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! 😘
About 8 weeks ago my husband and I bought 17 heavy duty shelves for our basement. I organized EVERYTHING into a proper container and labeled. I’m afraid I have a Christmas decoration thing to I have a lot. We also went through our shed and got rid of a lot of broken things. Cleaned out the “man cave/den” and now on to our bedroom. It is absolutely uplifting to go through the rooms to see them cleaned, polished and “decrapified”. Now to keep it this way.
LOL, “decrapified!” Well done!
I’ve had a stellar month!!! Met Susan Branch AND had my pic with my Bestie, Julie, posted on her Blog!!! Love the mug, it’s light and delicate in your hand, yet doesn’t feel fragile. Love the artwork and quotes.
My Cairn Terrier, Rigby, thinks the quote, There’s no place like Home, is for him!!!! Ladies, if you ever get a chance to meet Susan, make it happen!!! She’s just as sweet and wonderful as all of her books!!!
Oh Marcia, that is so nice of you! Was wonderful meeting you! I loved your picture, thank you so much for sending it. Nothing like best friends! xoxo
I would love to sip my morning tea from one of you lovely cups!
Love it ALL!
xoxo
Oh how I find myself grinning from ear to ear watching Jack…such an awesome cat! I missed out on the pre-order for these adorable mugs so I’m crossing fingers for one BUT I made sure not to let that happen again for your newest ones coming in August…can not wait for my Isle of Dreams💙
Your picture on the QE2 was dated June 2001. The next picture of you and your nieces on the ship with the New York City skyline in the background is bitter sweet. My eyes focused on the Twin Towers and the thought of those towers gone within a few months would have been unimaginable. What a wonderful snapshot of a more relaxed and trusting time in our American history.
Yes, we went together in the last months of innocence. I always think of it. I’m not sure their parents would have let us take them one year later! We were so lucky.
I find these two comments so heartbreaking. “Our innocence gone.” It’s a very scary world now, and I appreciate your efforts, Susan, to pull us out of the fear. Your blog makes me so happy. 💕
Makes me happy to hear that. We still get on ships and go out into the world. I’m a firm believer in the adage, we have nothing to fear but fear itself. I’m so happy you’re here Judy!
Love all your designs and have for many years! Best if luck in the cleaning/decluttering/purging….I try to keep ahead of it myself but usually I’m way behind! LOL
Yes, it does take courage to declutter! I did the same thing almost 5 yrs ago, selling our house, putting our household goods into storage and traveled full-time in our RV. Now we’re into a condo, ready to sell the trailer and am looking forward to bringing out all my “treasures” from storage and being surrounded by those items I really wanted to keep. I never miss the items I end up purging and recycling.
That was really inspiring. I thought I might be the only person to now have books on the floor! But not for much longer I hope. Jack is adorable. So is my little Millie. Just loved your blog, too much to comment on but know it was appreciated in New Zealand.xxx
Thanks for sharing your “realness” with us. It’s easy to think that everyone else has their homes and work spaces organized, uncluttered, and looking like a magazine photo shoot. It warms my heart to see your messes. It makes you more like a good friend – more real…
I received and love my new mug. I was delighted to see it was made by Dunoon. They make the best mugs, EVER… I chose the Little Things mug and I couldn’t be happier. It’s lovely and much larger than I expected, but that’s ok. I am planning to pre-order the bluebird and autumn mug. However, like you, I am thinning things out and culling the belongings. I decided I need to share my bounty and clear out before I add anything else to my house. Sooooo, I also have work to do. Thanks for the motivation.
Happy spring and spring cleaning to you and Joe.
We are just so much alike, I think it and feel it every day. Something very nice about that!
Your art and storytelling of life bring me a light heart and joy😊Thank you Susan for sharing your talent with us that don’t have that same one but need it in our lives ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you so much for sharing your decluttering project….very inspiring. Your mugs are absolutely beautiful. I look forward to your wonderful blog posts! Thanks for adding a happy ray of light to our lives:)
XO Tracy from Ohio
Oh My! I need to tackle our whole house the way you did in your studio! Question is, which room do I start with? Thanks for sharing your photos and how you did it step by step! Would love to win one of your mugs! Happy Spring!!
Hi Susan. Love your mugs.so hard to choose, I do like the Autumn mug for sure. Love your calanders too l save all of them
Dear Susan,
I so love your blog and am always waiting for the next one. I am also cleaning out and paring down. It is an important thing to do to clear your mind. I absolutely love your new cups.
Love the cups! Looking forward to clearing several rooms this summer. Thanks for the inspiration!
We are the same age, we live in a house in Maine so much like yours. Our two attics, barn, closets and secret nooks are filling up. I love old things, am a keeper and sentimental about it all. But you have given me a push to start ‘the process’. Thank you so much for that and all your wonderful works that have given me joy for over 30 years!
Hi Susan…Love getting your postings of pure creativity! I love many of the things you do. Your mugs are sweet and I would love to own one. Here’s hoping!
Your “cleaning out” is my struggle. I’m just back in Massachusetts after my winter in Florida. This is when the “cleaning out” bug hits! I have made a good start with the bedroom closet and will start on the bureau drawers. Do I dare hope to get a good start on my watercolor studio?!? Let’s hope! There is no feeling quite like it, is there?
Thanks for the inspiration!
About 7 years ago, I went with a friend to help her clean out the house of her Mother-in-law who was terminally ill and in a nursing home. After that experience, I came home determined that no one would be throwing out 50 yogurt containers or doctor appointment notices from who knows when after I’m gone. I’ve been working on it since- mostly summers since I’m a teacher. I’ve gotten to a pretty good spot but still have more that could go. Having a husband who tends to keep everything-who knows when you might need that nut and bolt-, however, is not helpful. But he too is getting better and more realistic about what should go and what should stay. With my daughter’s permission, I took pictures of her softball trophies, science fair medals and other such treasures and then got rid of them. Most of my son’s stuff went to his house after he got married and bought a home. It is freeing to see a closet or a shelf only partially filled. Part of my problem is that just the two of us live in a house that used to have 5 people so there’s lots of space for stuff. I have my to-do list for summer clean out and will get started as soon as school is out. Enjoy your clean and neat house- I know I will enjoy mine.
We had just begun a huge decluttering due to having the plaster repaired in several rooms of our old house. That required repainting washing windows and curtains and is turning into a huge clean out and redecorate. But , mid-clean we had to leave on an RV trip to CT to see our great nephew graduate from the CG Academy. Will be gone a month and hope not to do too much damage in the antique shops in NE! It’s a problem getting rid of stuff that at one time was so important…. Like the books and doll collection!!!
Love the mugs. Going to the shop site now!!!
How I love reading your long chatty posts. I’m longing for school to end (I’m a high school teacher) so that I can turn out the cabinets and bookshelves and closets in this house. Now that it’s just the two of us, you’d think there would be tons of room, but somehow, we manage to fill up the available space.
Summer has finally arrived (and I hope she stays) in our corner of the globe (Vancouver Island, Canada), and I’ve been out in the sunshine enjoying the warmth.
Thank you for another giveaway. Your mugs are utterly charming. Hope springs eternal!
I already feel like your readers are all winners, mug or not! I truly find inspiration and joy in your posts! Thank you for keeping it real and sharing your progress and perspective on the “stuff” that can so easily choke out our lives!
I hope at some point we’ll get to see the “final” version once you’ve cleaned each and every shelf!
😊
You will. I’ll be so proud, you’d have to tie me down to stop me!!! 😆
Love the cups! I,too, desperately need to clean out my apartment. It’s just too much in here – and I also have a storage locker to clean out!! Yikes! I’m determined to get it done this summer. Thanks for some inspiration on that front. Have a good Memorial Day.
Thank you for sharing your sweet and charming life with us girls! I’ve been a fan since I saw your work in Country Living many years ago. I look forward to Willard, and new blogs, books, and now your posts on Instagram! 💗Wishing you happy days!
When I started reading your blog post, I thought again, “Here’s my kindred spirit.” I, too, am a purger. We moved and downsized five years ago, and I had the best time getting rid of stuff! Our new home, (still feels new) is way smaller so my mantra was, “If I can’t think of where it will go, it doesn’t come.” Some things were harder than others to get rid of, but I stuck with my mantra and we sold 5000 pounds!!! worth of things at an auction. It is liberating and I vowed I’d not fill up the empty spaces. I’d relish blank spaces. And I did. For awhile. Now I need to purge again. It’s not too bad yet, but I know if I don’t do it soon it will become overwhelming very quickly. Just reading your post and I am fired up and ready to start. So! Thank you for being an unknown encourager. Plus I look at your photographs and think, “I need lace curtains. I need more small vases. I need some bunnies. I need china knickknacks to put in small secret places. I need space for more stuff!” Thank you for sharing your life with “us” and making us realize we are all so very much alike.
I know the feeling–I’m STILL de-cluttering since we moved. But it all takes time…and energy, though I’m finding that the energy is renewed as progress is made. I LOVE the mugs and am glad you made them 16 oz. What a nice way it would be to wake up with a cup of coffee in one of your mugs!
Hi Pat!
Some how I have been missing you! Figured you are still busy with the big move. Did we get a third schnauzer after the move? I know you must love your new house and obviously, you made it through the move intact! 😀
Thank you for the inspiration! I began my declutter awhile back and must now get back on track. I always feel so much lighter after dropping off boxes to a donation center.
Hi Susan, I treasure your newsletters and save reading them as a reward for completing a tedious task. So motivating! Many years ago when I felt overwhelmed with a huge “mess,” someone told me to approach the job the same way I would eat a salami, one slice at a time. Your salami is nearly gone! Good for you! What an inspiration you are! ;->
Brightest Blessings ALL-Ways,
Teresa from N.C.
~Susan~
I always am excited when you have updates on your blog, I am like a letter from my girlfriend Susan yeeeeyyy !! I have done some closet cleaning, and just stuff out of rooms, but then think will I really want that years from now?!? I need to stay focus and get things done !!
I love how Jack plays in the water, reminds me of my Mitty Girl awwe she is in kitty heaven.
Wish I could make it to your book signing, that would be a dream come true !!
I would love a cup of tea out of your perfect tea cup !!
Have a beautiful week !!
hugs
Paula
IN.
Oh doesn’t it feel good to pare down your belongings! I did a big clean out a while ago but have plans to go room by room again soon.
Love your beautiful paintings and have been inspired by you previous posts to begin painting in watercolor again. The cups are beautiful.
I had just gotten home from a fun event, but was tired after a busy week. So I treated myself to some lovely relaxing time reading your blog. Enjoyed every part of it and was inspired with your determination to organize your treasures and to part with some of them. I thank you too for sharing the photos of that worthwhile project.
Love, love this blog. I had to laugh when I read it because my sister and I helped each other clean out our attics this spring. We gave each other a weekend of help and had so much fun. When we cleaned out my sister’s attic, she kept telling me that she had our mother’s suitcase and she had never opened it. Our mother died when we were quite young. When we found the suitcase and opened it, we found our mother’s baby book, a photo album of her first year of life and pictures of our Mom and Dad that we had never seen. We had a wonderful Saturday night of reading, looking and finding out things about our parents that we never knew. The things that we found made us so thankful for the wonderful people that raised us. Cleaning out is good for the soul and the memory bank.
What a gift!!!
Thank you for the inspiration and reminder to declutter. Much needed at our home too. XO
Dear Susan,
I love your blog and your art so much. Thanks for the inspiration today…..to get my sweet home in order. My own art and projects lie cluttering my craft room floor. Recently I cannot even find a clear space on my table to work in there. I wonder to myself “how did things get this way?” I think my mind has been on R&R….but I am so inspired by your question and will also ask myself”How do I move myself forward today? Thanks so very much for the tips.
What a nice surprise to find today’s “letter” from you waiting for me when I returned from church. The video tour of your yard including the bird songs made me wish it had “smellavision” too, as that wisteria was enticing to see but not smell!.
The new mugs are delightful and I guess I’ll have to get an order in asap,as I obviously misunderstood the last time that it is pre-sale order or no-sale. I was hoping I might receive them as a Mother’s Day gift but alas, no. They were all equally desired designs. Well, maybe I’ll be lucky and win one of them this time. I tried to find online where the first batch might be purchased still, other than Ebay, but no luck there either…yet. 🙂
I look forward to your Spring mug creation as that is my favorite time of year.
As for your endeavors with downsizing, a task which we will all need to face sooner or later. I “adopted” a variety of memorabilia from my family’s last elder member. In it were treasures including family recipes, travel diaries to Europe in the 30’s and 50’s via ocean liner, and loads of photos & the twice weekly letters between a mother & daughter spanning +45 years. In some of the letters I found references to my mother and grandmother about events shared in their lives I knew nothing about as well as photos of my mother as a child taken by this other relatives family. These were like finding gold!
Among the papers were two boxes of similar family memorabilia belonging to a friend of the deceased elder relative. I wish I knew how to locate that persons descendants as there are wonderful items of family history I would like to repatriate with that family but do not know the current family names. The family friend died having never married/no children and was an only child himself. I can’t yet toss it out though.
Well, again thank you for inviting us into your home, yard and life. A pleasure always.
I know, I have the baby book from the woman who lived in my first house on the island, and her baby shoes. Hard to know what to do.
Maybe you could gift them to the current occupant (Holly Oak?). So nice to keep the history with the house . . . so hard sometimes to part with precious mementos.
That’s not a bad idea. Although she probably has rooms full of stuff too!
Sue Ellen: You might want to try Ancestry.com. If you put her name in someone in her family may have put in a family tree. They have a free sight that might work. You could also search for her name on familysearch.com. Good luck. There is probably a family member somewhere who would treasure it.
Connie Erskine (A family history person).
Also, there may be a genealogy or historical center by you. They would love that or at least copies. When people look for their ancestors that’s where they go.
Great suggestions, Connie. I will definitely check them out. I thought about Ancestry.com and wondered if there was a way to post a message for particular families.
Maybe donate to the Historical Society if they have interest and room? It’s painful to think of a baby book & shoes being discarded by others who don’t care as much as you do!
Barbara W. in Elk Grove, CA
Yes, I know, it’s a conundrum. I hope they would want them. I will definitely try.
The mugs are so lovely. I would love to drink my tea while looking at your artwork. I hope to be inspired by your purging and do some of that myself. Drinking from one of your mugs would be good motivation.
I enjoyed your post very much, as usual. I too am working to declutter, but I’m not moving as fast as you are! You’ve encouraged me to keep at it.
What a lovely post. And the cups are adorable. I did the de-clutter thing last year and it feels so good to have less things to deal with. And your photo of your stickers brought back memories. I owned most of them but used some of them for my photo albums. Enjoy your spring and your cat.
Love your blog posts. Thanks for sharing! I would love to win a mug!
Another great and informative blog post, Sue. Sure do love the photo of your mom and dad with you and your brother. Those little black patten leather ankle strap shoes you are wearing are so sweet. I’m waiting for my beautiful china mug, I know it’s on the way because Sheri told me so. Congrats on organizing your home, those empty bookshelves do feel so good, don’t they. The only other way to reorganize is to move. But your home is so beautiful, I would not recommend that. How lucky you are to have Joe doing the gardening. My husband is a writer and teacher (communications and journalism) and his mind is filled with so many other things, he rarely notices the garden except to say every once in a while, “are those flowers new?”
Ha ha ha ha, that’s so funny Judith, I got to the end of your comment and burst into laughter! 💞 You’re good for the soul!
I am so happy that you posted your never too long blog. It was a year ago that I was fortunate to hear you speak at the Tattered Cover in Denver. I told you that this day was a highlight in my life and it still is! Today, I wore my “Girlfriends Forever” darling charm in honor of that special day.
xoxo Thank you Gail! That was so nice!
Dear Sue,
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love seeing your photos and how you are going about clearing your spaces. I have been doing that very thing in my messy sewing room! It is very hard to let go of so much “stuff”! I like it all too much – but I have been feeling like you have…. I need to see some empty spaces.
Your mugs are so pretty! I only got the Little Things as the others were all sold out. It would be great to win a different one!! Maybe I will be a lucky winner.
Thanks for your writing! It brings joy to my heart!
❤️ Jean
You’re welcome Jean, thank you for being here!
Love this post. I do the same thing! Things pile up in my creative space and soon it is time to go through it all. And it feels sooooo good! Love all of the new mugs and cups. I want one of each, but as you know, sometimes we need to pick just one and it is oh so hard 🙂 But then pick one it is and that one is loved and used. All. The. Time. Thanks so much for being you and letting us come along for the ride!
Wow Susan, this was right on time because my office is a site! I say a site! But now I’m determined to clean it up. I’ve certainly thought about it long enough and now I’m going to do it. When I get it finished, I’m taking my granddaughter Jackie to the Coast (Templeton, Atascadero, Paso, Morro Bay and Slow). These are all the places I used to hang out in and need to see again, plus visit family in these spots as I whiz thru! Thanks for today, I needed this! Next, I’ll work on my sewing room! While sewing on quilts this a.m., I noticed a little lizard hanging onto the outside of the window! I photo’d him and put him on FB! LOL
I woul love, love another cup! I also am trying to clean, sort and get rid of things! Very, very slow process for me as I babysit my grandsons during the week. They are 1 and 3! When I have any energy left, I clean a drawer or shelf. You are so right in that lightening up feels so good! So excited about the new cups! Preordering now! Must go do that! Thanks for spreading love and light!
Susan,
It was a treasure for my granddaughters and me to visit you last summer when you were in Woodstock, Georgia. The three of us treasure that day and out signed cookbooks. And now they say that one day, those with signatures their mommy and grandma will know who ‘gets them’. 🙂
I am at the National Stationary Show in New York this week and met a sweet couple from Maine with their products that she paints with water color. Beautiful work, that was similar in style to your work. I told her she needs to look you up and meet you! I hope she will.
Are any of your products at the NSS this week? I am here loving alone time with my 4 month old grandson while his mommy and daddy are presenting their letter press line at the show.
Blessings, Susan,
Betty
I haven’t been to that show in Years! So fun. Good luck with the new line!
Purging always feels so good!
I am so with you about de-cluttering everything. I have been attacking my house in small doses all spring, especially on a rainy day. It looks like you’ve made amazing progress!
I think Jack is one of those cats who could paint. Have you seen them on the internet? They are very intelligent cats, that love water firstly, and then they get them to paint. Interesting! Would love to have one of these cups! Thanks for a lovely blog today!
The artwork, note cards, etc. that you are tossing would make luvlee giveaways!
I’ve saved a little pile for that!
I love that feeling of a clean office. I feel the weight of the world off my shoulders. I also help my sister with her office. She likes how ruthless I am with her stuff. More than I am with my own. I told my dear friend, Julie, that she’s in charge of cleaning my desk is I am suddenly done for. I trust her.
You’re lucky. It’s good to have a ruthless loving friend!
I am so excited that you are thinking about writing a book about tea! Do keep us posted if it comes true. You must have boundless energy to keep writing so many books I wish I had that much energy! Have a wonderful day. Mollie.
A good friend just celebrated her25th anniversary with a renewal of vows ceremony. Their invitation pleaded. “No gifts” but! I shall present her with your LOVE mug Perfect❤️
Perfect! xoxo
A “Tea” book?!
I can’t wait!
I love your cleaning out/reorganizing project. It feels so good to remove the clutter and have more white space! Your cups are lovely!!
Spring has sprung and everyone is in the mode of freshening up their homes, and planting pretties to enjoy for the months ahead. spring is my favorite time of the year! I keep so busy that I sleep like a baby. I love, love, love , your beautiful mugs how fun to drink coffee from these! Please enter me into the drawing.
Thanks, Denise
After reading your cleaning process I am inspired to tackle my basement. 33 years and four children worth of memories.
I would love to win one of your lovely cups!
I know the feeling of freedom when you clean out a closet or drawers. Keep at it and you’ll be so proud of yourself. I love reading your blog and now I’m inspired to clean too.
I’m like the Imelda Marcos of the sock world. Can’t wait to get to those drawers!
Happy that you are feeling freeer now that you have de cluttered! See you never know what you will find. That picture of you, your brother and parents is adorable and priceless. I once found a rock that I had found many years before on a Connecticut beach with my niece who passed way many years ago. You would have thought I had found a diamond!
God bless,
Joanne
I managed to collect some ‘Susan Branch’ books…I was drawn to them….and then last year on a whim we drove to Pittsburgh for dinner (we live in Ontario Canada) and I found Isle of Dreams at a bookstore.
I think I am on my fourth re-read. Love knowing there is someone who thinks and feels so much like me.
Can’t get enough !
😘 Thank you Carol!
Oh i so love reading your blog… and hope I win a mug@
Just enchanted by this post. I admire your industry in putting your home back in order, and, then, the “enchanted” part came when you wrote about all the things you had found. Ah, memories, they are so sweet. Bravo for the cleaning and what a treasure trove of material you have for many future books. The one and only time I was able to meet you in-person was at a Titcomb’s sponsored event. I hope I can get to the Cape to see you, again, on the 7th.
Would be wonderful Paula, June is such a spectacular month on the Cape!
What a refreshing post! So many times I see perfect homes on blogs and it leaves me depressed. You showed real life!!!! We all have rooms that we dump things in. Mine is my poor husband’s office and my daughter’s old playhouse. I’m setting up a schedule to start purging both rooms! Thank you for the motivation to get me started!!!!
I just finished the giant sort of my sewing room! It was quite a project, a bit wearying. But as I worked I repeatedly gave thanks for the joy of having my very own room to mess up, shut the door on, and eventually tidy up again and again. Your mugs are delightful. I especially like the small things design. Thanks for sharing with us all.
I finally got to visit Martha’s Vineyard last week!! All the way from Signal Mountain, TN! It was all I dreamed it would be….and more!! ❤⛴⚓️
Makes me so happy to hear you loved it Stephanie! It’s a very special place.
To have one of the mugs you created would be JOY for my soul…dare I hope Vanna will choose me 🙂
Dear Susan- how is it that your blog post get better and better? Good for you reclaiming all that space again. You are an inspiration. We have a room where everything just goes, and never is found again. I just close the door, it has been my solution for several years now! It’s nice to know there is hope. I love the new designs of the cups-beautiful! I would love to win. Please!!???
I used to tell Joe we could just put everything extra that doesn’t fit in the house in the barn, keep adding and adding, and then when the barn’s full, we burn it down and build another one, and start over! LOL. He never liked that solution!
Loved this post! I have been doing exactly that: simplifying and clearing out. My studio is in the same shape as yours was. Books and files and minutes from meetings, etc.Paintings, frames, mat board, on and on. It is such a relief to de clutter.
Now that the weather has finally warmed up in N.E. I will switch out winter for summer clothing and donate what I’m not using. I just love the gardens in spring and have been spending many hours gardening but must go through many more shelves, drawers and cupboards!
Hoping to get friends to drive to Titcombs’ on the 7th. Haven’t been there since last spring!
Love the “nature” mug 👍
Hope to see you there Mary Ellen!
Oh My! I need to go through our whole house and organize! Not sure where to begin! I guess one bite at a time! (Isn’t that how you eat an elephant?) Thanks for sharing and posting photos! Love your new mugs and would love to win one!
I always look forward to receiving your blog. I am sure all of your followers would agree when I say that you are our online special next door neighbor. It is like you are talking to us across the white picket fence.
Your post, as always, is inspiring. Lately, I’ve been thinking about de-cluttering. Too little space and too many “things” that I still like but don’t bring me joy or peace – time to let them go…
Always enjoy your photos and your words – thank you!
I have a packed house, basement and yard that is a horrendous mess. I try to begin but am so overwhelmed, you see my DH has dementia at 68. Now I alone must go through everything. I need to do it, I must do it, but have little time and no help. Your post gave me a wee bit of hope😊 I have felt very bogged down and not liking my house like this at all! Wish me a bit of luck and prayer.
I do and I will. 🙏 We never know what life has in store for us, but I promise, easing your burdens by purging will put a little lift in your step! All my best to you Pam!
Greetings, you read my mind! We are getting ready to head North , slight delay here in FL. I have spent hours purging, with a goal of fitting my “new to me” Mini Cooper in our garage! With all my treasures, from family, friends, and antiquing it is an emotional trip to free yourself. I feel like Barbra Streisand singing from Funny Girl, Second Hand Rose- The line even Jiggs the plumber, he was married before! As was my husband and my new to me MC.
Thanks for the joy you bring all of us Susan, from women of a certain age and all the very young too.
Such a darling car! Now you have me singing Second Hand Rose. I always thought it was Jake the Plumber! LOL!
Thank you for inspiring me to do some cleaning/decluttering! I love your sweet tea cups.
Dear Susan, I love all your books, I am currently reading Isle of Dreams. And watching Call the Midwife. Your talents are amazing.
I would love one of your cups from which to drink my tea. Having had the privilege to live in England for 13 years I am a big tea drinker even though I live in the hot south of America now!
Thank you so much for sharing your decluttering, it has really motivated me to clear out things in my home that I’ve saved forever. A lot of it is truly useless and I wonder what was I thinking???
It gathers!
School is almost out for summer here in OK! Ready to clean and organize my home. Making a list of projects to complete. Would love to have one of your lovely mugs!
Susan, I do believe this blog post is one of my favorites ones yet! You have also inspired me to do some serious decluttering. Thank you for all you share with us!
Love the little things cup!
Xoxo Erin
The mugs are delightful-i love to see the red squirrel-it is struggling to survive
in England. A lifetime of treasures to sort-your home looks beautiful. Its always
a good time for a cuppa-cheers
Love your blog and your beautiful artwork, Susan! I get your calendar every year, and when I get the new one in January I cut out my favorite pictures from the old one to hang on my fridge! I think I have several years worth of your art by now!
Shanon
Thank you for this very kindred post! Thank you for the encouragement to
‘clear a drawer, clear our heads’.
I feel very much the same!
The mugs are so precious! xoxo! Marybeth (Pike Road, Alabama)
Hi Susan!
Yes, you have been busy! I wish I had that drive and the energy, it I do what I can a little at a time. You ARE an inspiration, as always, though. Take care of yourself, tho! XXOO. JO
whew! my hat is off to you…looking very nice indeed. I’ve been packed in boxes so long, when I move and begin to open them, it’ll be like shopping for new stuff. I’m the “historian” in our family and receive all the “wonderful stuff” everyone else doesn’t want but doesn’t want to throw away. I’m a sucker for the story and everything in my house has a story. The thought of de-cluttering is appealing until I realize stuff would have to actually go…shudder! lol
Therein lies the rub!
John and I have moved 12 times in 33 years, so there is always purging with each move. It does feel very freeing, but some things will always remain in my keep. I am the designated “memory keeper” of our family and I love having things organized and ready to be passed down to the next generation. Every letter,card, recipe or object has a story to tell. That story is who we are as a family. I even have my great aunt Hazel’s scrapbook from 1932! It is filled with news articles, birthday cards, her own drawings, school awards and her poetry-a real treasure!
There is a line from the movie, “Shall We Dance?”, where Susan Sarandon says, “Everyone wants a witness to their lives” and I think that is so true! We all want to be remembered! Susan, you stir so many of us girlfriends to “remember” what is good in life and in others. Love you to bits!
I have all 3 cups and would love to win another but I think I’d rather see a GF win who didn’t have a chance to own one.
Hugs to you all from OKC!
Sharon
I agree, so many wonderful stories right here. I made “Tell me Your Story” books, that I hope everyone thinks about filling out. They are guided, filled with questions meant to bring out the life story of the writer and as time goes on, I believe those books, left behind, will be treasured forever. And, most importantly, they don’t take up much space. 🤗
What a chore you have undertaken! Job well done in your studio! It is on my bucket list to go through my sewing room closet and clothes closet. Maybe soon. The cup designs are great. Looking forward to getting one. Probably drink my “daily 5 o’clock in it!! How fun is that!
Dear Susan, thank you for the photos of the clutter! I feel better and think maybe I can continue to make a little progress on my own messy rooms. Every little bit out of here takes a little load off my heart. But, I was beginning to get weary of it and discouraged by the lack of progress, so your blog post was just what I needed. By the way, I would feel right at home in your clutter. And I suspect you could walk in here at my house and feel comfortable too. Isn’t that a nice thing, really? Thank you again for sharing your work room with us.
Thank you SO much for posting the before and after pictures of your studio! It makes my heart feel a little better about the “clutter” in my own home. Like it’s my “hidden shame,” but it’s just that each piece of paper holds very important and/or very dear pictures and words. And it does take so much time to go through each and every thing! Hurray for you for getting such a big job done, and hurray for your new white spaces. Gives the rest of us the inspiration to start tackling the job in our own homes. My hubby IS a minimalist, and always has been…and I guess I’m a maximalist. Bless him for putting up with my “maximum” all these years! Looking forward to your new mugs – must get my pre-order in. Most of all, thank you for the video of your precious Jack playing in the water. I love his little face so very much! Have a wonderful week on the island – sending you love and hugs from the Midwest! xoxo
LOL, “hidden shame!” Yes, I steer everyone to the kitchen table, not to my studio! Thank you Sue!
Thank you for the inspiring blog post.
Hi Susan! Thank you for the inspiring blog. Regarding clearing things out – a year ago I read that when you wear something in your closet, hang it back up with the hanger in the opposite direction. After a year, you’ll be able to see what you wear regularly, and what you don’t by the way the hangers are facing. After one year, I was able to donate quite a lot of clothing to Goodwill.
I’m so happy to hear that you will be offering some of your dream charms again! I started my bff, Patti, with a Susan Branch bracelet, but only two were available. She loves the bracelet, always wears it and shows it off to all her friends. Now I can add to her bracelet. 😊
Thank you again for ALL your wonderful blogs. xoxo. Linda
You’re a good friend Linda! Love your hangar idea!
Oh, Susan, my cups are such a delight. I feel special each morning using one since they arrived. I got all 3 and had the other 2 in their boxes on my living room floor. My 3 1/2 year old granddaughter opened the box and pulled out the cup. She exclaimed “nana this is so cute!!!” I loved her expression her on face. She was so sincere. I cannot wait to get the others you have designed. I think they will be our special cups to share at my house . As always, you bring such joy to all. Blessings!
Need to make a teeny one for a 3 ½-year-old’s tea party! xoxo
Thank you Susan – I feel so inspired to tackle my office and see what I can get rid of tomorrow! Now that our children are grown and gone, it has been way to easy to keep things. We, too, had a cat that insisted on us running water from the bathroom faucet – what a hoot! Love the mugs.
Thanks for your inspiring words! I’m in the middle of an add-on to our house and am cleaning out and throwing out!! Feels wonderful!
Would love to have a cup. Looking forward to hopefully winning one!
Going off to bed now, but you’ve inspired me to do a bit of cleaning and refreshing my own home, beginning tomorrow. I promise! I appreciate your before and after pix. Refreshing!
I am one of six, Susan. Three girls and three boys. I was #3 and the second daughter. Like you, I grew up in the 50s and 60s. My remarkable Mom was a Registered Nurse. She worked so hard….Often, when she arrived home, exhausted, I would think, “her face is as white as her uniform.” We all pitched in because the rule was, “work before play.” Mom would say, “let’s make order.” We did! Sadly, I don’t have my Mom’s natural abilities with organization.Thank you for being open and vulnerable with us about your decluttering efforts. I agree with the other girlfriends….. this post is an inspiration. One of my favorite characters in fiction is Marmee in “Little Women.” She said, “don’t let your blessings become your burdens.” I imagine that she would have approved of what you are doing too! XO Anne Miller
You’ve always been so inspiring Miss Susan! Two years ago we ventured into a major kitchen remodel. BEST.IDEA.EVER! After 38 years of marriage we were desperate for a major purge. Alleluia. What a terrific feeling to start fresh. I am so looking forward to receiving my mug order. Living in the mountains of Idaho things just take longer to get here! Can’t wait.
Dear Susan,
Thanks for another wonderful, warm , cosy blog! Just loved it!
My cat does the same head ‘ nudging’ as your Jack does, and when he did it in front of the vet, he said :
“aww, he really likes you! ” (So I guess it’s how they express affection?)
Have an awesome spring,
Maryrose xx
Loved this post! It is exactly where I’m at. Stuff on every horizontal surface and it’s driving me crazy. I have quoted that old saying, “by the inch …” for many years and need to start my inch now.
Thanks for the inspiration friend. Hugs, judi
Love all of your mugs, and you always inspire me and make me smile, so thank you.