Do any of you have a Room of the House that is both a Favorite... and also the most of a Wreck at the Moment? That would be the Diningroom for me... it Houses some of my Favorite things... and right now, because it's also one of the least utilized Family Rooms, it has the most clutter and chaos that needs clearing out! *Le Sigh*
It often becomes the Room I bring New Acquisitions to until they have a permanent place to be... just so that they're out of the way but not out of sight so that I forget about them or can't remember where I stashed them!? *Smiles* I'm Notorious for that... Misplacement of things because if they're out of Sight they tend to be out of Mind. And then Time goes by and I either completely forget that I have them or I can't remember for the Life of me where I put them unless they're in plain view?!?
And so right now I have an inordinate amount of New Found Treasures that are stashed in there in plain sight... too many in fact... and also piles of New Inventory that needs Processing for the Showroom and Loft Spaces. So it's all quite a Hot Mess... a Beautiful Hot Mess to be sure... but a Hot Mess nonetheless!!! And I'm Conflicted about being in the Room even though it's filled with many of my Favorite Objects and Collections... and not just because it's difficult to Navigate thru the too much currently stashed in there! *Winks* But also because on the one hand I Enjoy Beholding it all... like my Old Spools of Vintage Velvet just procured from the big End of Season Sale at MELROSE VINTAGE... but on the other hand there's such Chaos, Clutter and Disorder in there that it reminds me how much Work is yet to be done to get it all together! *Le Sigh*
Finding the right Space and Place for everything is often easier said than done around here... some Treasures wouldn't fare well in certain Rooms that are used a lot and need total Function. And the Rotation of Collections into Vignettes, along with Storage when they're not in Rotation... can be a particular Challenge when you are at Saturation Point. Not to mention in the Process of Culling the Hoard of Lovelies in a Monumental Edit and Purge that seems to go on Forever and a Day... which just adds to the perpetual Messiness right now as things are being Sorted and Curated.
The "Keepers" tend to get Sidelined as you wade through the Rest... those things that need to be dealt with first so they can be Processed for Inventory or readied for a Charity Shop Run to get them banished from the Kingdom Forever. *Winks*
And it's not as if many of the "Keepers" aren't things that you use often... and so it's important to get them Placed, at least Temporarily, where they can be Seen and Found easily so that you're not on frustrating Search Missions for that Special Object you want to use or wear daily.
This is precisely why most of my Bohemian Bling is out in plain sight and placed in Vignettes rather than Jewelry Boxes or Drawers... because if I can't See it then it almost doesn't Exist in the Realm of my Memory Banks! *LOL* I don't mind Bling Clutter that much, it doesn't Disturb me like the other Beautiful Clutter and Mess.
But too much is too much... and I know full well that in due Time I will have to wade thru all of the Excess and Dispose of it one way or another. And as the layers of the Great Edit and Purge are Exposed and I Proceed... well... it does get harder as the Emotional Attachments to the Primo Good Stuff that I must Cull begins in earnest.
Ploughing thru the Pretty and Nice... the things I wasn't Attached to or didn't Like or Love very much or had totally Gotten Over was a breeze and so that went quickly and Well. But things do slow down as you start to get to the Better Stuff and aren't as difinitive above whether or not to Sell or Donate those items that you're not able to make instantaneous decisions about as you Edit and Purge. The "Keepers" are easy to Identify and the Decision is Clear because the Love Affair will Abide, probably for a very long time if not Forever... but the Clarity of the other Stuff you probably should or must Let Go of... gets foggy and not so focused.
And so I've often found myself in a very Out of Character State of limited Procrastination to Tackle it... at least without Help... because I know Time must be Invested to get thru it and have a Peace about the whole Process as things Move Out and will never come back. I need an Objective Eye with no Attachment whatsoever to any of it... so the G-Kid Force is out of the question... because even once I have firmly decided to Let Go... sometimes they ask if it can be Kept?!? And we come Full Circle to back where we started and not making Progress! *LOL*
I know that I have enough Space for all the "Keepers"... and the 1~5 Rule has definitely Aided me on being Selective and Discerning... and a whole lot less Impulsive about what comes in because five must go out to offset that one New Purchase!
And lets face it... for us Avid Junquers who Live and Breathe the Thrill Of The Hunt... for us Incurable Collectors who have many Loves and Rescues for the Love of Old... it's not as if we're not going to drag something Home no matter how much is Edited and Purged as we go forth! *Winks* When I Discover one of my Fav Collectibles at a Bargain, or is a no cost Rescue... well, Clearly it's coming Home with me... whether or not I Intend to have it become a "Keeper" or have it Pass Through me at some Future point in Time!
And so I fully realize that this Process... this Cycle of Editing, Purging, Culling and Curating is likely to not have a beginning nor an end... it has become somewhat of a Lifestyle. And as my Vision and Purpose Expands to turn Passion and Deep Mysterious Urges into Profit as well, it has certainly Helped the Cause Feel more Justified and less Selfish or Intensely Personal or about mere Ownership and Acquisition. I Feel more like a Steward actually of these Found Treasures and Rescued Objects.
Sure, many would probably have numerous Advocates for Preservation because of their mass Appeal... but then there are 'The Others'... and those of you with Quirky or Eclectic Leanings fully Understand about 'The Others'. Those Oddities and Curiosities that many or most would shun or totally dismiss as completely devoid of Value or worthy of being Redeemed and Saved. But which for us might actually hold the most Urgency in Salvaging or finding renewed Purpose for!
And so it is... and so it goes... this dichotomy of it was the Worst of Times and it was the Best of Times here at Bohemian Valhalla... where the most Cherished of Objects Shares Space with those that will be Leaving us and Moving On... as soon as I can get around to it...
And in the meantime they meld into a Beautiful Hot Mess... which sometimes doesn't look so Beautiful to me at all and just looks like a Hot Mess that I want to be done with and Gone... and which sometimes even threatens to Overwhelm if I've allowed it to linger too long due to Avoidance... or defer to other Obligations and Commitments or Crisis that must take Priority and move to the forefront! *Le Sigh*
Yes it's a constant Battle... almost a War in fact that is being waged Daily around here... and it's Self Imposed because at any point in time I could just STOP. Yeah, right... what a Joke huh, like that could actually happen or is gonna happen!???!??? At times I think that I could do it... just STOP... well, 'til the next 'Fix' has me Jonesin' to Discover or Create something New... or Rescue something that just happens to cross my Path and would be absolutely Agonizing to leave behind like a Wounded comrade and knowing you're it's only Hope! And there is that other 'Issue'... the one where you actually Feel that somehow... and you don't fully Understand Why because it defies adequate Explanation... you Feel In Purpose to be doing this... and Out of Purpose when you don't.
We aren't always entirely Comfortable with Our Purpose... especially when there is Discomfort in being In Purpose at some levels and Requires more of us than we'd like to be Expending. Regardless of how much Love is involved... there is also always the Sacrifice... of Time, Talent and Treasure.
And of the Issues of Life often getting in the way and Consuming a great deal of that too!
And so it can be a very delicate Balance... and keeping Centered thru it all... and some days we're more out of kilter than others and everything doesn't always line up... or there aren't enough hours in the Day... or... or... or... ______________________ {You fill in the Blank}
And I'm fairly Certain you "Feel Me" because if you're here at all we probably share more Similarities than Differences... if the Visuals Intrigue and draw you in... or the Story of the Post... then you've already made that Connection of having a Point of Reference to what this is all about and our Experience probably isn't all that different. We're carrying something worth being baggage sometimes... and how long and for how far remains uncertain and untold at this point on the Journey.
But the Preservation of Beauty and History needs Dedicated Stewards and Advocates... and I suppose we're the ones who were Assigned the Mission...
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian