Fresh starts and gingham checks

I like graph paper. I like to make to-do lists on graph paper so I can draw a tidy little box next to each item and mark it off when the chore is done. That's probably why I like gingham. And January. A fresh calendar, a new year, all those open calendar squares filled with nothing but possibility. I spent a lot of January thinking about fresh starts. More to the point, I spent a lot of January doing some particularly non-blogworthy activities but getting what feels like a good beginning.

One piece of fabric, one color of thread, and a hundred different designs that can result from it. This is chicken scratch embroidery, which also has been called depression lace and gingham lace. (I think I like those names even more.)

The reason I have my gingham aprons out is because I'm selling them. Actually, I'm selling pretty much my whole apron collection. It feels good. Every year I go on a decluttering binge in January - I think a lot of us do - and somehow it never quite works. Now, I'm not a big fan of self-help books, and when I heard a radio talk show advertise an upcoming interview with the author of the book "Throw Out Fifty Things," I mentally - perhaps actually - rolled my eyes. Been there before. If you ask me, 50 is on the low end of the decluttering scale.

But I enjoyed the interview enough to read the first chapter of the book on Amazon (you can read it here), and here's the part that made an impression on me: She's not talking about 50 items. She's talking about, say, 50 collections. If you pack up 50 of your old books, you aren't done. That's not 50 things. That's one thing: your old books.

And somehow, that made a lot of sense to me.

By the end of this week, I'll have sold (or given away) at least 50 aprons. I had a good collection. I've even exhibited them a few places locally. But for the past few years I've had them stored in a huge vintage suitcase. Every once in a while I'd forget what was in the suitcase, and I'd open it up and see the aprons. And I was not excited to see them. It was more like seeing a relative you know you should love but don't really enjoy.

So the aprons: that's one thing. I took boxes and boxes of books to our local library yesterday for their annual sale. That's two. Vintage wallpaper, vintage millinery - out. I have washed, pressed, folded, photographed, sold and shipped literally hundreds of yards of fabric in the last couple of weeks: All the fabric that I said I'd sell someday has either been sold or will be in another week or two. An attic closet filled with household whatnots - cleaned. So I think I'm up to around six things. It seems like a lot of work to have only six things to claim, but I think that's the point.

So that's where I'm at and what I've been up to. (Can I just say how nice it was to hear from some of you who wondered where I'd been? That was just very kind.)

Am I done collecting? Not a chance.

Am I done sorting? Not a chance of that, either.

(I'm adding this only because some of you will ask: If you're ever interested in what I'm selling on eBay, you can always search by my seller name, kremisclub. I wanted this post to be something other than a big old advertisement.)  

 

 

  

Comments

[Shanna]

Glad to see you came back to us. I was starting to get worried that you had completely given up on treasures. ;)

[Ruthann]

Welcome back! I checked every day, and today, voila!

[Poppy]

Yay! You're back! I look forward to more Tales from Oodlesland.

[freckledhen]

I admire you! I'm glad you are okay, freeing yourself from stuff is hard and you make it sound easy, and you make it look pretty, too!

[julie thompson]

I was wondering where you were but then thought to myself "She must be organizing/decluttering or something" ;-) I know exactly how you feel about your aprons; I have been feeling the same way about some of my craft stash. I've given most of it to my thrift store but am trying to find the time to list some of it on etsy. I WILL get to it...your post is inspiring me to get it done. Now I need to think of the "50 things" in a new way too.

[Renee]

I cannot tell you the number of times I checked to make sure I didn't miss a post. It is nice to see you have been knee deep in vintage clutter. Did some cleaning out myself. Smiles...Renee

[Christie Wilhte]

So glad you are back--I have missed your posts! I am in the process of decluttering myself and what a task it is! Good luck!

[Kathy]

Good to have you back! Bravo and bravo again on your big clean. I love how you described the way you feel about the aprons. I have a collection of vintage canning jars I really need to search my soul about. They take up a LOT of space that I could be using for something else. They were important to me once but not so much any more. Thank you for the food for thought!

[Sandra]

Like others, I was checking on you every day. You have become my favorite blogger and you were regular in your up dates. Glad to hear it wasn't something serious that kept you away. I need to pare down too, but hard to let go. Maybe I can get inspired now.

[pam]

Glad you are back. I am so disappointed that I missed some of your auctions! I think you need a link on your sidebar along with your etsy shop.
I love old aprons and have quite a few myself. They are folded in a basket. Love all your gingham ones. Love that rick rack along the bottoms. Pam

[Tina]

Missed you!

[Kat]

I posted a comment this morning and now it's gone. I'm glad to hear you are all right- was getting worried!
Loved the gingham aprons. I couldn't get rid of the few I have.
Welcome back.

[Carol @ Old Glory Cottage]

Even though I checked in here every day to see if there was a new post from you, I just knew that you were doing something productive during your blog break! Six things. That's huge! I've been filling at least one apple box each week, up in the attic, in hopes of selling it all at the big whoop de doo of a sale I plan on having this Fall. I thought it would be rough letting go of it all, but the hardest part will be finding someone to carry it all down the stairs...

[Lavender Dreams]

It's a lot more fun to collect but we all get too much to keep it all! I'll go see what you are selling! Enjoy your weekend! ♥

[Mitzi Curi]

What a wonderful feeling it must be to declutter, downsize, and make money in one fell swoop! I'm definitely going to look you up on eBay. Vintage wallpaper is something I'm always looking for....

[Lisa W.]

You're back ! Thank goodness !

[Martha]

These gingham aprons with the chicken scratch embroidery are killing me -- I would love to copy the patterns, but I don't think I could bring myself to sell them. They're so beautiful.

[Lena]

Goodness, I wish I'd been that productive on my January break! LOL! I needed the rest though, so, I'm trying not to feel guilty. I really need to sort through and declutter too. Good for you!

[Vicki]

O.K. Now I think I need to get started on thinning out at least 5 categories...Thank Goodness I didn't know about the big Ebay sale or I would be the proud new owner of your former stuff!!! Glad to see you are back!