Time For Something New

I spent the past 31 days documenting the possessions that I was parting with. There has been a lot going on behind the scenes too, like finishing school and helping other people declutter their spaces. I can honestly say that a lot more than 31 things have left, but more importantly, I took the next step with this blog. Renouncement had been in and out of dormancy and had practically no readers (save for the one character who called me a "b00b" regarding my posting on the state of the economy... yeah, deleted). Now I have a handful of regulars and I am really grateful for that.

My true passion is for writing longer and better articles. In order to do that, my personal Thing a Day Challenge is officially over. Several great pieces are on the way, so stay tuned!

Here is list of the rest of the things I parted with:
-4 purses
-3 scarves
-2 belts
-3 tank tops
-box of party invitations
-3 very small stuffed animals
-dream catcher
-pair of gym shorts
-Halloween wig
-several keychains
-two small jewelry boxes, one jewelry pouch
-various types of jewelry
-several binders
-old eyeliner pencils
-candle plate
-pair of cropped pants
-2 old craft projects
-framed art piece
-leather business case
-notepads
-many pounds of paper after digitizing more of my personal documents

Not too shabby, eh?

Day 31 - Cord Organizers

These didn't exactly live up to my expectations for cord management. They were an inexpensive find at Ikea, but I didn't like how there was no way of stopping the cords from unraveling from it. A twistie tie would have actually worked better. Live and learn!

Day 30 - Jewelry Crafts

I have invested so much money over the years in acquiring craft supplies! Jewelry making has been something I have been interested since I was a kid. I thought at one time that I would make a living out of it, but it is too hard to compete out there in the market. There is plenty of competition from others trying to do the same, as well as the super cheap mass produced stuff coming out of China. I have had this box for years of stuff that I had made, yet I had no clue where to sell it or how to set pricing for it. I let my cousin pick out what she wanted and then donated the rest. While I did enjoy making jewelry, I haven't picked up any of my tools in sometime to create more. The supplies may be next!

Day 29 - Concert T-shirt

I did actually go to this concert and even got a t-shirt. I must be very picky about my t-shirts though since this one feels bulky and a little snug in the neckline. Living in a hot and humid climate makes it hard to want to wear it! Fortunately I have some great digital memories from the concert to hold on to.

Day 27 - Postage Stamp Pins

I think I might have already mentioned that a stamp collection was started for me when I was a child. Well it didn't include only actual stamps! I had puzzles, necklaces, books and these stamp pins to go along with my stamps. I never wore these and would never in the future (maybe because of my hatred of the USPS). So bon voyage stamp pins, I hope someone loves you out there.

Day 26 - Over-The-Door Hooks

These were totally a "just in case" item. I prefer not to have anything hanging on the backs of my doors, although I do from time to time. By not having these, hopefully it won't bring anymore encouragement! I believe this was a principle I read about in Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui by Karen Kingston which is a really good book for those of you who haven't read it.

Day 25 - Photography Supplies

Ever take a class that changes your life? Photography was life changing for me! This wasn't the easy kind where one would snap a digital picture and Photoshop it to perfection! This class was very difficult because there was so much attention to detail (that is even one of my strengths). I learned how to cut and roll my own film in bulk. I painstakingly had to load it on to a spool to put in the developing canister and then go through the entire chemical process of developing it. After that comes using an enlarger to print your pictures... by hand! It is extremely tedious and time consuming, but perhaps something you can only truly appreciate if you have done it all the hard way. I feel incredibly grateful when I see photographic work now that is done in the traditional process because that person put in so much hard work in creating it.

With that said, I was very fortunate to attend a school that had a well stocked photography department. To recreate even a small lab would be quite an investment. I purchased the materials in the picture for class and this was some of what was leftover. I decided to donate it to the school that I went to. Hopefully these tools can help change someone else's life too.

Day 21 - Wallet Sized Tip Chart

My high school business teacher gave everyone in the class one of these little cards. I think it was supposed to help us save face at business lunches or something so we wouldn't under tip. It bothers me more to think if I am paying for a meal that someone is watching me fill out that section of the receipt! I usually calculate tips in my head which doesn't seem very hard and I am extremely math averse! If I were still struggling, I would use the calculator on my cell phone.

Day 20 - Travel Spirograph

I had a Spirograph at my grandparents house that I used to spend hours and hours playing with. This definitely reminded me of those memories and I am sure that is what inspired me to buy a travel version. I haven't used it in years though. It seems like it would be a fun thing to keep in a desk drawer at an office, but I think I will just let this one go.

Day 18 - Body Jewelry

I believe I was about 20 years old when I thought getting a belly button piercing would be cool. What was very UNCOOL was the fact that the piercer did it wrong (and I went to an extremely reputable place) and pierced a spot where it would rub against my pants when I sat, therefore it stayed chronically infected. Fun times, huh? Good riddance to these beasts of torture!

Day 17 - Christmas Themed Picture Frame

It is sad, but I believe there already Christmas advertising that was happening in a local mall somewhere last month! The television reporter asked how the girl felt about shopping for Christmas in July and the young twenty-something year old exclaimed how wonderful it was since "you can never get too early of a start on Christmas shopping"! I don't know why exactly, but I was rather shocked by her remarks. I am hoping she was paid for her enthusiasm because everyone that I know has downshifted when it comes to Christmas spending, which means less time in a mall. Maybe I am just projecting here though. In my efforts to strive for simplicity, I went through my box of Christmas decorations and got rid of any superfluous items. I have a small 4 ft. Christmas tree and a couple of stockings. I don't need items to decorate the entire house, nor do I decorate for any other holiday. Having pictures in holiday frames isn't necessary for me which is rather evident since this has never been used!

Day 15 - Necklace

In one of my previous posts, I had discussed the easiness of getting rid of things that had negative emotions attached to it. Fine jewelry is a bit tricky to deal with though! There is usually a small voice in the back of my head saying that it is REAL white gold and those are TRUE diamonds on it... it must be worth quite a bit! In reality, jewelry store markup is outrageous and yet I would guess that 99% of people that shop in those places are shopping on emotion, not the better judgement we use day to day for our other decisions.

At the time, this was a thoughtful gift from a relative, although I never wore it. I am not big on fine jewelry and to me there is something a bit stressful about wearing something pricey on my clumsy self! Earrings and rings seem to do alright, but not dangly things with lots of slack! More recently though, my relationship with that relative has turned quite ugly. It is saddening that this happens, but I value my sanity and happiness. I also know that this person uses guilt and gifts as a bargaining tool. I got tired of hearing how I was supposed to be doing work to help her out because she had bought me all these things (none of which I had asked for). Not having this negative reminder around will clear up some mental space for happier things. I hope this necklace brings someone else some joy and happiness though!

Day 14 - Signed Book

A few years ago, I stumbled upon the art of SHAG. I love his art because of the bright colors and fun depictions. I set out buying stuff like a few of his books, stationary and t-shirts. What I really wanted was one of his works though! I figured out that owning these little things are not quite the same. I have kept one book which shows all of his work which is fun to look through, but the rest is gone. This was a book that had great little cocktail drinks and snack recipes which I copied to my recipe book. Someday I plan to own one of his pieces, until then I don't need to spend lots of money on the little stuff which isn't what I truly wanted!

Day 13 - Pants for Martial Arts

I have always been a creature of curiosity. Trying new things that are out of my immediate comfort zone is something I strive for. Sometimes these opportunities practically fall at my feet! One day I was searching through the phone book to find a place where I could take some Tae Kwon Do lessons. Price was a big concern at the time. I phoned one dojo and they told me to come in for the first few lessons to see if I liked it. Once the owner met me, he made a surprising offer: I could take my classes for free if I helped out with the little kids class! They also didn't require me to buy a full TKD gi, so I bought these pants that were made of heavy duck cloth for the classes.





Those classes happened years ago and I definitely have fun memories of that time in my life! I don't really have much desire to do martial arts again though. The bruises and swelling were cool badges at one time, now I would probably have people asking me if my boyfriend beats on me. I will always be able to say that I gave a lady a roundhouse kick to the head! (That should really be on more bucket lists!)

Day 11 - Greeting Cards

In theory, greeting cards seem to be pretty fantastic. In reality, they are rather a nightmare. Here is my thought process on dealing with mail:

1. Pick out greeting card, sign it and seal it up in envelope.

2. Wonder what the heck postage costs these days? Has it increased since the last time I mailed something?

3. Make a special trip to the post office.

4. Stand in line for 10-15 minutes.

5. Ask to buy a stamp. Postal employee tries to upsell me into express mail and buying a book of stamps. "No thanks, by the time I use them, the rate will have increased again and it is hard to keep up with", I say. The postal worker then makes some snarky remark, like "shame on me".

6. I leave, very angry, and vow to file a complaint.

I wish I was joking about the employees at my local post office being verbally abusive, but I am not. I find that a phone call, email and social networking mean just as much to my friends and family than sweating the small stuff like sending a dead tree with glitter in the mail! Most people share the same sentiment these days with the ever increasing cost of postage. I will still have a few to keep on hand, but I am much more realistic about how few cards I really use.

Day 10 - High School Class Photo

About a month and a half ago, I moved... to a different room across the house! You must understand how much I hate moving, even if it is only that far! I am always purging things, but it prompted me to push further because I don't want to move as much stuff the next time it happens. One of the largest and heaviest boxes I struggled with was a catch all box for old school work, cards, mementos and souvenirs. I had school work from the 2nd grade on up to college level work. I had the notes I passed around in middle school from dear old friends.

Within the past year or so, I have become very adept at scanning and organizing files securely on my computer. The logical next step for me was to scan what I wanted to save and then toss. Some people would say that school work from their childhood isn't worth saving, but I think of it as a chronicle of my life that I want to have. I don't need the physicalness of the paper though. There is still a bit of a stack left that I try to work a few minutes every other day. Sadly, there aren't any pictures of that project, although they might be pretty boring!

The item for today is a set of high school class photos from my senior year. I definitely didn't want the big panoramic one, as it takes up way too much room. I contemplated the small one for a VERY short time, but I don't have really fond memories associated with the picture. I changed schools going into my senior year (no pity here, it was my choice) and so I didn't make strong connections with anyone at that school. That means that it wasn't even worth trying to figure out how to scan! My belief of purging stuff that brought back negative memories has been in place for some time. Now I am slowing going towards purging things that I feel ambivalent about and this was a good start.

Day 9 - Robes

I had perfectly organized my robes in clear vinyl bags... my winter robe, my summer robe... WAIT!!! Why do I have a robe for every season?!? In my mind, I could hear Greg Behrendt's stand-up comedy routine about not knowing when to wear his robe. Definitely watch the clip for a good laugh, but I will warn you that he does use some expletives (so don't watch if you are easily offended). Robe Skit

I decided to hang on to one robe since I live with other people. It is a nice organic cotton one that I got for free at a spa. Goodbye winter and summer robes, I don't know why I needed you!

Day 8 - Fossil Collection

A few weeks ago, there was a blog entry about collections over on Miss Minimalist's blog. I responded that I only had one collection, but then I was hit with a hard reality check when I started going through a box that was in my closet. I had completely forgot about the box of rocks, box of shells and box of fossils!

I think it is worth noting that the word "collection" can mean two different things. There is the definition of the word being a grouping of items and then the definition of an action or process of collecting. Those are very distinct differences. I have a basket of socks, but by no means am I in active pursuit of getting more. Semantics can be tough.

With much thought, I will now give a more accurate account of my collections:

1. Crowns - I have a small wall case (maybe 13" x 13") that has various rings & pins that are crown shaped. My name actually means "crowned" and so it is unique to me. My one caveat is that my collection stays within the space confines of the wall case, that way it will never be more than I can manage.

2. Vintage Cookbooks - This one started with a home economics from the 60's that I purchased at a library sale when I was a teenager. I was fascinated at how few items people lived with and the detailed instructions on how to take care of what you did own in order to make it last. It is inspiring to read these historical texts and gives me lots to think about in where we are now as a society. I have 5 of these books.

3. Box of Rocks & Box of Seashells - Oddly enough, rocks are something that bring me great memories of growing up. My sister & I are both into it and my mother used to be as well. On one of my trips back home, my sister and I actually bought a bag of dirt that had tourmaline in it but we had to wash it all ourselves to find it! That was hours of fun! I also grew up by the beach and so the shells are a reminder of the beautiful ocean that I am deeply connected to.

4. Stamps - This was a collection started by my grandparents for me. I am going to do a future post about this so I don't want to give too many teasers here!

5. Coins - I have a small box of currency from world travels and that people have given me from their world travels. Once again, future post soon!

I have given much thought about each of these collections and found that some bring me joy, others I am rather indifferent about. There is no intent to start anymore collections or to not be extremely thoughtful about things that are added to the existing ones. I try not to say to others that I collect anything because then others often try to do my collecting for me and in great numbers! Although I am grateful for gifts from others, I like to be the one that personally picks what is meaningful enough to save.


As for the item that gets the boot today, it is a box (or collection if you will) of fossils that I personally found for a college geology class. These don't evoke a great memory for me, just that I tried my best to identify these things so I would get a good grade! My aunt, who is a science teacher, said that she would love to have them for her classroom. I feel grateful that my old class project can spark some young minds!

Day 7 - Set of Books

So the history of this item might be a bit embarrassing! I have a set of The Chronicles of Narnia that was purchased in elementary school, and I have never got around to reading them! Most people have a book collection, but how many of us actually cull those on a regular basis? I am usually pretty good about it although I kidded myself for YEARS that I was going to get around to reading these! It is one thing to look over at the bookcase and tell myself that there is a book that I need to read. It is quite another thing to look over and see 7 in a row!!! I like to think of it as giving permission to let go of physical and mental clutter. If and when I ever get the urge to read The Chronicles of Narnia, I am sure the library will have me covered.

Day 6 - Tshirt Transfers

I have SO many craft items... and really no time or interest to craft right now! If only good intentions took us places in life.

I can't quite remember the specific project that I bought these for, but it turns out that quality of these iron-ons are pretty horrible. The only shirt I can remember making was white with a black design. The edges that were supposed to be clear were actually grey. Often, I have been disappointed with the quality of something after I have purchased it. Most of the time I do get refunded, but it just goes to show at how deceptive advertising photos usually are in comparison to real life.