It’s here! A Clear Place September Enews. Meet my feisty 86 yr. old friend and learn how she’s still making a difference; get an update and helpful recycling link from Earth911; get a quick tip on organizing your clearing and download a FREE sorting guide. And, in honor of Autumn – the season of letting go – get FREE shipping on ACP Wisdom Cards. All this and more. Happy Fall and happy clearing! View Enews now.
getting clear
Clear News Feb 2016
Learn about the queen of spices and how you can support efforts by Heifer Intl to raise its farmers out of poverty; peek inside a $20k home designed by Rural Studio; get an online tool that helps you determine the dollar value of your stuff; listen to my top picks for music guaranteed to put a wiggle in your clearing out tasks … and more. View Clear Ways to A Better World – February 2016. Enjoy!
New Format for ACP Clear News
Challenge: Find a better way to present multiple topics, links and graphics on one page that all open easily with mobile devices. It needs to look good and inspire action. Oh … it should also have a personal vibe and consistent quality. Something that’s professional yet warm and, of course, always clear in voice and message. Result: Today I launch my latest Clear News format … thanks to MailChimp and lots of pots of jasmine tea. Hope you enjoy it!
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Detach and Enjoy the Show!
Letting go and detaching from the outcome takes practice. But as with most worthwhile endeavors, the more you do it … the better you will feel in body, mind and spirit. Learn more about this month’s Focus Card and this featured place in nature. One of my favorite vistas and photos! See it up close.
Finding BALANCE with Your Space
Balance can seem to most as an illusive art form. We know it when we see it but achieving it is often a challenge. The good news is that balance and harmony (two sides of the same coin) can be realized and maintained with some simple steps and a little practice.
Our home tells us when things are out of balance. Something feels off in the room. The energy is too heavy in one corner. The space feels cramped. Pay attention to these clues and take action to correct the imbalance. Move or remove furniture, soften the color scheme, change a lampshade … small things that make a big difference. Simplicity is key. Clearing clutter is the most effective change agent for your space … creating balance starts there. A favorite quote from Albert Einstein reminds us to: “Out of clutter, find simplicity.”
About this photo: These twin birch trees were each coated in a sheet of ice. Such stark simplicity was stunning. Even in their frozen state, I could feel their harmony with each other and the sky surrounding them. Taken on New Year’s Day in Bend, OR.
CLICK HERE for more inspirational tips from the ACP Wisdom Card deck!
Clear Out Under the Full Moon
Did you know you can use the power of the moon to help you clear your space. Huh? It’s true. The full moon is the time of the month for letting go of what you no longer need or want in your life. It’s nature’s time to release so it’s our time, too. When the moon is at its fullest, set the intention for what you want to get rid of and then as the moon wanes, your unwanted items will diminish. Old patterns, habits, emotions, fears, etc. I find it a perfect time to take a look around your space and clear out what no longer serves a purpose. It can be obvious items like furniture and appliances to smaller things like photos, books, clothes, papers … the stuff that fills the shelves and closets and drawers. Let it go. Clear it out. You’ll feel SO much better. For mindful ways to dispose of your stuff, check out my Resources page. And don’t forget to give yourself a big round “super moon” smile for taking positive action!
Make It A Clear Spring
This week’s mini-show features ideas for clearing out your body and your space. Learn how to lighten your load by shifting your diet focus, meet a local green resource for hauling your stuff away, get the real scoop on chocolate and read inspiration for letting your true self shine! Watch now.
Community Resource
“Hi Jane,
I just wanted to add a resource for your website. The Community Warehouse collects furniture, cookware, small appliances, and linens to distribute to men and women who are coming out of shelters and setting up an apartment of their own. These items are free to the clients (unlike Goodwill and Salvation Army) as long as they are registered with a shelter of some kind. The Community Warehouse has drop-off sites in NE Portland (3969 NE MLK Blvd) and in SW Portland (8745 SW Canyon Lane). For larger items, they will send a truck to your home to pick-up. See their website at http://www.communitywarehouse.org. Phone number is (503) 235-8786.
Thanks for all you do, Jane” – Julia Gies
(NOTE: Setting up that first apartment or needing to replace a broken teapot? The Warehouse also runs The Estate Store at the MLK location. Great way to stretch your budget and help a good cause! Click on the website blog to see featured items.)
STUFF Sheds Light
Love hearing from audience members who are putting the ideas into practice! Julie G. writes:
“Thank you so much for the stuffication workshop on Tuesday 2/1 at the Beaverton Library. It was both helpful and inspiring.
I very much appreciated your brief history on how we got here. The immediate post-war period in the U.S. was unique in that two major transformations converged: the advent of 1) credit cards and 2) mass advertising. Together these two innoventions ushered in an era of unprecedented economic growth fueled by consumer spending on products that people didn’t need and couldn’t afford.
Since the economic meltdown of 2008-2009, I have been amazed at government efforts to “increase consumer spending” in hopes that we can somehow get back to the halcion days of unregulated credit and out-of-control consumer spending. It was such a breath of fresh air to hear you give voice to the obvious: we will never get back there, and that is a good thing. The future beckons us to spend less on “stuff” that we don’t need and can’t afford.
I came home from your workshop and made a plan for small incremental changes which I began today. First books, then clothes, then kitchenstuff. This project of cleaning out which seemed so overwhelming to me before your workshop, now feels very doable. Thank you!”
Stuffed Class!
A record 40 people attended last night’s STUFF-ication workshop hosted by Beaverton City Library. Clearly a sign that lots of folks are needing help with their stuff issues. Couples, friends, parents with adult children, widows, grandparents, partners … it was great to have such a diverse audience. Thanks to all who made the effort to attend and participate. Here are just a few of the comments from Continue reading
A Clear Place 
