The Life-Changing Magic of TidyingUp by Marie Kondo has become trendy again since the new Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo debuted last month. I have to say I've been a Marie Kondo fan for some time and have been folding my clothes using her method for nearly one year, but since watching the series, I was inspired to give my craftroom a little declutter.
Curious as to what my craftroom looked like before? Here is last year's tour. Keep in mind my stamps and inks somehow doubled since then. And since I started managing Tonic's design team, my Tonic stash got a little out of hand.
I thought I would take you on a journey and vlog my experience. This footage contains random clips throughout the process so I apologize if it's not super cohesive. Today's video dives into the method, explanation of what the Konmari method is and sorting through my stamps.
Have questions?
I am going to create a Q and A video after the series airs so if you have questions, want to see something more in depth, I'm an open book! Ask away and have your question featured on my channel!
Before I filmed this, I had spent three days tidying my clothes, books and paper. I feel it is so necessary to read the book and go through the process IN ORDER! The reason being is there is a method to beginning with clothes and you are learning along the way what truly brings you joy. It's like taking a practice shot before getting to the truly important things like hobbies and sentimental items. For those wondering what “kimono” is, it means miscellaneous in Japanese. Kondo lists several categories in her book as to what this consists of (kitchen, laundry, garage, etc.) and the last one in hobby items 🙂
It is important to gather all the items in one area from everywhere in your living space. Every article of clothing was piled high in the centre of my bedroom ready for sorting. Want to ensure you're motivated to finish? Put them on your bed so you have to finish before going to bed. This process is long and can be exhausting but it's totally worth it! I promise. However, once again, read the book first. See if this is something that inspires you to want to declutter. If it doesn't, you probably won't succeed. If you don't understand why you're doing it or envision your ideal life so you can set goals for yourself, then this process is relatively meaningless.
I had a vision to have few personal possessions (aside from craft items). I saw myself in very neutral clothing, drinking tea in a come, clean (and white) room with few distractions. I wanted to have a seaside smell (I found that perfect one here!). I just had this vision of total calm surrounded by the things I love. I wanted to have a space to be creative but a way to conceal it as well. I still have a ways to go like finding a neutral bedspread and painting some furniture but I'm getting there.
Remember that the KonMari method never tells you to have less. It's about holding each item you own and asking yourself “Does this bring my joy?”. If yes, keep it. If not, thank it for it's role in your life and discard it. I'm not going to lie I felt really stupid thanking my items, but after a while, I realized that expressing this gratitude truly helped me part with my items thoughtfully.
I also disclose in the video that I am a card designer and I have relationships with many companies who are happy to send me product to use. I do purchase so many of the items shown in my videos, especially tools, inks, and any sort consumables. I realized that these are the items I mostly held on to, while stamps and dies easily were discarded and condensed because I'm always looking for new designs and new releases are happening constantly. My discard pile is full of stamps that have been used and loved and that is so important to me. On the other hand, I'm excited there is room for new ones to join my crafting.
If you're interested in any of my gently used stamps or dies, I have them for sale in bundles here.
In the end, I think you will find a pattern of sorts in your stamps that you choose to keep. I hope this also helps you figure out what to buy in the future. My process in keeping a stamp was not “do I like this stamp?” but rather “Does this bring me joy? Do I have an idea on how I could use this stamp again? How long has it been since I used it?”. Saying no to one particular question didn't mean I would discard it, it just made me think harder about what I need. I would say that 80% of my stamp collection now are sentiments. Images fashionably come and go.
After you finish your discarding, it's time to organize. It's important to not just randomly shop for organizers, but rather buy organizers based on what you need to organize. My clothing hamper was falling apart and was an eyesore and my closet just didn't look right with the mismatched hangers. This card brought me tons of joy, but remember, my joy is not your joy.
I look forward to diving into more of this concept tomorrow for part 2's video. I am going to go more in depth with purging, micro-categories for your craftroom and part 3 will consist of a tour of my new space.
Things I Use to Organize:
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