sentimental keepsakes | Bead Happily Ever After

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do!

Posted on June 27, 2013 by crystal

While cleaning out a closet, I discovered these . . .

They were towards the back of a shelf. I haven’t seen them for several years.

Sir Beads and I bought them on our honeymoon (40+ years ago!).
I remember it vividly…. We were driving through the White Mountains area of New Hampshire and had stopped at a little gift shop on the side of the road. In the windows, there was an assortment of jewel-toned art glass that immediately caught our attention. It sparkled like crazy in the sunlight. Of course, I chose the amethyst purple.

The pieces are fairly small – the tallest is 5 inches. They were on display in my home for many years. I guess at some point I must have decided to pack them away – possibly to make room for a newer treasure. When I came across them again last week, I stopped and asked myself if it might be time to let them go. After all, I hadn’t missed them while they were out of sight.

Problem is I’m terribly sentimental. If something has a “history” in my life (or in the lives of my family) I am attached to it. Simple as that.

Bottom line? These little vases will be staying put for a while longer…

How about you?

Are you in love with your “stuff”?

Is it a trauma to part with things you no longer use because they evoke a sweet memory?

Hugs,

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Click the envelope to leave a comment or to read what the other kids are saying! 😀

B is for Bureau

Posted on May 25, 2011 by crystal

And also for . . .

Beads 😀

Many (but far from all) of my Vintage Lucite Beads are stored in this bureau.

Every drawer is chock full of beads!

Part of the fun for me is that this is a bureau I used while I was growing up!

After I got married, my parents turned it over to me. Since then I’ve used it for baby clothes, and later for sewing supplies and fabric.

But its most recent purpose is to house beautiful beads!

Hugs,

Daring to De-stash

Posted on July 28, 2009 by crystal

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! 🙂