Saturday, April 5, 2008

spring cleaning the scrapbook stash

The birds are singing, the air is sweet and crisp and it's time to freshen the stash. Here are some purging tips for anyone out there who like me is trying to thin out their pile o' supplies:

What to purge
  • stuff you don’t like (kinda obvious, but bears saying)
  • stuff you have too much of (Can you reduce it by half? Can you live with 25% of what you have?)
  • stuff you don’t use any more or don’t want (ie “outdated style” stuff; colors or patterns you rarely use; partially used packages of stuff; tools that don’t suit you, etc.)
  • stuff you don’t realize that you don’t want (ask yourself: “If I had the time am I inspired to do a project using this stuff right now?” “Or am I saving it for ‘some day’ that may never come?”)

How to purge

  • Use a 3 box method: throw away, give away, sell
  • Sell it on ebay, at a yard sale, at the LSS (if yours does yard sales), through the Recycler (SoCal only) or Craig’s List
  • Send it to charity, schools & pre-schools, senior centers, community centers
  • Or give it away to friends, thru FreeCycle, or any other source that can use your discards
  • Be realistic with the junk -- throw it away if it is damaged, faded or otherwise unuseable

What to Keep:

  • Keep only the best of the best.
  • Keep only what you truly LOVE. Your home and your life will feel so much more peaceful and in control.

BTW, if you have some good places for donations, please share!

6 comments:

John said...

I've also heard that some hospital programs will take supplies for use by kids in treatment. I donate my unwanted stuff to the local elementary school and they always seem happy to get it. My husband says I'm nuts ! LOL

Camille said...

I SOOOOOOOo totally need to do this. I keep every scrap of everything thinking I can't throw it away because it has value. A blessing and a curse!

Scrappy Running Me said...

excellent advice. i am not doing the NSC, but have been purging - was up til midnight last night doing just that! hope you have a great week.

Tricia said...

Hey Cindy! Thanks for the guide...something to live by!

Jennifer Priest said...

Love all of these tips and advice--you are sooooo good at this stuff Cindy!! If you want to donate to Girl Scouts your local Council can give you a tax deductible receipt for the items you give. If you want to donate to my troop or service area, just let me know and I'll draw up the donation letter.

Shelley said...

I should do some giveaways on my blog. It's so fun!