Not known for sitting on the fence, I have views about clutter.  But doesn’t everyone these days?  Marie Kondo has certainly inspired many of us to tidy up our closets although I’m unconvinced that socks (however displayed) have ever “sparked joy” for me.

I don’t like mess although I enjoy living with pleasing things around me.  I’m creative and I love cupboards oozing with brightly coloured materials and cottons. I learned that from my granddad. The big cupboard on the landing was always piled high with cheerful stuff that might come in useful.

Granddad fixed it all – broken handbags, torn leather jackets and he even taught me caking skills.  There was something in that cupboard for everyone – a sewing machine he’d refurbished and remnants of material shared the space with cake decorating equipment, his toolbox and my gran’s knitting.  I loved that cupboard and all that it offered.  Vivid memories of granddad diving into the darkness determined to find a tiny piece of leather or some fuse wire have not faded.

Over the years I’ve stayed true to my roots.  I’ve honed those early baking and cake decorating skills and carried on with the family tradition of collecting brightly coloured material, cottons and ribbons.  There’s a part of me that craves messy cupboards and clutter, but I’ve learned that I work best without either.  Where do you flourish?