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! 😘
Room to breathe! How lovely. You’ve inspired me. And thanks for the blog, I really enjoyed the visit! It’s dreary here today, all clouds and cold. I could almost smell the wisteria! Best of luck with the rest of your projects this summer!
Wonderful post. It inspires me to tackle the guest bedroom! Beautiful mugs and, of course, beautiful Jack!
Hi, thanks for your new post. I would love to win one of your beautiful cups!
Emma
I’m inspired! Thanks for being open and showing your home and how you are clearing out for breathing room. Love the new cups designs by the way!
Susan,
Congratulations on all your sorting and cleaning. I love organizing, culling and eliminating clutter but sometimes it’s so hard to let things go, especially family memories. Photographs are a nice option and boxes somewhere clean and dry… and you’ve found so many things that you’d forgotten about for ages. I do that too and have been having fun finding things that have been packed away for several years.
Joe is doing a fine job of tidying up the garden and springtime is so delightful and abundant, with little blooms bursting out of nowhere to put in little vases. The birds are so joyful and I enjoy their songs but perhaps not at 4:30 am! My father used to call it the Dawn Chorus.
Your house and garden look great and I especially love your new cups, can’t wait for mine to arrive on the front porch!
I knew a blog was getting close and here you are, thank you again for another and keep up the good work.
Sally
My husband and I are busy “decluttering”. Retirement is near and it feels time to simplify. If Vanna happens to pick me the IN LOVE WITH NATURE mug would be lovely for tea breaks! And thank you for reminding us to appreciate the true joys of everyday life.
Dear Susan,
What an inspiration you are. We’re downsizing to a 1200 square foot apartment after 30 years — 30! — in a house twice the size. Out, out, out goes so much, mostly mine. The deal with my sweet husband: I let stuff go, and he takes it to the library (books), the Salvation Army (clothes, furniture, etc) and the trash and recyling bins (must be a ton by now).
Thank you for your before and after photos and most beautiful mugs, for which there will always be a place in my home.
Jann
Oh Susan. Your blogs just take me away to another place. Just make me so happy and love all your photos of spring and your lovely photos and your cups oh my how gorgeous. So would love to win one of them! Wishing you another lovely day!
Loved the way you are tackling your clutter. Your art room reminds me of my sewing room that frequently needs reorganizing. Each quilt/project causes more leftover mess.
The new mugs are gorgeous, love everything you do!
Hi Susan, Thanks for inspiring me to start my own decluttering project. Loved the video of Jack pawing the water!
Absolutely love the mugs! The bluebird one is amazing. Definitely on my wish list. I always look forward to your blog posts. Was so excited to see you on Instagram! 😍😊
Thank you for the inspiration !
Your posts are always the best part of my day. This one was no different. I admire your dedication to cleaning out your home but what was extra special to me was the clip of Jack in the bathroom [love the old chippy sink!!]. Our kitty died last fall and we are so missing her. My daughter is not quite ready for a new friend yet so thanks for sharing Jack with me.
Can’t wait to see the mugs of the other seasons as I am definitely a summer girl!
You have such a gift for making even the every day things extra charming – like cleaning up your office! And what a treat to find the old recipes and notes from your Mom and Dad – you never know where you will find the next treasure!
Susan, it takes courage to share pictures of a “lived in” house, but we all have been there from time to time. It means that things are getting done and progressing. Of course, after awhile, it tends to stymie creativity and then it’s time to buckle down and organize. Decluttering makes me calm, and I always have to visit decluttered rooms and relish the sheer beauty of organization.
Now for the real purpose of my comment. A sincere thank you for “your world through your eyes.” Lately I have become a real Nancy Downer. Not to get political, but it’s just that the way things are going in our beautiful country and the planet for that matter, have really taken a toll on my usually optimistic nature. I was in bed last night trying to do some soul searching, as every thought I have lately about just about everything has been so negative. I always remember that one sure help to myself is prayer. But then as I was thinking for some supplementary options for raising my happiness quotient, a phrase came to me out of the blue…..”See my world around myself as Susan sees her world around her.” Let Susan be my example to teach myself to look at things the way she does….with thankfulness at all the beauty that surrounds me every day, in nature, my family and friends, in all the blessings of my life. Open my eyes to the gifts I have been given like Susan does, and the happiness and positive energy can’t help but drive out the negativity. Negativity doesn’t help us live longer and happier, positivity does! So it will take some practice to make this good habit a consistent one, but I am totally motivated to make this work for me, and I thank you ever so much Susan.
Thank you , Susan! This is just the inspiration or rather the confirmation that some deep cleaning is in my very immediate future. Love the mugs!
It was a struggle! I turned my computer off and on twice, and changed from Fire Fox to Internet Explorer several times, and FINALLY I got the new post to appear. It was well worth it! How could you know that there are others out here whose nooks and crannies are filled to capacity and in need of sorting and organization. I struggle with the need to “clean-out” each and every day. I’ve made a tiny bit of progress in recent weeks, but oh, so much more must be done! Knowing that there is someone else working on a similar task will help – I’m sure! Thank you for the inspiration! I’m not sure that I will finish by August, but every little bit of progress helps. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll locate the little wooden train (that’s hiding somewhere in the attic) before Christmas. Fingers crossed!
Oh, and the mugs are absolutely beautiful!! I must place an order for the set of three! But then I may need to order the Autumn mug too, since Winter, Spring, and Summer are coming soon. And then there are charms to consider – Oh my. . .
Hoping you continue to have a wonderful Spring. XOXO!!
Dearest Susan,
What a wonderful brave soul you are to share and reveal what is behind the curtain! I think we can all relate to how clutter can stifle us and our creativity – but your honesty gives me the nudge to tackle my own piles. I was reminded of the wonderful book, “Bird by Bird : some instructions on writing and life” by Anne Lamont, and how she shares her father’s advice to her brother on tackling his term paper on birds, simply bird by bird (much like your shelf by shelf). So off to my craft room I go, but I had to stop and say thank you for your beautiful blog post, especially your photos, drawings and sharing bits of you!! P.S. Love all your mugs!!
XO Cathy (will you ever come to Houston – maybe to the Quilt Market in the Fall?)
Thank you for the inspiration! I’ve been thinking about cleaning off my own overstuffed bookshelves, and it’s nice to know I’m not alone in making hard decisions on what to keep. I also need to go through my stationary cupboard – I have two shelves stuffed full of writing paper and cards. I love hand-writing letters every week. I still have the ones my Gram wrote to me while I was away in college. If Vanna picks my name, I’d love the nature mug!
Thank you Susan… you are a true inspiration for those of us with the guilty secret of having closets and cupboards and bookshelves we haven’t touched since 1984!!! Your built-ins are amazing. Your cups are adorable. My wish is to someday visit your enchanted island so far from my Northern California home.
Keep up the good work….we love to live vicariously!!!
Okay, Susan! Now I know we are kindred spirits! I just came in from my studio, feeling totally overwhelmed by the mess. People tell me that it is okay if the studio is a mess. It means I am using it, but I CAN”T stand it anymore!!!! Thank you for your blog and for your inspiration. (and for admitting that yours gets messy too) 🙂
Also, your lovely mug arrived the day before Mother’s day and was my own MD gift to me. I love it and smile every time I use it. Looking forward to your new mugs and anything else you create. You are the best!
i’m sad that the cups were gone before I could order mine. I will be sure to pre-order sooner this time! I especially need to get the bluebird cup for my mom since she has an Eastern bluebird nest with babies in her back yard now. Happy spring cleaning!
~Holly
Susan, your mugs are so beautiful. How to choose? Autumn is my favorite season, and my favorite cookbook of yours, so I think I’ll start there!
Hi, Susann,
Loved your post & honesty regarding your Stuff. We all have it; some just hide it better than others.
When I was growing up my father told us that only street people and gypsies put stuff under their beds– made for a quicker getaway according to him. He was from Mississippi– born in 1919.
Somehow I missed that lesson. Have always loved storing a variety of things under All of the Beds in our house.
Now, as you’ve noted for yourself & many others of us, it’s time to pay the price for this. We’ve outgrown so many stages of life and the need to keep a lot of Stuff represented by it.
Love your new mugs. My favorite is the bluebird!
Keep being Spirited. So many of us are on the same wavelength.
Kindly,
Cathye Edwards
Organized chaos! You are an artist fir heaven’s sake! Chilll
Thanks for the wonderful video, spring seems a long time coming here in northern Wisconsin.
No Susan, you aren’t the only one that ends up with pile of stuff! Thank you for reminding me I’m not the only one with piles of recipes and books, magazines and projects to finish. I’m thankful my life is like that! Much better than being a boring not interesting person!
Your newest mugs look great!
Dear, dear Susan, As always you are such a delicious treat. And today you were very inspiring. I am going to take up your habit and ask myself every morning, “How do I move myself forward today?” I have not made the transition to retirement very well and I think these words will help me.
I am saving my splurge for your blue mug with the birds (love, love, love), but I would LOVE to win one of the others.
Thank you for blessing my day.
I always look forward to your posts. A bright spot in my day. The mugs are simply delightful, I’d love to win one, fingers crossed. Thank you for always sharing, you’re a blessing.
Oh my goodness!!! I have begun to get things organized too, and I feel so good as I get each spot done!!! I can’t believe I was holding onto tons of Southern Living Magazines from the late 1980’s, convinced I would someday make recipes or use something from ideas in them! We have moved so many times as my husband was in the military, and I dragged them around but gave them up yesterday. They are in the recycling bin now, waiting to be taken away tomorrow. Kinda sad, but more glad am I!! I LOVE your mugs, just love all of your artwork!!! Your home looks lovely!!
Wow Susan, cleaning is just what we’re doing at our house. We’ve gone through pictures, tools, dressers, drawers and the garage is next–ugh. You are right about the free feeling and once the stuff is gone you don’t miss it! I usually write down what I’ve given away since I invariably go looking for it. I like your idea of taking pictures of your things; I did that when we sold my mom’s house. The most fun is remembering all of it and not needing it anymore. Happy cleaning!
Cecelia
Hi Susan…I don’t think my comments ever get through, but if by chance, they do…may I just say that you are a kindred spirit and I love everything you paint, write, accomplish. I feel like we’ve done all of the same things…travel…love people along the way…paint…love family…clean out drawers and houses. And yet… you have a special way of relating it back…I do wish I could emulate that! You’re the best. Thank you…
In my farmhouse kitchen in deepest Devon U.K. there is a shelf full of all your cook books – all that I need now is one of your super new mugs so that when I’m deciding what delicious SB recipe to cook for supper I can ponder over a cup of tea in a Susan Branch mug! It would be the icing on the cake!!
I LOVE this post about cleaning, organizing and simplifying!! I have done some of it myself, and now you have inspired me to do some more. Thank you!
Susan, the cups are beautiful. Hard to find a favorite!
Hello Dearest Susan,
I wish I had your energy to clean today but the sun is finally shinning and I have been planting some flowers outside. I have opened up the house to get some fresh air in here! I love your wisteria…how gorgeous! All of your flowers are quite lovely! Thank you for sharing your world with us. You are such a sweet treasure in an uncertain time…that is for sure!!:) Would love to win an adorable mug thank you for even offering one as a prize!! Thank you for your girlfriendness! 🙂 Hello to Joe and Jack…Have a lovely Sunday evening!! Love and Hugs, Tricia B.
Hi Susan! I received my “LOVE” mugs this week and they are beautiful. Love the large size! I’m saving one for my darling daughter Colleen who interviewed with you about 12 years ago. She decided to stay close to the boyfriend and they are now married and have two adorable boys. So that worked out but I was hoping to get to meet you! Now I need more mugs. Thanks for all you do.
Good for you Susan! I have been “purging” since 1986–and am still at it. Take a picture of something if you can’t bear to let it go. And, remember, someone else may need that item. Hope I win a cup! Love from Sherill A.
Perfectly timed blog post! I’m in the midst of a deep spring clean too! Thank you for the encouragement to keep going. 🙂 I received my mugs on Mother’s Day and I could not be more pleased with them. They are awesome in every way!! Looking forward to ordering more as gifts, and most pleased to see those darling beads will be back in stock too!
I just love your blogs. When one appears, I know it is time of a few minutes of relaxing and enjoying something lovely. I get a glass of wine or cup of tea to have with you and ENJOY!
Dear Susan,
Your post has given me the courage to start parting with STUFF that I know longer really need. As I was reading, I found myself saying….”That’s our house!” Every drawer, cabinet, closet and under the bed is crammed full. I know where and how to start now thanks to your story.
Thank you for sharing!
Diane
Hi Susan. I just finished reading A Fine Romance an hour ago, loaned to me by a dear friend (which made it even nicer!). Thank you for taking me (ok, all of us) along with you on your amazing trip. Just signed up for your blog yesterday so I’m living in an intoxicating mix of all things English countryside and your delightfulness right now. Love the blog and your books! Thank you for entering me in the drawing…would be thrilled if Vanna chose me. Your mugs are over the moon adorable….just like you!
What a warm and wonderful newsy posting ~ Sifting, sorting, donating ~ It’s all so good! Thank you for all that you share with us, Susan. You are a balm for these rather tumultuous days, and serve to remind us that life’s moments and all the little things are what mean so much. Please place a whisper in Vanna’s ear that I’m hoping for the luck of the draw! xoxo
I’m a new visitor….love this blog!
Thanks you for sharing your photos of Spring Cleaning. Now I’m inspired to get going on my dusting and cleaning!
Please sign me up to win a beautiful mug.
I always look forward to your newsy blogs. This one, especially, was encouraging. My study is filled with so many books and files and memories. Your idea of taking pictures of special pages and items is such a relief! I can now throw and give away while keeping memories. I LOVE the tea cups. I sip tea all day so the 16 oz. mug is just right. Now I have to choose which delight to purchase. The pile of your books, love them all, when stacked well, looks like ART! Thanks for the time you take with your blogs so that I can travel with you and marvel with you and dream wonderful dreams.
😘 Gail xoxo
Hi Susan,
I’m glad you shared your decluttering journey with us. Recently I’ve felt the need to urge to purge yet again. This time around, I’m considering going through all my old creative/artistic/writing projects as part of the process, and letting go of some of them that I know I’ll never finish. Sometimes holding onto too much unfinished business from the past keeps us from moving forward. Creatively, I have not moved forward for many years and can’t figure out why. So I think it’s time to revisit this stuff and see what happens.
Clutter can definitely drain energy! I open the bedroom closet door and feel instantly tired. So that has to be fixed–I just have to find the energy to do it. 🙂
Oh Susan you have inspired me to dejunk too, after 50 yrs in one place it sure has added up, so I’m going to follow you, go slow one shelf or drawer at a time & away it will go. Thank you so much. Your China cups are just beautiful.
Thank you for the great post! I have been ‘shoveling’ out the junk in our home! We were not able to keep up with deep cleaning and decluttering for about two years due to my son’s accident, but now that he is making a remarkable recovery we are able to turn our attention to our negicted home! It really feels good to work hard and feel better about what really matters, a wonderful, healthy family enjoying a clean, clutter free home.
Hi Sue — You give me hope and inspiration to do something to my stuffed bookshelves…but how can you give up a book? They’re all friends and remind me of happy times (mostly). But I will try after seeing your end result. The mugs are beautiful…fingers crossed…
Sharon in Houston
Just as special as when you meet Julia Child, so is my memory of meeting you in June 2016 in Grapevine Texas! Bravo for showing the before and progress of the transformation of your room…it will inspire so many…thanks.
Susan,
I have been decluttering for the last few months! We are remodeling every room in our home from top to bottom all at the same time. We have a very filled basement, also,…furniture, antiques, Christmas, etc. For the last four days steady I have filled buckets for charity of clothes, purses, kitchen dishes, If something tugs at me I put it aside and think about it another day. We are so intent on clearing out and only keeping what is beautiful, useful or memorable. I cannot wait for our home to be settled and for me to feel, once again, organized and calm. You will get there, too. Good Luck! Mary
Hi Susan, This must be the season for organizing and down sizing. I have been doing the same as you! Boxes and boxes of books have gone to our local library for their bi-monthly book sale. Clothes I haven’t worn in ages, dishes, and what ever banished to the local thrift store. I hope some one else will get pleasure from these “things”. You are right….it is liberating to lighten up. Love your post…it is inspiring.
xoxo Pam
Wow! You have inspired me to start cleaning off my shelves! First the office area and then the sewing room with all those books, projects and UFO’s! Hope I’m lucky enough to win one of your darling cups!
good afternoon Susan, Girlfriends. Happy Sunday, and for once here in Oregon it is sunny, warm and I think spring finally decided to stick around. all the water tubs for the barnyard brats are scrubbed, rinsed and clean and filled with nice cool fresh water, it is warm here about in the mid 80’s and loads of lovely warm sunshine for once instead of cloudy gray skies. I’m busy with laundry…. not the usual Monday load… one of our cats had a potty accident on the bed and that means everything, sheets, blanket and quilt have to be washed and dried ( darn cat)!!!! so I now have the last of the loads out on the line and hopefully as warm as it is things will dry quickly and I can get the bed put back together. our oldest cat Tabby and Miss Kitty do that thing with the water, they have us very well trained for that, they jump on the sink and we go turn on faucet and let them get a drink or 2 of water. silly aren’t they, and Tabby and I have been butting heads for years. its just their way of scent marking you and claiming you as their person. right now they are at the windows watching the birds and squirrels, and of course Ed who is out there busy splitting logs for next winter. we have to hustle on that and get about double our wood supply as I know my in-laws will around whining for wood this winter and FIL spacing it off until Fall when it starts to get expensive. we go this every year, and every year its the same. they won’t go get the permit that will allow them to cut and haul wood from the forest for only $20 dollars, but get mad at us for doing it and giving the wood to them… same old fight and same old headache wish we could just solve this problem once and for all. we go cut the wood, haul it home and split it and stack it for drying during the summer and then stack in the woodshed for the winter… and they don’t do a thing to help themselves. oh well!!! I love that Autumn cup, its beautiful. just may pre-order one for myself to have for the Fall. be nice to have a cup for the Fall to enjoy my tea or coffee in, oh and before I forget, that tea I won, well it works great a hot tea, but as iced tea.. its not that good. seems to weak to hold up as iced tea. you’re like me, when I get to spring cleaning.. I clean. I think the local libraries, and good will love me… LOL!!! well off to go check on the barnyard brats, and the laundry and hopefully I can get dinner ready for barbequing tonight. have a great day, enjoy the weather if you can. love much, laugh often and live well. hugs….. 🙂
oops forgive all the typos and booboos…. I think faster than I can type at times. LOL hugs…. 🙂
I got a little behind reading the blog posts, and was dismayed to find a little bit ago that I missed out on the first round of mugs 🙁 I had remembered reading that they would (hopefully) arrive by Mother’s Day, and now, just a week past, they’re all gone! So bummed. I hope luck might be with me and Vanna will draw my name, so I can have at least one of these darling mugs!
Phew! I thought maybe something had happened to you we did not know about! But it was only the “dust bunnies” living in your studio! So relieved. Your “normalness” endears you to us all. I just finished the first run of my sewing room and feel better…now for the second pass to be done so I can quilt and embroider and appliqué in wool with steady fervor! Thanks for the continued inspiration! I need a new cup to fill with the tea I just got at The Empress in Victoria! I so thought of you while I was there…❤️
Love the mugs! Must order the Martha’s Vineyard mug! Brings happy memories!
You are my hero, my inspiration! I’m so impressed with the progress you have made with the organization. I so desperately need to do much of the same, but of course my stuff is not original art and writing. It is just stuff! Important stuff in some cases, like special handwritten notes, photos, and other treasures, and then those things that I need to let go of as you have done. I’m a collector of oh so many things. I’ve recently emptied the last of two storage units of boxes I’d packed two years ago when we considered a move. The realtor wanted our home void of most anything that showed someone actually lived here. I don’t agree with that approach, but I followed her direction. I’m happy to say that our plans changed, and we stayed in our home. Now, I’m still unpacking boxes, keeping what is important to me, and sending the rest to be donated. Of course, like you, I will use the process to bring more home when I’m out antique shopping. Like today, when I visited my favorite little shop in a nearby town. You would adore this store, called Gatherings! I came home with vintage napkins rings made of bakelite and each etched with a number 1-6. I love tabletop details and am eager to set a table with these new little vintage treasures.
I’m currently going through my boxes of napkins and tea towels. Some are vintage from my mom and mother-in-law, but others are just beautiful textiles I’ve purchased through the years. Anyway, you have inspired me to get them organized, keep only what I can’t live without, and then pass the others on to be enjoyed by others. Your have inspired me! Yes, I, too, can do this! 😉
I love your new cup designs! I know for certain I need Isle of Dreams. I’ve dreamed of living on your island or the island of Nantucket since I was a child. I’m past the age where I would make such a move, but the dreams still fill my mind and heart with joy. So…..please keep sharing those IG videos of your special island. Makes me feel as if I’m there!
Thanks again for all the joy you bring to this world!
Hugs from Austin, TX ~ Sarah
PS
Hope you saw Sadie in her Susan Branch Mother’s Day Tiara. She looks adorable!
I did, and thank you Sarah . . . xoxoxoxo
Love the Jack video. He must be my cat Cinders long lost cousin. Cinder loves his bathroom sink water. Especially if his mom lets it run for a while with the stopper in place. So much fun to splash it with your paw and then shake it off. So now I know where all the water spots come from on the mirror! He has also recently discovered the joys of diving into the bathtub and licking the water after showers and playing with the drain cover. Really no need to buy cat toys so much to do in the bathroom. Love all the cups!
Thanks for todays motivating post. If you are ever in St. Louis MO you should check out The London Tea Room. I discovered it online and we were able to visit it last week. They have scones that taste like the ones we had in England, wonderful. I told my husband this is a Susan Branch kind of place. I love the bluebird cup, maybe luck will be with me and I’ll win one. Happy Spring
Liz H
Now when the husbands begin to understand what I like, that must mean something! Tell him I said thank you for thinking of me!
You have inspired me to declutter, too! Thanks for showing your pictures of “before” – I can relate. I received my “Little Things” mug on Friday. It is even prettier in person and tea is so much better in it! Thanks for brightening my day with your words and your art.
Enjoyed watching your video “features” included in this week’s blog (plus I watched a few of your interviews including the one from 1986; it was like you were talking to ME!). I absolutely adore your new cups and CANNOT wait for the Christmas cup. I’m giving my mother-in-law–who, by the way, was the one who got me hooked on your cookbooks–a Christmas cup for her birthday. She is a December 23 baby and her house is all about Christmas all year long!
I can so empathize with your need to declutter. Dust I can bear, but not clutter….hurts my head when I have to look at it. Our big move from WA state to OR necessitated a major purge, and I love that what came with us is what brings me joy. People who visit us say our home is “homey”! Perfect, just what I was going for!
Your cups are AMAZING! My art room is getting ready to be painted, so I had to clean it out.
The cup will be a wonderful way to have tea and create.
What a delightful entry. Your way of sharing your joy of everything that you do inspires your followers to get the same enjoyment from our lives. Thank you for that. And, I love the picture of you as a small child in your mother’s arms.
Pat Holland
Wonder if some of this is age, I have been purging too and like you, not a minimalist, I need to have the things I love around me. However a clear space is wonderful! The older I get the more I enjoy being in my studio. I found a tea towel that says “Life is better at Home” and for me, that says it all! This blog inspired me to keep going at the purging!
I love the new cups and you’ve inspired me to start de-cluttering!
Hi Susan,
So now you have me looking around at all my stuff thinking I need to start purging. My daughter recently told me to clean out the attic because if I die before it is cleaned, she is really going to be mad. So many memories are stored up in that attic. Also, things that I know are or will be worth money some day and I can’t find anyone in my area who is interested. Gosh, now I am looking around my craft room. I gotta go clean! BTW, love, love, love your mugs!
I have loved everything “Susan Branch” since my daughter gave me your first book “Heart of the Home” over 23 years ago. You have a special “shelf” in my life. Love and blessings to you.
Thank you Joan. So nice. I feel so lucky. Please tell your daughter I said hello! xoxo
Please make a mug with the phrase every home needs a grandma in it. My sister & I loved our grandma so much & I’m doing everything possible to make sure my grands feel the same about me. I loved reading that quote in one of your books. Thank you.
I’m s..l..o..w..l..y.. wading and discarding also. I think it’s partly our age. My husband and I have no children and I would hate to leave a mess some day. Besides, I have new things to add! Books and dishes are my downfall… oh, well… I LOVE your new cups!
Susan, You have motivated me to get going and clean the mess in my crafting room! In the past month I have read Fairy Tale Girl, Martha’s Vineyard and A Fine Romance and Heart of the Home. Loved them! A newbie to your blog and look forward to each of your Willard Newsletters. Thank you for you wonderful outlook on life.
Who could ever get enough of seeing all of nature, a true gift.
Thank you for showing us that we ALL live “real ” lives, and all experience these times of clutter, in our homes and minds! We recently had to empty my inlaw’s home to sell it. It was so overwhelming but made us realize that we tend to hold onto “things” that truly we should have let go years ago. Therefore, we have begun to declutter and while it’s exhausting, physically and mentally, in the end it is freeing and energizing, if that makes sense? Stuff is just that… stuff. But our memories are forever 😍 I, too, will be going through the process for months to come. I’m sure our daughters will thank us one day!! LOL
I have been enjoying my beautiful, new mug. Would love to own more!! Hope I’m the lucky one in the drawing.
Hi Susan! Thanks for the wonderful post and congrats on all your decluttering and organizing! We are going through a similar process in preparation to move closer to the kids and our darling grandson. The mugs are lovely! I really enjoy your posts and website. Thanks! Meg
Love this post on so many levels. I’m a big fan of “white space” and over the last year or so I’ve begun ridding out, as my grandma used to say. So liberating, letting go of stuff that’s not needed or loved. It’s good for the soul!
Sounds like there may be a tea book in our future…I hope so!!
And I love what you said about Joe, when you stand together your arms press together, without even thinking about it…just like your mom and dad in that precious picture taken so long ago. That truly is what it’s all about, after all.
Hugs
Lol I am a special education teacher in the state of Illinois, my desk always looks like the desk in your studio! A few weeks ago I couldn’t take it any more, I stayed late and cleaned and reorganized my shelves in my room and my storage closet! Moving everything around, putting items in bins, etc. It felt great! Well I don’t think there’s any hope for my desk, it seems to stay clean for a few minutes and that is it! Oh silly me, it will be clean for a few months, I’ll be on summer vacation! Then back to chaos!
Love this post and love your entheusiasm! You have inspired me to finally tackle my overstuffed shelves. Thank you Susan for being you!
You had me at “We are a team.” That’s what love is all about! By the way, through the magic of television, I think Vanna is in Boston this coming week as Wheel of Fortune is celebrating Great American Cities. That must be why you were able to get her to pick a name : )
Purchased THE LITTLE THINGS mug as a thank you for a friend who introduced me to you. She lives in Ohio and I in Oregon. She is very happy with the surprise that came to her. I would love if Vanna were to pull my name so I could join my friend, across the miles, in starting off the day with coffee in a Susan Branch cup. Thank you for sharing your time and talent.
My cups came and I am in love. My two teenage daughters love them too. We are drinking our tea and coffee out of them daily! I would love to win one to give to my friend, Betsy!
Purging——my big activity this year.It feels so good.My sewing room is so neat–i need to get to work on a new quilt & mess it up again.
I redid 2 of my hutches.Using everything i already had in my house(I shop my own house–always have)….One hutch has only white items(tea pots,vases dishes etc.) My other hutch has all my blue & white dishes,tea pots etc.That i ran all over my house looking for..
Yes,it does feel good.Sometimes ,i can’t tell Hub because he doesn’t understand my need to purge.But I, like you have turned 70 this year & Hub & will be celebrating our 50th anniversary in September(how is this possible i asks you??)
Oh happy day—i found you in my email.
I will never purge my Susan Branch…..hugs to you from Connecticut
As I did not order a cup in time, I would so love to win one. Also, I completely understand your need to declutter. I literally feel weighed down when things get to be too much.
Susan in PA
I always find you posts and photos so inspiring. I would love to have an art studio someday to clutter with treasures. I am also not a minalist. I love ❤️ stuff. Would love one of your lovely new cups.
So many exciting things!
Getting really organized is exciting too.
Love love this post. Never wanted it to end. It’s good to downsize. Clears mind and space. Inspires us all to also. Thank you for creating these new beautiful Tea cups. Beautiful. Have a great week. Keep painting
Debra as you see the wrong names and email addresses are at our posts. Even though Willard goes to correct email one cannot type OUR own name in. So this Is Debra Sewell NOT Grand Pam. Help
I almost wish it happened to everyone, Debra, but it doesn’t! Why? I don’t know. 😜 I think maybe three people out of everyone has mentioned it, that makes it even more difficult to figure out. What you might try, until this mystery is solved, is just manually change the name to yours in “comments” ~ is that possible? I’m so sorry!
My dear, dear Sue ~
I hope you realize what a gem you really are! Yes, we girlfriends are all kindred spirits….but we were somewhat unaware until you found a way to bring us all together in this wonderful blog.
Your artwork is beautiful; your recipes-delicious; your books are amazing treasures; the dishes you design-so lovely and useful, too! But to me, your greatest accomplishment…. is your uncanny ability to sense and then, share, what’s on our (yours and our) minds and hearts in this safe, cozy, homey BLOG. There really is nothing quite like it and absolutely no one quite like you!
Thank you, dear friend 🙂
Love,
Debbie xo
So sweet Debbie, so nice of you to say that. One thing is for sure, I believe in my girlfriends. Just as much as they believe in me. For years I got wonderful letters from people, and I always wished everyone could meet each other, we all had so much in common, I thought it would make everyone feel better, to know about all the truly wonderful people there are in the world. And I got my wish, blogland came along and made it happen! Amazing world! xoxo
You have to correct what’s wrong with the posts part. Others cannot post under theirnname either. HELP. This is Debra Sewell NOT. grand Pam
Hello, Your studio looks great! I’m entering for my sister who loves coffee and your mugs! We are both big fans.
Now I feel like doing a clean out. Thanks for inspiring me!
The big clean-out you’re doing is exactly what I’ve been working on around my house too. It takes some time, but is much-needed and makes you feel so good when you finish an area.
Quick question…other than your own, do you have and use a lot of other cookbooks?
My new mugs arrived last week and I’ve tried them all out already. They are adorable.
I have quite a few vintage cookbooks. And my friends give me other delicious recipes all the time. I sort of put all my best recipes in my own books, so it makes it really easy when I want to make something I know will work.
I can’t find my previous post, so this may be redundant. Yay and pats on the back to you for your purging. Every time I think I’m going to do that, I clean and put everything back😬Can’t part with it yet! I really need to tho.
I see you found my quilt on Instagram!
Keep on having fun, Carol
Yes, I did find you before, and wrote back! but I love it anyway! Want to make sure you know it’s all going through!
Oh Susan, If only I could be inspired and get to organizing my quilting room. Fabrics, patterns, and unfinished quilts, empty glasses that were once filled with diet Coke, and scissors, thread, rulers, and sewing machines, all this plus so much more, need to have places to be stored.
Hello happy friend! I completely understand your organizing, tossing, and “less is best” undertaking for clarity and breathing room. Sometimes I get healed and lifted by purging, and sometimes there is comfort in stacks. I guess I am not as advanced in my thinking as you are, but one day…… anyway, it’s always enlightening to read your posts, because you are always thinking what we all are thinking! I would be so tickled to win one of your gorgeous mugs! Thanks for the opportunity to participate!
I was so excited when my new cup came in the mail, I love it and love how nice and big it is! Cheers to you!!
Hi Susan! Thank you for your inspiration. Hopefully I’ll get going on my bookshelves…one shelf at a time! I love hearing about your life on Martha’s Vineyard and all of your projects, I needed some motivation!!!!
Maybe it’s just the season of the Sensational Seventies that makes a person want to clear out and clean out, but I totally know what you’re talking about. Even though we don’t carry all of our stuff on our backs it can still be a weight around our necks! Am DETERMINED to “enter the fray” when I return from this delightful little stay in California…..Clean or Bust!
I ordered all three of the mugs and they are beautiful!! I gave the “Love” mug to
my daughter. Will definitely pre-order the blue bird mug. Opening my box
of mugs was like Christmas!!
Springtime in the air, clean time in the house! Tis the season and I feel better knowing the trials and tribulations of creating “open” space are shared by so many of us. Here’s to a light and airy start to the summer! Cheers!