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! 😘
I now have the resolve to go through my books & lots of other “stuff”! Thanks for the lovely blog. Edie
My oldest son just graduated from The College of William and Mary, 325 years old in colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, truly an old and ancient college, the alma mater of Washington, Monroe, Tyler, Jefferson, and me. He has spent this last week going through his room, every kept toy, book, comic, art work, drafts of his novel he still is writing, old notebooks, his life up to this point. And like you, much has been donated, thrown away, or kept for posterity. And now my computer science major will leave for The University of Utah to pursue a Masters in Game Engineering. I should interject that he has me for a mom, the most alarmingly unsentimental person, and I’m amazed at what a great time he has had with “the big clear-out.” So much more scope for imagination.
Thank you, as always, for such a great blog post. Enjoy your continued clearing exploration, it never ceases to astound me how profound the impact of the simplest activities. I love and deeply appreciate your writing and observances.
LOL, “alarmingly unsentimental” ~ can’t help but love that. Kudos for you and your graduating son. Congratulations!
Yes! I love the feeling I get when a room is decluttered and there are open spaces again. My sewing space is a wreck right now, my 2 (!) desks are piled high with fabrics and patterns and works in progress. I’ve been trying to sew as much as possible before our newest miracle arrives but gosh, it does make it harder to *want* to sew when it’s so messy. Guess I should clean up just enough to get those juices flowing so I can finish my projects before baby comes. 😉
I must have that Santa cup! Love it so much! <3
Dear Sweet Susan,
Can’t thank you enough for showing us the pictures of your studio in its not so perfect state…kinda reminds me of my sewing room. Right now my library is straight, but that’s only because I have gone back to having “nests” of books all up and down my side of the bed. I really need to work on getting them put back up, but Spring in all her glory is calling my name and I choose to sit on the back stoop and watch the baby barn swallows being fed time and time again by their parents. Straightening will just have to wait a while longer.
Love from Diane in North Carolina
Such a sweet post this week..the recipes, mugs, kitty, fountain..thanks being an inspiration…every week i want to come to martha vineyard or New England and visit.
Thank you for the Spring cleaning inspiration! Taking photos of the things you love but are letting go of is a great idea. It can be so hard to lighten our load but feels so nice when done. I am preordering my Bluebird mug now and would love to have to have any of the current ones!
Hello Susan, a luv-lee post! I enjoyed seeing your Dad’s artwork of Chief and the treasure trove of old recipe cards. And thanks for the pep talk to get me back to that spring cleaning I so enthusiastically started then lost steam on. By gosh by golly, I’d love to win the Santa mug! By the way, I couldn’t access today’s blog on 162.240.10.175/~susanbs3/susanbranch/, but was able to find it by doing a Google search on Susan Branch May 21. Maybe it’s my new tablet? Thanks for all you and Joe do!
I am almost inspired to organize, but I think I will plant my new rose bush instead! Thank you for the new post, they are always so enjoyable!!!!
Clutter is the companion of the creative!! I like to organize but have yet to learn how to keep it there. When i bring home new things oh! where to put it. My brother’s advice is just to shop my closets! it is an adventure to declutter and see all the great things I do have. My husband and I are both “collectors”. A fun pastime but it is catching up to us.
My beautiful cups have arrived!! We are using them for breakfast now!!
Thanks for the great suggestions, I’ll see where they take me!
oh, my goodness!!!! the ONLY better way to begin a sunday is a call from our son & his 2 little ones…which did come….and did make our “hearts-to-soar” as always….and, then…YOU!!!! thank you…as always!! well, cleaning & decluttering….ah, yes….MUST be done….feels good when finished….BUT…ever soooooo hard. you’ve given us all a boost towards it, tho. only thing better than this boost would be….could you make house-calls??? hehe. BETTER than a doctor would that be!!!!! fun & work & good eats would get us thru!! mmmm. that would be THE BESTEST give-away EVER!!!!!!!!!!!! wow. glad I thought of it. computer still seems clogged up….name of mary spring in my leave-a-reply box. when will this be truly fixed?? sorry if this is ONLY happening to me…but, it should not. I truly did LOVE Mary’s reply today…going thru her dad’s suits for the church rummage sale…finding his beloved rosary….very heart-touching for me. been there. tears in my heart to prove it. also….WHERE is the shop Barbara (Jersey Girl) found to do those bracelets from handwriting???????????? wow. well, i’ll go and try to make a start in my own odyssey of decluttering. eeeeek. help!! thanks and love to all of you!!!! oxxoxoxo
I’m beginning to think we may have to live with it. It isn’t happening for everyone, so I wonder what the 3, possibly 4, people it does happen to, have in common??? That is the question. What do you think Chris?
These comments, I want to make them required reading! I love reading them and I hope everyone else gets a chance to read them too. Such a wonderful group of people. Kindness abounds.
What a treat to turn on the computer and find a new posting! I wonder how many of us live vicariously through you? I’m definitely inspired to tackle my own clutter and untouched archeological dig now.
Love, love the new cups and will order one very soon.
As I say so often, we are the normal ones! 😃 Good luck Melina!
Great post! We retired to Tennessee three years ago and I got rid of so much. And we made a rule about subtracting every time we add. My math has not always been the greatest.😉
The Nature cup is the one that was gone when I ordered. It would be a treat to win one!
Thanks for being such a great role model. In today’s wacky world you are an island of sanity, peace and love things lovely.
A wonderful compliment, I’m so glad you’re here. xoxoxo
Happy Sunday, Susan! Thank you for another wonderful dose of inspiration! There must be something in the air…I, too, am in cleaning, decluttering mode in SE Michigan. I love your new mug designs and would love to have a chance to win one of your current mugs. Here’s hoping Vanna pulls my name!
Dearest, Susan,
I would love to win a mug. Also, a thought for you … would you consider making a smaller mug? More like the size of the Burleigh Calico mugs? Would it be too difficult to offer 2 sizes of mugs? Or, ones even the size of the Emma Bridgewater mugs?
Much love from Northern Wisconsin.
EJC
The Autumn mug is 11 oz, which is smaller than the others which are 16 oz.
Susan,
I love all of your work and the many different things you have created over the years. You are so talented and inspiring!! I “impatiently” wait for your next blog post, because I love seeing all of the pictures and reading the stories you tell.
I too am in the declutter mode – I think a lot of people are now.
Your mugs are beautiful! My mugs are all bone china from England too.
I live in Minnesota so hopefully when you publish your next book and do a book tour, you will stop by and visit Minnesota.
Have a great day!
Hi Susan,
I try so hard to sort my things and that of my mum and dad.
I think you’re so right about it weighing people down, so thanks for the inspiration and the photos.
I keep hoping you are going to say you have sorted it for us to buy your beautiful cups here in the UK.
Maybe I could just go and knock on the factory door 🤔😊 would so hate to miss them.
I love cups, fine bone china and your beautiful art, perfect.
Enjoy your new found space.
Jann
I sent them your note … they are trying to find a retailer that will buy them there. It would be perfect! None of this crazy shipping cost!
Thank you so much for your inspiring post! I am in the midst of cleaning out our little 1896 schoolhouse which has, unfortunately, been my storage unit for far too long. Once it’s cleared out, my husband will get it up to code and our daughter will move in. But first, the purge. I have such a hard time parting with things. Especially if they were my children’s, who are now all in their thirties! You’ve inspired me and I’m headed over there now.
I received my beautiful cup yesterday and I love it!! I drink 5 shot americanos and it’s perfect!!! I want them all.
From my island to yours, happy spring!
As for children, if all works out the way it should, they will be here longer than you. So pile their stuff in boxes, and leave it for them, they can do their own, and you just have the problem of yours!
I too am decluttering my office/libary. Going through my many bookcases, books and tables of books and getting rid of the ones I no longer read. Though this is not as easy as it seems for I reread so many of my books. I have done this in the past and have come to regret latter on some of the books I donated.
I cannot wait for my Autumn cup to arrive this fall.
I have been sorting through my treasures for a while now. It’s been fun to pass on some of the pretty dishes to my family and friends. Your blog is a real treasure itself, one I don’t have to own….Your mugs are lovely…Thanks for a Sunday morning blessing.
What a thoroughly enjoyable post! I have also been in the midst of consolidating the clutter—it is such a wonderful feeling to toss things where they need to go–thrift donations, other people’s homes, some even to the trash bin 🙂 The cups are delightful…would be a dream come true to win one!
Organizing! Is it a time of life thing too? I am going thru things with the same fervor. I need some clean spaces to be creative with fabric and thread. I would love to win a mug as a treat for a friend. I am drinking from mine right now!
Yes, lots of creative girlfriends (and boyfriends too) here, and we just can’t work in a mess of a pile of a room!
Just love the Christmas mug.
Thanks for another lovely, post, Susan. Especially loved the live action Jack video — so much fun!!
Spring cleaning is always so soul satisfying, I think!! Actually, any time is a good time for a bit of a cleaning out. And it works just as well at the office too!! ;D
Thanks, as always, for being an oasis in the middle of all this insanity!! XOXOX
Sure would like to have one of your cups! So beautiful!
Dear Susan,
I think what makes all of your merchandise so special is the love that goes into making it. I cherish every book, mug, and other merchandise I have ordered. I love to make a cup of tea and curl up with one of your books. I lose myself in your adventures and get drawn away from the stresses of daily life. Thank you for all you do to make each of us feel special!
Theresa in Charlotte, NC
What a great article on decluttering! I’ve just done the same in my sewing room and it feels great! Now I have room to start new projects and finish ones that are almost done!
Loved the video of Jack. I have a tuxedo cat that looks and behaves much like Jack. He loves to slap at the water and sits in the sink waiting for me to turn it on so he can play. He also sits in the sink to watch the birds outside eating at the bird feeder. He makes funny noises at them in hopes they fly inside I guess.
Thanks for the opportunity to win a cup – I’d love any one of them!
Have been patiently waiting for a ‘post’. You are such a busy girl!! After I retired I vowed to do exactly the same cleaning as you just did. Although it took me a couple years, it is a wonderful feeling, knowing where everything is again!! I highly recommend it. I kept things I really didn’t need but those were the things given to me by people I LOVE and are gone or people I LOVE and are still here. I could never part with those. Thank you for your posts. You have a blessed life!
Thanks for sharing. You are wise to work at your own speed and take garden breaks.
Your blog arrived just in time. I am beginning vacation this week from my “9-5” to get out from the clutter and spring clean the home. I don’t know how to begin. Would love a mug. Missed out. Thought I had time to order. Learned my lesson and have preordered new designs
I too have been purging, since moving into my new dig. Don’t know why I wasn’t up for-the-task before the move? Donating and consigning all that stuff, has been so liberating!!!!!!! Will continue on that path and knowing that you are on the same journey, makes the endeavor much more fun.
So happy to see your blog this morning. I, too, received my mugs last week and love them. I can hardly wait for my girlfriend’s birthday in June to give one to her! So happy we can preorder the new ones – I need the fall mug for my daughter-in-law’s birthday in September. Best of all, you’ve motivated me to get busy and weed out “my stuff.” Our library has a book sale in June so we can clean out books, videos, VHS tapes, CDs and donate them to a good cause. And I’ll fire up the shredder and go through the file cabinets. I feel better already!! You really are inspiring, Susan ~ I’ve even got my husband quoting you!!
Good Morning — another wonderful blog, Susan! My set of mugs arrived the other day and I love love love them. The designs and details are beautiful :).
After reading about your mammoth decluttering project, I’m inspired and determined to continue my own (ongoing for several years now). I still have college textbooks on my bookshelves! Recently, instead of donating old children’s books to the public library, I’ve been inviting Halloween trick-o-treaters to come inside to pick a free book. Yes, they get candy too, but they really love the books! It feels good to get rid of stuff, even better knowing your things are going to good homes.
Love seeing the new mug designs. Any plans to do a teapot someday? Or a children’s tea set? I’ll be the first in line to purchase if you do. 🙂
Thank you for all the love, light and beauty you bring to this world. It’s a rare few who are blessed with a happy gene who are able to find ways to give people hope, something we need more than ever. And I must say how much I love that pic of you with your parents and brother. Adorable — you look exactly the same. 🙂
I never stop smiling, the whole time I’m reading the comments . . . xoxoxoxo
Susan you have been busy decluttering. I could never be a complete minimalist but a good spring clean is good for the soul!
Wishing you a lovely new week.
Love Love Love the new mugs! I can only imagine how much better my coffee and tea would taste in them! 💜
So happy to see a new post today! Beautiful Spring in New England. Nothing better.Love your bluebird mug, Susan.
Great to hear from you and all your doings. I too like everyone here need a good housecleaning. You are an inspiration. May the upstairs be an easy task!
Hello Susan,
wonderful post…and the kitty videos are super….I have my Smokey and he was up on the chair arm butting my shoulder as I read your post…it was 12:00 noon and his tummy was telling him the time…for that is when I feed him half a can of wet food…..
Just wanted to tell you we have a tour of New England planned for the first week in October and we’ll be visiting the Vineyard….Isn’t that super!
Mama Bear
My quilting studio looks much like your before pictures. I shall now go give it a deep cleaning so I can enjoy creating again.
Susan,
You made my day! Taking a break from yard cleaning to find your newest post. As well, amazing to read about your clearing out of stuff as I am doing the same. You expressed so well the feelings about this process. Thank you so much for taking the time to post such a wonderful blog! Have a great weekend!
Karen Phillippi
You inspire me so muc, Happy Spring!
Dear Susan, Thank you so much for showing your studio/music room BEFORE the big clear up. I feel much better about my craft room….where things I’m actually working on have become the top of the pile….and then onto the floor…and into the kitchen. Now, to find the energy to clear clutter…ha!
My cups came….so lovely….and they “feel” so nice and light. One is going overseas to be with Nicoline. She’s a lucky girl to have her hollyhock seeds features in this post and her photo with you and her Petey!
And, don’t forget, there’s a Willard from way back, when you and Joe took Heidi and Holly to England and France. Great reference material for that post. I’d love to see photos of them now…all grown up.
Thank you for all that you do for us….sharing your life in your wonderful posts, beautiful mugs, charms with special meaning, give aways. Love, Rachel
I love the little things in life!
Perhaps a book on all things “Susan”would be nice! A bit of this and a bit of that. Thank you for mugs! I have used mine everyday since it arrived in the mail.
Today’s blog was wonderful, and full of inspiration! All the “stuff” I’ve been saving – who will appreciate it after me? Time for a methodical and leisurely sort-through, and nothing new bought without first eliminating something!
Dear Susan…just received my(our) new mugs…they are SOOO SWEET:-)))
You are a wonderful reminder of what I really need to do…DE-CLUTTER!!!
Thanks so much for the lovely post…just de-lightful!! God Bless…Toni from Sylvania xoxoxo
Happy spring, Susan, Just ordered your bluebird cup, since bluebirds have always been my favorite bird. I’ve painted birds for years. Your column really hit home today. I’ve been doing a HUGE decluttering in my home all month keeping in mind the old saying, “If in doubt, throw it out.” and letting my children and grandchildren choose many of my “treasures” they thought they would like. It was so fun to see them choose special things and “ooh and aah” over things I have loved for years and know they will be loved by family. On Mother’s Day, I “received” a darling new great-grandson. So I will choose one of my special treasures for him to have someday to remember his great-grandmother. Life is good! Ruthie (in Minnesota)
Love your blog think your doing a great job of decluttering.Would love love love a mug but don’t know if there’s a chance of one winging its way across the pond. Really hope so!
Yes, we serve the world! 😘
What a timely blog post! Since moving into our new home a year ago, I have slowly been going through boxes, deciding what to keep, and all that. I still have too much! I was just thinking that I have absentmindedly been saving certain things automatically, thinking that they are things I will always keep. But I am tired of hanging on to stuff! Most of it goes back into boxes and does me no good – who can enjoy things hidden away in boxes? So, except for the most important momentos and seasonal decorations, I think I will follow your lead. It might get photographed, but out it goes!
I haven’t gone to look at pre-sale details yet, but I hope it will last at least a couple of weeks until we are home from our SoCal visit. (SO enjoying the grandkids!) I missed out on the last pre-sale; guess I had my head in the clouds and it slipped by. I love the new mugs and want to get a couple. And of course, I would love to win one of my choosing, but which one? A delightful dilemma!
Thank you…..Your blog always bring such beauty,charm and peacefulness into my day. The world needs your thoughts more than ever. Peg
Thank you for this post! I am in the same process of sorting out my stuff! So many times I think we are of like minds. I appreciate that you have shàred your method! I will plow ahead with courage and plan some fun for respite along the way!
Hi Susan,
Congratulations to you for decluttering your home. It really frees one’s soul, don’t you think? It is hard at the beginning and then it gets easy.
I love my new Susan mugs and I am just about to preorder the newest ones you showed us on this blog post.
Take care and best wishes to you, Joe and Jack!!!!!!
Well, said, it frees your soul. xoxo
I love all of your books and the mugs are so luvlee!
I hope it’s me, too! I love the decluttering piece – I’ve been trying to do that in my house, and sometimes feel it’s hopeless. I have so many things I love, love, love, and it’s hard to give them up. And I have no real place to store things and change them out every season (let alone the energy to do that!) I need to get more cutthroat! I love the idea of saving pictures – I’m going to try that. And I’ll put all the pictures on the computer in files (and on the cloud – don’t want them going away if something happens to my computer). I see now, I’m going to have to get rid of all my old cups to make room for the new ones. I love the three I have now, and I can see I really NEED the next group as well.
Another thing I have trouble with is deep cleaning – spring cleaning, whatever you might call it. I have finally broken down and hired people to come in and clean the house for me – it’s so wonderful, and freeing for me to not feel guilty anymore about that – I’m a terrible housekeeper. Too busy daydreaming, I think. But spring cleaning – they do all the everyday things, and the house is always presentable – dusted, vacuumed, etc., and it has forced me to stay tidy (something quite different from clean) so they have clear spaces to clean. But I do see that I need to take down my curtains and wash them, do the windows, take everything off the shelves and wash them… I’m going to do one room at a time, I think, and really try to “downsize – declutter – whatever you might call it” at the same time. I need to start at my office – if you think yours was a mess – do NOT look under the desk here, where we’ve stashed this and that for “just awhile”…
Well that was inspiring! My tiny studio under the eaves looks very much like your ‘before picture! Your cups are so beautiful and would certainly add to the pleasure of my cup of tea. I have been a regular reader of your blog and books but have never commented. Today seems right!
I empathize with all your de-cluttering and re-organizing. I moved into my new home in 2012, did all that and now I’m having to do it again! But it feels sooo good once it is accomplished. Now we can enjoy being out of doors without the house nagging us. Joy! Cheers! Ellen
What a delightful post Susan! I think we tend to think no one else can ever be as messy as we are, thank you for sharing and motivating me to get moving on my cleaning projects, inch by inch! So much easier to manage looking at it that way!
I love all of your new mugs, especially the beautiful bluebird of happiness!
P.S. Your Joe is prince!
Thanks, Susan. You have inspired me. Now to find the time to de-clutter. My friends and family will be so happy. I do like your idea of white space. And glad to know that I don’t have to get rid of everything. But it is a good time to do it, before I have to…
I have my cups . Love them and giving one away to my sis ❣️ I am a kindred spirit with you in the decluttering process.
Oh dear; the email problem is back with somebody else’s name in my space. But I am not going to not let it stop me from making a comment because this post was too, too important to me not to say something. Thank you for it, Susan; thank you for sharing this new part of your journey. Very motivational, not preachy. Helpful. Inspiring. A new way to look at a difficult task.
I’ve struggled with decluttering for years. Sadly, I’m the last of my branch of family. All the aunties and grandmas…my mom…left their special things for me. Lots of sweet, girly things; the keepsake things. And, then, over 40 years of adulthood, I accumulated my own things; a major gatherer/collector. So, decluttering has been a huge topic in my life; overwhelming, especially for the past dozen or more years (as these dear people, one by one, died off…and, now, as I’ve aged, I want to leave things in order for anyone else if I can’t do it later, besides which we may have to move one more time yet, and all this stuff makes relocating a nightmare).
My husband is off work in July and we will be spending the entire month condensing/downsizing. We talk a lot about it, in anticipation of doing it, because we don’t want to get too tense. I have to be brutal. I have to keep at it every day; at least do one thing. It’s so hard. My dad’s Army uniform from WWII. My brother’s Boy Scout uniform from the 1960s. Mom’s beautiful handbags from the 1940s. Everything I always saved to document my own life. Grandma’s piano from 1908. My aunt’s pump organ which dates to the mid-1800s. My first car, which I’ve owned for 43 years (it’s a gem; I love it; she’s very sporty and looks great; we drive her once a week). Other people’s scrapbooks and photo albums. Other people’s memories…and my own. 10,000 things I have to do something with, and I wish it didn’t have to be me. It breaks my heart. I’ve done a lot, but I still have so much more to do in the purge.
I’ve had a very, very hard time letting go of things but, like you, my husband and I are choking with material objects in our smallish house; suffocating, frankly. Too much that the eye has to try to settle on. Yes, much harder to try to clean around too many objects. And I have stuff in offsite storage, which costs too much money each month…and when things are stored anywhere for too long (sheds, garages, attics, basements), they often deteriorate, but there’s just no more room to store anything in my temperature-controlled home. When your stuff is stored and packed away, you’re not enjoying them anyway; they have no life.
There’s scarcely a more timely topic than purging/decluttering with us aging baby boomers. We all seem to have wound up with too much stuff. But I like the way you approach it; in a positive manner. It struck a chord with me and after I had a good cry over it…every post you ever do makes me cry because you always say something to sing to my heart…I cleaned out the entire bedroom closet of clothes I am just not wearing or using. Thank you. And my husband thanks you.
I have received my box of three cups and will unpack them this afternoon. I’ll immediately preorder the new ones; I didn’t know they were available in the shop yet. I love all the cups. Well, I love everything you ever do, Susan. For every cup of yours I bring in, I’m getting rid of two other ones made by somebody else.
I’m glad you’re doing well and enjoying the summer. I love what you’ve said about Joe. I recently ran into my first love, the guy I thought I’d marry, the guy I thought I’d never get over, the guy who I let ruin my life for far too many years (long after he was gone) although I loved him, a lot. I hadn’t had a conversation with him in 32 years. And, I didn’t need any reminders of what I knew already, but I was indeed again reminded so clearly that I married the better man…at least the better one, for me. The guy who’s everything in my life, who is cleaning out the garage at this moment, even though it’s really hot outside here in SoCalif this weekend. I told him last night how much I loved him and I am so grateful for it, and for him. Susan; aren’t we the luckiest…
When did I make the leap that it’s summer already, when it’s not even Memorial Day yet? Guess it just SEEMS like summer, when yesterday we nearly hit 100 degrees here. To escape the heat and get out a little, we drove to the beach in the evening and, wow, scads of people there; already a lot of travelers/vacationers so, yes, almost summer, and I’m looking forward to my ‘food’ garden as we’ve planted a ton of tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, beans, peppers and some eggplant which is a bounty of ‘summer’ I so enjoy…
It will be hard 😢, but I can tell, when it’s all done, you are going to experience a new kind of freedom in your life. And remember, it’s your life, right now. None of these things is going with you in the long run. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo Just saying, with love and kisses. And blessings for ruthlessness. We ARE the luckiest!💞
Oh Vicki, you are saying the story of my life, too. I have all the family memorabilia and the memories from the past generations. It is so much easier to purge my own stuff than even an apron from my gramma or a tattered Christmas decoration that only I remember. Sometimes I think all this stuff will just topple and smother me. But it is so hard to part with any of it. I call myself the family museum.
Well, when my dear brother was alive, he’d refer to it as an archaeological dig (he was actually referring to my parents’ home, which was neat and clean but stuffed; I think it is, in fact, true that any of us with Depression-era parents [1930s] grew up in homes where much was saved and not a lot was bought new…”use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without”).
I keep trying to learn things about decluttering. Helps me evolve. Susan’s post is a BIG help. But, in general, new perspectives on how to let go – – because the responsibility, particularly, of other people’s belongings does weigh heavy.
An otherwise example – – maybe I’ve brought it up before – – after Mom died, going through her things four years ago, in the house she’d lived in for 57 years; finding a large box filled with our childhood books that Mother thought she was doing right by … by wrapping them in plastic or putting them in plastic bags for protection/saving. Well, opposite effect; not looked at or moved since probably the 1960s, they’d mildewed in the plastic, where they just could not ‘breathe’ and, I’m telling you, the sight and stench of it was really bad. I’m asthmatic, lifelong respiratory disease, so I’m terribly allergic to mold. I had to wear a breathing mask, working with this box of our little books.
At first, after crying for half a day over it, I thought I couldn’t do anything but just throw it all away. A total loss. Then, despite their fragility, I tried airing them in the sun; I think I even sprinkled the book pages with baking soda or some such remedy I googled. I tried a lot of things over the days. But what I did instead was place the books on the computer printer, used it as a copier and I copied what was least damaged/readable of the books (the covers and 3-4 pages inside; not a lot) but to have something reasonably representative of those memorable books from when we were little kids, just for me, something of my childhood that was special (there’s actually no one left in my life to remember my childhood at home with my first family; everybody’s gone now, so the material objects prompt the good and valuable memories, which I need and find comfort in). I know these photocopies won’t mean anything to anybody else, and that’s okay. It wasn’t once okay, but it’s okay now. Perspective! Anyway, that was that; I had to throw all the books away; they really couldn’t even go in the recyclables barrel.
I’ve learned a lot on this very blog of Susan’s that more than one girlfriend is in our ‘boat’, Miss Merry; charged with this task of all the old, precious things and what we can do about them, when there’s nobody left but ourselves to do it, and we’ve reached the point where the majority of it has to go – – realizing that as the objects do eventually wind up in hands which might never know their stories, they’ll wind up in those hands because the new person WANTED them; the life of the object will go on, with someone else, who’ll make their own history with them.
I currently stay out of thrift stores/antique stores so that I don’t add one more thing to my ‘accumulation’ but, some years back, from Goodwill, I bought an ancient wooden sewing box which I’ve always wondered about – – who might have owned it; its history. It’s really, really old and I think it’s a custom/handmade wood box, perhaps made for a seamstress who had certain specifications for it; very unique, with little compartments and tiny drawers that pull open/forward like flour bins in an old kitchen. It even has a hidden drawer which I didn’t discover for a long time. Sits upright on a table. It’s one of my treasures, almost like a secret box, and I wish the lady who had it before me could know that I’ve honored it, I like it, I’m glad I have it; it’s in good hands, and I’ll make sure it ends up in good hands.
I’m always amazed when I watch that show…isn’t it on PBS?…called Antiques Roadshow; the things people bring in for evaluation/appraisal; the things that are saved, the things that are found in unlikely places; the stuff that remains…the stuff that lasts…
You have been s u p e r busy! Wow!
I am crazy about my new gorgeous “little things” mug.
The size is PERFECT! The quality is like fine china.
Thank you for such a unique creation. I love, love, love it!
Hi Susan,
You made my Sunday! Seeing your before purging made me happy because I am the same at times. I also have to stop and purge now and then. Delightful and you will feel so great when it is done. Your new mugs are spectacular, I especially love Santa and will pre-order today! Do not want to miss that one at all and I love the bird. Thanks for the hard work. Hope you have a delightful time going through everything. It is fun to find old treasures. If Vanna picks me I want the one with the lamb on it. Happy purging!
Karen
Thank you for a blog about decluttering. I so needed the inspiration right now. My wonderful mom recently passed and we have been helping my dad declutter their home. Of course every other item that passes through my hands…..oh I’ll take that home and think about it! Now I have a guest room filled with things. The rest of my house needs it too! So as soon as I break for summer (I’m a teacher) I will be joining you in the process! I love the cups, and just ordered the next ones! Thank you!
I’m sorry Sharon, that’s so hard, letting go of her things, so soon after having to “let go” of her. But you’ll get there, and soon you’ll have it winnowed down to the creme de la creme!💞 All things to press to your heart. xoxo
Oh what a lovely place to be, this blog.Oh my, The Santa mug would be my hearts desire.I so love the real life you live, and share with others, blessings, Dawn E. Brown
Love reading your blog Susan. It has reached the point my sewing room is where I really need to clean out years of saving fabric and yarn and recipes torn from magazines! I have to get the counters cleaned off so I can use them again!
Your new mugs are delightful. Wanna, please pick me.
Thanks for this post. We just finished cleaning out my parents house so now have boxes at ours that we are unasked what to do with. I love the autumn cup although don’t want to rush spring or summer.
Oh, Susan, this was one of my most favorite visits ever. You brought tears to my eyes, you gave me much to think about, and now–dream of a mug! Plus–a quote to share with my dearest friend, who is ever so tired of politics, while my heart is ever so tired of the result of the election. With love and thanks, as ever.
Have you noticed … with the President and the soap opera out of town, the news media has nothing to talk about! There’s a peaceful lovely quiet in the air! Yay! Nine glorious days before it starts up again! Enjoy! xoxo
Gosh, I think you are speaking for so many of us with this post. We moved into our teenie tiny house in January of 1979 and even with an addition about half again the size of the house in 2004, we are still crammed to the gills with memorabilia. Added to the muddle is everything we moved in from my parents house when they left us. (only child left in state gets to be the family museum). You are very inspiring. It would be great if you could keep me updated and motivated to make my own white space!!! And does anyone have an answer to the billions of boxes of photos (both mine and my moms) other than scanning them one at a time into the next century? I keep buying photo boxes (more for closets) and trying to sort them to no avail. I think I need one of your new mugs to keep me on track!!!
I went through my hard copy photos, and I think you’d be shocked at how many absolutely awful photos there are in your pile! At least that was true with mine! By throwing them away, I’m about 60% down from the original pile! I have them down to 3 boxes. And filed under: Family. Friends. Girlfriends. Me and Joe. Work. Cats. House.
I think your blog might just give me the nudge i need to clear out some more stuff from my home. I have been doing a once per season sweep of closets, cupboards and drawers, but the basement remains a jumble. I am inspired by your white space.
Something definitely happens energetically when we clean out. It brings a bright & happy high!
LOVE the Nature cup!
Love the new mugs. I also love to declutter start fresh in the spring.
Cindy
Absolutely Fabulous (!) mugs to fill with tea and sit and dream with.
I have just spent a happy hour drawing and painting in my nature journal, and turned to the computer to check the date of a photo, only to find your new post. What a lovely treat, especially after a whole afternoon gardening.
I would adore to win the Autumn mug…it sings my name somehow!
Good luck with your decluttering. Ive been doing a 90 day 90 items/ bags challenge and its keeping me motivated.
Oops! I just checked back and of course the Autumn mug isn’t in the draw, but I would love any mug, really I would!
Susan, thank you for sharing your creative ideas. After reading your blogs, I always come away inspired and eager to tackle the next project. Hope to win one of your mugs-each one is unique!
Great minds are thinking alike once again: My sisters and I were just commenting that we hadn’t heard from you in awhile and were hoping all was well. Now we know. Thanks for keeping us up to date! Alice, the Middle Sister
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, pictures, quotes and art on you blog. I always look forward to your new posts.
I ordered a Little Things mug for my Mom – she received on Saturday. She’s an lifelong tea drinker and also does water color painting. She absolutely loves it. I also gave one to a friend and she too loves it. They are gorgeous.
You are a good friend Sharon! Tell your mom I said hello, and “pinkies up!”
Love this blog post! I have a room that looked just like yours. Like you I cleaned it up and organized it. Feels good! I’d love to go thru boxes in your attic some day! Love the mugs hoping for a win!
I really enjoyed your blog! It brightened my day! I got my Little Things mug yesterday and immediately fixed a cup of English Breakfast tea! I was so excited when I opened it up! I would really love to have the In Love with Nature mug if Vanna picks my name! Can’t wait for your new designs to come out! Thanks for all you do! Virginia in N. C.
Hi Susan❣️ This entry was just what I needed. I have purging to do. Right now I’m helping one of my children as they are fighting cancer. I actually had my bestie in to the most embarrassing place in the house 🏡 and she came up with an idea of how to manage and approach which I lovingly refer to as my hidden ghetto. Right after that I was called to my children’s for help. So it is waiting till I return. You can be sure that I will come back to this entry for encouragement when I return. And……you can be sure I love my mug, the sweet little lambs running up the handle. A word to vanna…..could you just pick me for once?🤗👩🌾❤️
Take care Susan,and thanks for the videos and this post. So uplifting and sweet. Blessings 🐑
Blessings on you and yours Jane . . . showers and showers of blessings and healing. xoxoxo
Your mugs are just beautiful!! Looking forward to the Autumn one.
My girlfriend round the corner just brought me one of the beautiful mugs last week as a belated Mother’s Day gift, and it is an absolutely perfect treasure! May I ask one question? I hope you haven’t thrown out any of your SB stickers — I love them and would love to buy any you aren’t keeping! Thank you for all your lovely art, calendars, books, photos, inspiration and gifts from the heart — they make my soul so very happy!
Hooray for you, Susan for all of your Spring cleaning! I am also a pack-rat, treasuring every little twig and letter, so you are inspiring me to do some purging. That’s a good idea to snap pictures of the treasures and notes you are packing away. Thanks again for sharing your beautiful life with us all!
I’ve been busy planting the back yard, got it “done” on Friday, (it’s never really done, is it?). Still have the front to do but the muffleheads are swarming! For those of you who don’t know, muffleheads look like big mosquitoes except they don’t sting. But they fly in swarms and land on everything along the shore of Lake Erie–including people! Soon the wind will blow from the south and send them back to Canada. But for now, we keep our mouths shut as we dash for the car! Tomorrow I hope to deep clean my front porch; the dust covering everything is embarrassing. But your post has inspired me even more to do it. Thanks for the cute video of Jack. He and our Ziggy are cut from the same cloth. I love the mugs!
Happy Sunday Susan! What an awesome blog😀Organizing is such an accomplishment and feels great! I too have made some exciting discoveries lately. I thought I had lost a photo of my second grandaughter Hannah wearing my wedding dress, sitting on my quilt covered bed surrounded by a mosquito net that hung over the bed. She was 3 years old. I already have one framed of my first grandaughter Abbi and was heartsick thinking I had lost the one of Hanny! So happy to find that in the last place I would of thought to look! Also, you know how you felt to meet Julia? Well, thats how much meeting you means to me! You single handely inspire me at all times! Thank you. Love my mugs and totally appreciate the dedication that goes into all you do! Love.
I came home from three weeks away to find my box had arrive with your lovely cups. Do you know everything tastes better from bone China? Of course you do. Love the new designs. I’d love to add another to my budding collection.
Lynne
No apologies needed, Susan! We all have those times in our lives when we simply have do what we have to do and clean up later! Right now is now of those times for me as in our high school where I work, final exams and graduation are both this week. I have been “hunkered down” for weeks now wrapping up another school year. I can hardly wait until the end of this week when the major work events will be over and I can do some deep cleaning in my house along with reading my stack of magazines and books, and get back to quilting and cross-stitching….only for a short while, though, because our first grandchild is due in less than a month! With my daughter and her husband living 3 hours away, many road trips are in my future! I, too, have been cleaning out my house over the past year. I simply don’t need all of this “stuff” I once I thought I did..it is very liberating! So…thanks for this wonderful post, don’t stress over not getting everything done at once for after all, life is for the living and housework will always be waiting for us!
It must be your creative soul and that of mine and others that makes us savers, collectors and “pile-ers”, for my office looks the same. My basement crafting area too, needs a good overhaul. I am trying to purge like you, and should get the camera out so I too can take pictures and at least have the memory of my heart-filled things. Your mugs are wonderful and the new blue one calls to me, so I will be ordering that for myself. I love the nature one as well, and you never know maybe Vanna will pull my name at this new opportunity.
Thanks for the movies and Jack and your yard. It looks wonderful, we are enjoying spring here as well, and the colors and smells are glorious.
Happy Day!
Oh, gosh! Maybe you will inspire me! Our study looks like your studio and I walk into the room, get overwhelmed, and walk out! Ugh! I love everyone of the new cups! I will pre-order this time! Thanks for all that you do!
Hello Susan, I have been dealing with flood waters at my retirement home for the past month. I am exhausted and downhearted. A new mug with your beautiful designs would surely cheer me. Thanks so much.
I’m sorry Jane, I hope it all gets better, and lightheartedness returns very soon. xoxoxo
Oh, I know just what you’ve been going through. I’ve been writing about my journey to Lessville on my Facebook posts. My mantra: Love it or use it or it goes. I’ve sent a big truckload to the church thrift shop – getting another load ready. What a job! But weeding through all this stuff is cathartic, for sure. Gave the family stuff to younger relatives. Calling the local auction house for antiques that are too much work to try selling myself. Letting go of books is the worst – I have several thousand. It all accumulated over years, so the big remove is taking some time! But the Lessville Campaign continues!
When I saw your title, I thought you were going to tell us you were not going to watch “Game of Thrones” anymore. 😀 I don’t watch it myself, but I hear it is popular. I love reading your posts! I love your white space. I need some in my life too! Love the new cups!
Love hearing you tell how you’ve been cleaning and organizing. . .my favorite things to do! I enjoyed meeting you at the tea at Indian Pond Country Club in Kingston for the benefit of the “Stars” group . .you’ve been on my bucket list for a while! I gave you the mini pie and starfish. Can’t wait for my mugs to arrive!
Oh yes Patti, it was nice meeting you too~I loved our day there!
I know it feels so good to get rooms organized. It really does make you feel lighter. Well done. I’ve been tackling my sewing room and am still fine tuning how I want the finished room to look. Your tea cups are all so pretty, my favorite is the one you named Little Things. I like how it matches your friendship fabric collection which I used to make a quilt.
Hi Susan,
I have a office that looks almost identical to yours.
After coming to the same conclusion that you did, I went thru a big purge this winter. I put your book..Sweets To The Sweet in the donate pile.
It was painful, but I never had baked anything out of it in all these years.
But guess what?
I fished it out and put in on my new dusted off shelf the next morning.
🙂
It is nice to know all of us have more in common that we would guess.
Heres to a productive 2017.
Hugs,
Debra
LOL! I’ve already done that myself! Hey, we’re doing the best we can!😘
Dear Susan,
What a charming post. I loved seeing the treasures and photos. The From long ago. Cleaning can lead to treasures for sure. I did my closet and found a perfect royal blue tee I had forgotten about. It will go to London next month under my black jacket. Now to find a scarf. Blue in all shades is my favorite color. I love the bird cup and would be happy to win it.
Smiles,
Nancy
Dear Susan:
It’s always wonderful to read a new blog from you for inspirational ideas. After 46 years in the same house, I have major decluttering to do and the “one shelf at a time” is a brilliant starter idea. I love all the things you create and have read your “trilogy” 3 times. Your mugs are delightful and such a perfect size.. Keeping my fingers crossed to win one! Thanks for all you do. You are a springtime essence in a cold, uncaring world.
Love everything about this post. A lazy Sunday afternoon read with encouragement to get with it and clean out and get rid of things starting (tomorrow) because everyone knows Monday is the day to start new projects. Gotta go…need to order my Autumn and Christmas mugs! Happy Day!
Feel as though we are on the same wave length. I too have been cleaning and purging in my Sewing Room. It is always the “open the door, throw it in, shut the door” room. I am between projects right now and it feels so good to “find” my cutting table once more. Hopefully I will purge a little more before I start another project.
Would love to win one of your beautiful cups for my Morning coffee. Thanks for your inspiration, Karen
I don’t know where you find the energy to keep up!! Your new mugs are wonderful! I hope to own one someday as I can’t seem to figure out how much shipping would be to Canada? Good luck everyone!!
Write [email protected]/~susanbs3/susanbranch/ and they will figure it out for you!
the cups are lovely…. the bluebird is my favorite and of course who doesn’t love Santa
Wisteria, lily of the valley, forsythia. All so profoundly remind me of New England! (I’m now living in the northern plains.)
We’ve just gone through our home and only have what ‘sparks joy’ now. It is so wonderful, such peace (and yet so energizing–that was a big surprise). Marie Kondo’s little book, The Magic of Tidying Up, really helped guide me in the process.
Thanks for the opportunity to win a mug. It will be used with love.