unclutter | Craft Supplies, Good Bye

I'm bipolar II and I mention this to explain that when I say I get involved in hobbies and buy craft supplies for them when I'm manic it's very often true. I buy them, I use them intently for a few days (less than a week), and then they sit.

This has resulted in a large bin of craft supplies I simply do not use sitting in my dining room for well over a year. Closer to three years, actually, as I believe I put it all together and started trying to give it away before Covid hit. I know so many crafty people and none of them wanted sheets of felt and gold thread and a large box of sequins and multiple types of craft glue? How? What?

I'd previously been very stern with myself and gone through my art supplies, finally admitting that I don't actually paint much at all, haven't for years, and gave all my oil, acrylic, and watercolor paints and many brushes to a friend who DOES paint. I've kept my inks, smaller brushes, and dip pens. I don't use them that often but I -do- use them.

A friend of mine posted on facebook that she was looking for donations of art/craft supplies for a child care thing her community was doing. I lept into action, showing her photos of what I had with the caveat that SHE HAD TO TAKE THE ENTIRE THING.

She showed up, and she did take the entire thing.

She also took a box of child-interest magazines, sidewalk chalk, tempera paint and finger paint, and dry erase boards that I'd kept aside for someone else. I realized that I wasn't going to actually deliver it to that person any time soon so off it went.

I don't have a HUGE amount of extra space from getting rid of that bin and that box but emotionally it's a weight lifted. I don't have to think about them any more. I can put other things in their place. I don't have to look at them.

It's a relief. It's a small thing, but it's still a relief.

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tanaqui

Hooray for getting a physically small but emotionally huge thing out of the door — and for such a great cause. I bet those children will love using all that stuff.

I think we all know that feeling of something that we can't seem to shift, that nags at us every time we look at it, and the relief when it's finally gone! Thanks for sharing your success.

brigid

Yeah, she stated that going through the bin and the box was like Christmas, just continuing good stuff. A lot of it was very literally new-with-tags, never opened, never used.

kalloway

That's awesome and HUGE unto itself. Great job and it sounds like everything will be getting used by its new owners.

Yeah. I held off on throwing it away or donating it to a thrift store because it would be so wasteful. Sending it off to someone who will use it in the program or at home because it's not suitable for that program? Perfect.