I just love hand embroidery! And a wish come true!
Someone patiently embroidered hundreds, if not thousands of French knots to complete this romantic pillow cover. Photo via VintageToGoEasy
I've always thought this would make a great Valentine's Day pillow and so did someone else! Here is the note I received:
It's washed, ironed and filled - utilized an an accent pillow for Valentine's Day.
If you love embroidery, here is a closer look at all the French knots!
Photo via VintageToGoEasy
As are recovering hoarder, I used to buy stuff I loved and I used to love a ton of stuff, especially if a lot of work went into it and it was beautiful! Just like this pillow cover. Now I'm learning not to buy anything, which is becoming more and more easier. I'm trying to remember the last thing I bought.
The last two things I bought was around October and January. In October, I bought the cutest indigo linen dress from China, but it never came and three months later finally received a refund. Last January, I bought this really cool hanky on Etsy that had 100s of mini round doilies on it and I promised myself that when I got it I'd make something with it and if I did not and it just went into my linen pile then I'd stop buying anymore.
As fate had it, the Etsy buyer could not find it in her inventory and issued a refund, so there I have it, serendipity into no more buying!
I mainly use my pillow covers to hold seasonal clothes, like wool sweaters with organic lavender or cedar chip sachets inside. I would have loved to make a housewarming gift by filling this up with candles, incense, and other personalized vintage knick knacks, but everyone I know has been living in their homes for decades. It would have been nice as a get well package too, especially for someone bedridden who needed extra support or a birthday gift stuffed with cool vintage t shirts.
Photo via VintageToGoEasy
Saying Goodbye: I have taken some progressive leaps and it seems I am becoming less and less attached to my things. I have been changing my thinking about my possessions through reading and finding better alternatives on how to spend my money, especially extra funds.
Now if I can just get past all the work that it took to make this pillow and some of my other items, so I can let them go at prices where other people can enjoy them more easily, instead of focusing on how many hours this probably took someone to make and it's value determined by workmanship. That is my next conflict to overcome and am previously working, so if you see anything at the shops you'd like, please make an offer and let's see how much I can let go now.
Photo via VintageToGoEasy
What I Learned:
1. I'm learning more and more about my hoarding ways with reading books lately. Currently I'm reading, Sorrow Mountain, the Journey of a Tibetan Warrior Nun by Ani Pachen and Adelaide Donnelley. I can't find the full quote from Alice Walker on the back of the book cover and I've spent plenty of time looking, so here is what I can read, a few words I can't because the library SKU sticker is covering up some of it.
"Forced to spend twenty one years in Chinese prison.....unimaginable torture. Ani Pachen chose to become a warrior rather than a victim. Her story is one of many layers of invasion and revelation, restrained and eloquent. --- Alice Walker.
2. Here is the quote from the book, on page 14 that has helped me with not to hoard this week. "The more possessions there were, the more work was needed to care for them, It was an unending cycle."
In the book, Ani, as a young girl is promised to marry a chieftain, but she has observed her mother's life as a chieftain's wife and all the unending work from all the riches they have, even with servants to help them. Ani wants a simpler life for herself and I'm at the point in the book where she is running away to become a nun at a Tibetan monastery to do that.
What she says is so true and I have a lot of dusting to do to keep my items displayed and even more are shuttered inside boxes after boxes, not even being used or displayed for their beauty. It's not how I want to spend my time anymore.
3. I have many quotes from books that have helped me with my hoarding ways, but I'm running out of time an will save them for later.
4. Other news, I haven't been around because in early January we had an unexpected death in the family. One of my younger cousins suddenly died in his sleep and that was it, which was a reminder of how short and precious life can be on this Earth and the importance to celebrate life as often as possible.
I have some of his childhood art in my hoard that he drew for me when his was around 8 years old and I've stopped everything to look for it in my hoard. It's been like opening Pandora's box and it's taken over my living room trying to find it as I go through boxes and boxes of my hoard!
The good part is I've realized how much more hoard I have to let go and it's keeping me from buying anything, so I don't add to more to the piles of boxes. I've consolidated, organized and emptied at least 10 file boxes with another 10- 15 more boxes to go. The bad part is, I have some weird stomach flu bug that gives me an off and on stomach ache and it gets so bad, I have to lay down for hours on end to relieve the pain. I can't even read during those times, so I am thankful that I can try to rest or meditate.
What did you do today to celebrate life? I picked a bag full of tangerines from the backyard tree and have peeled them to juice later to enjoy during our Valentine's dinner. The smell from peeling them is so wonderful!
Here is another embroidery type item I love because so much time and thought went into making this optical geometric wall hanging or maybe they just ran out of colors to use, either way, it's beautiful! And it's another piece that I'm learning to let go so someone else can enjoy, instead of focusing on the value of workmanship, available here. Photo via VintageToGoEasy
Thank you Etsy buyer from VintageToGoEasy for taking the time to send a short but sweet note and making my wish come true about the Valentine's pillow cover!
Everyday is such an adventure dehoarding on Etsy! I never know who I'll meet and I have met so many Etsy buyers who share their stories with me and every time I glean some insight about where my dehoarding journey is taking me.
I've been spending more time in my Pandora's box, I mean junk room and I can see progress, but now my living room is a waist high disaster area with file boxes and little paths here and there leading to the front door, kitchen and dining room! Don't bump into any boxes for a midnight snack!
Thank you Etsy for the best Hoarder Rehab ever! And for all the kind people I'm meeting who are helping me indirectly and directly in so many ways with my Hoarder Rehab!
Here is a close up of all the stitches in this piece, I think it took longer than the romantic Valentin'es pillow cover. Is this part of my hoarder's mind? Brooding over how much workmanship and time went into all the things I love? I hope I can change or accept that way of thinking soon! Available here. Photo via VintageToGoEasy
I am still new listing weekly on most of the shops, although I'm doing so more slowly due to life happening. I still hope to reach my goal of 180 items listed on each shop. I am happy and thankful to say every time I reach my goal at 1-2 shops, something finds a new life and home!
Sales have gone up a lot, due to Valentine's day. Since the beginning, I've always experimented with ideas that come to mind with my shops and I've started a new experiment that I call, "Kindful Profits." I've tried 4-5 different times already with one success story, hope to explain more in an upcoming post.
Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed daily and/or weekly: HoarderRehab with 173 items, The Destiny of Things- 172 items, VintageToGoEasy - 168 items and JunkDrawerAndMore - 178 items.
As you can see I've fallen behind with my 180 items in each shop goals, but that's okay because many Valentine's cards that didn't sell expired and I won't relist them til next year. Writing that last sentence has motivated me to either wake up earlier to list more or to spend less time reading to list more! Maybe you'll find something and give it new life and a new home! Thanks for looking!
My latest embroidery adventure, which was supposed to be a strawberry, but turned into a blooming heart, available here. Photo via Hoarder Rehab
Related Stories:
Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours!
Thank you readers from all over the world who continue to support my Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things by taking part with your visits!
