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Archives for April 2010

Declutter Your Jewelry Box

Let’s face it—we all have clutter in our jewelry boxes: broken chains, gifts from old flames, grandma’s wedding ring, an uncle’s old watch. Jewelry, however, can be especially difficult to purge. Unlike most clutter, gold and gemstones have intrinsic value—tossing them in the trash is like throwing money away.

Good news: the price of gold is near its all-time high, and jewelers everywhere are buying it from people like you and me. (It may seem contradictory that jewelers would want to buy gold at such a high price, but they make a profit by selling it to a refiner.)

Here’s how it works: clean out your jewelry box of all the bits and bobs you no longer want.… {Read more}

Minimalist Entertainment: Watching Sheep

Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time watching sheep. I know that sounds strange, so let me explain…

I’ve always been a city girl at heart. I love the people, the buildings, the culture, the vibe; going to bars, cafes, and restaurants; and attending the opera, the orchestra, and the ballet.

Recently, however, my husband and I have discovered a wonderful new pastime: walking the public footpaths of the English countryside. As an American accustomed to fences, private property, and “no trespassing” signs, I was completely taken aback by the concept of the public footpath—in essence, it’s a right-of-way that lets you stroll through the fields, pastures, and meadows that belong to someone else (how amazing is that?).… {Read more}

Minimalism of Royal Proportions

In a previous post, I confessed my love of grand, empty spaces (Minimalist Confession: I’m an Empty Space Junkie). Unfortunately, while visiting European castles over the last few months, I’ve discovered that grand spaces are rarely empty. On the contrary, they’re usually stuffed with paintings, tapestries, gold gilt decor, and enough furniture to stock a showroom. Royal families have a unique way of making a football-field sized room feel claustrophobic.

Imagine my delight, then, when I recently stepped into Vladislav Hall in Prague Castle (pictured below). I couldn’t believe my eyes: soaring ceilings, unadorned stone walls, bare floors, and enormous windows.… {Read more}

The Top Ten Ways to Declutter Heirlooms

I was recently cleaning out some bookmarks (digital decluttering!), and ran across this oldie-but-goodie from the New York Times:

The Tyranny of the Heirloom

In the article, the writer interviews several people who feel compelled to keep the things they’ve inherited — a Victorian settee, an ugly painting, a massive sideboard — despite their dislike for them. Some do it out of guilt, some to hang onto memories, others to preserve their family “history.”

I can relate, as I inherited my grandmother’s twelve place settings of china right after I graduated from college. I dragged them around with me for years, carefully packing and unpacking them during moves across three states.… {Read more}

Minimalist Inspiration: The Story of Stuff

In the spirit of Minsumerism, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite internet videos: The Story of Stuff, by writer and activist Annie Leonard. It’s a brilliant, 20-minute, stick-figure documentary about the life cycle of material goods.

The video explores the environmental and social issues of our current model of consumption, and calls on us to create a more sustainable economy.

While walking us through the five steps of extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal, Annie provides many thought-provoking statistics, such as:

80% of the planet’s original forests are gone. 40% of waterways in the United States have become undrinkable.… {Read more}

The Minsumer Movement: A Quiet Revolution

Something wonderful happens when you start living a minimalist lifestyle: you begin to really think about what you consume, and question the necessity of every purchase.

How amazing would it be if such mindful consumption became the norm? Not only would we all have more time, more money, and more space in our homes; we’d also have a healthier planet, and more resources for future generations.

In order to promote such an idea, however, we have to define it and give it a name. We have to let others know it’s a viable lifestyle alternative, and provide support to those pursuing it.… {Read more}