Winter White and All Is Nice…

I am a things collector… I collect just about anything that makes the room look warm and cozy.  The problem is I have to clean all the cute warm and cozy things that sit around.  I am constantly dusting because we burn wood in the winter.  I have been dusting some of the same statues, flower arrangements, paperweights and picture frames for as long as I can remember. I look at all the cute things that I have been looking at for over 20 years and wonder, “Is it worth it?”

I open the magazines and look at the beautiful, clean, white living rooms and long for the soothing, dust free surface that looks so inviting.  What keeps me from creating this soothing, clean environment?  Could it be that I don’t want to offend a family member that gave me the paperweight 20 years ago?  Could it be that I feel I will never get another paperweight again?  Both are unrealistic. 

I decided I would take a picture holding the beloved paperweight and document the cherished treasure.  As a matter a fact, I decided it would be easy to start going through all my rooms and start sorting through what is a cherished memory and what should be a current treasure. 

Too much clutter can create an environment of feeling overwhelmed.  It can actually trigger a ripple effect of spending more to make that 20 year old paperweight look fresh, new and exciting.  I finally decided to solicit the advice of a friend to help me weed out the clutter.  We had a lot of fun sorting through the “things” that cluttered my world.   New Year’s Resolution….”Shop wisely through 2016 and no more clutter!”

By Davine Conover