Downsizing, Decluttering, and a Dash of Creativity

We’re already into September, and you hardly heard from me in August. I decided to take that month off because I really needed a break — just to pause for a while. After 3.5 years of war in Ukraine, worries, stress and all the extra responsibilities that came with it, I needed to stop and recharge my batteries.

I also made a big decision: from November 11th, I’ll no longer be renting my studio, and I’ll be moving back to my garden studio. This gave me the motivation to get my house, garden, and garden studio organised. While the Ukrainian family living with us was away, I seized the opportunity to turn the house upside down and give everything a proper refresh.

My garden had been neglected too, so I tackled that as well. Before clearing out the rented studio, I decided to declutter the house first — and it felt so good! We donated plenty of clothes to FACT cancer support charity, sent lots of craft books to Sangini charity, and made three trips to the tip. Now, our spare bedroom has a few shelves holding my felting supplies, and my garden studio is ready for more shelving units and extra materials. I also now have a shed for fleeces.

The garden itself had a major makeover. Since I plan to work from the garden studio, I wanted to create a beautiful Japanese-inspired garden, complete with a water feature and plenty of solar lights.

All of this has sparked new inspiration. I spent a whole week making samples, and I’m planning a brand-new project for October, combining felting and crochet.

In the meantime, I’ve been upcycling old felted pieces into fresh, wearable creations. Decluttering and checking every box with samples and felted projects led me to this idea. This became a project for the members of my Felt With Lena Club as well, which I am finalising.

I also have a little helper: while my parents are away, their cat Leo has been staying with us. He’s very curious and loves both felt and playing with my yarns!

I’ll keep you updated on the progress of my garden studio and how I managed to fit everything from 35 square meters into just 16, arranging all the materials and my workspace.

Thank you all for your continued support.

Best Wishes

Lena

Felt With Lena Online School