Declutter #14 - This and That (Again)

My favorite "declutter" of the past week was sewing gift bags! I sewed one for my daughter-in-law's March birthday present (pictured), one for my son's April birthday, and a few to start building up a stockpile. I love love love using these for presents instead of buying wrapping paper. I usually tell the recipient that the bag is part of the gift. If they are going to throw it away, please give it to me to launder and re-use. (It's mostly my sons and daughters-in-law, so they're used to me.)

 

Since I've gotten so much fabric for free, this is a win-win for me. Plus, I get to enjoy sewing time in my studio! (This picture is not so complimentary looking. It was better with the gifts in it.)

 

I finally brought the big bag of towels over to Morgan's and Angela's house. I put them under the stairs by the extra vacuum cleaner. I feel kind of bad because they have SO MUCH unpacking and organizing to do (in addition to caring for their two little boys) and extra towels are NOT a priority. At least they're out of the way. . . 

 

I refilled my "microwave-sized" bottle of pancake syrup from a huge jug I'd gotten from Costco ages and ages ago . . . and there was still an inch or so of syrup. I plan to bring that to my sister Ann's house. I know that sounds tacky! But . . . she likes to put all kinds of sweeteners in her coffee. She also likes to "use up" random stuff. I'm pretty confident she'll be happy to take it off my hands. And that gives me a little more room in my cupboard. (Louie likes "real" maple syrup, which stays in the fridge. I'm fine with the cheap stuff, but don't eat pancakes or waffles very often.)

 

Last of all, I dealt with lots of little scraps of paper. Some were from a box of random "to deal with" junk and some were from my parents' box of papers. I am trying to not get re-cluttered, but when I am super busy it's hard to keep up with the day to day stuff. Junk mail, notes I've written for myself . . . sometimes I just need to put it in perspective! (Or stay home and plow through some of my good intentions . . . )