Throwing things away?

I think it's a good idea to start small. Maybe if you could find a place to donate your supplies, it would be easier to let them go. Day care or schools might take them off your hands.

I don't keep entire sticker sheets after a while. I cut off the images I think I might use, then store those by theme or color. There are always some images on a sheet I'll never use, so I toss those.

I'm getting better at purging supplies. I have a friend who will gladly take paper. I am tossing Thickers missing too many letter. I don't know why it's harder to toss crafty supplies than other things in my house.

I do have a hard time. I just yesterday threw away the manufacturers strips from who knows how many sheets away. I finally admitted I’m not using them since I haven’t for a year. And I’m doing a lot of backlogged scrapbooking so I’ve given myself permission to “recklessly” use what I have. I used to cut out middles of papers I loved to use somewhere else or keep every scrap but now I’m using it and throwing away the extras. I also have a box next to my space of papers I’m done with to donate elsewhere. It’s been a process but I’m on a minimalism kick for the entire house so it’s spreading to crafting.

I've gotten a lot better at throwing away scraps and leftover pieces of paper. I realize now that no matter how much I think I love the paper, I never use the little pieces that I kept throwing in a box. So now, when I am working on a project, card, whatever, if I have a piece that I cut off that is small I just put it right in the garbage! I haven't regretted it yet! LOL! Full collections, stickers, etc that I know I won't use, I've been putting in a box to either take to a garage sale, or give away. I've been doing that for over a year now and not once have I gone back into that box to take something back out!

For me, a good clean out is a must. I get overwhelmed when I have too many things. If I am drowning in supplies I get completely uninspired and do nothing.

I will post on FB that I have extra craft/scrappy materials to give away (and say they'd be perfect for a kid crafter) and I always have someone want the things. So maybe thats an option as well.

I struggle with letting go of even the tiniest pieces or that last sticker. I haven't purged for awhile, but have run out of usable space, so will need to do that soon. And when my artsy dgd's were hanging out here regularly, my scraps always had a welcome home on one of their many projects.

The last time I did a major purge, I set up a cardboard box in the corner of my scraproom. That meant I could go through one drawer/tub at a time rather than take this on all at once. It also meant I had time to change my mind. So if I was going through the third drawer and found something that would go PERFECTLY with something in the box, I gave myself permission to pull that something out and put it in its new home. When the box was full, I took it to the local school or daycare centre, or some other place that welcomed crafting supplies.

I sort my scraps by colour on a box on my scrap counter, and make an effort to go there first when looking for a piece to use as a mat or to diecut from. When/if that box becomes unweildy, especially if I am starting a new project, I put that box in the bottom of a shelf and start a new one. If I haven't gone back to it next time I am going through that shelf, that whole box gets tossed.

The next thing I need to tackle is my wildly out of control supply of LETTER STICKERS, word and phrase stickers, thicker, on sheets anywhere from 4x8 to 12x12. I had them all sorted by colour, but as I have used them and acquired [so many] more, that corner of my desk is out of control.

Here's my little story: I went to a garage sale this weekend and she had tables and tables of papercrafting supplies. I picked out a few things and she gave me a deal on those. I knew it was the last day of her garage sale and she had a sold sign in her front yard so I knew she was moving soon. I asked what her plan was for the craft supplies that didn't sell. She got this panicked look on her face and just replied with, "I don't know, but they're not coming back into the house." I just KNEW she was going to throw all that away and I couldn't let that happen. Even though I didn't need ANY of this stuff. I left her my contact info and told her to contact me if she wanted to make a deal. She texted me a few hours later, we settled on a price and I picked it up later that day. When I went through it she had obviously kept a few things back, which is her perogative, but...the point of my story is:

Not only do I have a really hard time throwing out my stuff but I apparently can't even let other people throw out their stuff. And now I have all these things that I didn't necessarily want and I'm trying to find room for them in my hoard. I need some kind of wake up call or new plan or attitude shift or something.

I do belong to a group on FB called Bash Your Scrapbook Stash. They have some fun challenges, games, and advice on there. Might be worth checking out for you.

I feel this in my bones. I can get rid of all kinds of house stuff, my kid's artwork (90% goes in the bin), etc but it's so hard to let go of the small pieces of paper because "I know I can use that".


I belong to this group too although I haven't done a challenge yet. The community there is very active and the things people create are amazing with their old stuff.


This is genius!

I've been giving a bunch a my smaller scraps and old papers and things to my 6 year old because she loves to play with paper like me but I still have too much that I need to purge.

Same.

It is not always easy getting rid of stuff. I have been through my closet and kitchen 3 separate times already and I get braver and get rid of more stuff each time. I see that happening with my crafty stuff too.

I purge into a rubbermaid box that I can remove from my area and keep stored for a while "just in case". Then, after it sits for a while, and I realize for sure that I don't need it, it is easier to let that stuff go. Total mental game, but it seems to help me turn loose.

I purge a little more ruthlessly that way too, because I know that things are not being being instantly removed permanently.

Please do not "throw away," or put into the trash/garbage, papercrafting supplies; recycle at a minimum. If you prefer to donate, & encourage others' creativity while simultaneously reclaiming your craft storage space, consider the following (note restrictions on the types of supplies accepted may apply; you may also be able to report on taxes if you itemize):

Preschools
Daycares
Church preschools/children's ministries
Church VBS programs
Elementary schools
Middle & high school art classes
After school art programs
Children's art museums
Children's homes
Adoption agency
Children's hospitals
Ronald McDonald Houses
Big Brothers/Sisters
Boy/Girl Scouts
Juvenile detention centers
Battered women's shelters
Women's prisons
Women's shelters
Senior care centers
Retirement/assisted living homes
Goodwill
Salvation Army
...& many more

Happy organizing!

I do the same. They make a nice addition to the back of mailed cards, and the front when I give in person. Or I tuck a cut out sticker in the card. Kids LOVE stickers, although I don't give them to toddlers. Only kids old enough to use judgement on where is a good place to stick a sticker.