” again!! ~smile~ Love that letter from your Great Grandma! I must drive by that address she mentioned…just…because!! Yay! It’s funny as I remember…and still do..end my letters that same way. Love it!!! That picture of you with your Mom and Dad is priceless!! I was blessed also with a family that took lots of photos!
Your flowers are so pretty…I’m praying our weather warms up a bit so I can get a pot or two of flowers for my front porch! How I love to watch life grow in the springtime!!
Oh, those cups are gorgeous…I’m heading over to order one!
Bkessings,
Gert
Tell me what you see at that address Gert!xoxo
Oh, I will… I can’t imagine how many years ago that was.
I’d guess around 65!
Enjoyed this new blog post so much! And a good lesson in doing big things one little step at a time. Received my new mug – a gift to me from me (thanks to you) and just love it. Fingers crossed I may be lucky to win one of the new ones. I come to your blog each day, curious to see how (and what) you are doing, and get inspired. Thank you! 🙂
I loved reading your post this morning. It confirmed that we are kindred spirits because we all struggle with the “where do I begin?” and “will there be end in sight”? Thanks for keeping it real!
Kathy
Hi Susan,
Now I REALLY LIKED THIS POST. Not yelling, just can’t type so good. But I did like it. I know what you mean about cleaning out stuff, it does make you fell a bit like you have had to much coffee, or in your case tea. Then I go to bed and think about what I will clean out the next day. It’s all good. I’m pretty sure.
Nancy Jo
Love this long post: the decluttering, spring (love the birdsong in the video!), the cups! This post was especially pertinent as I conclude 11 years of homeschooling. My baby goes off to Junior High next fall, so I have a lot of purging and decluttering to do myself!
Loved your post today. I, too, am cleaning because we are hosting a summer wedding for my granddaughter who is a US Marine! It’s a lot of work but so rewarding when I am finished. Would love to win a cup, they are gorgeous.
Look at you go! It made me feel better about my little office and the treasure stacks❤️
I sure loved the stickers. I’d like a million more!
Hi Susan, thank you again for the wonderful post! Thanks to you I’ve begun journaling again. And I love your idea about setting one’s course for the day and for life. My life in the last few years has been all about taking care of my husband who has Alzheimer’s disease. Now that he is in a memory care facility I’m ready to get back on track and move myself forward. Thank you again for that reminder!
Have a lovely day,
Barbara
Dear Susan,
How I look forward to your lovable blogposts! And this one was so welcome as I have been clearing clutter and starting to tire of the unending nature of the task. You have inspired me to keep on and I truly appreciate about the lightness and energy you are feeling as you achieve “emptiness” (love that). Not surprised that you have also managed to be very productive with your beautiful tea cups and soon to work on the next calendar! Joe and Jack make life very sweet. Thank you for sharing vulnerable thoughts with us and always celebrating life. xoxo
What a wonderful blog and just what I needed at this time in my life. Books, magazines, yarn and material have taken over my life. Dishes and things handed to me from my Mom (from Her Mom) and my Aunt too. Oh what to keep and what has to go? You are certainly the inspiration that I need. Blessings to you. I would love a mug! Marian
What a wonderful post!! Love seeing your keepsakes from the past… warms my heart!!
Also… I received my mugs and love, love, love them! Can’t wait for the new mugs!!
Good morning Susan. The cups are lovely. I really felt this post about de-cluttering your life. I just did that and then moved all the way across the country to San Diego. It was so freeing and I think I am truly lighter for it. Thanks also for the pictures of the Lillies of the Valley. I love those flowers but seldom get to see them. Another beautiful day here in sunny southern California. Off to enjoy it.
Mean to start decluttering but need to see what’s in bloom in the garden, discovering books too difficult to part with, looking over my mom’s wedding gown from 1939, checking small treasures bought yesterday from the estate sale of a dear neighbor and knowing I can never part with a Bobby Orr signed hockey stick given to my daughter, Julie, many years ago. Did throw away yesterday’s newspaper—-might this be a start? By the way, would love to win a lovely mug.
Thank you for this inspiring post! I love seeing all the treasures you unearthed. And what a wonderful way to look at lightening up – finding treasures. Sounds better than cleaning out! Just found out that I will be spending 9 months in Maine – so exciting (snow boots! ocean views! I want to see a moose and hear someone say “Bah Hahbah”!) but I have to clear out my Alabama house to make room for the person who will live here while I’m gone, and it’s a bit daunting. I like the idea of treasure hunting though – much more fun than work. Thank you! Your posts are so beautiful and always seem to come at exactly the right time!
What a treat to have a new blog as I enjoy my morning coffee from my Susan Branch Little Things mug and admire your lilies of the valley as mine are just leaves and tiny baby buds. Again you have inspired me to get after our garage😳 We’ve lived in our new house for three and a half years and still can’t get two cars in our garage. I-who saves everything-must go through each box piece by piece~you never know what you might find! But I shall ask myself the same question you asked yourself at the beginning of this blog-does this add value to my life? Thank you for getting me going…
Dear Susan,
This post is an inspiration to people who find it hard to get out from under piles of “stuff”, as well as crowded closets and drawers. Wow! Good job, you! You’re right: Yard by yard, it’s very hard, but inch by inch, it’s a cinch.
Love the new designs for the tea cups! And thank you for bringing back the charms! I don’t have Be an Elf and am excited to purchase it. 🙂
The cat video is fun! Thanks for sharing!
ox
You are welcome Deb!
When I turned sixty, I started downsizing my stuff a lot. Thinking of what those who come after me would have to deal with should the unexpected happen. I love it for now most of what is left is what I love, what I need, and what I may love or need in the future. Under that category is stuff for making Art and many books. For I had already downsized my books. Mostly.
I was sorting through stickers and such recently that I use for creating cards for those I care about. I found some of my favorite Susan Branch stickers I’d forgotten about. That was a happy day. They obviously made the cut but about 3/4ths of the box went to charity. I LOVED your stickers… and books.
Thank you Brenda, and good for you for making it nice where you are!
Wow your blog was a breath of fresh air this morning! I wanted to let you know that Sheri is super-wonderful (but you probably already know that). I’m getting my mugs shipped on Monday! Now there are more and when is the cute spoon rest/tea bag holder that you showed us on your blog going to be available? My Susan Branch habit is growing with every new offering–keep it up as each and every item is special and adorable! Thank you Susan!
So happy to hear that. The spoon rest/teabag holder is from another company, along with the teapot plate. We are just getting our very first thing made, must check the color and so forth, see how it goes before we commit! Want it to be goooood!
Yes, I agree. I have dealt over the phone with Sheri many times and she is a jewel!
You’re inspiring me to do my own decluttering! I will also be ordering the blubird and isle of dreams mugs…I would love to be able to visit Martha’s Vineyard. The book gives me hope I may someday find my passion and maybe even love again. Please keep writing and painting!
All that and more. Think how delicious that first kiss will be!
“Organization is the key to success’….that quote from your mother….is what i always say. What i have found from reading your books, and i have read them all…at least 2 times….and come winter…will read them again. What was a random pick of a book to read was amazing to me that so much of what you SAY. what you THINK. what you WRITE. is exactly how i feel. It is in a way ‘odd’ to find someone who thinks ‘like me’. Interesting. Truely brings tears to my eyes many, many times. I wonder if that isnt how all of your ‘girlfriends’ feel. We all relate so well to what your story, your life, your feelings, that you share with us.
thank you susan branch!
I know for sure it’s how I feel about them, even from the first book, I always believed we have so much in common! I was always writing a letter “home” when I wrote my books! We’re kindred spirits!
I love your blog! And I love your mugs! I so wish you didn’t retire them, I’m on a fixed income and have to budget but I’ll but your Autumn mug in my budget!
We sort of have to . . . you can read about it on the page where the Autumn mug is (or any of the mugs) in the web store . . .
I too have been going through my office and decluttering. I have so many books that I just have to clear out the ones I no longer read. Which is hard, because I do reread so many of my books.
It has been an adventure do this job. I have found old letters that I received from my sister when she was in college back in the 70’s, letter from old friends that I have not been in contact with in years and books that I forgot that I had. I hope to have my office finished by the end of summer, but I cannot promise myself that if I keep finding treasures to reread.
I got my cup and I love it! Now I want them all, which could be a problem if you keep designing more 🙂
Maybe I’ll just do it for a year or so!
Purging is such fun…whittling through the unnecessary extras reveal treasures that stir our hearts.
Hi, Susan,
Enjoying your blog on a rainy Sunday after coming home from church.
I am all ‘booked’ to go on my first vacation in 15 years, to California! My sister lives in Huntington Beach and I am going with 1 brother and meeting with another brother and a sister in law (form North Dakota) there. This was a trip I planned with my husband a few years ago, but now heading out on my own (kinda scary at 65 year old!) And, I have to fly… =/.
The music playing right not is Joe Stafford singing “Moonlight In Vermont”. Something I think you would like. I am kinda surprised I haven’t heard Jo Stafford in your “Musica”. I think you would like her.
And, like you, clutter almost paralyzes me. I work very hard Monday through Friday (in a large Neurological Institute), so having ANY free time to get in to special projects at home (& there are so many), is a real challenge. And, now that the weather is nice here in Ohio, I just want to be outdoors on the weekends! But, I have been encouraged and inspired by you, this morning =).
Have a wonderful week and God bless everyone in your little paradise.
Cups are loverly. Hoping to be able to purchase one, some day.
Chris
I play her quite often, I love her too…and you are going to have the best time in California, and be so proud of yourself for getting outside your routine. Have fun!
Made my day to find a new post awaiting me this morning! You have inspired me to keep at my decluttering! So hard to be motivated sometimes. I would love to win a cup to start a new collection. I don’t as of now have any of your beautiful cups but must change that!
I have never been a person who was interested in photographs, but I did save correspondences. The written word has always meant a great deal to me. When I moved i found i had saved up shopping bag after shopping bag of letters, cards and family correspondences. 20 years worth! Naturally it was overwhelming to go thru them. I, too, boxed up letters for future generations, sent some to relatives, and kept my love letters. I let go of the rest. The words of the famous song come to mind “You got to know when to hold it, know when to fold it”. One wonders a lot about the human heart when washing the dishes.
I need some of your energy! I need to do a little bit of decluttering myself! I just ordered a Christmas mug for myself! And a Birthday gift for my Mother! I have her hooked on your books now! Thank you for sharing your love of life!
You are such an inspiration! Thank you! Thank you! Arriving home from my lovely few days on your magical island, I found my SB mugs had been delivered! They are so beautiful! I can’t wait for the next ones!
You have a gift for communicating with people that is very refreshing! Love the cups! It was nice to see how you have organized your work space too. I feel like cleaning and organizing my house now too!
Love the before and after photos. I’m continuing my clean out and destashing too. It’s a job I don’t like but like you, I’m craving empty spaces instead of piles all over. I’m heading to your on-line shop to take a peek!
Thanks so much for the inspiration! There will be a flurry of girlfriends in motion!
What a huge task you’ve taken on. However, I totally understand, as I’ve been cleaning out life’s treasures since moving into my own home. It’s a project isn’t it! The “In Love With Nature” is my favorite cup. And of course the bluebird. Who couldn’t be happy drinking hot tea on a frosty morning from such wonderful cups! Thanks for sharing the before and after photos.
It always helps to clear the mind if you declutter. When you decide to become serious about tossing its amazing how much stuff you get rid of, stuff YOU JUST HAD TO HAVE. Keep at it . Marie
The stuff doesn’t change, but we do!
I tweeted out when I received my Little Things mug, just love, love, love it! Can’t wait for the bird and autumn mugs, so cute! I’ve been cleaning out too, difficult but as you said so freeing!
I started mainly so my 4 kids wouldn’t be faced with it some day, now I’m doing for me!
Just love you and this inspirational space! Thank you for all you share!
Lisa in Pa
Recipes, recipes, recipes, are growing in my drawers like nests of rabbits. I’m on the same path of consciousness of “haven’t made, out you go”. Moving while in the military and working for the US State Department forced us to sort and purge (didn’t want to pay overweight charges) for years, yet now that we have been settled for the last 15 years, it is starting to accumulate. Shredder and recycle bins here I come. Susan, you are a REAL girl/lady/woman, because only a REAL human being shows themselves, messes and all. AHHH, can you feel the white space!!!
I love you Susan! all of your posts are always very inspirational! I want all the items for sale in your store! Thank you for,supporting the Home Arts. Love, Karen Haskett 💞
Fabulous & encouraging post, Susan! 🙂 I read the first few sentences, got more coffee and starting reading again with a notebook and pen LOL I did take notes 🙂 When I was in the hectic investment industry, I read a book called Margin by Dr. Richard Swensen, and its impact on me was astounding. I even recommended it to my stressed out boss who in turn not only embraced it but used it in his men’s Bible study. We all need that white space, that margin, in our lives. It is hard fought for, a constant decluttering and organizing, looking at and setting priorities, but all the benefits that you so wonderfully brought out in your blog posts are so worth it.
Not that I’m there – lol – but making that space, even with caregiving for my mom, completely nourishes my spirit. Thank you, thank you, for these posts, my favorite author/writer/accomplisher/girlfriend – and have a wonderful Sunday. I could write an entire blog post lol – God bless you! “Room to breathe!♥”
Kisses to you and your mom, Mari!
All I can say is, me too, with regards to decluttering!! Sifting through the memories… 🙂
Hi Susan,
I loved the bit of the letter from your great grandma! After all ten of my brothers and sisters and I were out of the house and married, my mother lived at 22nd and Pierce in Sioux City, which is just four blocks south and six blocks west of the address your great grandma mentions in her letter. I still live in Sioux City.
My 14 year old granddaughter, Emily, is a lot like the Emily who wrote you the sweet letter. She loves Audrey Hepburn, James Dean, and Marilyn Monroe. She loves to watch old movies and has her room decorated retro style.
I love the mugs! Thanks for the chance to win one.
Wonderful about your granddaughter. Excellent taste! I think if you have a good sense of where you came from, you’ll have a better chance of getting where you’re going! Marilyn Monroe in the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, sings Bye Bye Baby, better than anyone! I’ve always thought of myself as Sioux City Sue, because of my mom and grandma both being born there!
Thanks so much for your luv lee, inspiring blog. Really enjoyed the insightful photos. You are a treasure.
I love all your wonderful mugs; so if Vanna picks my name, please have her close her eyes and choose one for me. Hugs, Connie & her furry purries : Watson & Tickety Boo
Good Morning, Susan,
Loved the blog. What a nice thing to wake up to. So hot here in Northern California. Can’t wait for the temps to cool down on Tuesday. Hope you are doing well.
-Kathleen
Thank you for sharing your wonderful talent with us! I just preordered my cups! I was so disappointed that the others got away before I ordered mine. Love you so much!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! As soo many of the friends have written – you have given me the inspiration I too, needed to continue de-cluttering and deep cleaning my nest after our daughters and their families lived with us at separate times over the last year and a half between moves into new houses – and then there was the water damage, mold and repairs upstairs and downstairs – no more thinking about that – need to move forward inch by inch 🙂 now I am going to preorder the Bluebird of Happiness cup!!!
Luv ‘n hugs