Honeycomb Paper Lanterns: The Destiny of Things, Story XLVII

Honeycomb Paper Lanterns:  The Destiny of Things, Story XLVII

Gung Hei Fat Choy - Happy Chinese New Year!  Although a tiny bit late, it doesn't end until the 15th of this month, so there's a few days left for me to wish everyone health, double happiness and prosperity!

I have several stories about these red honeycomb paper lanterns varying from the Chinese lunar celebration to a wedding in Canada!

These sold much better than I thought, which as a repetition artist I was hoping they wouldn't sell, so I could keep them all!  Just imagine, if I decorated my hallway with all of them at all different varying lengths from the ceiling, like in 1764 Christmas Ornaments!

My hoarder and repetition artist mind are definitely in conflict, but something has to give and although it would have been a sight to see and might have brought all kinds of Chinese good luck, I think it best to focus on my main goals and remind myself of my already overloaded ever expanding list of collections!!

Many years ago, I used them as rewards and classroom decor for students to celebrate and learn about the Chinese New Year and continued using them on through Valentine's day.

I don't know how I ended up with so many of these, except that maybe I ordered some and forgot and reordered them?  Anyways, I ended up with about 48 of these.  Enough to give away to students and the rest to decorate a classroom, however these sets remained unopened and still enclosed in at least 4 sets of a dozen each!

I had long paper dragons to match with them, but have no idea where those are yet!

Chinese New Year's is a particularly fun way to introduce China and Chinese culture to children because who doesn't love a party!  It's fun to pass out red envelopes with classroom money with shiny foil chocolate coins!

If I could do it all over again, I'd introduce Chinese New Year foods as a way study puns, homophones, symbolism in the English language, as an English Language Development Lesson, as well as Cantonese and Mandarin.

Way off topic:  My students did learn how to say "hello" in over 25 different languages.  They answered "a greeting" in a new language each week for roll call and we kept a running list on the front page of our journals.  "Nei hou (Hello, sounds like knee how)" and "Nei hou ma? (How are you?  sounds like nay home ma)" I forget which one is Cantonese and Mandarin.  And "xie xiah" (thank you sounds like shay shay)  

I'm sorry, if I'm butchering the sounds, but that's what I learned from eating dim sum from Ocean Star restaurant in Alhambra, California.  Does anyone know of a place that serves gluten free organic dim sum?  I'll give you a ton of extra credit points!  hah!

Back to my imaginary lesson:  For instance, Buddhist Delight is eaten as a traditional vegetarian dish because it includes black hair like algae, pronounced fat choy in Cantonese, which sounds like prosperity in Chinese.

Fish is eaten because it's called "yu" in Chinese a homophone for "surplus"

There's the Chinese new year dumpling that is stuffed with good luck and resembles a gold ingot for some prosperity symbolism.

Uncut long noodles are eaten to symbolize longevity, long life and health!  and the list goes on!

Wouldn't it be fun and yummy for students to make up their own menu for wealth, health and happiness based on puns, symbolism and homophones?

What would you love to eat to symbolize your longevity, health and abundance?

Mine would be yukon gold potatoes with pasture raised golden butter for abundance, green drink with strawberry jewels for health and a never ending pot of stone soup for longevity!


I'm asking myself how I ended up with more food pics (I cut some out) than story pics and it's because all I've been doing is sleeping and eating.  It seems I'm catching up on sleep and just wake up to eat.  Sleep, eat, nap, repeat.  It's been that way for about a week now!  Last time it happened it lasted 2-3 months!   Today, I'm up to write this post before Chinese New Year's is over and then return to Rip Van Winkle dream land!

Back to the original story:

Presently, these lanterns to went to a Chinese New Year Party because the etsyian wanted a break between all the Christmas and New Year's celebrating and decided to skip a traditional New Year Eve party in favor of a later Chinese New Year party!

Another set went to a Wedding with a Chinese New Year theme in Canada!  They were used to to dress up and punctuate the guest registry area!  Best wishes and Congratulations to the bride and groom!

One made it just in time as a prop for a photo shoot some where in New York!  Here are some beautiful examples of her work here with her adorable adopted children!

One etsyian bought a large amount to pass out to friends and family.  And sometimes stylizes them by rolling the edges in German glass silver glitter to use as holiday retail store prop decor!

And some left without a story....

Saying Good-bye:

1.  These red paper lanterns let me reflect on teaching just long enough to miss it for a few fading seconds!  It also brought back memories of using money in the classroom as homework incentive and how every Friday we had an Academic Party and the last Friday of the month was an Auction party.

I'd auction items like extra red paper lanterns and it would be so fun and funny to see which 8 years olds caught on to the concept and process of the "auction" and who'd spend all their money in a jiffy!  And those who realized they didn't have enough money from not doing enough homework to buy anything at the auction but could buy something from the classroom store.

2.  I saved many of these for my own decor because I like them so much and they fold so nicely to be stored and used over and over again!  I've had them out and about since Christmas and will put them away after Valentines!  I think they'd be fun for birthday parties and outdoor summer color for a pop of needed color!  As long as I remember where I've stored them!

A few are still available here and here.  Maybe they'll sell as Easter or Chinese wedding decor?  I'll try anything once!

Thank you etsy and etsyians from all over for sharing your stories, some as destiny as infinity and taking part in my HoarderRehab! Thank you all for bringing me closer to my dream of a Minimalist Organic home with a music art room, instead of hoard storage!  As of today, at least 204 items have left my home for new and better lives!  Thank you Universe for sending my dream wishes near and far!

Thank you US, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, India, Malaysia, Netherlands, Paraguay, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Uruguay and Ukraine for your visits the past few days while I caught up on sleep and many for your daily visits!

May you have a Happy Chinese New Year of abundance in all areas of life and may destiny as infinity be yours!

Last of Retail Therapy as Easy Stress Release: HR Inspiration or Desperation, Story #13, Part 3

Last of the Retail Therapy as Easy Stress Release:  HR Inspiration or Desperation, Story #13, Part 3

As I have written in the title, it's now only EASY stress relief, not as "happy" now as the euphoria has seemed to have faded away from Retail Therapy, part 1 and part 2.  I wonder how that happens!

I've learned some valuable lessons from this current retail therapy from my Meltdown and HoarderRehab Menu of Disaster.  So taking many steps backwards will help me to move forward in a more positive less repetitive manner as I learn to dehoard and stop my hoarding cycles.

Aya from wafunoiro is very gracious, patient and kind and answered all my questions concerning these textiles, since I am now allergic to many fabrics, except, cotton, silk and some wools.  On top of those allergies, I can no longer use fabric that has been stored in mothballs or any kind of vintage insecticides, have a musty smell, any old smells or mold smells.  One whiff and I'll have a miserable allergic reaction!

Anyone with these same health issues can safely buy from Aya at wafunoiro and I love her prices!

I used to quilt and love to make yoyo's for relaxation, but it seems I've ended up hoarding more fabric than quilting!  I have several to many textile projects from the late 90s started and here I am adding to my hoard, instead of using it!  I'm not sure what to say about myself over this!

These will make some interesting yoyo patterns

This Japanese wool textile is so beautiful to me I couldn't pass it up!  Aya gave me a break for buying in the amount I did.  I need to work on my weakness for buying in bulk!

As a hoarder, the worst part is I have no idea what I will do with this beautiful fabric, but as a quilter I can use this, if I can one day get to my sewing machine!  I do remember that when I quilt or sew clothes I need a whole lot of space!  First things, first!

My favorite is the silk daruma that I bought for the Japanese New Year.  Usually one buys a paper mache daruma and you make a wish and color in one of his eyes and when your wish comes true you color in the other eye.  This year I have so many wishes, I bought some silk that has a lot of daruma!

As a matter of fact, I remember now, this is how it all began... I was looking for some darumas!  Well, that thoroughly and quickly spiraled out of control!

 Here is a photo of a traditional Daruma doll from wiki.  Yep, I used to collect these, but I gave them away!   I still have one somewhere and when I find it I can color in it's other eye now!

Although all of my stress and sadness from my Meltdown has dissipated and the stress has gone, the sadness lurks in my shadows, like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off at any moment, which will in turn cause more hoarding damage?  Does this mean I haven't bought enough yet?

I bought these eraser matches in the matchbook to go with my candy cigarette boxes for the curio box that will hold my broken childhood dreams.  Remember those awful tasting white cigarette candies or bubble gume that were a pasty white with a bright pink end.  My grandfather smoked cigarettes and when he bought a pack for himself would buy the candy ones for us.

Interesting enough, I couldn't just buy one thing!  I had to buy the clam charms too because the other nostalgic item I was looking for was the clam shell water flowers!  Remember those?  Real clam shells with paper around it and they would bloom in a glass of water?  Silly me, bought the clam charms because I can't find the water blooming clam shells!  Also, I'd like to learn how to make these zakka type clam charms made from real clam shells!

Thank you Miki, my new friend from Spain! If you love 80s kawaii, check out Sweet Vintage Goods.  I f you love zakka and/or handmade Japanese crafts, check out HandMade LifeStyle and also, vintage goods from around the world at her The Vintage Universe!

I don't even use my cell phone, so I have no idea why I bought the bear charm, except it's so cute!

What does this tell me?  Too much and more than I can chew... it means,  I haven't taken responsibility for my holiday family angst.  How do I take responsibility for it?  I don't really know yet.  I know forgiving it and them is part of it, which I've done, but there's more to it... I just don't know what it is yet.

Here is another example where I couldn't just buy what I needed!  I just needed the "Insult Cards".  I think they are so funny and classic and so much nicer and have more wit than the "yo mama" jokes kids tell these days.  I found them for $10, but for a few bucks more, it included this set of 17 dime store toys! 

They now reside in my treasure chest and I have a classic paper treasure chest in my hoard somewhere too!  I hope I don't have to fill it up with dime story toys too!

At least some of the hoarder menu disaster pointed me in some directions, like packaging for my etsy thank you gifts to etsy buyers.  I want to put the "Insult Cards" as part of my packaging because I think they are so funny, but maybe etsy buyers won't think they are as funny as I do!  oopsy!  Do you like them?

via (M.) I + T

I think I over bought for my etsy "thank you" packaging, but it was so fun!  I guess I'll face the reality and damage when it all gets here and I sort through it and put a package together.  I will definitely write and post about it because it's one of my favorite things to do!

I found the loteria mexicana game at the swap meet, but I couldn't just buy one! nor could I just buy one version of it!  I found the more modern ones first and the vintage ones second, but the one I was looking for comes in a box with chicken markers!

I definitely can see my issue with shopping and just buying what I need.  In the photo below, we went to Micheal's for some glow in the dark cord and that was it!  Oh my!  Three of those items I bought because they were on sale!  The other three--- the flower power appliques remind me of my childhood patches for my clothes and since I've been mending I bought them?  Hmm... sound suspicious to me.

The kraft paper cards with envelopes I bought to make sample cards and to use the last one as a pattern.  The pink light weight cord is a mystery or if I have to guess I thought I'd try it on the packaging, since every time I go to Micheal's, I also look for red waxed cord, but they only have black.

I just put my HoarderRehab Meltdown Retail Shopping Spree/Therapy on the table for hoard pic!  And I had to open up both table leaves!  Yikes!

This is everything I've bought from my Meltdown to cover the cost of my HoarderRehab Menu of Disaster!

Before I panic and start to get stressed and start the viscious hoard cycle all over again, let me stop and think about it.  What story do these tell?  What ephiphanies are in them?

Hoarder Desperation: 

1.  Wow!  Did I really buy all that?  It looks like too much!  And where will I put it all?  It also looks like I went over my menu of disaster budget, but I'll to recalculate after I catch my breath!

2.  And even weirder is my perception!  I thought it was all going to fit on the square table until I started to bring it all out for the pictures!  I was in shock when I opened the first leaf and by the second one I was in such disbelief I went to get mr. oz, as a witness!  It still shocks me to look at the new hoard!  What was I thinking?  Now I know, I wasn't thinking at all!

3.  I truely went back to my old ways of being pie in the high sky, instead of grounded.  I didn't ask myself my important questions from "destiny as infnity", like is this bringing me closer or further away from my goals?   Nor did I think of my heros!  Is this how Ghandi would have managed his stress?  Is this what Eleanor Roosevelt did when she became stressed out over family issues?  How did they manage their stress?

4.  Even worse, just when I thought this was all, mr. oz just informed me that four more medium sized packages arrived!  I can't even remember what more I bought!  Cut me off now!  That's just the silliest most hilarious DUMB thing I've heard all day!  I can't believe myself!  At least it makes me laugh!

Hoarder Inspiration: 
1.  It makes me laugh now, but I wasn't laughing last weekend.  I've had some time think about it.

2.  I have really disoriented hoard perception!  What seems like a manageable amount to me is really NOT!  It's more than I can chew or handle and it's a menace towards my goal of a Minimal Organic home with a music art room!  None of the stuff I bought is even organic!  I guess this may sound like desperation, but this realization is a real gem to me!

I can see how I got myself into this mess in the first place!  I think 50 items are going to fit in a certain box, but really only 10 will fit!  It's a relief to know now...sigh, better late than never!

3.  Ashley from the Tooth Locket story has really really really helped me!  I can see now, how "one" is enough and two is too many!  I could have bought the "Insult cards" for $10 and had the one thing I wanted for "thank you" packaging, instead of the 17 other things that came along with it, even if it was a bargain!

Also, I think I bought the dime store toys not only because it was a super deal but because of the graphics on the header cards.

4.  Bargains, discounts and sales may be a dream for some, but for this hoarder it's a nightmare!  Which reminds me, I've already posted something about it.  Let me go find it!  Dang, it was my first epiphany!  I think I need to read my own posts more regularly!  It's here, A Sale, A Bargain, A Deal:  A hoarder's dream until it becomes a nightmare!  HoarderRehab Epiphany #1.

I'm shaking my head to myself, I guess I should print it out and read it before I head out the door to buy something and keep it with me, as a steady reminder!  I'll need to read it before I buy anything, PERIOD!

It should be interesting to see what I do with all that stuff now!

5.  The picture of the table of my newly acquired hoard is like a more organized view of what my hoarded, "soon to be" music art room would look like under a microscope!

6.  I'm a little nervous now about how "out of control" I can get about holiday family angst with a straw that breaks the camel's back!  I do know now that I am going to take responsibility for it, instead of passing the buck, literally and figuratively buy spending and buying stuff as stress release!  I think it's going to be worth learning!

I'm not sure how to do that, but I'm going to start with this book I found on Chrisy's blog, Artdecadence called, "The Daring Female's Guide to Ecstatic Living" by Natasha Kogan.  Now I usually wouldn't read a book with a title like that one, but when I was reading how to become financially independent I read countless books and came to the conclusion that the ones with the worst titles were the most informative for me.

So not only should I NOT judge a book by it's cover, but not judge it by it's title either.

Wish me luck at the library and maybe they'll have other books too!

Thank you mr. oz for being so patient in more ways than one and for taking pics without saying a word!  I'm definitely not used to getting that kind of support.  Thank you for being my #1 supporter!

Thank you US, UK, Poland and France for your visits today, it certainly helped motivate me to stop procrastinating and get this posted!

I'm going to go have some quiet time now...

All That from Wooden Hammers: The Destiny of Things, Story XLVI

All That from Wooden Mallets:  The Destiny of Things, Story XLVI

 This is my new motto because sleep isn't helping me (yet) in the ways I thought it would!

Thank you Nick of  spacebarn for making this sign and sharing it at your shop!  Thank you etsy for putting it on your front page at it's timely appropriate moment for me!

As I wrote in yesterday's post, my insomnia seems to be gone and I'm sleeping, but I feel like I never fully wake from a daze of deep fog.  It's even immune to a cup of coffee and I find I am doing less and less of my daily HoarderRehab schedule as I get more sleep!

This was the first thing I saw on the etsy page this morning and it speaks to me in volumes!  I've been asking myself this all day long!  Especially when I start to stare off into space and want to do nothing and then rest! or take another nap!

Yesterday I was surprised when the wooden mallets sold and even more curious about the note it came with:

Note from Buyer Hi... Please send ASAP...we needum! Thanks!

Needum?  That gave me a chuckle! and needum asap?  I just had to ask why!

Invoice: www.etsy.com/your/orders/79076368

Thank you for your order! The wooden hammers will be shipped out tomorrow! I am so curious, what do you needum for so ASAP?

Thank you for indulging me!
Kind regards,
~Kennedy

Emailed response:

February 5 2013 3:46pm EDT

Hi!

The mallet for my 4 year old great-grandson's pounding bench has truly disappeared and currently he is very interested in pounding it so......I bought these in hopes that one, or both, is suitable for his pounding fun...either way he Will find a way to play with them..  (I might toooo)

Takin a $20 chance here on intuition...

Wish us luck especially as a pounding bench is SO much better for eye/hand coordination that all the clicking tech 'options' on Earth.....if you get my drift..

I'm going to check out your hoarder blog too....I like the idea..
*_*

Kennedy Miranda

February 5 2013 4:10pm EDT

Hi there!

Thank you for your response! I am so happy it's going to be a toy for your great-grandson! I'm sure both will be suitable and he has one for each hand for his pounding bench. I hope he becomes ambidextrous! Good to hear you'll be joining in on the fun too!

Yes, pounding is not only good for the eye hand coordination but for stress too! Have him cross over pound too. As an ex-teacher, cross over motor skills are excellent as a pre-reading skill because you need to use both sides of the brain to read and cross over exercises reinforce it!

May I use your story and icon pic of him for my HoarderRehab blog?

Thank you for your time! Kind regards,
~Kennedy

Saying Good bye:  When I was bed-ridden sick I had all kinds of uses for these mallets, but it took me three years to get better and now I have no idea why I bought them!

All I can say is I feel fortunate that someone out there is going to use them for a pounding bench!  That's gotta be the cutest sight!  A four year old pounding away on a pounding bench!

Like I've said before the weirdest hoarder history items bring back the oddest memories and I don't know what they are until they go to their new homes and I start writing about it.

This brings back several memories:

1.  My Grandfather had a huge cast iron vice in the backyard with a handle that moved and if we couldn't break open rocks we found with hammers and some of them were wooden we'd stick them in the vice to see what was inside them!

We would take turns cranking it until one of us got tired or the rock busted!  It's how we spent many happy hours of our many visits in his backyard.

We loved moving the handle from one position to the next to get better leverage.

It was like the one pictured but it was antique back then and well rusted, but still in good working condition.

We spent many happy hours learning about rocks and what was inside them!

My favorite were quartz rocks!


2.  I mention cross-over exercises in my email, which are very important for pre-readers to master.  One of the first assessments I used to do on the first day of school when I taught third grade or really any grade, if I was subbing was have the class stand up and play "Simon Says" and see who could and not could not perform cross over exercises.  Those that could not perform cross over exercises were either non-readers or below grade level readers.

I did take notes and make correlations, but did not keep them, however many of my students reading abilities seemed to improve as they mastered cross over exercises, however I have no proof, except my recollections.

One of the first cross over exercises we all learn is from crawling, so then I'd ask the class some silly questions, like who remembers crawling as a baby and who didn't, etc.  Who loves to read and who doesn't, show me with your fingers how many hours of tv you watch a day, etc.  Sometimes we even crawled around the room!  They loved this for some reason.

Everyday part of our warm up exercises were cross over ones and I would be so surprised at how many of my students think they are doing the cross over exercise, but they really aren't!

One of the hardest cross over exercises for a non reader was taking their right elbow and touching it to the left knee and then taking their left elbow and touching it to their right knee!  For some of my students I would need to put a red sticker on their right hand or elbow and a red one on the left knee to get them started.

Anyways, for some reason the wooden mallets brought back those memories and I can  picture many of my students doing them!  They were all so happy doing those exercises and would love to show how they mastered them!

Here is are some interesting links I found here and here.

I'm so tired right now, I've already forgotten the other memories, which is probably for the best, since this is much longer than I had anticipated.  So strange to me how a pair for wooden mallets could be so connected with my past!  At least they are easy and a relief to let go and so nice they are going to an active home!

What I Learned:

1.   This is a little related and somewhat off topic, but it has to do with my Hoarder Rehab New Year's Resolutions and Theme Songs.  I started exercising today! By accident, hard to believe but true!  I was rereading Theme Songs and started copying the Ally McBeal Barry White theme song and dance of the Biscuit!  So I danced to it for a couple of times for about 5-10 minutes!  Yeah!!!!

The original dance from the Ally McBeal show here.  Here are some versions I found, one here and here, but I look more like this one here!  It was so fun!  Now if I can remember to dance to it everyday that'll be a perfect way to start to my exercise program.

I still hum or sing my theme song, I Can See Clearly Now, when I dehoard and organize the music art room, but I've changed the words a little.

2.  Dehoarding and items finding their own destiny outside of myself  is getting easier again, so much so, I'm thinking about having a sale!  I don't know though, still kinda too scary when hoard leaves too quickly!  I'll see how the sleep goes and if I can get more accomplished soon.

Thank you etsy for getting my hoard out there and for another fascinating connection out of no where that gave me so much more in return as I let go! 

Thank you etsyians for sharing your stories and making my dehoarding so much easier knowing their destiny!  And to those who seem to leave their inspiring words at the right time and place for me, like Nick from Spacebarn!  "If Not Now, When..."

Thank you etsyian, Chrisy from Australia for featuring my red paper lanterns in your treasury that lead me to your shop,  Artdecadence  and then to your blog, Artdecadence blog, where I found inspiration and perhaps some solutions in your posts about the book you sharing, Natasha Kogan titled ‘The Daring Female’s Guide to Ecstatic Living, which I will get this Sunday from the library!  And many thanks for your visit and comment yesterday on "Dispersing My Box Collection!  and Happy Birthday! Love your birthday posting!

Thank you US, Germany, Australia, India, Canada, France, UK, Hong Kong and Russia for joining me in today's adventure of HoarderRehab:  The Destiny of Things!



.

Dispersing My Box Collection: The Destiny of Things, Story XLV

Dispersing My Box Collection:  The Destiny of Things, Story XLV

For some reason, I have a massive box collection.  I have difficulties throwing away any kind of box!  I even have jewelry boxes that fit inside my jewelry box, which is really a Japanese sewing tansu!  I even buy things because I like the box it's in!

This was a gift box.  I don't remember what came inside it, but I kept the box!  I thought it might make a good jewelry box for a man this Valentine's and put it on HoarderRehab with some other more handsome looking boxes.  Many of my trinket boxes have sold too this Valentine season, but the one above came with a story!

It simply said:

Note from Buyer Such a cool box...I am giving it to a friend as a "God Box". What ever you need/want to let go of you write it down and put it in the box! I think this will be a very special box! Thanks

That was it!

Saying Good-bye:  I've been getting sleep lately and seem to be catching up from all my insomnia for the past several months but it's so weird... the past three days I just function as if I'm in a daze and if I'm lucky I start to wake up around 3 pm, but right now it's 5:06 pm, yet my mind and body feel like I'm wading through a thick soup of fog!  Anyone else get like that?

No amount of coffee helps, but I've been limiting myself to two cups, usually at 3 am and another at 5 am.  I've been using my HoarderRehab schedule, but out of order.

I guess what I'm trying to say is nothing seems to phase me while in this dazed foggy state, so it's been easy letting go many items these past few days. I think around 9 items have been sent to their new homes!

See my list of collections that includes all the different kinds of boxes here!

What I Learned:

1.  I hope I get enough sleep soon to snap out of this daze, so I can function and think more clearly.  I know it's challenging for me to stay on topic and in this fog it's even worse now! I'd like to post more pictures of my box collection, but this will have to do for today.   Here are links to some of them:

Chinese diorama jewelry trinket box

Small silver trinket pill box with bay leaves

1925 Peruvian coin box

1934 Peruvian coin box

Medium sized cinnabar infinity Chinese box

2.  Yikes!  That's a lot already!  This weekend I'll have to count up all my boxes and takes pics of them as a hoard!  Much of my furniture would qualify as boxes too!  Double yikes!

3. I love the idea of  the "God Box" of writing what you need or want to let go in the box. Thank you for VH for making the box special again!  I even put some things of what I need and want to let go in the box myself!  I wish I could be a fly on the wall when the recipient gets the "God Box!"

Thank you etsy for giving me an outlet to disperse my collections and connecting me other etsyians that let me know the destiny of my things!  It's so much easier as a recovering hoarder!

Thank you VH for giving a new life to the "God Box" and making it truly special again, instead of sitting with my hoard of boxes in a jewelry box full of jewelry I've been waiting to become unallergic to for the past three years!

Thank you viewers from US, UK, Canada, Germany, Spain, France, India and Romania for taking part in my HoarderRehab:  The Destiny of Things!

Post Thoughts:  Here are some beautiful signed sauce bowls I like just because of the box it's in!  Anyone know where I can just get boxes like these?

Yep!  This box has me WrappedRoundMyFinger!  Thank you Bonnie for giving me some insight about my hoarding ways through your lovely etsy shop!

My Shoe Clips Meet Etsyian and her 1949 Hudson Commodore: The Destiny of Things, Story XLIV

My Shoe Clips Meet Etsyian and her 1949 Hudson Commodore:  The Destiny of Things, Story XLIV

Another "destiny as infinity" story!  LD took these off my hands to pair up with her heels and her 1949 Hudson Commodore!  That's gotta be some sight to see!   Thank you LD and VintageToGoetsy!

Don't ask me why, but I love shoe/dress clips and wish they'd come back into style! 

I started a shoe clip/dress clip collection thinking I was going to use them, but never did.  At least my collection only got to three sets.

These are art deco style and very versatile. They were used back in the day when people had less clothes and used clips like these to change their look or dress up an outfit. Traditionally they were clipped on to your shoes, dress or coat. Add them to your lapels, purse, collar, shoes or anywhere else for a modern Hollywood Regency look with a traditional twist! or spice up any outfit with these!

Side Kick Story: I bought these because I think they are an endangered item or actually may be extinct by now. I had hoped to preserve them with the intention of using them in a mixed media textile art piece, but never got further than that intention. I hope someone can use these beautiful pieces of lost art! 

 And someone did!!!!  Thank you LD for keeping their spirit alive and well in style!

Hello Kennedy,

I wanted to let you know that these shoe clips I bought from you www.etsy.com/transaction/113033223 will be well taken care of. I put them on my favorite pair of heels so they will get plenty of use. Thank you for parting ways with them because I really do like them. They will go great with my 1949 Hudson Commodore!

Thanks,
LD

photo courtesy of Hyman Ltd: The Professionals in the Old Car Hobby

I had no idea how beautiful 1949 Hudson Commodore's are and one maybe like this one is paired up out there with my rhinestone shoe clips!  What a dreamy "destiny as infinity"!

Saying Good-bye:  The rhinestone shoe clips were just a collection and nothing emotionally is attached to them, however I never know what a hoarded item means to me and what hoarder history is really behind it until it gets ordered and goes to it's new home!

I do have the high school memory of happily antique shopping with my brother down the little shops on Main Street in Seal Beach that end at the ocean.  We would end our shopping with a meal at Walt's Wharf.

What I Learned:

1.  According to etsy's Otaku blog article anything over three is a collection, so I guess I started to collect these!  I think I'm starting to get a better grasp on why one is enough and two is too much, instead of one is not enough and two is too much!

I have two more, one is bakelite and the other Victorian metal beadery, Request them, if you are interested and I will start to look for them. Speaking of requests, these are an request from a customer looking for rhinestones for a custom bridal bouquet! What a fascinating and unique idea!

Thank you Jim Gould for your order and story of the Calavera Skull beads and requesting anything with rhinestones for your wedding cake toppers, at Your Tops!  It was your request that had me hunting these down and in the process helped me to organize more of my hoard!  Thank you and all requests are welcome!

Here are the other two dress or shoe clip.  These chocolate bakelite's are available at VintageToGoetsy here:

These Victorian applique shoe or dress accessories are available at VintageToGoetsy here:

For some reason I haven't figured out yet, the metal beaded applique Victorian ones have some hold on me!

2.  Some things in my various collections are just collections, which in some ways is relief that maybe I can one day be a "normal" collector?

3.  It's so nice when "destiny as infinity" meets up and makes a coincidental discovery creating joy for all those involved!  I can just imagine LD and my/her/our shoe clips taking a Sunday drive in a 1949 Hudson Commodore!

Thank you LD for taking the time to email me your/our story!   And for supplying details like the 1949 Hudson Commodore!  What a perfect match!

Thank you etsy for another "destiny as infinity" connection and for helping me disperse 195 of my hoarder history items!

Thank you US, Philippines, Canada, UK, Panama and Singapore for joining me in today's joyous adventure of HoarderRehab's:  The Destiny of Things via VintageToGoetsy!

Stay tuned for pics of my hoard or "soon to be" music art room!  I finally am brave enough to post them some time this week!  Also coming is the last part of my meltdown shopping spree of retail therapy with epiphanies!

Parting Question:  Which "dream" car would pair up with your favorite outfit?  

Since my favorite outfit is a pair of vintage Abercrombie and Fitch thrift jeans I'd have to say a 1930's Helm's Bakery truck!  According to Los Angeles Magazine, the Helm's Bakery landmark is due to re-open this autumn with the trucks too!  Read about it here.  I hope they include organic gluten free bread!

I go visit this lovely favorite truck of mine every once in awhile at the Peterson Automotive Museum.  I took mr oz there for his first time last November and this time found a little piece of Hoarder Inspiration, Story #2!

I used to want a vintage bullet proof ice-cream truck that played, Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries", but this Helm's bakery truck is better because inside it has all kinds of neat and organized drawers!  One of my ex-teacher retirement dreams was to drive one of these around the inner city where I taught selling school supplies to children and healthy organic sugarless snacks, instead of ice cream.

Why?  Back in the 90s, I went to the grocery store store by the school to get an extra box of crayons I had promised a student as a reward and it was $3.75 for the same ones the school gave out to students twice a year!

Thank you LD and the rhinestone shoe clips for bringing back such memories and possibilities!

A Mighty Circular Destiny as Infinity Story: The Destiny of Things XLIII

A Mighty Circular Destiny as Infinity Story:  The Destiny of Things XLIII

I hope I can give this story it's proper light because there is so much going on!  It's basically  a miracle with a whole lot of circular destiny as infinity!

It begins with a simple Saint Christopher medal and ends with the other side of Saint Anthony!

A few days ago, I got a surprise friendly email out of the blue.  And as promised a story showed up in a couple of days, I'm so excited to share it with you!  It's about the circular beginning of someone's adventure and so much more!

I'm kinda big into circular stories with circular endings because it was a third grade story skill I had to teach and not an easy concept for eight year olds to be able to apply in their own writing.  Back then, I was supposed to teach that concept as a writing standard, but they didn't give any story examples to show students and the examples I had didn't help.

Then I saw "Ice-Age", then it became everyone's homework or we watched it as a class, if everyone got parental permission because it's Rated-PG.   That movie helped every student I know understand the concept and after that it was a "piece of cake" for them to write clear and fun circular endings. Hmm... maybe I should watch it again and see if it helps me!

In Ice Age, Scrat the Squirrel begins the story burying his acorn which starts a snowball of events and in the end he's burying another acorn and...........back to the topic on hand,

This story is told by an ever traveling student who did not give up or give in to fear or obstacles....and keeps learning along the way!


Hi Kennedy,

Thanks so much for the lovely package! I love the idea of exchanging your things for stories. I'm going to take a few photos of the medal and send my story in a few days, but just wanted to let you know I received it. Thanks, talk to you soon!

Allegra

Kennedy

5 days ago

Wow! many thanks Allegra!

I am so excited and happy that your going to share your story and it will come with the added bonus of pics!!!!

Over here trying to wait patiently!

~Kennedy

PS. Thank you so much for contributing to my HoarderRehab: The Destiny of Things in more ways than one!

Allegra

1 day ago 

Hi Kennedy, here are the pics and story (a bit long) as promised!

I'm not very religious, but I like old religious icons, and I've taken a special liking to St. Christopher, since he's the patron saint of travelers, and I've spent a good portion of my adult life traveling. Several years ago, my mom's aunt gave me a St. Christopher's medal in a bag of old jewelry she was getting rid of, and I decided to take it with me on a year-long volunteer trip in Africa. I don't particularly believe that there's any protective power in wearing a St. Christopher's medal, but somehow it still makes me feel a bit better when traveling.

While I was in Africa I started dating another volunteer, and we did a good amount of traveling around to neighboring countries, and we would trade off who wore the St. Christopher. Not too long after we started dating, my then-boyfriend began to show signs of being overly controlling and a bit abusive, which got worse and worse as the year went on. I ended up breaking up with him after he kicked me in anger in front of all of our friends, but things managed to get even worse after breaking up, since we were living together and neither of us had anywhere else to go.

He got even angrier after the breakup, and I ended up having to run away twice and hide for several days while he cooled down. Eventually his behavior got erratic enough that he was asked by our organization to leave the country, and while I was in hiding he was escorted back to our house to pack and then escorted to the airport to fly out. When I got back to the house I found that he had taken the St. Christopher medal with him. Since then I've occasionally tried to find another medal to replace that one.

Fast forward a few years, and I'm now dating a guy that is the polar opposite of my ex - kind, loving, never raises his voice, and he's extremely considerate of my past and my hopes and dreams for the future. Around the time we started dating, I also started applying for masters' programs internationally, and I got accepted into a program in Cape Town, South Africa.

It's been my goal for several years to get my masters', in fact, the only reason I didn't do it immediately after volunteering was because I got too distracted by that unhealthy relationship to get through the application process. It's a bit unfortunate that fulfilling my dream of a masters degree came at the same time as finding the right guy, but luckily, he has been incredibly understanding and we've managed to make the relationship work long distance for the past year. We've got one more year of long-distance before I'm home for good, and he plans to visit sometime during this year.

I've found out some new things about myself, though, in traveling while leaving someone I love at home. I've always loved traveling and haven't usually been overly concerned with my personal safety - I try not to do anything stupid but I also don't like to be fearful, letting those fears hold me back from the things I want to do and see. But since I've been in Cape Town, I've found that a top priority has been my security, entirely because I want to make sure that nothing happens to me so I can go home to my boyfriend again. So I got to thinking about my old St. Christopher, and decided that maybe it's time to replace it. Which led me to your shop :)

I have high hopes for this year, that I will be able to complete my degree like I've wanted to for years, and that I'll be able to travel with my boyfriend and share new experiences with him, and that ultimately I will be able to go home safe and sound. That's a bit of a long story, but I suppose the St. Christopher was a bit more sentimental to me than I realized. Also, the medal you sent me is a St. Christopher/St. Anthony medal. I didn't know who St. Anthony was till I just went to look it up, and found out that he is the patron saint of lost things. Which is a bit ironic I suppose, seeing as how I bought the St. Christopher to replace one that was lost :)

By the way, I love the idea of dealing with hoarding by replacing your things with stories and pictures. My Mom has always had a bit of a problem with hoarding, so I've seen how hard it can be to let go of things sometimes. I think yours is a brilliant idea, though, and I hope that you are successful with it! I suppose it's a bit of an ongoing process though.

I've attached a few pictures - of the medal on the plane and in front of Table Mountain here in Cape Town, traveling as it was intended :) Also, a picture of the other objects I added to the necklace for the trip - a raccoon pendant that I've worn for years, and two wood rings that my boyfriend made for me before I left.

Thanks for sharing your process, and best of luck to you!

Is that a story or is that a story?  If you can imagine this story actually gets better because most of the time, I'm the one who gets helped out as a recovering hoarder, but in this case I helped out a little too!

As you can imagine, I was so excited and couldn't contain myself and wrote back immediately with blurts!

Kennedy

1 day ago 

Hi Allegra!

Thank you so much for your story about my/your/our St. Christopher and St. Anthony cross! It is so heart-felt, honest and uplifting!

I'm speechless! yet have so much to say and thank you for! Like I love the circular ending of your story! but it's really another new beginning!

I wish you all the luck in the world to complete your masters and come home safely to be with your boy friend and continue traveling with him!

I love getting replacement stories and yours has an ironic twist of St. Anthony being the patron of Saints of lost things. I hope that on your circular trip back you gain even more than you already have from the things you lost over there, literally and figuratively!

Wow, your story boggles my mind with it's double double layered meanings! It brings tears to my eyes! That medal is surely meant for you as you safely travel to recover your lost things from life from so long ago! It's like you've overcome two major setbacks and replaced them with trimumphantness!

Thank you for the encouraging words about how I'm dealing with my hoard. I feel with your mom and her struggle. Some days are easier than others with depending factors, like sleep, diet and stress, but getting stories and writing about them help me daily. SO A BIG THANKS TO YOU!!!!

and with pictures!!!! I love love the new life the medals are getting and they are in such good company! I love the way st. chrisopher and st. anthony look with your racoon and especially the gorgeous wooden rings your bf made for your journey!

Thank you so much for the pictures and story that show the beginning, middle and end of your new beginning!

Best of luck to your studies and I hope you enjoy them. I know how difficult that can be with a loved one so far away. And I hope the time away from your love will make your hearts grow fonder

~Wishing you the best
~Kennedy

Kennedy 

1 day ago 

Holy cow! I just checked my blog and have/had my first visitor from South Africa! Is that you? I am so happy!

I forgot to ask you my questions in my previous email due to the excitement it caused.

If you don't mind me asking or knowing, what are you getting your master's in?

Is your bf going to sell his wooden jewelry on etsy or does he already?

Do you have a blog?

Allegra

January 31 2013 2:15pm EDT 

Hi Kennedy, and I know what you mean about the double-meanings. Like I said, I had no idea how sentimental the medal was to me until I decided to write out the story. After looking up St. Anthony, I also love that this medal now represents not just the original meaning but the journey since the original medal :)

Thanks for this note especially: "I love getting replacement stories and yours has an ironic twist of St. Anthony being the patron of Saints of lost things. I hope that on your circular trip back you gain even more than you already have from the things you lost over there, literally and figuratively!"

I suppose I never looked at this trip in that light - as a circular trip, similar to the circularity of the medal story. I feel lucky in that I don't generally have negative memories of that volunteer trip a few years ago, all the messiness with the ex was negative in its own right but the rest of the trip was wonderful and I wouldn't have traded the experience for anything. But I like the idea of this trip representing an opportunity to move forward and correct some of the negativity from the past - last year certainly was hard being away from my boyfriend, so anything that helps to give more meaning to this year is certainly helpful :)

In response to your questions - yes, I have been browsing your blog :) I'm getting my masters in urban planning, and my boyfriend does sell his rings (and a few other things) on etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/IanGill.

I do have one request if you decide to post my story on your blog (which you're welcome to if you like) - please don't post my name. Because of the nature of the relationship with the ex I'm a little nervous about having too much information about me searchable on the web, especially stuff that specifically mentions him. If you want to give me an alias that's fine :)

BTW - I love the pic of your living room on your blog, it's really lovely. You have great taste!

Thanks again,
Allegra

Kennedy Miranda 

 

January 31 2013 3:06pm EDT 

Hi again!

Yes, I do too have experienced over and over the sentimentality of things as I write them and often times, do not even know where my writing about my hoard will take me, like I thought I was going to have good memories from the scent of Cartier perfume, but only had challenging ones from an ex-bf that just wanted to change me and later treated me like a piece of furniture. I can laugh about it now, but back then...

Thank you for allowing me to use your story "as is" and thank you for reminding me to change your name due to past history. I'll leave out or leave in whatever you would like to protect your identity. I will be super careful and cautious because I have been stocked from a bad relationship also and it's scary, in more ways than one.

I'm glad part of my story helped you too! That's got to be the best part of losing my precious hoard then!

That's too cool, urban planning! My ultimate dream is to live in an Earthship designed by Michael Reynolds, built either by him or me and my bf. Have you heard of him?

I will link your bf's etsy shop to your/our story... I thought they looked familiar, he's got his own style and talent!

Thank you for the compliment on my living room, now if I can just keep it looking like that and transform the rest of the house to be "that" minimalist organic one of my dreams will have come true!

Thank you this is the kind of experience I need and thank you for the support and encouragement to keep on dehoarding!

Warmest regards,
~Kennedy

St Anthony is venerated all over the world as the Patron Saint for lost articles, and is credited with many miracles involving lost people, lost things and even lost spiritual goods.

Saying Good-bye:  If my hoard is bringing this much joy or any amount of joy to others then I can reasonably say that all my hoarding is worth it and maybe through it all it has some unknown purpose with purpose!

And maybe this will be the last time I hoard because I can see there is so much joy outside myself and my things and I'm getting little glimpses of how non-hoarders function! 

 Leaving the US to fulfill a life long dream!

In good company!  Better than I could ever imagine and way better off than in my box of hoard!

On to one of it's many beginnings!

What I Learned:

1.  Letting go is getting easier, so I thank the 90 etsyians from VintageToGoetsy, 81 from HoarderRehab and 21 from The Destiny of Things for helping me practice letting go of 192 items of my hoarder history!  And, as a recovering hoarder making most days easier for me as you help me bring me closer to my dream of a Minimalist Organic home with a music art room, instead of boxed hoard storage!

It's been an uphill and downhill battle with several casualties, but I've made it this far and thanks to other people's random acts of kindness I'm making it through my fears, obstacles and seeing the light into a non-hoarding life.  It may be slow, but as I found during my Meltdown, Confucius said, "It doesn't not matter how slowly I go as long as I do not stop"

2.  Many people don't think they have a story, but for me as a recovering hoarder and even though I think it's odd and I'm sure they think it's more odd, a little info goes a long way for me. And maybe even though people are taking the time to send me these random acts of kindness to help me, maybe in some small way I am helping them.  I realized that when Allegra wrote me saying I helped her see her story in a different light.

I felt so happy and it brings tears of joy to my eyes knowing I helped someone in a small way!  especially when everyone else is helping me in such big ways!

Here's what I say to myself when I'm feeling small and for others who think they don't have a story for me:

I know I tend to make a mosquito into mountain or mole hill into a mountain, but I get so excited and happy that it just all gets beyond myself!  Yes, and I know.... I know... I don't know when to stop either, one thought leads to another, until they fork off endlessly, but I'm hoping that's part of my hoarding ways and will get better as my hoard lessens.  All I can do now is accept it and hope for the best and work on it as best I can.

So with that I should end it here!  Thank you etsy for making my life easier and better by giving me an outlet for my hoard and with it so many kind people to help me in their own ways!

Thank you Allegra for taking the time to write me about your story and including pics along the way to your new journey!  I hope the St. Christopher/St. Anthony helps to bring you home to your boy-friend for more traveling adventures and helps you recover whatever you want to find again.  

I don't know if you ever watched, Amelie, she's kinda like Ally McBeal but with a plan and helps others with random acts of kindness just to brighten their days.  In one incident of many, she steals her Dad's garden gnome because he's always wanted to travel around the world, but doesn't and has her flight attendant friend take pictures of it at landmarks and mails them to him!  

As soon as I saw the pictures from Allegra I felt indescribable joy which I think is how Amelie's Dad felt every time he got a picture of his gnome.  Allegra's pictures gave me new meaning of St.Christopher/St. Anthony medal's beginning, middle and end, which is really just another beginning!  Which ran parallel to her story!!!  May destiny as infinity always be yours, mine and everyones!

Thank you visitors from Romania, US, Malaysia, Poland, South Africa and Ukraine for joining me in today's happy adventures of HoarderRehab:   The Destiny of Things!

What significant parts of your life are circular?   I can say my hoard, but I see it more as a downward spiraling out of control viscous cycle, but this time it's going to tail-spin into a better circular ending thanks to all who have joined me on this adventure!

Post Thoughts:   I've been debating whether or not I should publish daily.  I like to post daily because it keeps me focused on my HoarderRehab, but as a writer it just takes me so dang long to write and I'm hopelessly adding on, instead of revising and proofreading!  Also, I don't want to start building up a bunch of backdrafts.  I guess I'm a hoarder of words and thoughts and I can only hope it gets better as I dehoard, literally and figuaratively.

Anyways, I was reading Allegra's boy-friend's, Ian Gill of Ian Gill Designs about page and it's quite interesting and inspiring!  Through his struggles and challenges as a metal smith, he now makes one wooden ring a day and says it does get easier!  So I will give it a try and when I'm discouraged will read his about page!  Just click on it and read it, you will be happy you did!  I am!  Just the irony of metal smith to wood smith is a good story!