We tapped decluttering royalty for her top tidying tips and tricks
Anyone can take a moment to declutter a closet, reorganise drawers, and schlep a bag of old stuff to the nearest charity shop (Stacey Solomon’s Sort Your Life Out has taught us well). But a lucky few get a little extra help from the queen of tidying up herself – those lucky few being you, dear readers. Ahead of the release of the second season of her clutter-busting show, we sat down with the organising wunderkind to talk about refreshing your space, trusting the crafty process, and why it’s okay to embrace a little bit of chaos sometimes.
Digging Deep
Don’t let her effortless beach waves, perfectly bronzed glow and reputation as the nation’s spokeswoman for decluttering fool you: Stacey Solomon doesn’t always have it all figured out. A card-carrying crafter, she’s no stranger to that perplexing experience of stumbling upon odds and ends you had squirrelled away with lofty hopes of using them in your projects “someday”. Think tatty paper scraps, salvaged bits of fabric… or, in Stacey’s case, mouldy leaves (PSA: they weren’t mouldy when she’d collected them). “I really will just pick up anything to craft with,” she laughs.
What she does have completely figured out, however, is how to deal with it all. And it starts with a simple question: 'Why is there so much in my stash?’ “I run out of my crafting stuff all the time,” Stacey reveals, “because I’m always using it. If you’re not running out, you need to ask yourself if you’re actually using what you have. Think about the last craft you did, the things that bring you joy and the projects you can do with ease, and keep that stuff. Try to let go of the things you hold on to because you ‘may use them one day’. We actually did an amazing office-slash-craft room declutter this season on Sort Your Life Out, which I’m excited for everyone to see. It was so much fun and had such a satisfying outcome!”
Now, decluttering is one thing; actually keeping your craft room in tip-top condition is a whole other ball game, a fact most crafters can attest to. According to the mess-busting maven, the key is an efficient space. “I know it sounds like a strange thing to say, but I have lots of bins. One of the hardest parts of crafting is cleaning up afterwards. Having lots of bins makes it easier to keep tidying as you go. I recommend getting a main one for the room, but also a little desk bin, as well as separate ones for things like wool, paper and plas
