Today's HoarderRehab Epiphany #3: As a Hoarder, I am Not Alone

 Today's HoarderRehab Epiphany #3:  As a Hoarder, I am Not Alone

I thought I would try to relate my post to Halloween, which was difficult for me because I wanted to add all my stories in the order they came and I have 20 or so back logged in drafts, but since I am trying to change my patterned OCD Hoarder ways, here it is.

As a hoarder with a blog, no story goes unnoticed and no rock is left unturned.  I hope that changes for me as a hoarder, but until it does, I hope to use it as a tool as part of my therapy.  Here are some questions and comments I have received from people who have found good homes for my Halloween items!

I thought I would try to find my Halloween destash a good home.  I felt so fortunate, almost all of it went to a good home in Florida.

Halloween Destash Kit #1

These two large clay skull beads were half price if you purchased the Halloween Detash Kit#1

Then I asked if she was making some Halloween jewelry and wanted to add these:

She replied, "Yes Please!" and then added,
"Is the Hoarder Rehab working? I can barely walk in the front door of my house, much less the garage due to the hundreds(?) of boxed items I've ordered on line!! ;("

Kennedy Miranda

October 3 2012 1:14pm EDT

Hi,

Thanks for the chuckle!!! and yes, it is working and even more nice is it's surprisingly easier and much more fun than I thought! Because believe me this is probably the fifth or so time of dehoarding and I don't want to keep up with this pattern that took years to discover!!! lol So hopefully, I can control myself after this round because it seems to happen every 5-10 years- before I know it some boxes have grown to the ceiling!

lol- I see you have growing boxes at your house too! Love to hear more about your hoard, if you have the time.

Thanks again for taking part in my Hoarder REhab!
~Kennedy

Lastly, this was ordered and it all went to a good home in Florida!

Saying Good-bye:  These were easy to let go and all of it went to a good home!  There is so much relief in that idea for me!  It works each time..... so far.

Then a couple weeks later the second witch charm sold and I sent out this email:

Hi again!

Thank you for your order! I forgot to ask you this question. It makes it easier for my HoarderREhab to let go of these items.

Do you have anything special in mind for this witch charm? I am collecting the stories behind the purchase and I'd love to know yours. I'm collecting these stories, instead of things to include on The Hoarder Rehab Blog: The Destiny of Things. Thank you in advance.

Best regards,
~Kennedy

Oct 23, 2012

Hi,
Halloween is my favorite time of the year. I am a seamstress and have a special wardrobe, consisting of jackets, witch hats and several skirts which I have created over the years to wear just for Halloween. The skirts are sewn using 12 different prints and embelished with ribbon, and different trims. October 1st I bring out the clothing, jewelry, witch hats and wear my creations to work. Several years ago my husband and I traveled to Salem, Massachusettes and spent Halloween there. I was disappointed but had fun sewing and wearing the special wardrobe made for the trip. While in Salem I purchased several witch charms to start a charm bracelet to wear with my clothing. Since then I search for charms to add to the bracelet.

Kennedy

7 days ago

Hi!

Thank you for the story! It will definitely be included on The Hoarder Rehab Blog: The Destiny of Things

hoarderrehab.blogspot.com/

Do you have pics of your Halloween outfits to share? I'd love to see them and include them too! and I'm curious as to why you were disappointed, do tell, if you have the time! Your witch charm bracelet sounds cool too! I have two, both from my childhood.

Oh yeah, your charm was shipped out today! Thank you for taking part in my HoarderRehab!

Best regards,
~Kennedy

October 24 2012 9:10pm EDT

Hi Kennedy,
I would be more than happy to send pictures. I'll have time over the weekend.
I was disappointed with Salem because it's so commercialized. We still had a good time exploring the area and enjoyed the food. I made myself a special coat and a matching witch hat to wear on the plane. It made the trip more interesting and the outfit was a conversation piece. Although once in Salem it became annoying because people would constantly stop me and ask to take a picture. I now understand why the rich and famous avoid the public when possible.

I can't wait to add my new charm to my bracelet.

I'm a hoarder as well and want to ask if collecting stories has helped with the hoarding disorder?
My problem is collecting items that I can later turn into a piece of jewelry, or use in a sewing project. In the past it was collecting vntage clothing (1500 pieces). I would wear most of what I collected before the clothing shrunk. Actually, over the years I grew in size. I also managed to collect over 500 vintage hats. Fortunately my head is the same size and I have a few favorite hats that I still wear. I love hats!

Kennedy Miranda

October 25 2012 7:41pm EDT

Hi!

Thank you for writing me back! Your witch outfit must be out of this world to get that kind of attention! I look forward to seeing it next week and hopefully a peek at your charm bracelet too! I would love to include them all on my new blog!

Thank you for the question about hoarding, it really made me think, which as a hoarder I do not ponder well on, but now that I've taken responsibility for my hoard, instead of tolerating it or pretending like it's not there, I am working on my issues with hoarding. Your question got me thinking so much that I wrote 8 pages this morning!

Yes, collecting stories, instead of more things, has helped me with my hoarding disorder! A lot! Tons! (At least so far--- in the end, only time will tell) I have purged my hoard many times, like about every 5- 10 years and it keeps coming back and sometimes in larger amounts. Kinda like going on a diet and then gaining back more! So I'm hoping that dealing with the feelings, memories and other issues that come up with letting go of my hoard happens this time----so I won't repeat my hoarding patterns!

Yes, I have similar collecting issues as you do, as with vintage clothes and reusing them in some other ways. Yes, to me, everything has a potential dream that I do not want to let go of! but I don't seem to be creating anything due to my hoard! it's a viscous cycle!

I got a good chuckle about how some of your vintage clothing shrunk on you! 500 hats!!!! I know that feeling! I've managed to collect probably 500 religious charms, medals, and crosses!

You are not alone! Maybe we can start a support group?

Thanks for the question! Got anymore?

Best regards,
~Kennedy

Saying Good-bye:  This last Halloween witch charm was a little more difficult to let go, only because it was the last one and I had hoped since it was already so close to Halloween, it might not sell.  However, since it went to another good home where it will be with other sisterly witch charms I felt more joy as I let it go.

What epiphany did letting go of these items bring me?  1)  That I am not alone, but it's actually sinking in now.  2)  It has brought me more questions to answer.  For instance, how do other people cope with their abundance?  When does abundance turn into hoarding?  Many people seem very content and happy with their abundance, so what happened to me?

I think after writing this post, I have brought myself more confusion and conflict and am beginning to see that my hoarding issues are complicated and multi-faceted.  My HoarderRehab is not so black and white, but very grey and yet sometimes as bright as a rainbow!

If you have any questions or comments, please by all means do so!  And thank you for taking part in my HoarderRehab!

And Happy Halloween!  Eat, Drink and Be Scary!

Clutter as Visual Noise: Hoarder Inspiration or Desperation, Story #3

Clutter as Visual Noise:  Hoarder Inspiration or Desperation, Story #3
Originally written October 29, 2012 and revised the next day!  Revised again, 14December2012


If my clutter actually made noise, I'd be deaf!  How does stuff multiply seemingly invisibly?

 Pic from "Why visual noise is destroying your life" By Matt DiGeronimo

and that's just paper, I've got everything stacked in boxes to the ceiling.  One stack fell over the other day and it wasn't a loud crash, but  more of a slow tumble, like it fell in slow motion.  It was a sign to start clearing that room out again!  Less blog therapy, more therapy action!

While looking for pics on visual noise, I found this tip and tried it:

TODAYS TIP - Think of each object left lying about as having a sound. If the sound is soft and pleasant leave it (a thriving plant for example). But if the sound is loud and distasteful (a wilted and dying one); get rid of it - put it away. Would you let noise disturb you constantly? Don't permit clutter do so either. Few of us are aware of just how much junk we have or how long we have had it. An organized space means a return to peace (and quiet).  Tip from  Karla Jones, your Professional Organizer

This is an interesting concept to try, except the clutter in my home is clutter on top of clutter and the noise is so loud, it's very difficult to hear if something is soft and pleasant.  On top of it all, not only am I noise intolerant, but my over dose of  clutter has taken over all my senses!  As a recovering hoarder, my "self inflicted" visual noise is another challenge to overcome.  I've bombarding myself from all directions and all my senses seem to have been dulled and/or buried!

I found Matt DiGeronimo's, "Why visual noise is destroying your life" insightful and helpful too.  His 5 Steps to combat clutter are easy to follow and 4 out of the 5 steps will help me turn the into habits to replace my hoarding ones!  I already tried step 3, several times and although they helped, it didn't stick!

  Pic from "Anxiety Adventures":  "White Noise I Feel Nothing"

In Anxiety Adventures: chronicles of the anxious, her post, "White Noise I Feel Nothing", she describes how my brain feels and thinks to a "T"!  She describes it as "white noise" or "pop rocks on the brain" and it covers over thoughts or they become unrecognizable!  I wonder how many years I've lived as though I was on automatic pilot with stress, anxiety, fear and pain pushing me around!  I also get the zap of electricity feeling in my brain like some of  her commenters mentioned.

Here is a scientific approach to visual noise by Dr. Thomas A. Busey, Ph.D 

 Joachim Schmid’s meticulously-assembled “Static” images conveyed a world of visual noise.

Going back to my first sentence about being deaf, my hoard seems to have made me deaf, dumb and blind!  Feeling around in the dark is a very slow process because who knows what I might touch, bump into or knock over!  Maybe it was more like feeling around in static!

These pics make me feel uncomfortable, anxious and hyper!  Have I been feeling like this all these years?  How do they make you feel?

 

I read this etsy blog post 119 days ago:  Can Having Too Much Stuff Stress You Out?

An excerpt:
It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke: in 2005, two archaeologists, a linguistic anthropologist and a photographer walk into an average American home. Yet this scenario played out when a unique group of UCLA-affiliated researchers were welcomed into the homes of 32 middle-class families. For one week, the research team analyzed and documented each family’s life, looking at how they lived their lives.

After years of research, their findings have been released in a book called Life at Home in the Twenty-first Century.  Their data points to a troubling trend: according to their findings, the average family is drowning in clutter. ”What we have is a time capsule of America,” says Jeanne E. Arnold, lead author and anthropologist for the research team. “No other study has been done like this.” Photographs in the book reveal garages filled to the ceiling with boxes, old toys, lawn equipment and housewares. In fact, the researchers found that 75% of the houses surveyed had garages so chock-full of stuff, there was no room for a car.

At amazon, you can see a couple pages of the book here!

Many times I find the comments as or more insightful and/or interesting than the story!


Raphaela Cornut from Tzunuum says:

• Clutter is visual noise. And definitely stressful! I learned after many years of collecting too many things, that being selective is the key to collecting with a clear mind. I started thinking that the objects I accumulated in boxes were probably gonna be a lot more useful in other people's home, and got rid of about a quarter of my possessions. Many trips to the charity shop later, I could actually display and enjoy the possessions I had. Less dusting, more storage space and a massive weight I didn't even realize was there in the back of my mind, lifted off all of a sudden! It's also a good occasion to file, repair, smile at old memories and find solutions to never let that happen again. A clear space is a clear mind, without a doubt!

  126 days ago

 ***And Raphaela's first sentence stuck in my mind all this time, until I freed it on this posting!

Ingus Jākobsons from Furniply says:

An interesting story. I have noticed here in Latvia(EU) same problem, but with slight difference. Here people have and had less room(most of citizens live in small apartments) where collect stuff like toys from childhood is difficult, but scars left from soviet era still reflect in modern life. Back in the days in Soviet era shops were empty(called 'deficit'), and people bought things because they were available, not because needed! Even 20 years after collapse of Soviet Union, closets are filled with stuff(blankets,towels, dishes) that will never be needed.  I found that trying to change thees habits of older people is very hard and sometimes unnecessary. Just my 2 cents. 

***I found this story very interesting in the sense that my grandparents and parents found themselves in a kind of similar experience, by Executive Order 9066 and tend to lean heavily as borderline hoarders!

• 
  Gossamer Tearoom from TheGossamerTearoom says:

  It absolutely is stress-making and crazy-making and guilt-making....on and on and on. We moved into my elderly parents' house to try and help them. They were both very ill and ended up going to homes. Most people are thinking of "Hoarders" when they think of too many possessions, but my parents packed everything very neatly, very efficiently in big blanket boxes in the basement. There were 250 of them when we moved in. After my parents were gone, we went through them all, donated a lot, sold a lot, had garage sales for 18 weekends last summer (and are still having some this year) and the rest...well, that's what I sell in my vintage shop here on Etsy and use as craft supplies here in this shop! But it was so emotionally draining to go through it all. My mother had Parkinson's Disease AND Alzheimer's both and had terrible bouts of rage and depression. But, one calm day, in a moment of a mix of forgetfulness and clarity, she said to me, "Whose stuff is all this and why would someone keep all this and not use it?!?" Wow. I don't know, Mommy. Why would someone do it? She didn't remember it was all hers.

***I need to begin exploring my feelings of guilt.  I think they are hidden in the static!  and this question is such a hard truth to me, it's funny--"who's stuff is all this and why would someone keep all this and not use it?"  I feel like that every once in awhile and mr. oz probably thinks that a lot!

• 
  Erika from ErikaPrice says:

  Ha ha! I'm a natural hoarder, so no wonder I'm stressed :)

 ***Funny!

• 
  Melissa Cyrenne from BigRockPaperCo says:

  Clean the clutter from your home and you'll clean the clutter from your mind.....

  126 days ago

 ***2nd time I've heard this comment!

• 
  Anne Fraser from LaughLand says:

  I had an aunt who hoarded absolutely everything; she would generally be regarded as mentally ill. My mother also tends to hoard - for example, food and grocery items 'on special' that cannot possibly be eaten, more fabric than can possibly be sewn in the next twenty years. This isn't collecting. I think it is a symptom of anxiety and a search for security of some sort. Perhaps similar to what Ingus says about Soviet-era Latvia. I think that consumerism makes it easy to accumulate too much stuff, but it isn't the reason why we have too much stuff. Deeper societal anxieties and displacement are more likely to be the root cause. Maybe it's not too much stuff that causes stress but stress that causes too much stuff.

***I definitely need to explore this more!  Emotional security of my past and security of having enough in the future!  I think Anne might be right about "stress" causing too much stuff!  Another viscous cycle to keep in mind!

• 
  Judy from EmsSparklinGems says:

  It took me two years to eliminate about 18 years of clutter in our house. We were nowhere near what you see on Hoarders but it bothered me just the same. Ours was hidden clutter - in closets, under beds, in the basement. My 2010 New Year's resolution was to declutter the house. I had very little help from the other residents in my house but I still managed to clear out a lot on my own. We had three or four yard sales. I donated a lot and I threw a lot out. It seems like everytime I turn around there's a new collection of something building in the basement (usually empty boxes) but I tackle the issue every couple of months to keep it under control. I still purge as often as possible. I no save stuff to deal with later. When I want to get rid of something I either A) put it in a donate box B) throw it out. I got tired of yard sales - they're a lot of work and if you don't have a ton to sell it's not worth the little bit of money you take in. I rarely buy anything in bulk unless it's something I'll use within a few months time. Just because it's cheap or on sale doesn't mean I have to take it home! Just watch one episode of Hoarders and it'll make you want to clean your house. LOL
  
  ***I am hoping to dehoard in one year, but it looks more like two!  That's fine, I don't want to rush it and go back to my old hoarding ways!  I am so ms. costco bulk buyer!  I'm getting better in this area and only buy toilet paper in bulk and some foods, like grass fed beef, frozen cherries and canned beans.

• 
  Sarah says:

  I had a fire in my apartment a couple years ago and lost basically everything. It really gave me perspective on what is important. So many of the items I had moved with me from place to place to place seemed so pointless after I lost them. Since then I've been very conscious of what I have, and only hold onto the things I find worth the space they take up.  
  
  ***More words to take into action and make into a new habit!
  
  
  

  Donna Kohler from TreadleLady says:

  It's true, there is an underlying reason we save, I've been working on the underlying reason of my saving, it is from my childhood of all hand me downs and having very little. It's interesting that my sister, just two years younger, doesn't have the problem. Her home is beautifully decorated semi-shabby chic, organized and peaceful because everything is in its place and soft pleasing color. My home is interesting, lots of art and color, antique sewing machine collection and teapots but the bedroom, office and studio are off limits with stacked boxes and things. Yesterday I cleared the laundry room and re-organized, it was pleasant to walk in and open full length cupboards to store linens and do laundry this morning. Sadly, the boxes are in the hall, waiting to be sorted. :) Thank you for a great article to think about.
  
  ***I feel her struggle of once you get an area done, another one is waiting.  Her words are a good reminder for me to focus mainly on the pleasant peaceful feelings of dehoarded organization!
  
  

  • 
    Elettra from elettrarossa says:

    I cleaned up my life (and house), and I actually miss my clutter!

 ***Yikes!  This has happened to me more than once!  Hopefully not this time around!

Sarah Wilson says:

I have the reverse problem. I am a compulsive de-clutterer. Sounds like it shouldn't be a problem, but it drives my family nuts. I am so scared to become bogged down with things that I obsessively need to get rid of stuff. Just so people know... grass isn't always greener....

***Interesting point to keep in mind!  Adventures in balance!

• 
  Kari from ThoughtofYouFabricAc says:

  I have the opposite problem. I am too quick to get rid of things and find I want them back or need them soon after. This has caused lots of stress for me. So, I started putting my give-away pile in a closet for a month. Usually within that month I will pull things out that I've decided to keep. If after a month, it is still on the closet...I feel fairly comfortable that I won't miss it
  
  ***This happens to me all the time, even with things I think are trash!  I have to remind myself I can't keep everything I think I can recycle, some things can fall through the cracks!  Also, I have many items I can't even list yet or are sitting in drafts waiting for me to come to better terms with them!  It helps to return to my HoarderRehab etsy goals and my decisions on what to keep!

• 
  Michael Quirk from QuirkMuseum says:

  I can't really comment on this right now cus I'm half buried under a mountain of stuff.

Kennedy Miranda from HoarderRehab says:

That's funny, Mr. Quirk! I'm with you! Is getting out from under the mountain any easier than getting to the top? And I can't keep repeating this collect and purge life. I'm working hard this time to make this my last purge! Thank you etsy for making it less painful and more thoughtful.

 Life is getting better and better and there is so much to look forward to now!  What about you?

Thank you etsy for this escape from hoarding and for the blog articles!  Thanks to everyone who commented on "Can Having To Much Clutter Cause Stress?"  I hope to return and read all the comments for more exploration, connections, clues, tips and common experiences!  I noticed that I know some of the commenters who posted where as before I wasn't familiar with anyone on etsy!

Thank "YOU" for joining me in my HoarderRehab journey!

The Destiny of Things: My Hoard of Vintage Linens, Story IV

The Destiny of Things:  My Hoard of Vintage Linens, Story IV

I have two or three medium to large flat rate boxes of vintage linens, consisting of napkins, table cloths, curtains, pillow covers, hankies, aprons, scarves, baby bibs, tea towels, feed sack towels, and sofa/chair coverings, etc.  Plus some ziplocked linens from my college days of thrifting.  These linens are in all types of styles, embroidery, tatting, cross stitch, crochet, hardanger, crewel, etc. Can you picture my hoard of linens?  I bought them in bulk for art and sewing projects that I haven't made in years, except for a handful of hankie sachets.  I don't know why but they are very difficult for me to part with and of all the things that have sold, my most regretable so far.  Very strange and odd, if I do say so myself!

I actually regret selling this blue bird linen, even though I hadn't used it or made something out of it for several years. I still can't figure out why it's so difficult!

Here is another linen I regret selling, but not as badly as the blue bird linen.  I seldom use an apron, but maybe this was a bib.  Either way, I have little use for both and it seemed too nice to cut up and reuse, but maybe I could have upcycled them!

Here are some linen handkerchiefs that I don't regret selling and were easier to let go because I knew I would never used them, I don't know any Anne's who spell their name with an "e" and they were too delicate to make sachets.  

Even with this nice note from Anne, these were a more difficult than I thought to let go...

 Note from Buyer Thanks! I have a lot of "A" handkerchiefs, but it'll be cool to have some "Anne" ones! 

Saying Good-bye: These linens gave me a twinge of nervous anxious conflict.  "Absurd", I say, "absurd", however I don't know why.  Oh well, another hoarder mystery to me.

Needless to say, I'm not keen on  listing any more linens.  I will need to dig deep as to why I cling to so many of them.  I can not possibly upcycle all of them and I should be able to let them go to a good home.  I do have a set of Scandi tea towels for sale on VintageToGoetsy.  I will need to deal with this hoarding linen issue when the time comes and they sell.

Anyone have the same issues?  or is it just me with this non sensible problem?  Hopefully I can make sense of it in the future!

Thank you for taking part in my HoarderRehab!

Today's HoarderRehab Epiphany #3: Is Hoarding the New American Epidemic?

Hoarding as the New American Epidemic:  Today's HoarderRehab Epiphany #3
Originally written October 29, 2012, revised, Dec.13, 2012

I think Hoarding might be the biggest national secret since obesity and the next American epidemic to be discovered!  At least in my neighborhood!

Maybe it's because I'm no longer deep in hoarder denial and my rose colored glasses have been put away, but now, I see my fellow hoarders all over the place. 

(Rose colored glasses from OceanSwept on etsy)

I never really wondered about it, until I finally admitted to myself that I was a full blown touched in the head hoarder!  Not a maybe hoarder, sometimes hoarder, vintage antique dealer, an overzealous collector, keeper of family history,   but a my name is Kennedy and I am a hoarder hoarder!

Has this new admittance given me hoarder vision?

Once my neighbor said, when I organize my house, I'll invite you over for some guava pie.  Another guava season has passed and in that time, I've noticed no one goes into their house.  Other neighbors and visitors just come and talk at the bottom of the steps or the door.  Do you think?

When I take walks, I love looking into other people's houses!  After dinner walks are especially nice, since the extra incentive is I can see even better into houses!  I used to get so many home decor ideas from these walks, but around here I don't get to see much but yards and overstuffed garages.   Maybe that's why I don't take walks anymore.

Is this why almost everyone in my neighborhood keeps their window's covered?

 (Picture from sandscribbler55, PTSD Trauma Stories:  Reality TV and the PTSD Link)

I think maybe the landlord is a potential hoarder too!  We pay a lot of rent for living in this part of  Los Angeles, which is one of the nicest barrios around, at least when compared to where I taught a couple freeways west and as a property manager in East Los.

Anyways, for the price we pay for rent, we should be able to use the garage, but it's off limits.  About every two or three months I notice him bringing things in, but not taking much out.  If I remember correctly, mostly chairs, dining room, school chairs attached to desks, office chairs  He never opens the door for vehicles, only the side door, so I can't see how full it is or what's else is in there.

...And his VW bug is parked in the backyard .  I don't know why but when we first moved here the neighbors told us it has been here for over 18 years.  So I suspect the garage maybe stuffed!

Last year, he did take out two car loads of Christmas stuff, but he brought it all back.  I didn't think he was a hoarder, until a week ago, when he brought more stuff, including the back window of  a bus! I don't know how he got it here, it's way too big for his car!  Is it just me?  or has this been an ongoing American epidemic, since the 50's when garages got bigger?  See post of the untypical American garage at the Peterson Car Museum.

 My hoarded up room looks like a mix between this room and the next room!

 (Picture from Life Begins at 41 or maybe 43:  Hoarder rehab continued- stage 1 complete)

I think the people across the street may be hoarders too, they've been moving out for over two weeks now. Someone just drove by to ask if they were moving and he offered them a couch, but they came out with a stereo system with some "bigger than my upper torso" speakers!

Updated 12/13/2012:  It took them over a month and two weeks to move all their things, not like I was paying attention, but one whole weekend they used a U-Haul and several families with trucks.  And it took two or more weeks to empty the garage!

I thought I held the record for moving!  We had movers come and bring a lot of my hoard, the large appliances and furniture, which includes my tansu collection. Then for a month, I packed stuff all week and moved it each weekend.

Update 17January2013:  The neighbors are still moving out.  I saw two trucks over there and the garage looks like it's going to take at least another week!

I'm half clutter chaos and half organized hoarder.  I start organized and as time goes on, it turns into random piles or sections of chaos, usually as I look for needed or remembered items.  Then I organize again and then it's disarray later. One part of my hoarding habit cycle.

 (Picture from Idea Peepshow, the Fast Horse Blog:  Confessions of a Hoarder)

So now I feel as though I've gained hoarder super powers by being able to spot a fellow hoarder a mile away.  and how is this supposed to help my hoarding habits?

Is Hoarding the new American epidemic? or is it just me?  How many have you seen lately?  Love to hear your stories about it!

I hope you read this and at least got one chuckle out of it!  I chuckled all the way through writing it!  What a blast!

Smiley Face Enamelware: The Destiny of Things, Story X

Smiley Face Enamelware:  The Destiny of Things, Story X
started:  27oct2012, revised on 15Dec2012

I bought these several years ago for dinnerware at home and for camping with mr. oz because he likes to keep his food separated.  Unfortunately they are very large and didn't fit in the cupboard, so they went in a pantry and we never used them!  Out of sight, out of mind!

So they went on VintageToGoetsy and sold.  The story behind this purchase was that they are going to used for the second, Weelicious Cookbook, coming out September 2013.  These plates will be used for outdoor eating recipes and pictures for it.

Letting go this time was as easy as "turn that frown upside down!"

Saying good-bye:  Letting go was not difficult one bit and it was a painless good bye.  As a matter of fact, it was easy!  This was like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and knowing it was a glimpse of day light and not a head on collision!  My hoard wasn't going to be as bad as I thought each time something sold!

See the original post and more pics here!   Thank you Weelicious, thank you etsy and thank you for joining me at HoarderRehab's:  The Destiny of Things!

Have a nice day!

The Destiny of Things: Wedding Jars Story III

The Destiny of Things:  Wedding  Apothecary Jars Story III

The apothecary jars were purchased in my last buying spree a few years ago.  I bought them to display my shell collection in the bathroom,  so I could escape to the beach while taking a bath.  The collection of shells are from relatives when they worked at Disneyland in the 50s, my own shell collecting as a child and later collected as a tangible teacher resource that students could touch, smell and listen to the ocean to their heart's content.

I still haven't decided what to do with my huge shell collection, but the apothecary jars went on sale in the shop, VintageToGoetsy and sold.

Saying Good-bye:  The jars were easy to say good-bye too because there weren't any memories attached to them and they went to a good cause, but the shells are another story!

This is the email story from the bride:

I'm getting these for the candy bar at my wedding, and I think I'm just going to stick with the apothecary jars.  Thanks!

What a unique idea!  A candy bar at a wedding using my apothecary jars!  I felt honored and relieved that they went to a good home and will hold special memories for the newlyweds! 

Thank you for taking part in my HoarderRehab!

How I Tag an Item on etsy: As a Techless Hoarder Newbie on etsy, Story #3

How I Tag an Item on Etsy:  As a techless hoarder newbie on etsy, Confusion Story #3
I found this today in my hoard of backdrafts from 10/24/2012 and also one on my thoughts on googling, most of the blue words are what I added today, 8JAN2013

Written as techless as it can get!  May the best of my past be the worst of my future!

It might bring a chuckle to techful person out there, even if they can understand what I'm trying to say.  I think after the google article, I'll focus on Reviews, HR Diet and other more fun things to me!

I was going to delete it, but since I'm still recovering from the "straw that broke the camel's back---- Melt Down"  maybe someone besides me will glean something from it or spark an idea or even want to start a "techless hoarder newbie"  support group.  I would welcome anyone!  techful or techless, hoarder, no hoarder, newbie or experienced, student or mentor, successful or wants to be more successful.

I'm not sure if this is exactly correct or if there is a better way to TAG,but through trial and error, this is how I am tagging now.  If there is a better way or you have an idea to try or more info. to share, let me know!

Only 13 tags can be used on an etsy listing and I use them all!!!!  When I first started I used to TAG using as many words as the TAG box let me (up to 20 letters), so they sometimes resembled titles.  Then I went down to two or three words and now I use one word tags because they seem to bring me more traffic.  I think I get more traffic that way since with one words they can be interchanged with many more combinations than a two word tag, unless....

There are exceptions, like mid century modern and often people use the initials as, "mcm"  So right now I was both in tags and in titles.  Also right now, I've seen some use the term, Scandi for Scandanavian, so I might try "scandi" as a TAG.  Using Scandi wasn't very successful and someone used "anti" wedding and got to one of my shops, so I'm trying it with "anti" Valentine.  Some interesting keywords I've seen in my shops are:  a, dod, venus flytrap, .....I had a whole list to share, but I can not find it.  When I do, I'll update this area.  And I had some good words to!

Right now I'm using Halloween as an Occasion in both the occasion box and as a tag and in my listing titles.  Later I will change it to Thanksgiving Holiday and then Christmas Holiday and the same with Tags, like decor, home, wedding, Valentine

For example:
wooden toy box is much better off as three separate tags because the combinations available that way are a lot higher than someone typing in the exact order of "wooden toy box".  By the way, if you do use "wooden" I have found using the word, "wood" is also helpful to searchers.

mid century modern isn't a tag I would separate often because I don't think anyone would use it in any other different combinations.  Although, I do separate mid century and modern, if the item and could be used with another describing word, such as American or Danish.

I leave out colors usually, unless it's popular to the latest craze, like robin egg blue used to be.  Now it seems to be "orange" and "black", "teal", peacock, burnt orange, etc.

Also, depending on what I am listing I might have to use the plural and singular of the word.  For example, on HoarderREhab, I am selling my miniature collection, so I use "miniature" and "miniatures," as tags.  Also with compound words that some spell either way, like, "shadow box" or "shadowbox"

 Look at similiar items of yours on etsy and see what tags they use, especially if they are on the Home Page.

Tagging confuses me and boggles my mind to no end!  But even when I had terrible tags and just put in words that came to my head I still had sales.  I've seen others with one tag for a listing.  So "doing your own thing" seems to work for anyone!

Remember I'm a techless hoarder newbie bumping around in the dark trying to figure things out through a death, allergies, insomnia and recovering hoarder stress and I'm not the only one!

I am thankful I have the time to experiment and roam around other's shops to see how they are doing and what tags and titles are working for them.  I'm thankful I like studying and enjoy see the quirky words and other keywords that bring people to my shops!  I might not be good at it, but I'm having more fun than I ever thought possible on my HoarderRehab adventure!

I am sorry, I am not doing well today and this blog fonts, colors, etc are not working with me today, so it is another mess I will have to redraft later.  

It is doing all kind of crazy things and I do not have much more patience left to cooperate  with it.  Please forgive me and it.  Now it's erasing things I highlight, which I don't.  Sorry, this will be my ugliest post to date!  Have a good chuckle about that with me!  Oh well, it's done now.  Tomorrow is a new day!

Thank you US, also ontimemarking.biz, Germany, UK, NZ, France, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago for being here with me today with second to the last techless hoarder newbie articles.

Parting Thoughts:  A moment of silence for Huell Howser, who's shows "California Gold"of PBS were one of my favorites. He could bring the ordinary lives and places of California into the amazing zone with true magic wonder!  

I remember the time I had to go to a three or four hour teacher educational lecture on a Saturday afternoon and was not pleased, but it was Huell Howser and I was so surprised when his enthusiasm and stories never ran out and the time went by so quickly and I felt energized, inspired and joyful! 

Thank you Huell Howser for putting so much of yourself into "California Gold" creating wonderment for anyone who thought they had seem everything by turning the ordinary into special delights!

I will return to some of my favorite episodes of California Gold and take a ride down memory lane from the 90s!  I can't find my favorite, but here is one I could find.

As a Techless Hoarder Newbie on etsy: Introduction

As a Techless Hoarder Newbie on etsy:  Introduction

 Welcome to HoarderRehab's: The Destiny of Things

OH my!!!  I have so much to say in this area already!!!!  I do have several articles in draft!  If this is a topic terribly important to you, let me know and I'll finish that draft "pronto"!  Or if you'd like to discuss a different one- please do let me know!

Drafts I've STARTED:  Let me know how you tag, title, etc. or if you are interested let me know and I'll finish one of these articles asap.

How I Tag using info from etsy blog article
How I Title using info from etsy blog articles
Check list for Listing from trial and error, other people's titles and etsy blog articles

Some things I'm trying to understand:
Favorites and Circles

Any questions, comments, venting, confusion, joys related to this topic are welcome!  I'm looking for an etsy mentor, guidance helper, supporter or anything for that matter.  Maybe it could be you?  Maybe etsy has a mentor program I don't know about?

Thanks for looking over here and I hope you'll add to this topic with me!

One Step Backward, Two Steps Forward

HoarderRehab Epiphany #2:  One Step Backward, Two Steps Forward

For me, its usually the other way around.  Two or three steps backwards, if not miles and one step forward, but not this time!

I came across these beauties while I was looking at a potential client's favorites.(which I often do to get ideas as what to look for in my hoard to list the following week!)  I love these copper type lockets with pin closures!  They go way back to my childhood when I had a glass display case with shelves just like how these lockets were made.  And I love magnifying glasses, they remind me of my grandfather and great uncle.  As a child I often watched them use them with stones and watch repair.  And who can pass up skeleton keys?  And pendant rings for beads, stones or shells?

Glass Lockets, Magnifying Glass, Skeleton Keys Jewelry Lot:  Another bargain, all this!  10 items,  a little over a buck each, including shipping costs!

My fingers were itching to get a hold of these!  But since I'm banned from buying til I have a more manageable life over my belongings, I just thought I'd have to wait until I had a reason to buy them!  What could I make with the beautiful lockets?  The price was right up my alley!  Was this another, "A Sale A Bargain, A Deal:  A hoarder's dream until it becomes a nightmare!"  Did I learn from last week's epiphany with the stationery card sets or not?

Was I  recovering and learning or backsliding?  To prove to myself that I had learned a lesson- I needed a really good reason to buy these, if only I could find a creative way to use these lockets!  Also, they looked "too good to be true" for their price and the listing didn't mention their condition, so I thought I should ask!  Maybe there's something gravely wrong with them and I could move on.

 

 

Kennedy Miranda

October 17 2012 11:22pm EDT

Listing: www.etsy.com/listing/112123673/glass-lockets-magnifying-glass-keys

Hi there!

What kind of condition are these in? Are they brand new? I love the lockets!

Thank you,
~Kennedy

Dr Shirley and Holly

October 18, 2012

Hi,

All pockets and magnifiers are brand new and never used. These are ones left over from a recent project so thought maybe someone could utilize for their project
Thanks for the email.
Shirley

Dr Shirley and Holly

October 18, 2012

Hi Again,

Not sure if the previous email went through but all glass lockets, magnifiers and keys are brand new unused. Left over from a recent project.
Shirley

I was stalled again!  They were in perfect condition as seen on zoom in the pics!

Could I find a way to use these right away so I could buy them?


I decided to give myself the weekend to find a way!  The weekend passed and still nothing in mind for them.  Enough time passed and surprisingly I didn't think of any way to use them.  As an etsy shop owner, I like it when people email me back when they ask about a potential purchase to let me know whether they will buy it or not, so I thought I should do the same.

 

Kennedy

October 22, 2012 and 36 minutes ago

Hi Shirley!

Thanks for writing me back and making sure I got your messages. I love those glass lockets and I like the price too, but as a recovering Hoarder.... I have to pass. Thank you for your time and for getting me to think twice before I make a purchase related to my hoarding ways.

Best regards,
~Kennedy

Dr Shirley and Holly Phares

October 22 2012 6:46pm EDT

Your in luck because they sold today

Kennedy Miranda

October 22 2012 7:09pm EDT

Thanks for the chuckle and relief- mixed with buyers remorse!

So what did I learn today?  I felt a sad pit in my stomach for a bit as I let go of a  lost dream with such potential, but relief that it didn't become part of my hoarder nightmare!  Sales, bargains, deals are a trigger to my Hoarder ways and some items for sale have strong memories attached to them.  I still have that display box that reminds me of the lockets, somewhere in my hoard.  I have a magnifying glass from my grandfather somewhere too and I use my great uncle's cigar boxes, all 8 of them, as part of my headboard for storage.  I am still a little conflicted about letting such a good bargain go, but relieved too because it was a less painful lesson and didn't cost me anything this time.

I also completely forgot one of the biggest reasons not to buy them, which could have stopped me right in my tracks in the first place making this buying dilemma no brainer easy!  I am allergic to most metals and creating something with these would most likely give me an asthma type reaction!  What a doozey deal stopper! I must keep "metal allergies" in the forefront of my hoarder brain!

Hoarding not only leaves me with a more than cluttered home, but with thoughts that match!  I am much closer to my goal of a simple minimal house with a more organized connected brain and closer to not repeating my hoarder patterns once I've reached my goal of minimalist organic style with sustainable housing!  and Thank you Shirley of Two Sly Foxes for making my HoarderRehab adventure more fun and funny too!

If you dare, you can see more deals from Shirley and Holly at Two Sly Foxes!