shopping in the attic

In the run up to the move, we did a lot of what my friend Pat calls "de-accessioning." I would guess that we sold or gave away more than half of our stuff. And since we moved from a house with over 3000 square feet (plus basement, large attic, 3 car garage and shed) into 1350 square feet (with no garage or basement or shed) that is definitely a good thing!

And thank goodness for the small attic space we DO have! There, we created our very own strip mall yesterday. Everything useful that we want to keep but don't have room for in the house is being categorized and placed into the appropriate "store," complete with its own sign. So far, we have ToysRUs, Linens and Things, Memorobilia Matters, The Christmas Tree Shop, Travel Treasures and The Golf Shop.

Upon entering the short door to the attic (even I have to bend down to go through!) there is a floored area about 11x 15 square feet, some of it only a few feet high and all of it affected by varying degrees by rafters. The shops are around the periphery, and in the center is the "anchor store," TJMiriam (named after my mother, the shopper), containing 3 garment boxes which we may never open and lots of boxes of clothing and shoes we may never wear. As a side note, those who know Rich will be amused to know he just willingly went up to measure the space for the benefit of blog accuracy. He knows how I tend to exaggerate!

So the idea for the strip mall is this: whenever we think we need something, we go shop in the attic first. Old stuff has a way of looking new when you haven't seen it for awhile. Although there are so many wonderful new shops around here which I will enjoy checking out, Rich and I have agreed that we are going to try REALLY hard not to bring more stuff into the house unless we REALLY need it and we REALLY can't find something we already have that will serve the purpose. So, if anyone is even THINKING about giving us a house warming present, please don't.

I have to say, it really wasn't that hard to part with our stuff. Most of the things we liked went to people we care about who were able to actually USE it. And although they are way too much work for the money they produce, I kind of love having a good garage sale. There is something exhilarating about watching someone's face light up when they find something that makes them happy and only costs a quarter (my standard garage sale prices are a quarter or a dollar). I think of it as participatory recycling.

I reached a point of exhaustion before we moved when I was tempted to just chuck everything. I am so glad I didn't. I have the stuff I have because it suits me and makes me smile. For the most part, I have been happy to see most everything we have unpacked. And, with a fresh perspective, it is easier to identify the stuff I DON'T love in time to give it away before it becomes ingrained here.  I can only think of one thing I got rid of that I regret: a little match holder my great aunt Mary gave me. I had never used it and thought I probably never would, so it went into a pile. What I realize now is that the reason I love most of my things is that they remind me of someone I love. They don't necessary have to DO anything, they are just trigger for fond memories.