Cleaning Out, Moving On

Over the last few weeks my mom, aunt and I have been going through all of out old things in preparation to move them out of the house. Most of my clothing and furniture has gone out to local charities or Goodwill so someone else may actually use what I probably haven't worn in years. It is amazing how things pile up, and the more often we get new things, the more of our older things go unnoticed under piles and piles. It doesn't take long to accumulate and I am sure if you take a second look in your closet you will notice an over abundance of things that don't even fit anymore.

Many of these items were clothing from my past that had memories connected to them. Some were old jersey's from winning (or not-so-winning) years while others were tee shirts that we bought on vacation when I was 10 years old. While they were not so practical anymore to me, they did bring back the times that I had spent with my family on the edge of the Grand Canyon or hiking in New Hampshire. Many of these clothes went into the donation bag with a smile as I remembered the good times, and they would bring new memories or warmth to their new owners. However, there were also a number of shirts, mainly college and HS shirts that did not seem as though they would be of any real interest to other since they were more personalized. The shirts, have found a new purpose in that they will be keeping me warm at night or on the couch in my new home.

I have decided to cut the fronts of a number of my old cotton tees and create a quilt. I actually got the idea from a college friend who created this type of blanket as a birthday present for my partner. Thanks to Jess I now have a way to productively fill a few hours a night when I can't sleep or the early morning hours before starting research. This coming along well and this afternoon we headed out to get fabric for the backing and edging. I'll be sure to post pics once it is more, complete.

While these tees will continue to give me remembrances as a blankey, many of the things that we pulled over the past weeks have not been items of clothing, but crazy collectables. These such products are headed to the Consignment shop in Wilton CT. The Turn Over Shop was founded over 60 years a go to benefit educational and health care programs in the city. Today we brought in a number of items that had both memories, and surprisingly little sentimental value. I thought that when I started to go through the basement that I would find a lot of things that would be hard to part with, and for some part that was true. However, I was also surprised to find many items that I did not even remember we had. I am sure that some of them probably came from avid tag-sale times when we would buy with the intent to resell, and never did.

Take a little time and work your way through the house, apartment, or even your parent's home. Rethink some of the items you have been holding onto for a "rainy day" and ask if you will ever actually use it, because there are people out there who will. You may make it a donation and help someone who needs it, or it may be a consignment where there's no harm in making a little money as well.