I was inspired by Isabella Stuart Gardner

I love the Isabella Stuart Gardner museum; the architecture, the layout, the atrium, the collection, the way the walls are arrayed in lots and lots of art.  This was my inspiration for my home.  I could not afford original paintings, but do have a few.  One is by a fellow parishioner and the others I stumbled in a yard/estate sales and consignment shops.  I had a few framed needlepoint and crewel pieces, some my mom did, some I did.  

These past 10 or so years I have expanded my collection with lots and lots of stuff from yard sales, estate, sales, 2nd hand shops and eBay.  I tried to keep to a limit of $25. per item and did so most time. I have so enjoyed the vast array of "art" that I have been surrounded with.


I knew I would have to remove most of it to make my home ready for potential buyers.  The display pleased me, but would be way too distracting and could keep possible buyers from seeing the good design and potential of the place.  

These past few weeks I've been living with the stripped down minimalist look and find myself enjoying that.  So, I will need to make many, many  decisions about which things I will keep when I move and which ones I won't.  I'm delaying serious processing of this until I know what my new home will look like.

When I started stacking and storing all that came down, I was more that a bit stunned by the sheer volume.  It fills, from floor to ceiling, one end of a closet.  Yikes!!!  Deciding stay or go will be hard, as I really am fond of just about all I have acquired.


Sorting through photographs was not that hard.   I had albums, boxes, and stacks.  Over a year ago I did the first sort of some.  I purchased an accordion file box and sorted the ones I am keeping by subject: me, my girls, my immediate family, friends, relatives, my homes, my pets, scenery I can't bear to part with, etc., etc.  It has 26 sections, so I came up with 26 groups.  As I saw the number of photos going into each section it got easier and easier to realize I didn't need that many of any one event, person, place.

I've recently gone through all the albums.  As i turned pages from saw lots and lots of photos of places I could not name, people I could not make out, and for those I could, multiples. 

I selected my favorite in each category and the rest went.  I have eliminated 10 albums and added those pix I am keeping  to the accordion file.  I have decided to keep the 2 from my trip to Africa.  After I move I will go through them very carefully and scan the ones I must keep, already have about a dozen scanned, printed in 8 x 10 and framed.  Am thinking maybe 5 or 6 more.  These will be displayed where I can enjoy them and truly, I simply do not need to keep the rest.

The accordion file is packed and needs further sorting, but at least I have reduced it to an amount I might even look at on occasion.

I was able to let go of pictures of people and places when I reminded myself that I was not letting go of the person or experience or memory of the place.  That lives in me and will be there forever.  The images are imprinted in my mind.  All these pictures have been piles of stuff too many and too cumbersome to even bother with.

This simplifying and letting go feels good.  I haven't lost weight, but I do feel lighter!