Time Well SpentTM
An Eco-Arts & Creative Repurposing, Community Enrichment Center
 
Monthly E-Newsletter Update 
October 2009
In This E-Newsletter
The Re-Work-Shop ~ First Stop on the Tour of Time Well Spent
DeClutter KIds' Stuff For Good This Month ~ Help Reach Our Goal
How I Spent my Time Well in September ~ Highlights
Contact Information
 
 Nancy Darcy Gallant, Time Well Spent Founder
 
 
Nancy Gallant
Founder/Director
Time Well Spent 
 
Pre-Launch Office
89 Turnpike Rd/Rte 1
Office #209
Ipswich, MA 01938
 
 In-Office Hours Vary.
Visits and Drop-Offs are Welcome by Appointment Only.
 
Cellphone
617.548.6340
 (call or text)
  
E-Mail
nancyDOTgallant
ATcomcastDOTnet
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
It's my Personal Blog & the Temporary
Cyber-Home of
Time Well SpentTM
 
 
Visit
It's my photoblog with samples of the types of products that will be made by eco-artists in the Re-Work-Shop and sold on consignment in the Common Ground, the sales area at Time Well Spent.
Happy Fall!

September's come and gone...
 
Blink and you missed it! Life can feel that way, given all that fills our calendars, mailboxes (real and virtual), and to-do lists...  Indeed, our most precious resource is our time. It is limited, easily squandered, wasted or, most often in my case, lost track of!
 
I believe the more we live with mindful awareness of the value and the limited nature of time, the more likely we will make choices that align with our hopes, dreams and authentic sense of self. 
 
A quote from Pulitzer-prize-winning-author Annie Dillard that I shared in an earlier newsletter is worth repeating, "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." So basic yet so profound... That's what I love about this quote.
 
So, here's to making a commitment to getting a handle on how we spend our days, to becoming more aware of the choices we make and how those choices impact the quality of our own lives, those in need and the environment. 
 
Curious about how I spend my time? I've shared some highlights below for those following the progression of my efforts as I work (hard) to launch Time Well Spent.
 
Read on for all of this month's highlights including details of the October DeClutter For Good focus on kids' stuff. Set aside some time to declutter with purpose. Spread the word by forwarding this email. Share your own personal thoughts about time in an email reply or comment on my weblog. I'd love to hear from you!
 
Here's to a well-spent October.
 
Carpe Diem ~
 
             Nancy
 
 p.s. September went by so quickly that I've postponed delivery of the DeClutter Your Business Attire For Good drive to Friday, October 9th.  So, last call! If you still have a donation ~ whether one necktie or skirt, one suit or many ~ reply to this email and we can arrange to add your donations to those being given to Wellspring House and Solutions At Work. Here's the original post with a full list of donations sought.
 
 
Do You Have a Minute to Help TWS?
 
Readers on the North Shore ~ Can you post a flyer about this month's DeClutter For Good drive at work or at your local preschool or daycare? Reply to this email and I will send you the flyer along with my sincere thanks. 
 
"Touring" Time Well Spent  ~ The Re-Work-Shop
 
Time Well Spent is designed as a multi-use center for collaboration and creativity, an inspiring place where our collective clutter is repurposed even as we find a renewed sense of purpose in our own lives.  It's a comprehensive and original concept, so a lot to take in, admittedly...
    
In an effort to break it down and provide details a little at a time, I'm going to use the e-newsletter to focus on one area each month, giving a brief overview and directing readers to posts and webpages with more details. 
 
I'll begin with The Re-Work-Shop, the hands-on center of activity at Time Well Spent. Eco-artists on the cutting edge of environmentally-friendly art will be able to work alongside people with various degrees of creative experience and skills  ~ from none, to some, to tons! All  will find something to explore and create in the Re-Work-Shop. Altered arts, functional art, mixed media, upcycling, trashion, artist trading cards ~ all these topics will be introduced and made accessible. There will be members-only time blocks and open studio time, as well as scheduled classes, with the interests of the community playing an important part in determining just what eco-arts and activities we focus on.
 
With the collective decluttering theme ever-present, materials used will be contributed in return for clutter credits. Click here for a complete list of items that we can put to good use (and for which we will give you clutter credits that you can use toward materials in the Re-Work-Shop). To see photos of some of the types of products that may be made in the Re-Work-Shop, click here.
  
I hope this has helped to provide a better, general understanding of The Re-Work-Shop. For those interested in a more detailed description, click here when you are taking a coffee or tea break and want to spend your time well online... 
 
As always, your feedback and questions are welcomed and encouraged! 
 
 
 
October DeClutter For GoodTM  Donation Drive Focus
   
 
Focusing your de-cluttering efforts on one topic and contributing toward a drive is manageable, empowering and rewarding... Please join us as we strive to reach our goal of 200 children's items donated...
 
 
~ Kids' Stuff ~
  
~ For Boys & Girls, size newborn to 20 ~
    
~Warm Clothes, Pants, Tops, Sweaters, Sweatshirts ~
    
~ Shoes, Boots, Hats, Mittens, Coats ~
 
~ Summer Clothes Accepted Also ~ 
 
~ Critical Need ~ baby sizes and teen sizes ~
  
~Donations will be given to Cradles to Crayons ~
 
~  C2C Standard: "Good enough for your own child" ~ 
   
~ Drop-Off Day @ Time Well Spent ~
  
~ Saturday Oct. 17, 10-4~  
       
Reply to this email to schedule
alternative drop-off arrangements.
 
Forward this email to local service organizations that might benefit from some of the donations and encourage them to get in touch with Time Well Spent.
 
 
Some DeClutter For Good links to more details: 
  
Learn more About Cradles to Crayons by visiting their site or reading my original post about this wonderful organization.  
 
 
Learn all about the DeCluttering For Good concept. 
 
Mark your calendar for November's DeClutter For Good topic. We'll be collecting books for More Than Words and other local service organizations.
 
How I am Spending My Time...
 
I thought I'd provide a few highlights from my month of September, including links to my relevant weblog posts and websites for those who want to learn more:
 
An inspiring start to the month, I attended a Massachusetts Social Enterprise Networking Group event at Brandeis. I blogged all about it and invite like-minded business people and non-profit professionals to join the LinkedIn group. Just a look at the members' websites provides a dose of inspiration and humility.
 
Taking my own advice from last month's e-newsletter, I spent one lovely Sunday afternoon at the Newburyport Farmer's Market where I had a nice chat with the good folks at Transition Newburyport, talked upcycled jewelry with Eco-Artist Pam Farren and bought some delicious loose-leaf Irish tea from fair-trade tea purveyors at White Heron Tea. (Fair trade is another great topic for Time Well Spent...Don't get me started!)
 
Forcing myself out one weeknight, when I thought I didn't have any more time to give, I took a short drive to the Hamilton-Wenham library and watched GARBAGE! The Revolution Starts at Home with folks from Hamilton-Wenham Green . I enjoyed it so much that I even found the energy to blog about it!

Racking up the miles, I headed back to Brandeis to hear speaker Jeffrey Hollender, a co-founder of Seventh Generation, who gave all plenty to think about on the merits and challenges of sustainable business models. The event was hosted by the Net Impact Brandeis Chapter graduate students, led by an impressive bunch of inspiring young ladies.  
 
To wrap up the month, I attended a Speed Networking Event hosted by Net Impact Boston and held at Microsoft's LEED-Gold Certified offices in Cambridge. Nice digs, to put it mildly! Microsoft is certainly a good neighbor to area service organizations and supporter of sustainable building practices . 
 
 
WOW! No wonder September flew by!! And that was just the highlights ~ I can honestly say that it was all Time Well Spent and fuels my drive, determination and enthusiasm for a well-spent October!
 
 
 
 
"To move the world, we must first move ourselves."
                                                     ~ Socrates