Knowing when to de-stash is easy, right?

But actually doing it?

That can be another thing entirely!

If you buy a new book and you can’t slide it into the bookcase, no matter how hard you try – then you know it’s time to let a few of the other books go to a new home.

Or if every time you attempt to put away the clean clothes in your dresser; you feel as is you’re stuffing a Thanksgiving turkey; it’s usually means there are a few sets of threadbare underwear, holey socks, or a well-worn nightgown that should be turned into rags to free up some precious drawer space . . . and pronto!

But those are the easier de-stashes. How about items that are treasured gifts, or souvenirs from a special occasion, or handcrafted art – either your own or someone else’s? There are no hard and fast rules for those things.

Last weekend, I was diligently trying to make a little space on the shelves in my craft area. I consolidated supplies from a couple of boxes into one compact box, and put a few magazines in the recycle pile. As I scanned the shelves in search of something else to eliminate, I discovered that it isn’t easy to de-stash a doll – even if she is very out of style at the moment.

I made this YEARS ago, when soft sculpture was all the rage. Maybe it’s the fact that it is a Momma and baby, or maybe it’s because I put so much time and care into making it; all I know is – I can’t part with it . . . yet.

I remember hearing Jerry Seinfeld on the Tonight Show saying that, in a sense, we all manage huge trash-processing/recycling centers –— our homes!!!

Things come in and we decide how long they will stay and be used before they are moved out to be recycled or designated as trash. Seinfeld joked that it’s just a matter of time before most things move through that cycle. It’s kind of interesting to think of it that way. You buy a dress; wear it for years; cut it down for a daughter to wear; she outgrows it and eventually it might be used to polish the furniture! Finally, it leaves the house as trash.

But back to the doll . . .

She’s not going anywhere for a while! 🙂