I know some of you know all about getting bit by the junkin' bug. The thing is, my house is literally overflowing with my mother's stuff.
My new obsession came about while unpacking things, researching value, hitting the yard sales and thrift stores just to learn a bit about pricing, and then visiting vintage, junkin', treasure loving blogs - oops, I got hooked along the way. I've gone from a minimalist in the making to an overnight hoarder!
Figures, I've fallen in love with a lot of the things my mother treasured. I know she is up there somewhere smiling and saying "I told you so" knowing that I finally have a love and appreciation for some of those things she saved for so long. That makes me feel good, and so glad I didn't just send everything off to Goodwill. I'm even kicking myself for all the things I did just mindlessly donate or put out for the garbage. There was just so much. Unfortunately I just didn't have a choice.
Here's a little peek into the storage room as I've been unpacking the remaining boxes...
This all adds up to the difference between collecting and hoarding. My mom couldn't enjoy her much loved treasures because they were all packed away, there was just way too much of it.
Once this is all done and over with I vow to never be in that position. Collecting can be a fun hobby, but other than holiday stuff or seasonal decorations if it doesn't come out of the boxes at least once a year it's time to say goodbye and let someone who appreciates it even more enjoy it.
I've always been a believer in keeping only things you really love, use, and enjoy. It doesn't matter if it's decorative things, clothes, whatever. If it doesn't fit one of those categories why save it?
I'm having fun going though the old boxes finding treasures even though I'm now out of space to continue unpacking. I do have plans to open my own vintage store in the works or at least renting a dealer space if I can't pull together the funds to get my own store up and running. Keep your fingers crossed for me. It would be a nice part of my dream if I can make it happen!
Junking is addicting but I have no more space and no money! lol
ReplyDeleteMe either JoJo, lol!
DeleteJust had leftover roast cooked in Dr. Pepper. It was soooo good. Thanks for sharing the recipe because it is good and so easy to cook. Good luck with your store.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed it Paula :)
DeleteI sure wish you were there to help you!!!!
ReplyDeleteI wish you were too Tamy!!
DeleteI think its neat, Martha, that you have almost come full circle with it; wondering what you were going to do with it all, wondering what it all was, trying to figure what would be kept, what should be gotten rid of, should it all be dumped, etc., to appreciate some of the treasures your mom treasured. Interesting process to get there I am sure as I know a lot of that has been moved in the boxes from here to there and back again :) But you are right, if it can't be out to be enjoyed or is not seasonal for only short periods of time, good to pass it on or sell it to someone who can enjoy it on a more frequent basis than just in a box. I know MIL loved her Christmas ornaments as being a teacher a lot of them had been given to her from students over the years. When she would decorate the tree, she would remember this or that child and wouild share their story with others who came over during the holidays.
ReplyDeleteI do hope you can open up a vintage store down the line; it would be a good type of closure for some of your mom's things and a profitable business too I do believe!
betty
Betty, you are so right about a lot of the process being moving boxes from one place to another - and that's still part of the process now! I don't know that I've come full circle with it all yet, but I'm getting there! Did you keep any of your MIL's Christmas ornaments?
DeleteYour storage room looks like a shop there with so many things displayed. In our area there are two flea markets where people rent space and sell things like that. There are a lot of collectors that go to them and then sell them in their own shops at a elevated price too. It would be a great thing to do. I hope you can also keep some of them for yourself. Hope your Sunday is a wonderful one!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ma. Guess it's obvious that I could start a store from the photos and that's only a portion of what's actually here! Vintage/collector shops are all about finding steals and reselling at higher prices. In some cases top value depending on the shop. I will definitely be keeping some things but paring down the collections - like I said in the post, if there is so much that it has to stay in boxes and can't be enjoyed some has to be let go for others to get enjoyment out of.
DeleteOk, I think it's time for intervention :D
ReplyDeleteHi Marina, this is the intervention! 90% or more must go one way or another!
DeleteYes you are officially addicted, but I suppose there are worse things.
ReplyDeleteHey Pat, the photos aren't my addiction, that was my mother's addiction - I know it's hard to separate the two when you see photos like I posted knowing that I'm out hitting yard sales and thrift stores, but there really is a method to my madness!
DeleteWOW, now you can open your own thrift store!
ReplyDeleteYep, but I'm not going with thrift I'm upping it to Vintage since everything is true vintage or antique.
DeleteGood luck with opening your store.
ReplyDeleteThanks Susanne :)
DeleteYou and my mom. She is a garage sale junkie and whenever I visit, I go along with her. I like to get rid of stuff more than I like to acquire. But, I did find some really cute clothes for my daughter at a church sale and it was $5 for everything I could stuff in a bag. Well worth the stuffing.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the store.
It's a new thing for me but I can totally understand how people become so addicted. I am just mad at myself for not getting into it sooner!
DeleteWow - so much stuff. I bet it's fun to go thru it all tho. I'd be loving that.
ReplyDeleteIt has been an adventure - lots of fun finds and lots of memories along the way. Still lots of work to do to deal with it all. I really think a little store is the way to go!
DeleteI hope you get that store someday. I think vintage items are so great. I will be going through all my mom's things someday, and I imagine the stuff will look like your mom's. What memories they must bring. I know you will find some precious treasures.
ReplyDeleteHey Mare, I did the initial clean out of my mother's house almost 2 years ago but there was still so much that was already in boxes that I didn't have time to go through initially and so much that I packed to deal with later. It was taking up a 12 x 28 foot room. I did close the door and walk away for many months but I had to dive in sooner or later and take action. I don't want to leave this behind for my own children to have to deal with someday. I am finding lots of treasures along the way :)
DeleteHello ~ Junkin' is fun, but I only pick up things that I truly love, use and enjoy. The beauty of this is, if you don't spend alot of money on an item and you get tired of it. You donate or have a yard sale~!
ReplyDeleteI am your newest follower ;-)
Can't wait to see what else you uncover
I love your outlook, junkin' is a blast :)
DeleteThanks for following by the way!! :)
DeleteOh my! That really is a lot of stuff. I don't know if I could sleep knowing it was all there waiting for me to decide its fate. Good for you though! It's so hard to get rid of things that meant something to them. I have about four or five tubs full of stuff that I knew meant the most to my mom, but for now it will stay there. Maybe if I ever redo my guest bedroom, I will do a shelving system of her stuff on it.
ReplyDeleteEh, 4-5 tubs... 400- 500 boxes who's counting? ;)
DeleteMy mom was a collector of collections. The things I've been going through are the leftover things that meant the most to her - the rest went to Goodwill. My mom loved stuff and lots of it!
I see a reality show brewing.
ReplyDeleteAn episode of Hoarders? ;)
DeleteI hope your dream comes true and you are able to open a vintage shop.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly have a great start on inventory!
Thanks Elizabeth. I have enough inventory to keep a store going for years!
DeleteOh my stars! I understand completely. I went through the same thing when my mother passed away. My house was overflowing for quite a while. Things are better now, but I do worry if something happened to me, my daughters will go through the same thing.
ReplyDeleteExactly Kathi. I don't want my children to ever have to go through what I've gone through - and still going through.
Deletei think it would be like xmas, opening up all of your mom's goodies:) and older i get, the less i want to declutter...the shop or booth sounds like fun, too!
ReplyDeleteIt really is like Christmas, even better because of the memories that come flooding back with the treasures. The hard part is finding places to put things as I continue unpacking. Like you, I find myself wanting to keep so much of it. There's some really beautiful things! Either way I can't keep it all, there's just way too much!
DeleteHaving an antique booth is SO much fun! I'm sure you'd enjoy it and do well with it!
ReplyDeleteI wish we had places around here where I could just do a booth like all of you guys I see on blogs. We just don't have anything like that in my area. Maybe I should be the one to get it started?
DeleteMy Mom has tons and tons of stuff, and one week, while she was rehabbing in the nursing home after surgery, my sister came and packed 90% of it up and put it in boxes in the garage. So when the time comes, I will have to go through all of those boxes myself, because I don't know where anything is. But I know that when I do go through them, I will end up bringing alot of things home. So many memories! But it will be a huge job, just like what you're going through. I'll pray for you, if you'll do the same for me when the time comes!
ReplyDelete