Where did all this STUFF come from?

About two weeks ago, I decided to start decluttering. We're trying to put a better spin on it though. We've decided to tell folks, "We're beginning to consolidate as we anticipate downsizing in the foreseeable future."


More precisely, between the two of us, we've been putting "stuff" in this house for over 35 years. As with most folks, more has come in than has ever gone out. It's one of the down points of staying in one place too long. No one has ever forced us to thin it out. At least when you move frequently, you have to go through all that accumulated stuff once in a while.

Actually, it seemed easy enough. I needed something from a shelf in the basement and had to move several things that were in front of what I wanted. As I moved them, it dawned on me that the only time I even looked at these things was when I needed to get something from that shelf. I really am not appreciating them. They're just sitting there - year in, year out. I brought all three of those items with me when I moved in. All three have sat on an out-of-the-way shelf for well more than a decade (or two). I came to the conclusion that someone else might love them more, now.

As they really are collectible items, I thought it should be easy enough to simply list them in my Etsy shop as Etsy allows the sale of handmade items, supplies and VINTAGE pieces. Etsy defines "vintage" as at least 20 years old. These things definitely qualified there. I took a few minutes and photographed them, scribbled down a description, determined a value and posted them in a new "Vintage" section in my shop.

I made the mistake of mentioning this at dinner. The Big Guy embraced the idea with open arms and proceeded to point out all kinds of merchandise we could sell just to clean it out of our house.

Check out all the vintage items that have been packed away in one small cabinet for over 25 years, never seeing the light of day in that time! Most are actually bonafide collectibles, too. In order to list these things in the shop, I need to research each one as to it's origin, manufacturer, etc. (These were not mine to begin with so I'm learning about each as I go along.) This has been no easy quick task. It is quite tedious and time consuming. And, then...

There's the challenge of getting each item photographed. Glassware and miniature items are quite difficult to get good shots of. It has been a learning experience all 'round for me. Believe me, I'm still learning in this area.

At least I HOPE I am learning as my photography skills NEED improvement - LOTS of improvement. For now, I tell folks I really need a better camera!)