Thursday 17 December 2020

Going, Going, Gone!

A whole box of Hornsea China - sold on Gumtree. I still have more than enough for everyday use- 

but the coffee pot and espresso set are surplus to requirements- as is the cruet set. They are going, via Gumtree, to a young woman who wants them for her newly decorated brown and cream kitchen. 

The theatrical palm tree -a gift from the Baptist Women of South Korea in 2005 ["we can't afford to airfreight it back to SK, you can have it, Angela"] has finally gone. It has appeared in dozens of Nativities plays, on Treasure Islands, dismantled on Palm Sundays - in churches and schools literally across the country. And now it has been given to a local Primary School, along with a box of thirty Nativity Costumes. 

They were really excited with that gift. I culled my wicker baskets and posted these on line - free to anyone who could collect them. Within 30 minutes someone contacted me- she makes up gift baskets for new babies - and came round next morning. [I added three pairs of bootees to the bag, knitted for a Craft Fair which never happened!]

My Christmas tins were given to a young Mum who is making Christmas Biscuits with her children, so they can give them to teachers and friends - in pretty eco friendly packaging.

A stack of DVDs for the CS. Another box of books sorted for Ziffit [£17] plus one for a CS, plus a few selected to be stockingfillers - and we still have far too many to take to Cornerstones. 

And I sadly parted with my ottoman/shoe store. In 1976 I paid £5 for it, forty years later I spent £1.50 on the striped ticking - and now I have sold it for £5 online. I'm very happy with that.

There's nowhere at Cornerstones to hang my "Blessings to all who come here" embroidery [bought for £2.50 in a CS 5 years ago] 
I put it on eBay and it went for £10. I hope it will hang in someone else's home now and greet their visitors. 
Today I have appointments with two charity shops to drop off boxes of stuff.
So yes, I am working very hard at decluttering. I am not finding it easy though. Sentimental items are difficult - Bob suggested I did not need to keep every book in which my Dad had written his name, or every card the girls have ever sent me. Or a cookbook which was my Mum's but I have never used. And the large brown glass fruit bowl, the first gift Bob's mum every gave me. But I don't use it and it is a difficult shape to store... 
My linen cupboard is next in line - lots of treasured vintage napkins, traycloths and tablecloths which I think are beautiful, but have no real use for are being advertised on Etsy*. If I am not using these things, they can go to others who will enjoy them. 
But why is it that the house doesn't seem much emptier, despite all the boxes and bags which are leaving on a regular basis?
[*my Etsy Shop is called Mistress Marchpane- word play on Mrs Almond]












10 comments:

  1. Goodness Mistress Marchpane sounds like a courtesan.

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    1. With all my pristine table linens, I was hoping for 16th Century Puritan!

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  2. Oh, my! You are really decluttering now, aren't you? It looks like you are giving your things away to people who will make good use of them. You don't see the empty spaces because stuff expands to fill in those empty spaces! They spread themselves out! That's my theory, at least!

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    1. I think you are right - one of my aunts kept all her craft materials in boxes under the bed, and my Uncle insisted they were breeding in the darkness!

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  3. Downsizing, decluttering, it's not easy. I spend too much time gazing at things which havent seen the light of day for years, and murmuring 'But we bought that in Austria/France/Thailand on our holiday....'

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    1. I guess we can hang on to the memories even if we give away the objects

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  4. I feel much the same way - and I swear - aside from books - I'm not much of a shopper! But I will keep at it over the Winter and just do what I can.
    But I do rather fancy that lovely china! :-)

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    1. It is lovely- I still have plenty of it left to use everyday! But these pieces were surplus

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  5. I took all my boxes of assorted stuff to the charity shop this morning, glad to see the back of it all. Much of what is left is frankly only fit for the tip, taking it there will be easier than negotiating the Christmas traffic, the one way system and the lousy weather to fight my way to the charity shop.

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  6. When we were doing this a few months ago we took photos of some things with sentimental value. Who knows if we'll ever look at them but it did make the process a little easier. Well done for your efforts so far.

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