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zondag 9 maart 2025

Ontspullen en minimaliseren….na 35 jaar / Decluttering and minimalising….after 35 years

Herkennen jullie dat: heel erg druk zijn met dingen die niets met het maken miniaturen te maken hebben, maar ergens toch ook weer wel..?
Nadat ik weer hersteld was van die nare griep, ben ik afgelopen maand heel erg druk geweest met het eerst uitruimen van mijn garage (waar ook mijn werkplek is voor “rommelig” miniwerk) en het uitzoeken van spullen om ze daarna definitief op te ruimen. De kringloopwinkel was er erg blij mee, de rest ging naar de afvalstraat.
Spullen die ik in 35 jaar heb verzameld (😱) omdat ik zoveel hobby’s heb/had. Maar nadat ik ernstige gezondheidsproblemen kreeg in de Corona-periode, ben ik nu (met pijn in het hart) heel veel spullen aan het opruimen c.q. wegdoen.
In mijn hele volwassen leven heb ik allerlei hobby’s opgebouwd, die uiteindelijk mooi samen zijn gekomen in het maken van miniaturen. Begin jaren ’90 probeerde ik, als beginnend miniatuurliefhebber, veel miniaturen zelf te maken. Het gevolg was dat er heel veel spullen in mijn garage lagen, veel houten latjes in allerlei maten en soorten, allerlei soorten oude verf voor ons huis (maar ook voor miniatuurwerk), allerlei overbodig gereedschap, allerlei spullen van mijn kinderen, die overigens allang het huis uit zijn.
Dus omdat ik er niet jonger op word en mijn energiepeil nog altijd niet erg hoog is, zullen jullie wel begrijpen: het duurde eventjes om dat allemaal zorgvuldig uit te zoeken en weg te doen, of netjes terug op te ruimen (en dan in VEEL mindere mate) 😊.
 
Do you recognize this: being very, very busy with things that have nothing to do with making miniatures, but somehow also do..?
After I recovered from that nasty flu, I was last month very busy first clearing out my garage (where also is my workplace for "messy" miniature work) and sorting out things to finally tidy them up. The thrift store was very happy with it all, the rest went to the so called 'waste street' (for getting rid of garbage/other stuff).
Things that I have collected in 35 years (😱) because I have/had so many hobbies. But after I got serious health issues during the Corona-period, I am now (with a heavy heart) tidying up, or getting rid of a lot of things.
Throughout my adult life I have built up all sorts of hobbies, which ultimately came together nicely in making miniatures. In the early 90s, as a starting miniature enthusiast, I tried to make a lot of miniatures myself. The result was that there were now a lot of stuff in my garage, a lot of wooden slats in all shapes and sizes, all kinds of old paint for our house (but also for miniature work), all kinds of unnecessary tools, all kinds of stuff from my children, who have left home since long.
So because I am not getting any younger and my energy level is still not very high, you will understand: it took a while to carefully sort all that out and get rid of it, or tidy it up again (and then to a MUCH lesser extent) 😊.



Deze 1:12 miniatuur Raku potten zijn gemaakt van Fimo klei, de miniatuur lepels om water te scheppen en te filteren zijn uit echt bamboe gesneden, allen gemaakt door mijzelf in 2012.

These 1:12 miniature Raku pots are made of Fimo clay, the miniature spoons for scooping and filtering water are carved from real bamboo, all made by myself in 2012.

Het leuke van mijn opruimwoede is dat er op deze manier weer ruimte komt om nieuwe miniaturen te maken EN zelfs iets terug te vinden waaraan ik in 2010 ben begonnen. Ik was dit project helemaal vergeten en vond allerlei uitgezaagde stukken MDF materiaal. Die stukken probeerde ik in elkaar te passen en doordat ik wat van die onderdelen herkende, wist ik ineens weer wat het was: een Japans theehuis.
Na deze vondst heb ik op mijn externe harde schijf gekeken en gezocht naar foto’s van dat theehuis. Na lang zoeken (15 jaar aan digitale foto’s van miniaturen!) vond ik wat foto’s terug, en wat miniaturen die ik voor dit theehuis al had gemaakt. Ik kan op die manier dan toch nog wat in miniatuur aan jullie laten zien 😇.
 
The nice thing about my cleaning frenzy is that this way I have room to make new miniatures AND even re-finding something I started in 2010. I was completely forgotten all about this project and found all kinds of sawn-out pieces of MDF material. I tried to fit those pieces together and because I then recognized some of these parts, I suddenly remembered what it was: a Japanese teahouse.
After this discovery, I looked on my external hard drive and searched for photos of that teahouse. After a long search (15 years of  digital photos of miniatures!) I found some photos again, and some miniatures that I had already made for this teahouse. This way I can still show you something in miniature 😇.


De komende week neem ik nog rust om bij te komen van deze zeer uitgebreide lenteschoonmaak, ik hoop op jullie begrip hiervoor.
Bedankt voor het lezen van mijn blog, jullie fijne reacties en ik wens jullie een heel fijne zonnige zondag en  week!
 
The coming week I will take some rest to recover from this very extensive spring cleaning, I hope for your understanding.
Thanks for reading my blog, your nice comments and I wish you all a very nice sunny Sunday and week ahead!
 
Ilona

9 opmerkingen:

MG Doodle Studio zei

Hello Ilona! You have been very busy, and it must feel so good to get everything cleaned up and organized. I need to do the same thing, and I can only imagine what treasures I'll find that I've forgotten about! You found some fun things too. I understand how your heart felt heavy about it, but do you feel lighter now? It was good that you worked slowly and now you'll take a much deserved rest. I'm a bit envious of your newly cleaned space! I'd better get to work!
Hugs, Michelle G.

Ilona zei

Hi Michelle! Thank you for your comment, so even more answering your question: yes, I do feel lighter now, because I've seen new opportunities and got inspired :) , so thanks for asking! Now I cleaned it all out, I can dance the tango in my garage, hurray (now I'm in need of a man to dance with ;) ).
Have a nice day Michelle!
Hugs, Ilona

Daydreamer zei

Dear Ilona, I, too am facing a vast clean-out chore! I was planning to start in 2020 before retirement, so I could be more prepared for the "slower" life... but then Covid struck and everything closed... dumps, second-hand stores... you name it it wasn't there anymore! So now I am slowly trying to find places for my "extra" stuff (some call it good old junk!) but still, there are not as many places accepting the "old junk"! (Gosh, when did we get so "old"?!) But I agree with you, it needs doing and I have started! I am so glad you found those little minis again... maybe I will find treasures too! Be sure to get good rest! It is nature's best medicine. :):) I look forward to seeing more minis soon! :):):)

Drora's minimundo zei

Dearest Ilona,
I agree with you, the need to declutter every once in a while it necessary and good for refreshing our work space, but the energy for doing it is hard to find.
Sometimes I just give up, saying to myself, at the age of almost 94, let the children do what they want and through out the horded "sometime will use it" pieces when you are gone.
It is very nice to see your "old" Japanese minis. I wish to see a completed Teahouse by you. I know it will be worth looking forward to seeing.
Hugs, Drora
Hugs, Drora

miniacollection zei

You have been very busy indeed.It's always a good thing to do some clear up not only to get more space and be more organized but also to clear up your mind. Another good thing is that you always find things you had forgotten, like your great Japanese miniatures. Have a good rest after all that.
Geneviève

Mieke Miniatuur zei

Wat heerlijk om zulke mooie vondsten weer tegen te komen en te delen, ze zijn echt heel mooi. Wat goed dat je van de week de puf had om te ruimen. Alles tot in het oneindige bewaren is ook niet zinvol.Gelukkig zijn er kringloopwinkels, zodat anderen er ook weer wat mee kunnen doen. Nu weer bijkomen!
Maak er een fijn weekend van.

Contrastes-Rosa Mª zei

Querida Llona siempre me digo lo mismo , tengo que ordenar... ese es mi propósito y nunca lo logro, eso si me sirve para recordar todo lo que quiero hacer. Descansa y seguro que tu escena japonesa será una maravilla con la inspiración de las fotos,! increíble recopiladas hace 15 años¡:-) como pasa el tiempo, así que ánimo y a comenzar con ella . Besos

BiWuBär zei

After reading your posts and the comments I have two questions now: 1. Was the first picture taken BEFORE or AFTER the cleaning frenzy??? *grin* Because if it was a BEFORE this would make me jealous... as even my AFTER doesn't look that organized... *blush*

2. Tango??? My... well... keep up to your dreams and yes, why not dream big... I mean... tango and first needing a tango dancer... good luck! On the other hand... every Friday evening in Cologne it's time for "Let's Dance" - a good opportunity to catch yourself a real good dancer. *LOL* But if dancenapping shouldn't be your cup of tea you might first start a little smaller... by doing just the "Happy dance" and I bet Schepje will do his best to dance along with you...

But enough of fooling around: Chapeau, a deep bow and frenetic handclapping for facing and even finishing this cleaning challenge. It's always a thing to start with such a big, frustrating, annoying, work intensive, exhausting and time consuming task. However... once you're done the reward is included. Enjoy it... because sooner or later after all this happiness about the wonderful result of all your work and effort comes the moment when you're in need of something... something special... something being saved for that very special moment one future time when it is going to be needed. And now you'll find out that this special moment has come, you're in need of a special piece... while that special something is resting in peace now in the recycling yard. *broad grin*

But if this should happen to you now you could easily find comfort in admiring the treasures you brought to light again. It's always a very special thing seeing "old friends" again! And in this special case the old friends are stunning. I hope one day you'll be getting back to building this tea house. You really should... because you already have the most awesome, stunning and beautiful accessoires for it. ;O)

And before I leave... just one more question: Please make a guess... who would you suppose was a bit absent from blogland, late in commenting and even more late with writing overdue e-mails because of a decluttering frenzy too??? *wink*

Hugs
Birgit

Isabel Ruiz zei

Es muy complicado realizar el trabajo de ordenar todo lo que has acumulado durante años. Siempre queda para otro momento. ¡Enhorabuena te mereces el descanso!