Monday, October 26, 2009

COLLECTIONS




"INTERIOR OF A PANELLED HOUSE WITH
A COLLECTION OF IMARI AND
BLUE AND WHITE PORCELAIN"

By Ellen Clacy

I really appreciate all the feedback I received about my previous post. Thanks for using using such positive words as catharsis, resurrection, reinvention, insight, honesty, introspection, strong, good example and accomplishment.

I  worried about publishing the post in the first place. I am a blogger who hesitates to hang out my laundry in public. I hover somewhere in between letting it all hang out and being a Pollyanna, refusing to acknowledge that all is not well with my world.



"SUNDAY TEA-TIME" by Stephen Darbishire

I hesitated over writing the post because I did not want anyone to think badly of me. Isn't that funny, after all these years, when I thought I was finally immune to what other people think of me. But I do care what friends think of me. I once had a co-worker who was a shopaholic and a gambler, and I thought badly of her, never realizing that in my own way I was as "bad" as she.

But I would be horrified if someone thought of me as a hoarder. That, I am not. Kristen calls me a "pack rat", but I told her to watch the A&E TV show "Hoarders" to see what a real pack rat is like! I know that these people have psychological problems, and I am so glad I do not have that particular set of problems. I have enough of my own!

No, I have the ability to let go of things, but it entails so much physical work. In my case, the mind is willing, the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!

Looking over my posts this past summer, I see that few were very relevant to my daily life. Instead, I found art, poetry, and other subjects to hide behind. I guess I blog the way I clean house. I don't clean every day - some things not even every week. I let it all go for a while, and then I clean with a frenzy. So I did with airing out my problems, until this latest post. Now that my blogging "house" is clean I may go back to art and poetry for a while. Or not.




"BLUE AND WHITE CHINA" by Carol Gillot
(Blog "Paris Breakfast")

Meanwhile, I do want to say that I have not purged everything from my home. I still have artwork on my walls, accessories on my tables. I still need to have beauty surrounding me, but I have gotten rid of the mundane, the tacky, the passe, the ubiquitous, the redundant, the "what was I thinking?" - and kept the best things. Colleen mentioned in a comment that she likes to visit estate sales in order to give some things a forever home. I, too, have found some lovely things that will have a forever home with me. Too, the precious few things I have of my mother's and grandmother's will live here forever.

I won't be selling my blue and white china collection; I hope not to have to sell my collection of Roseville china. And I certainly must keep my collection of dog figurines.


Painter unknown to me

Thank you, Lila, for suggesting that I sell some items on Etsy. I didn't know that one can sell vintage items there. I checked it out, and I will be starting an Etsy shop (at some later time). Thanks to Gemma for suggesting eBay, consignment shops and Craigs List. Unfortunately, I always associate Craigs List with porn sites, never thinking that lots of legitimate items are sold there as well. I will be listing the most fragile or larger items that I don't want to ship on Craigs List Bismarck and Bismarck-Mandan Online. I will also call the antique shop to see what consignment items they are looking for.

And I already sell items on eBay. I sold most of my vintage Halloween postcard collection earlier this fall, and am listing some other vintage Halloween items now. I will also be offering some vintage Christmas items as well.

A friend sent me a note congratulating me on my efforts to de-clutter and lighten my load. I answered back with thanks for the encouragement but said that a person walking into my house would probably never know the difference. Her reply: "But you do." How true, I do. And I'm getting lighter by the minute.

10 comments:

Annie Jeffries said...

Hi Julie,

What an uplifting and positive post. I'm glad you have had such good success with eBay.

Re: Craig's List - I have a friend who has been very successful there selling products. The personal ads CAN be creepy but I think that has been changing because of the murders connected to it earlier in the year.

I admit, I don't refrequent Craig's List much. Personal ads may individually be icky but if I had something I really wanted to sell locally, I would not let that stop me since they're completely separate from sales anyway.

mxtodis123 said...

Gosh I love these. Old fashioned living is what I long for. My hubbie's been quite a collector. Here in New York City you find struggling artists selling their wares on the streets...and some of them are darned good. When I find out how,I will get some photos of our collection and share.
Mary

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Good for you - more small steps (and some big ones). We use craigslist all the time - to buy and to sell. When we moved to our new house we sold over 1,000.00 worth of stuff, and fast, on craigslist. We found that stuff priced under 50.00 went fastest - but it all went eventually - and we've bought some great stuff from there too - one of the best was a seal-a-meal with hundreds of bags - for just 20.00. Good luck in your endeavors.

marthaberry said...

Congrats! It is hard to part with things sometimes. I feel guilty to let gifts from the children go. Especially ones they thought I would really like. But it has to be done.

I love blue and white china too. I need to get it hung on the wall, but it doesn't really go with my decor anymore. Maybe when I redo my kitchen, I can use those colors and then display my collection.

Autumn Leaves said...

The first painting and the living room painting have both just taken my breath away, Julie. Anything art and books just draws me right in. I want to sit in both places and just read and dream.

Anyway, I do at times unload my thoughts in my blog. I don't have that many readers, and none that would be hurt by my musings, I don't think. Sometimes one needs to talk things through, think things through. I suspect we all have some dirty laundry. I send you big hugs from an old melancholy Irish "lass" (Lassie would probably be more apt! LOLOL)

gma said...

Sacred in the ordinary:
Aunt Celia's garden sprinkler, when it's watering it's as though she's here with us. Momma's Blue Willow china, tatted lace,Grandma Mary's crystal those "things" are keepers.

couragetocreatewriteandlove said...

Julie,
we as humans judge BUT we are compassionate too.
I want to think that we are more compassionate than judges.
don't feel bad, we all have things that eventually think what was i thinking?
heyy! i LOVE etsy and buy mostly all of my vintage things for my home and for my journal pages, too, let me know if you open one, or email me with your list, i am a fast lightning pay ;-)

Lila Rostenberg said...

I can relate to both of you posts! I find it hard to resist bringing new things into my world when they catch my eye. Lately, by saying "if it's made in China don't buy", has kept some things from coming home.
Of course your treasures being vintage are more valuable than the current glut of "hobby Lobby" decor items....so I hope You find many eager buyers!
Oh, and I collected blue and white china too!
One more thing...your readers will love your ETSY!

ebrarian said...

I found my car and all my recent roommates on craigslist

Shopgirl said...

I love this post. After I stopped working it was hard to just grab hold of a new lifestyle. I sold collectables and a few antiques on eBay for months and enjoyed it very much. It was fun and I made money. You go girl...this is a new adventure.
Love, mary
It has been snowing....yikes!