Decluttering my home AND my mind!
I’m having a decluttering/taking stock/forward planning kind of month this November! It’s a slightly enforced quieter time – under doctors’ orders to work on relieving some pain in my hip through physio exercises – but it’s given me the chance to look back on a different sort of year and have a really good sort out of all the clutter that accumulates in the house.
Plus, my Mum is coming to stay this Christmas, which is always a good incentive to get decluttered!
We’ve had such a mild autumn so far but it’s now time to get the gloves and scarves out and pack away the remnants of summer. If you’re thinking of having a clear out like me, don’t forget to save those pieces of clothing and accessories made from natural fibres like cotton, silk, denim, jute or hessian.
I love to recycle scraps of cotton lace, old t-shirts and found items in workshops with Powertex fabric hardener, it’s water-based, environmentally friendly and acid-free, giving exciting form and structure to all natural fibre materials.
Using other Powertex products helps us to create amazing indoor and outdoor artwork in so many textures and finishes. If you’re clearing out overflowing draws or cleaning down the back of the sofa, you might come across interesting items like old keys, coins, odd earrings, nuts and bolts, rope and twine – they can be very useful in a Powertex creation!
Adding your own found objects into your artwork makes it so personal and unique. It brings a smile to your face every time you look at it hung on the wall or installed in the garden.
Decluttering at home has huge benefits for our physical space and mental wellbeing. I can already feel that it’s doing me good, giving me more energy and helping me to feel less bogged down with thoughts and concerns. I think it’s helping me to plan what I want to achieve next year too.
This year has been interesting. It’s been less about the regular, organised workshop bookings and more about the impromptu, bespoke, creative sessions, which is great but needs me to super flexible and innovative with my time and ideas. So, it’s important that I build up my strength and resilience to be able to take on new challenges and ways of working.
While clearing and sorting at home, I think hard about where unwanted items should go – to a charity shop, to sell online or to reuse in my Powertex workshops! After all, what’s someone’s junk is someone else’s treasure!
To find out more about using Powertex in your creations and to get inspired by our range of workshops where you can create anything you like with recycled fabrics and found items, visit www.artisticretreats.co.uk
