I've got THE URGE to PURGE!

There's no better opportunity to unload excess baggage as when you're moving...relocating, to be exact. That means being ruthlessly truthful about what I need and don’t need; what I use and don’t use. What I love and don’t love. I’m on a RAMPAGE today! Here’s what I’m chucking:

Old art supplies – lots of ...them! Conté crayons, pastels, Chinese brushes and bamboo pens I whittled myself, paintbrushes, a set of Dr. PH Martin's watercolors, fabric paint, decoupage supplies, gouache...
 

A trio of black vintage lunch boxes

Decorative boxes
 

Tons of fabrics and trims that no longer fit my look
 

3 Framed Original Rooster Drawings (one of them signed) acquired at the celebrated Chelsea Flea Market in New York City (I don't care what they're possibly worth...they're apparently worthless to me!)
 

A huge, framed original punked-out self-portrait from my very first art school days...I had a crew cut back then! ;)

A bag of sawdust from an old custom order (please don't ask! )
 

A clunky air purifier for which I could never find replacement filters!
 

Vintage pottery
 

A huge bag of beautiful fancy lace trims that I can't be bothered to photograph and list in my supply shop and that are too pricey to ship out of the country to a friend...though admittedly I punked out 2 or 3 times before deciding to get rid of these!
 

Clothing that had seen better days but gave my closet the illusion of fullness, though it really only added to the stress of having nothing to wear
 

Craft supplies--many barely or never used--from my early days on Etsy when I briefly gave in to the temptation to make and sell what was wildly popular rather than what appealed to and inspired me personally. 

WAIT!  Doesn't this sound like the makings of a realllllly good yard sale...?  (I know, right...?!)

I must be strong.  This is just the tip of the iceberg, but my trick for detaching from clutter is promising myself that I can go shopping for any of those things should I ever need them again.  Once something has been sealed in a box for over 3 years without being used…obviously I don’t love OR need them. All this stuff is going to Goodwill. I’ll let somebody else strike it rich at the thrift shop for a change. Ahhhhhh…I feel lighter already! ;)

GOT JUNK? What clutter are you hanging onto that you just can’t seem to let go of?

Are Ya Thinking Good Thoughts...?

Hey You Are Ya Thinking Good Thoughts gicleé print
from 29 Black Street

Or are you lamenting the items that didn't get crossed off your To-Do List this weekend?

The flank steak that didn't come out as tender as you had hoped?  The laundry left unfolded that's now a wrinkled mess on the couch?  The dust bunnies you couldn't get to before your guests arrived?  All the time you wasted dating that good-for-nothing who still hasn't called...or the Monday morning meeting you're already dreading?

LET IT GO - 8x10 Typographic Print By Nan Lawson

Tomorrow is a whole new day!  Is it really worth dragging all that sorry baggage into a perfectly innocent week? Some things are just beyond our control; some things we don't have power over.  In the big scheme of things, some things just aren't that critical.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff - Canvas Art Poster by Laza Flair

Not that it's all small stuff, but some of it really is!  We can instead choose our battles, decide what's most important to our big picture, you know--decide to overlook the snide remark of a co-worker or the bad manners of the man who didn't hold the door for us.  Do we really want to let everything get on our last nerve?

Time Flies - Original Print by Gayana

Pay attention to the winsome smile of a stranger, the little bubble of pride you feel at making it to work on time despite the traffic, the careful way you put together a nourishing lunch for yourself so you'll know how to do it again tomorrow.

Pay attention when your mate says "I love you; have a great day today."  Pay attention when you're paid a compliment...instead of trying to brush it off with modesty.  You deserve it!  Let's just say thanks!  And glow!  Because who knows how long it'll be before we get another?

We Can Do Hard Things Black and White Print
by David's Print Shop

You know it's true!  In your heart of hearts, you know this.  Think of a time when you were stretched to the limit, at the end of your rope, running on empty with no mile markers to assure you that there was a light at the end of this grim tunnel...yet you made it through, and maybe even laughed about it in the end!

Did you grit your teeth to keep from saying something hurtful?

Did you put someone else's needs before your own again, even if they never, ever do it for you?  

Did you stay to the bitter end until your project was complete, long after everyone had gone home to their families?

Did you keep working on that custom order even after you sewed through your finger with the sewing machine? 

We Are All Made Of Stars RED Screenprint by Jessica Swift Shop

Every last one of us!  Not just the ones who get the promotion...or the ones who make the front page...or the ones whose products make the O List...or the ones with bouncing and behaving hair, tiny waistlines and the perfect boyfriend.

We are all made of sparkly, shiny, bright, powerful magic-- darkness-defying stars.  

This week I hope you will feel wonderful, exceptional, special, capable, resilient and fortified...BEAUTIFUL.

And before you get to protesting the likelihood of that,  just remember:

A Beautiful Thing 8x10 Print by Lisa Barbero

A huge thank you to the wonderful artists who made these uplifting prints.  These are just some of my favorites.  I hope you'll visit their stores and find some for yourself.  I already know which one I'm getting!  Have an awesome week!

Seasonal Allergies: A Rant

BEHOLD my arsenal of allergy remedies!
This is how I make it through the spring...and summer...and fall...OK, and winter!

See that little plastic Aladdin's lamp thing sitting on top of a box of Loratidine (Generic Claritin)? That's my neti pot.  The one I bought twice.  Because I chickened out the first time.  And the second time.  And quite frankly, I just love saying it! Net-i…pot…

I’d read several articles espousing the miracles of the neti pot and and how it was like an archaeology dig for your sinuses,  but I don’t like feeling that I’m drowning…that swimming pool water up the nose burning headache worse than brain freeze.  I’ve traded it  for a little bulb nasal irrigator.  Not much better but less intimidating and a tiny bit more tolerable. Still hard to commit. OK, I’ve abandoned that too!

It not easy being allergic:

• When my husband wakes up to find my wadded tissue close to his face…that ain’t sexy.  
• When I sneeze--which is quite often in fits of multiples-- my dog just casually exits the room. I'm starting to take offense!
• When a strange Beagle recently jumped on my lap at the dog run, I had to pay a visit to the emergency room because I spontaneously broke out in hives.

I just realized I could be each of Snow White's 7 Dwarfs:

Bashful (don’t look at me, I’m a sneezy mess!)
 
Doc (how many refills of Flovent do I have? )
 
Dopey (I’m floooooooatinnnnnng…is your side of the room spinning?)

Grumpy ( I know I’m running late! If I can stop blowing my nose I could get dressed already!)

Happy (Oooh, 4 more boxes of Kleenex…with Lotion! Yes!!)

Sleepy (I want to do some work but I can’t seem to move off the couch…ok, 5 more minutes, I promise)

Sneezy (God bless me!)

I spend a fortune on Swiffer dust cloths because we have a beloved hairy beast who's worth every penny.  There's a box of Kleenex in every room and the insides of all my pockets and purses are flocked with tissue dust.

And speaking of dust...while we're packing for our big move, we're stirring up dust bunnies we didn't even know existed!  So, I just ordered a couple of these, on sale at Amazon.com:

Hamilton Beach True Air Allergen-Reducing Air Cleaner

After reading scads of mixed reviews for the Sharper Image Ionic Breeze (most prized for not using those pesky filters that always need replacing and soon become obsolete anyway), I decided to try two of these (highly recommended and allegedly quiet and effective) HB units with a permanent HEPA filter you just vacuum off.  We'll see how that goes.  Hopefully they won't end up on the top of the pile at our Graveyard of Obsolete Electronics!