Thursday, September 30, 2010

What to Do With Your Untapped Crafty Inspirations

When it comes to decluttering your home, one category of items that often comes up is craft supplies that fall into the category of “seemed like a good idea at the time.” We all have projects we wanted to get to in an ideal world, but just don’t seem to get done. When you uncover unfinished projects and dormant hobbies as you clear your clutter, make a list and decide which ones actually fit into your current lifestyle. For each item on the list, either give yourself a short-term deadline to take action or cut yourself some slack and remove it from your list. Most people feel a huge sense of relief when they decide to take some projects and even fun hobbies off their mental to-list and clear the gear and supplies from their home.

When it comes to crafting, projects often come with piles and bins of creative supplies. For creative-types who had a vision for the ribbons, fabric, buttons and egg cartons, it can be hard to let these go into the dumpster. Re-Nest wrote a great post with five possible outlets for your excess crafting supplies. If you decide it’s time to part with supplies that are collecting dust rather than serving as your creative outlet, check out these options in your community. Some of the same programs may also want gear and equipment for your past or theoretical hobbies.

Bottom Line: Do yourself a favor by reclaiming space in your home and life for the activities that matter most to you now, while giving others in your community a chance to enjoy your unused crafty inspirations!

Photo Credit

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Home Improvement You Can Feel Good About

If you have home improvement projects on your fall agenda, Habitat for Humanity’s Re-Stores may be a great resource to help you stay green and save some green! Re-Stores sell usable and surplus building materials to the public at a fraction of the retail price. This may include fixtures, appliances, building materials and even furniture.

On the other end of the equation, Re-Stores also accept donations of new or gently used items that can be re-sold to others. The proceeds help local Habitat affiliates build homes in their community.

Bottom line: For home improvement you can feel good about, check out the web site for local Re-Stores near you.