Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Out of the Blue Inspriring Fun Email: Today's Hoarder Rehab Epiphany #10

Out of the Blue Inspriring Fun Email:  Today's Hoarder Rehab Epiphany #10

Sometimes inspirational support comes from out of no where, like in an Etsy email:

Crystal Energy
5 days ago
 
Hi Kennedy... 

I must confess that I have been pouring over your shops and reading through your blog for HOURS! I'm a teacher too and a mother, so I totally relate to the "oh, these will come in handy one day" thoughts. 

Love your candid writing style and your pictures are beautiful too. You have such neat stuff!!! all the little treasures and trinkets from my childhood... like those tooth savers and plastic gumball containers... I used to get so excited about a quarter because I LOVED those containers, more than any bouncy ball or trinket inside. I just loved the container for making little secret capsules filled with stickers and mini erasers and whatever other little things I could get my hands on. 

I am so sympathetic (and jealous!) of your hoarded treasures... we would have been great friends, growing up! Wishing you much continued success with your shops and decluttering... and If I ever win the lottery, I am buying your house with the full contents! :) 

Love, Domenica from Crystal Energy Canada

 Tooth saver locket necklaces, available here
photo via JunkDrawerandMore

Here's what I wrote back:

Hi Domenica!!!!

Thank you so much for emailing me, stopping by and reading my blog too! I can't believe it!!! What a nice surprise!

Thanks for making me smile over things we have in common! like loving the gumball capsule more than the prizes and as a teacher I'm sure you also have these other thoughts too, "oh these will come in handy one day in sets of 30!!! Must buy now" I'll be so happy when all of my teacher destash finds new lives and homes.

I would have loved to spend my childhood allowance on gumball prizes, but we weren't allowed. I'm sure some of my hoarding issues stem from that! HA!

And I hope you win the lottery soon! You are so sweet and funny!

May you have continued growth and abundance at your beautiful crystal and jewelry shop!

Kindest regards,
Kennedy

PS. Can I use your email on my blog? I'll leave you anonymous or link your shop to it. Thanks for making my day!

 Gumball machine capsules ready to fill to heart's desire
100 count here, 25 count here, 10 count here
photo via Hoarder Rehab

As a recovering hoarder, an out of the blue email about my dehoarding can't get any funnier or more fun!  I am so happy to find something in common with someone who loves quarters just as me just for the gumball toy prize machines!  but would rather fill up the gumball capsules with her own mini treasures!

I still do!  And I have one on going art project with my childhood treasures in gumball capsules and I keep them in an old penny gumball machine my brother and I used to fight over after finding it long ago thrifting. 

I keep hoarded stuff from my childhood that I just can not part with but have no ideas of what to do with them yet.  like my childhood lucky hopscotch chain bracelet, my first brooch from a major department store ( I felt so grown up!), very old worry dolls from my Grandmother, jewelry I can't part with yet, like my favorite sterling charm that's a gumball machine and my lucky Native American Zuni SunGod pendant that was so magic I could play Around the World, Horse and 21 and either win very quickly or skunk the other player!

 Gumball machine capsules ready to fill to heart's desire
100 count here, 25 count here, 10 count here
photo via Hoarder Rehab

As a teacher, I still find myself contemplating buying stuff when I find them in packs of 30 or more! and I still save up stuff too, like toilet paper rolls and ice cream sticks because as a recovering hoarder I don't like seeing them go to waste and as a teacher these were as good as gold in the classroom!

My students loved turning toilet paper rolls and ice cream sticks into puppets to act out and write their own scripts, endings and everything in between for stories we were studying, poems they loved, like Solomon Grundy, everyday life that they could turn into extra ordinary.

Sometimes, as a recovering hoarder, I find out it so difficult to get of "teacher mode" because I still get excited over all the teaching ideas in my head and all the fun my students and I used to have, so much so, sometimes we'd work through recess and even miss lunch without knowing it!

 30 or 40 toilet paper rolls, available here
39 recycled ice cream sticks: SOLD OUT
photo via JunkDrawerandMore 

So until I I find a way to get out of buying or saving stuff in bulk when in teacher mode, I'll keep listing items on Etsy seem to help for other classroom teachers or others who use them as party favor supplies.

At least my items bring back memories for others and make new ones too!  And super funny ones at that! and on going inside jokes!


Crystal Energy
5 days ago
 
Of course! It would be my honor to be part of your blog. Btw you must have been the most loved teacher ever with all those awesome stickers and rewards!!! I remember in the first grade that scratch n sniff stickers were all the rage. My teacher gave me a scratch and sniff hotdog sticker in my cursive writing book that was the envy of the whole class. My mom said it smelled like B.O. Which i didn't understand at the time but now my sister ( who is also a teacher) and I rate body odor on a sliding scale with the highest stinky honor being referred to as scratch n sniff hotdog B. O. Haha! I wonder what my teacher would think about that! 
 
Love, Domenica from Crystal Energy Canada

How fun and funny is that memory? and B.O. is such a classroom term!  I haven't heard it in years! 

 These are vintage, but some of them used to be smelly stickers and a few have a faint whiff
that can be detected every now and then, available here
photo via The Destiny of Things

kennedy miranda
5 days ago
 
I love it! i still have some scratch and sniff stickers from my 90s teaching days, but they are not the same as when we grew up. I love your inside joke with your sister. ( I lost count of teachers in my family! ) What grade do you teach? because the BO after recess can be deadly in third grade!

I think you teacher would love to hear your BO story and you two could have some good laughs. I kept in touch with some of my teachers until middle school and still have some precious things they gave me! Total hoarder here!

Speaking of which, as a teacher during dental hygiene week, I could never decide if I should give my class the tooth locket necklaces or the treasure chests, so they got both! And they sure beat putting teeth in envelopes for them!

Thank you for letting me use your emails and you'll have to let me know which crystal is good for dehoarding, so I can post it on my blog!

You are my third kindred story from an Etsy shop owner this month,so I hope I can post them by the end of this month!

Have a good weekend!

 Since I could never decide, if my students would love the toothy tooth saver locket necklaces or
the tooth saver treasure chests, they got both during dental hygiene week!
 photo via JunkDrawerandMore 

Well, that was a fun trip down memory lane with someone I would have had a blast growing up with! And I love her crystal shop too!  There are plenty of crystals I've been eyeing in her shop!  Like these for repelling negative energy, here so I don't return to my hoarding ways and these for energy and vitality, here to continue dehoarding!

This is exceptionally appealing to me for energy and vitality
photo via Domenica of Crystal Energy Canada, available here

Domenica recommends letting the crystals choose you and right now all the orange colored ones are calling out to me and secondly the fossil rocks.  Read her about page, here.

I have quite the rock crystal collection since my grandfather collected them and I have collected them as souvenirs from many childhood vacation trips.  And rocks left over from my teaching days and I have a good friend who sends me all kinds of pocket crystals for dehoarding, grounding, balance and they are good for me because I tend to fidget a lot when I get stressed out, so having a rock is a good reminder to slow down and focus on the good.

Maybe you'll find a crystal you need that is calling to you from Domenica's shop too! Here are the ones calling to me and they seem to be a rare set!

Rare set of harder to find crystals that are calling out to me.  Are they calling out to you?
photo via Domenica of Crystal Energy Canada, available here


She also makes jewelry with healing crystals, so check out her cool and colorful meditation rosaries here, earrings and finger rings, here.  I especially like her jewelry made from raw crystals.  Okay, just check out her whole entire shop, Crystal Energy Canada because who knows what healing crystal is calling out to you!

What I Learned:

1.  As a recovering hoarder, I have to be careful to what calls out to me because my internal filter seems to be broken, out of whack or lost and there's a lot of stuff calling out to me for some kind of attention!  Pick me up, buy me, put me away, do something with me, just don't stand there, that's a good idea and so on and so on!

And the more stressed out I get the louder the clutter noise!

2.  And after all these years, why am I still in teacher mode when out of shopping or recycling stuff from around the house?  I don't miss  much about teaching, except for the excitement and fun of potential new lessons!

3.  On the bright side and lastly, it's so nice to get noticed out of the blue and for someone to take the time and say so!  Thank you Domenica for taking the time to go exploring on all my shops and blog and then to take the time to send me such a fun and funny email full of compliments and encouragement to keep me going on my Hoarder Rehab journey!

Who inspired you today?  and how did you inspire someone else today?  Well, I'm sure you can guess who inspired me today, Domenica of Crystal Energy Canada and I hope I inspired someone with a few words from today's posting or from something I listed on my Etsy shops today.

If anything, tomorrow is Chinese New Year and we can take some time to reflect while looking back and then celebrate moving forward in hopes that people will connect and inspire at any time and the new year will bring abundance, health and happiness to all!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Related Stories:

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

2.  Other stories in the section of  "Today's Hoarder Rehab Epiphany," here

"Healing takes place where the light finds it's way into me." ---Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things 
Posted by at No comments:

Monday, February 16, 2015

Little Mermaid Grotto Terrarium Inspiration! The Destiny of Things, Story 276

Little Mermaid Grotto Terrarium Inspiration!  The Destiny of Things, Story 276

These little mermaids are taking an Etsy buyer in a new direction!

photo via VintageToGoEasy
Little mermaids in 8 or 12 count, available here

It's such a nice surprise to find that an Etsy buyer has read my entire description and sends me an email story!  Here it is:

Hi,
I've always been enchanted by mermaids. As a child, my grandad and great uncle would show me the tiny plastic mermaids salvaged from special cocktails. Now that both of them have passed away, I have no idea where those mermaids went, but I have very fond memories that could make for the perfect homage to both of those special loves. I have recently started making terrariums as a hobby and currently have a unicorn wonderland, but I think it would go well with a mermaid grotto. I just made my boyfriend a dragon terrarium for Valentine's day as well. I will send you a picture of the mermaid grove when it is completed.
 
Thanks,
ThingofStuff

And she sent me photos of her current terrariums!  They turned out so cool!  Little wonderland gardens for unicorns and dragons!
photo via ThingofStuff blog
Read and see more here

Here is what I wrote her back: 

Hi!

Wow, thank you for the story and photos! Your fairy gardens are super cool! Are they easy to maintain?  What a coincidence! I just made some fairy moss ones yesterday and put tiny donkeys in mine.

I have very fond memories of these drink markers too! And one Etsy buyer told me she had hers for over 50 years from childhood and the arm had just broke, so she ordered some from me.

You can either order the colors you want and we will return shipping overage or we can calculate shipping for you. 

Thanks again for the story and photos I just love it!
Kennedy at VintageToGoeasy

Here is the Valentine's one for her sweet heart made with dragons!  Reminds me Game of Thrones!

photo via ThingofStuff blog
Read and see more here

And then she wrote back:

Thanks! The fairy gardens are VERY easy to maintain because I only use air plants, that simply need moisture from the air and no direct sun light (perfect for Vancouver climates). Different terrariums and plants require soil, which does mean watering, but I wanted to create something completely low maintenance to bring some living greenery into my life. The package of tiny unicorns came with all those dragons, they are perfect GoT dragons. My boyfriend and I are huge Thronies! Thanks for your kind words :)

I'll most surely send you pics of the finished mermaid terrarium! I have an illustrated anecdotal blog but am making posts about the terrariums with progress pics as well, link here:
thing-of-stuff.blogspot.ca/

Thanks again and I'll update you on the mermaids when we can get down to the states!

photo via VintageToGoEasy
Little mermaids in 8 or 12 count, available here

It looks like she has great talent for her new hobby of making terrariums and for drawing too!  Check out her blog, here to see her fun and funny drawings and close ups of the mini dragons and unicorns.

Saying Goodbye:  I have my own stash of retro new and vintage mermaids and I finally found a grotto full of red ones!  They used to be so rare and difficult to find in red, but now I have a whole pod of red mermaids or are they called, a school, a shimmer or miracle of mermaids?  Anyone out there know the official term for a group of mermaids?

Now to find pink mermaids!  Ha!

What I Learned:

1.  And what a coincidence we both decided to add some easy green to our lives with fairy gardens!  mine for my kitchen window and  I had just made some because I had been eyeing some wild moss growing by the front door and one of my bonsai trees took a dive and I thought moss would be easier to maintain.

Wild moss from the yard, it needs very little dirt
and gets it's nutrients from the air and mistings

2.  I love how my hoard is having a positive effect at my Etsy shops by making new memories for some as well as bringing back old fond memories too!  In a sense, my hoard is working double duty!

Many people seem to have a fond cocktail mermaid memory from the past.  What is yours?

These are very tiny one inch patches in a Coor's crucible and a small sauce plate. This week some of the sproutings have turned red.  I planted some moss in my bonsai tree pot and now my bonsai is showing some new signs of life!

Thank you kind Etsy buyer for letting me know how you've been inspired with the little mermaids and for sharing your past memories and I can't wait to see your new memories from your mermaid fantasy terrarium!

Thank you Etsy for helping me make my dehoarding more enjoyable and fun.  It's so nice to find coincidences with other who are not hoarders!

Thank you readers from all over the world for supporting my  HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things !  Your support by visiting is much appreciated.

My new dehoarding goal is to list something new weekly at each shop until I reach 200 at least three shops!  I have reached that goal at two shops! 

Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed daily or weekly: HoarderRehab with 202 items, The Destiny of Things- 197 items , VintageToGoEasy - 200 items and now JunkDrawerAndMore - 168 items!  Maybe you'll find something to take home and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!

6 Little Mermaids in yellow and neon orangish red
Only a handful left in these colors, available here

Hoarder Rehab Tip #4:  How I Maintain my hoard with a schedule and prioritizing chores.

Do you have your most favorite and most least favorite chores?  I don't mind washing the dishes and doing laundry, but I will procrastinate days on end about dragging the vacuum cleaner out for the floors and mopping?  Mopping is worse than cleaning the oven!

So I make sure the cleaning service has plenty of time to vacuum, mop, clean the oven, dust (and I have a lot of knick knacks to dust!) and complete all my least favorite chores!  They also come on a weekly basis so the day before they arrive, I clean up so they can clean!  

Yes, it probably sounds funny! but I clean up before they come over!  The floors get a whole lot cleaner faster and waxed better when there aren't a whole lot of boxes on the floors and so does the furniture.  They do move chairs and side tables around to clean under and behind them, but my cleaning service has a limited amount of time and I try to make the most of it by having them do my least favorite or should I say neglected to most hated chores!

Anyways, so this keeps me on a weekly schedule to clean up my hoard, even if it is just to throw stuff in the closet, pantry or nearest cabinet or drawer and then take it all back out the next week!  At least the house looks good for a couple of days and it feels like I start a new!  Who doesn't love a new beginning with a clean slate?

And it keeps me doing my most favorite chores on a regular basis and leaves me more time for more enjoyable things, like preparing healthier meals to trying new recipes and spending more time on myself and others.

Read Hoarder Rehab Tip #3, here:  How I Maintain my Hoard and Justify it to Myself.

Next time, I'll talk about what motivates me and encourages me to keep on dehoarding!  I mean, besides all the Etsy buyers with their stories and this blog.

 More traditional way to use the little mermaids
Little mermaids in larger amounts, 30 or 50 count here  or 100 count here
photo via Etsy buyer, her Urula-tini story below

Related Stories:

1.  An Etsy buyer had her mermaid for over 50 years and then found it broken:  Retro Plastic Mermaid Cocktail Drink Charms:  The Destiny of Things, Story #116



"If I change nothing, nothing will change."---Unknown 
Posted by at No comments:

Friday, February 13, 2015

You Devil Fishlove Heart Throb Novelty Gag Gift: The Destiny of Things, Story 275

You Devil Fishlove Heart Throb:  The Destiny of Things, Story 275

This devil's wink may have caused more than just some pitter patter this Valentine's!


I love all of Fishlove's kitschy novelty gag gift products and was on the verge of collecting more when this sold, but by the time it did I had moved on to collecting something else!

This was one of my third grade teaching tools because our science curriculum focused on simple machines, like pulley's, levers, wheels and axles, etc. but the one thing that got their attention was this wind up mechanical heart that moved and sounded like it's cousin, the the yakity yak wind up teeth. 

 photo via Collector's Weekly

My students always got a kick out this because they couldn't believe it moved without batteries or plugging it in!  So to them it was like magic and a great introduction to simple machines.

Unfortunately back then I never could find the teeth and believe me I looked, but I did find this and it worked just as well in the classroom.


History I found interesting:  back in the day, different versions were used in many different advertising forms. These two I found interesting:

1. It was used as a promotional to sell men's shirts during Valentines. This item is supposed to be left on the cardboard and put in your shirt pocket and then it's supposed to thump through your jacket! Ah-hah, I found that so funny! Hope you do too!

2. It was also a promotional for Jockey socks and undies for men. One year, Jockey went battery, the new ones made sounds and lit up. It was a flop because by the time Valentines rolled around, many of the batteries died and battery juice leaked and burned through the products! So Jockey went back to the manual mechanical ones.

 photo via Collector's Weekly

Until I listed "You Devil," I didn't know that Mr. Fishlove was the inventor behind so many of the "classic" gag gifts I love and grew up with, like plastic vomit, rubber rat and whoopee cushion! Also, he was one of the moviegoers that ran out of the theatre in The Blob, debuting Steve McQueen! RIP Mr. Fishlove.

photo via google

Despite my vast collection of simple machines for the classroom, this was the only thing I kept and I'm not the only one who fell in love with it!  Someone on Etsy who has a devil collection snatched it right up and it was so fun exchanging emails about all the things we collect!  A very funny and charming buyer!


  photo via The Destiny of Things

Saying Goodbye:  By the time this found it's new life and home, it had been over a year and it worked out well for me because by then, my itch to collect Mr. Fishlove collectibles had faded away.  So I reinvested the proceeds into my Milagro and Mexican Wedding Necklace collection.  Oh and some WHW tinnies.

What I Learned:

1.  I can grow out of collecting most "everything" and I do know now that some things I love at the moment, even for days or months and "must have" will eventually fade away and it's best I just window shop.

2.  I am sure happy I did not start collecting Fishlove gag gifts!  I certainly don't have room to display them and they would probably be just sitting in a box until I bought so much it was overflowing!

Is my recovering hoarder mind reshaping itself and making more sense to me now?

However, I still love this one!  And would love to have this mixed in with my silverware!

 
photo via google

Thank you Etsy buyer for the fun banter while your item was on reserve and we chatted about our various collections.  Thank you for helping me make my collection list smaller.  I was collecting milagro, Mexican Wedding necklaces and WHH tinnies, but right now I am not collecting anything!

Thank you Etsy for helping me make my dehoarding more enjoyable, fun and even funny! The times I've purged my hoard, like on the Hoarder shows,  I would eventually regret it and hoarded back ten fold! 

Thank you readers from all over the world for supporting my  HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things !  Your support by visiting is much appreciated.

My new dehoarding goal is to list something new weekly at each shop until I reach 200 at least three shops!  I have reached that goal at two shops! 

Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed daily or weekly: HoarderRehab with 200 items, The Destiny of Things- 196 items , VintageToGoEasy - 201 items and now JunkDrawerAndMore - 164 items!  Maybe you'll find something to take home and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!

Hope your Valentine's weekend is full of devilisciously deadly heart throbs!
Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Bohemian Beach Wedding Party Favors: The Destiny of Things, Story 274

Bohemian Beach Wedding Party Favors:  The Destiny of Things, Story 274

Another surprise use for these!  Such fun and easy party favors for any occasion!

photo via Hoarder Rehab
50, 100 or 150 fortune fish, available here

An Etsy buyer wrote:  

"Can't wait to use these at my Bohemian beach wedding!"

Well, I'd love to be a fly on the wall, or shore to see how these are used and I'm not quite sure what a Bohemian wedding is all about, so I googled it.  There are so many gorgeous Bohemian beach wedding photos and blogs to discover!

And guess what?  It's like a remake of Hippie Boho Nature weddings from the past!  Just like my Aunt and Uncle's beach wedding from the 60s!  It was just called a beach wedding back then with my Uncle and Aunt's friends dressed as gypsy flower child and beatnik hippies.  My family was dressed mid century modern classic and that's how my mom dressed us too, but I got to wear a crown of flowers and hold a hand picked flower bouquet with silky lace ribbon and twine tied around it!

photo via Hoarder Rehab
50, 100 or 150 fortune fish, available here

These would be perfect for a Bohemian beach wedding!  The little envelope has beach waves and even a fish that will wiggle in your hand and foresee what kind of love is in the air!  Who could resist that at a wedding?  Especially while waiting to be served or as ice breaker table conversation or keeping children amazed.

smaller amount in 8, 10, 12 or 20, available here

Saying Goodbye:  I keep my share fair of these and keep them handy to pass out when I see someone needs a dancing fish to cheer them up!  I put them in shop packages all the time and slip some in to letters and thank you notes because anyone young at heart loves these!

And little ones ask me over and over to take one out of my purse, so they can see how it will dance in their hands.  They could careless about what the movements mean or what their love fortune tales!  They just love the magic dancing moving fish! 

What I Learned:

1.  Some of my own hoard has become best sellers on my shops! and this is one example.  It's always so fun to hear how they will be used.  People are so creative with fortune fish!

2.  Luckily these are small and don't take up much room, so even though I still keep a hoard of them around, it's not noticeable nor does it interfere with my life, like some of the rest of my hoard!

3.  Yes, I'm still dehoarding and probably half way through!  So for me, the glass is half empty!

photo via Hoarder Rehab
50, 100 or 150 fortune fish, available here

Thank you Etsy buyer for sending me your story and I can't wait til you use them at your Bohemian beach wedding too!  Thank you for giving me a blast to the past and giving others ideas for their weddings.

Thank you Etsy for helping me make my dehoarding more enjoyable and fun!  because it hasn't been all the other times I've tried it!

Thank you readers from all over the world for supporting my  HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things !  Your support by visiting is much appreciated!
 
My new dehoarding goal is to list something new weekly at each shop until I reach 200 at least three shops!  I have reached that goal at two shops!

Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed daily or weekly: HoarderRehab with 203 items, The Destiny of Things- 195 items , VintageToGoEasy - 201 items and now JunkDrawerAndMore - 164 items!  Maybe you'll find something to take home and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!

 I love the classic old school graphics so much, I keep one framed,
like a mixed media art collage.  These frames are out of stock at the moment,
but the smaller float frames are available at JunkDrawerandMore, here

Hoarder Rehab Tip #3:  Tips on "How I Maintain my hoard!"

I don't know if this would work for anyone else, but it works so well with me, it's like a miracle!  Drum roll, please.... I don't even think you need to be a recovering hoarder to enjoy this tip!

One of the best things I've ever done for myself and my hoard is "hire a weekly cleaning service!"  And if you are like me and need to justify the cost and luxury of one, it's pretty simple.... if you work you deserve one!  Let me see if I can explain how I've justified it to myself in the beginning to get me started.

First, I did some spring cleaning on my own and timed myself to see how long it would take me to clean my entire house from top to bottom.  Usually I'd only start downstairs which included, vacuuming all the floors, windowsills and couch, dusting everything, cleaning the sink, kitchen counters, the cabinets, the dishes, bathroom, etc and it would take me about 2 hours and I'd be so "done" I would never get around to the upstairs!

So the next week, I'd start with the upstairs and spend one hour up there until I got to the hoarded areas and would kinda stray and wander around just shifting hoard around!

Second, I asked myself how to fit the cost of a cleaning service in my budget.  That was pretty easy to convince myself.  I calculated that about one to two hours of work payed for four hours of cleaning service and they can clean my entire house top to bottom in four hours on a weekly!

So not only is my house clean top to bottom weekly, but I save a lot of time and energy too!

Next time, I'll write about how this keeps me on a dehoarding schedule and helps me prioritize other cleaning deeds.

Related Stories:  Other wedding ideas from Etsy buyers!


2.  Doily Wedding Craft Garland:  The Destiny of Things, Story 202

3.  Loteria Game DIY Mexican Theme Wedding Table Cards:  The Destiny of Things, Story 221

4.  Fortune Fish:  The Destiny of Things, Story 238, other wedding themed ideas

5.  As Underwater theme decor, see update photos and story here 

"As a recovering hoarder, I like to see the glass as half empty, others the glass half full, but I also think the glass is just too small!" a play on words from a quote from George Carlin.
Posted by at No comments:

Monday, February 9, 2015

Ninja Turtle Party Gumball Capsules Surprise: The Destiny of Things, Story 273

Ninja Turtle Party Gumball Capsules Surprise:  The Destiny of Things, Story 273

It's always such as a surprise to find out how others want to use these!

 photo via VintageToGoEasy
available here

A potential Etsy buyer said she was throwing a Ninja Turtle birthday party and if I had these in Ninja Turtle colors, which I did, but not in the amount she had in mind.

I even had to look up information on the official Ninja Turtles colors and found out more info than I intended.  For instance, the first Ninja Turtles all had red masks and one could only tell them apart by the weapons they used to defend themselves.   Later they gave them different color masks to identify them more easily and the mask colors are orange, blue, purple and red.

I am guessing the green and yellow gumball capsule vending machine colors would work too, since the Ninja Turtles are primarily those colors.

 photo via VintageToGoEasy
available here 
 
This potential Etsy buyer sparked an idea and since I have tons of these I've been grouping them by tens in different color themes.  Valentine or love them in red, pinks and white here, St Patrick's day Ireland color theme in green and orange here, Mardi color theme here and Easter pastels here.
 
I've even had requests for 100, so 100 are available too!  Of course at Hoarder Rehab has most everything in amounts of 100, if we have it!  lol

photo via Hoarder Rehab
100 gumball vending machine capsules, available here
 
These make great pinata fillers and all kinds of things fit inside from erasers, candy, toys, prizes, trinkets, jewelry, tooth locket necklaces, mini pirate treasure chest lockets, coins, dollar bills, stickers, seeds to grow to feed the birds, beads, confetti to even make into a teeny tiny green house or fairy terrarium.  

It's a nice pocket sized travel container for children for their favorite items of the day, like rocks, shells, notes, fortune cookie fortunes, good luck penny or trinket and other what not souvenirs.  Perfect to hold googly eyes for eyebombing walks to make fun street art.  I haven't met a person yet, so has had a problem with filling them with their favorite or themed items!
 
One Etsy buyer ships her jewelry in them, another made some bento box snack containers for Back to School and another for crafting with children.  So fun to find your favorite things that fit in side and then glue it to a ring.  Boys and girls join the fun for their own treasure ring!
 
I keep many of my childhood treasures and more in my vintage penny gumball machine using my various gumball capsule collection!  There are so many different types to collect!  Yes, I have my favorite gumball containers and colors and vintage ones and new ones, etc.

Twinkie Chan shows how to make a simple fun gumball machine with inspiration toy capsules and was kind enough to link gumballs to my shop.  It's an easy DIY project and really cute, see and make it here from her blog, Twinkie Chan.  She loves crocheting funny foods see how cute, fun and  funny here

 
 In amounts of 25 or 50 gumball capsules, available here
photo via Hoarder Rehab

Saying Goodbye:  I used to be crazy for gumball containers and like I've said before, there are so many different types to collect.  However, now that I've let go of hundreds of them, I don't need so many!

What I Learned:

1.  As a recovering hoarder, Etsy has allowed me to "catch and release" some of my favorite hoarded items and who knew they'd be so popular!  It's been a good way for me to get over some of my obsessions with certain objects to collect and hoard.
 
2.  Also as a recovering hoarder, I have a very distorted view of amounts.  One hundred gumball capsules do not look like a lot to me in the dump truck photos, but lined up in order in rows of ten by ten, it looks crazy a lot a lot!

photo via Hoarder Rehab
100 gumball vending machine capsules, available here
 
Thank you potential Etsy buyer for your emails and questions, which inspired me in more ways than one!
 
Thank you Etsy for not only supporting the best Hoarder Rehab outlet ever, but it also gives me an opportunity to get tired of hoarding with a kind of hoarder's catch and release program for myself!
 
Thank you readers from all over the world for supporting my  HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things !  Your support by visiting is much appreciated!
 
My new dehoarding goal is to list something new weekly at each shop until I reach 200 at least three shops!  I have reached that goal at two shops!
 
Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed daily or weekly: HoarderRehab with 202 items, The Destiny of Things- 195 items , VintageToGoEasy - 201 items and now JunkDrawerAndMore - 162 items!  Maybe you'll find something to take home and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!
 
 Off they go to their new lives and homes!
 In amounts of 25 or 50 gumball capsules, available here
photo via Hoarder Rehab

Hoarder Rehab Tip #3:  Contain and Maintain
 
As I wrote in my last post, containment of my hoard in only three of my designated areas and maintaining it is becoming easier, but in the beginning it was disastrous.  And still sometimes my hoard just multiplies out of no where and sometimes I don't even notice it until I'm expecting guests!  I am becoming more accustomed to clear spaces and can maintain several "hot spot" areas on a regular basis with more care now.
 
So I can safely say that over time (years), with patient and not perfect practice and some relentless discipline containing and maintaining my hoard has become surprisingly manageable.  Time's up!  More tips on maintaining in the next post on Wed!

Related Stories:



 
Happy Monday!
Posted by at No comments:

Friday, February 6, 2015

Kindred Spirits: Hoarder Inspiration or Desperation, Story 19

Kindred Spirits:  Hoarder Inspiration or Desperation, Story 19

Every once in awhile a kindred spirit let's me know in an Etsy email!

Nancy's General Store
6 days ago
 
Hi,

I like the name of your shop. I think I may be in need of a little hoarder rehab myself lately.
Just seems as though, my house is shrinking as I acquire more things to sell on Etsy.

And being a very creative person, I have lots of projects around the house and art supplies further adding to the clutter.

Just thought I'd tell you I like the name of your shop, my name is Nancy, and I hope you have a beautiful day.

I live in Iowa, and we are expecting 10 to 12 inches of snow here tonight. Or as I tell my friends to the south of me, I feel like I'm in a snow globe and someone is shaking it.

Nancy

 Here is my favorite thing from her shop that I'd be getting if I wasn't in recovery!
It's the cutest doll chair and the picture blocks remind me of Dave Bruno art!
photo via NancysGeneralStore, see it here


and this is what I wrote back:
 
Kennedy Miranda
2 days ago
 
Hi Nancy!

Thanks for stopping by and sending such a nice email! I totally understand the shrinking house syndrome with boxes of rotating projects here and there!

Can I share your little email on my Hoarder Rehab blog? I can leave you anonymous or link it to your shop, but it's nice to know that someone can relate not only to my shop name, but my journey!

How is the snow globe weather over there now?

From one kindred spirit to another,
Kennedy at Hoarder Rehab

 I do love miniatures and collected them for years as a child. I love the mini clothes patterns!
photo via NancysGeneralStore, see it here
I wonder if these are from her childhood.  Most of mine have sold on Hoarder Rehab

Nancy is an artist too and is a former photographer who owned her own studio for 26 years and as a national artist, was a member of KODAK Promise of Excellence.  She shot over 300 weddings and her photo work was published over 400 times in national publications.  What a fun career!

Now she makes unique jewelry from her lifelong love of Gems and minerals and is a member of Des Moines Lapidary Society and Central Iowa Mineral society.  She has been designing affordable unique Herkimer Diamond jewelry. This one of a kind, straight from Herkimer N,Y. Natural Diamond quartz, has really been catching on. I use only Extremely high grade Herkimer's. 

Occasionally she has other items for weddings, items of inspiration, ebooks, jewelry, unique candies that look like LEGOS, Amish made items, ( From My Amish Neighbors), and her Photo Art!  Click on the highlights to go directly to that section of her shop, NancysGeneralStore and check them out!

I love buttons and buckles and this is on my wish list!
photo via NancysGeneralStore, available here

Okay, time to stop window browsing and get back to this story!

Honk if your house is getting smaller and smaller too!  Honk if you are like us and are trying to contain and juggle all rotating art projects around the house!  Anyone out there have some helpful tips that have worked for them to share?  Please let us know ASAP!

Hoarder Rehab Inspiration: It's always nice to hear from someone out of the blue and hear fun and inspirational thoughts from them.  It's like a pat on the back or a nod in total agreement.  Very reassuring.

I've come along way since my Hoarder Rehab began in February 2012 with the opening of our first shop, VintageToGoeasy and this blog and along the way there have been plenty of Etsyians who have inspired and encouraged me to keep moving on, even if if I did go stray and buy things from their Etsy shops!

Kudos to all those who have helped me on my Hoarder Rehab journey!

Hoarder Rehab Desperation:  Zero Nada Zilch!  At least not today because I'm so thankful to have been inspired by a kindred spirit! Not only am I slowly learning how to turn my hoard into some kind of interesting silver lining, but I'm finding positive things in common with other hoarders and non hoarders.  And that feels good!

 Lastly I'm totally into Corning ware because when I was allergic to metal
I only used my Corning ware!
photo via NancysGeneralStore, available here 

Thank you Nancy from NancysGeneralStore for sending me an email letting me know that as a recovering hoarder, I am not alone and a non hoarder can relate to me too!  Nice to hear from a fellow artist too with multiplying supplies and projects around the house!

Thank you Etsy for making my Hoarder Rehab more fun, meaningful and enjoyable with the support from other Etsy buyers and sellers!

My new Hoarder Rehab goal is to list something new weekly at each shop until I reach 200 at least three shops!  I have reached that goal at one shop! 

Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed daily or weekly: HoarderRehab with 199 items, The Destiny of Things- 1945 items , VintageToGoEasy - 210 items and now JunkDrawerAndMore - 166 items!  Maybe you'll find something to take home and share your story too!  Thanks for looking!

 Nancy would like to hear the story from an Etsy buyers of how this Roman coin would be used in their art!  Sound familiar?  Definitely kindred spirits!
photo via NancysGeneralStore, available here

Hoarder Rehab Tip #2:  CONTAIN my hoard:  This sometimes works for me!
 
Admit, Accept, Confide and Contain:  Containment is an on going daily, sometimes minute to minute battle!  I keep my hoard contained into 3 areas.  Our music art room, an open area the size of a closet and my truck!  Right now all three spaces are full to the brim and the open closet are is ready to brim over or fall over!  I haven't touched the hoard in the truck except to drive it.  It's about  in 3 years since I've even opened up the back!  oh my did I add the years up correctly? 

On the positive side, I did take out 3 crates of 2 full sets of my Grandmother's china because the truck gives a very bouncy ride and once we had to drive over some large heavy branches one rainy season and I couldn't remember how well I packed them!

Anyways,  I will follow up on my own containment and work on the open closet area this weekend.  Maintaining is also important for me as a recovering hoarder because rooms in a blink of an eye get smaller and smaller as projects and supplies grow and multiply!  The kitchen usually piles up with dishes and laundry, the living room can turn into a dumping ground, the bedroom - office ends up with boxes of stuff to list and the dining room with project overload!

Next week I hope to show photos of some of the maintained rooms and my two hoarded areas and explain "Contain and Maintain!"

In the mean time, it's important to me as a recovering hoarder to know what motivates me.  So if you are with me on this or trying to break a bad habit, today's question is "What motivates you?"

Unfortunately for me, having a buddy to start or dehoard with would be my ideal motivation, but I don't know anyone else who wants to dehoard.  I do know some hoarders, but none of them are ready to reform and are not very supportive.

Happy Friday! 

Related Stories:  Other Etsyians who inspire me!

1.  HoarderRehab Inspiration:  Paying Attention to Falling Stars!  Story #1:  Karen makes a mini quilt a day and the words of on her shop banner continue to inspire me daily!

2.   700+ Clocks and Counting!:  Hoarder Rehab Inspiration or Desperation, Story #14:  An Etsy buyers shared her rooms of clocks with me, so neat!

3.  An Etsy shop owner who sent me photos of their hoard!  Hello Fellow Etsy Hoarder!  Hoarder Rehab Inspiration or Desperation, Story #16  

4.  Sometimes Etsy buyers turn into good friends and we give each other support in all areas of life:
"Find the good to eliminate the bad!"
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)