Wisdom and advice for parting with sentimental items?
quasifish
12 years ago
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LuAnn_in_PA
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agodawnp
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
My husband's parents items - what to do
Comments (11)A couple of items caught my eye: The butter/jello molds and that very special tea/coffee cup. If the molds are carved of wood, these are likely butter molds. The cup that appears as a child's cup is most likely a Mustache Cup! Get a positive ID on this. If it is a mustache cup, its a keeper. This type of cup was popular when men wore bushy, shaggy mustaches. It kept his mustache out of the brew when he sipped. Of course, it was more difficult to wash. A serving set would have had mostly standard cups with one or two mustache cups. Note there is a nose relief molded into the guard. The copper teapot and acompaning pieces may have value. get an apprisal before selling. Do not destroy the patina. The pressed/molded glass-ware may not be of high value except for pieces that may have caught the attention of collectors. The value of this stuff goes up and down as dictated by the eye of the beholder. All the ceramic pieces have more value potential than the pressed glass. The prettily decorated floral pieces may hold surprises. Its my opinion that all the plastic ware is of low value, however, I am not an expert in these matters. Some of the very early pieces may have begun to appreciate. If among the collected 'trash' you find momentos marked "made in occupied Japan", these are collectibles. My advice: Get an appraisal. It can't hurt and it helps if you know that you are not disposing of valuable heirlooms....See MoreSentimental...but you don't like it
Comments (43)"My DH is pretty livid that I want to use the table, he thought I had dragged it out b/c I was ready to be rid of it. He thinks it's hideous and it doesn't hold any sentimental or aesthetic value to him. Maybe with a cover and a little catch-all basket on it he won't be so annoyed LOL!" Melle, from what you've shared here you have an item that is in terrible shape, that you have no use for, no obvious space for and that your husband desperately wants to get out of the house....so why hold on to it?!?! I have always liked that Willliam Morris decorating philososophy 'If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.' I know how easy to get into the mind trap of what you COULD do with something. You could paint it. You could stain it. You could sand down the top. Or replace it. Or sew a cover. Or move it....and if after all the years an item has been sitting you haven't actually been motivated to do any of those things, then for goodness' sake, it ain't happening. I am still wrestling with getting rid of my own sentimental attachment: my dining room table and chairs. They belonged to my mother, who died young. The first nice furniture she and my dad ever bought etc. I even purchased a hutch from the same furniture company many years later to finish the set. And guess what: I really don't care for the style and several of the rush chair seats are again falling apart--years ago I already went through an expensive nightmare fixing them. Although I would like to replace the furniture I get a pang thinking of getting rid of this stuff, as if I'm getting rid of my mother's memory which is silly of course. So I'm as guilty as anyone of hanging on to sentiment when function and style are long gone from the items. Good luck! Ann...See MoreAll ideas and advice appreciated! (long sorry)
Comments (21)Am I going crazy or am I seeing FOUR Calendars there? Oh dear, that can't be helping the serenity need one bit. Like a continuous honking reminder of the full time work and stress levels. Even if they are not calendars but some other necessary info providers, get them out of your face and consolidated somewhere else, maybe by the table. Then put something simple and really beautiful over that sink. Store the little pictures and most (all?) the decorative things on the counter. Whew. Much better. On the decorating front, seems you have several styles (country/contemporary/traditional), color schemes (green & lemon yellow v black & white & mustard), and focal points or themes in competition (arched window, glassware collection, B/W bistro checks, sunflowers). It is like too many directions at once, any of which would be fine alone, KWIM? There needs to be more dominance of one thing and then supporting roles - does that make sense? Like if the check/sunflower accessories are going to drive the show, then the wall paint maybe could be more mustardy and less lemony. And the window treatment maybe a lighter or darker solid mustard tone edged with the check in the same scale as the accesories. Maybe hammered copper sunflower embossed pieces at the sink and range. And store the glassware because it neither supports nor enhances the main themes and colors. It all gets much more harmonious and less fragmented. Disciplined editing and a few minor tweaks will solve much of what is troubling you visually. Prioritize among the colors and themes and go for it. Employ the Sweeby test method (see FAQ ). As for function, sounds like you do miss your island. There are many free standing narrow island pieces that could meet your functional need in the short term. It may be possible to patch your flooring and put in a larger more functional island down the road, plumbed for your DW and with a MW spot. Take your time and explore options before commiting to a costly change. Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ - look on left for Sweeby test link...See MoreRight-sized & struggling with large sentimental art and other photos
Comments (7)Do you need a mirror by the front door? I haven't had a mirror by the entryways in our last two houses and have not missed. I would rather see color and art. For me, art has always been the last thing I do after a move. Even if that meant my collection sat it laundry baskets and crates for a few months. Also, it allowed me to feel the new place first. I would rather get it right the first time Since our last move, I still have numerous large and two crates of smaller art pieces in my cloffice I do not want to part with. I added a few more to walls after living here ten months, as the empty spaces started to bother me. I also hang art inside walk-in closets and pantries when there is space. Another line of thinking is favorite pieces do not necessarily need to be in public spaces. I agree with everything in @Aphaea's comment. Especially that less is sometimes more. More is more can only work in the right spaces....See Moregraywings123
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