As if I needed any more challenges in life, but apparently I do;
because last month, I added another task to my portfolio, by challenging myself to help an older family member declutter items which have been in the family for at least 60 years, and possibly longer.
As the expression goes, ‘What was I thinking?’ Some rather vainglorious and grandiose thoughts, I must confess, especially considering I haven’t even finished decluttering my home. Be that as it may, part of the challenge, for me, is to learn how to sell online.
And I am learning….. things like, it’s not easy to get your product noticed, and it’s not easy to make any money. ( I can hear some of the writers among you having a knowing giggle!) So far, I have had 5 sales out of the 6 items placed on the New Zealand equivalent of eBay, known as Trade Me. I have made enough for two cups of coffee. 😀
Take a look at what I have done, and what I may do yet to add some cream to the coffee.
Sold!
Sold! a beautiful, unfinished retro tray cloth
Sold!
Sold! Vintage crochet thread remnants
Yet to sell!
Yet to sell! Vintage embroidery cottons and nasturtium embroidery piece
Unsold! Unwanted? Unloved? Uncool?
Unsold, potentially unwanted! Powder puff and crochet holder.
Yet to list!
Lister’s knitting silk, reels and cotton; possibly antique
Looking at these photos, you might ask, wouldn’t it be easier and more efficient to help by dispatching everything to a thrift store or a skiff? Undoubtedly it would.
BUT
my heart says every item in my relative’s house arrived there through love and/or hard work, and often via much saving of pennies. Cottons and threads, for example, would have been gifted, or chosen with care and extreme thrift. At one time, they meant a great deal to someone or other in my extended family. They gave pleasure, and comfort, and much-needed beauty, and, sometimes, a little extra cash. So, the very least I can do is honour them and give them a gracious, kindly send-off to a new home. 🙂
PS (post strands): Many of you will know that on 22nd February we, the people of Christchurch, will commemorate the 5th anniversary of the ruinous earthquake of 2011. Most of us were hoping for an easier and quieter commemoration than in other years. We were beginning to feel well- adjusted to the ‘new normal’. Unfortunately, the peace in our minds was badly scrambled by a 5.7 earthquake last week. Old, unwelcome memories came racing back. And, as the ground has rumbled and rocked all week to varying degrees, the old memories have taken a firm hold again.
Preparing the old threads and cottons for sale, holding them, admiring them, wondering about them, saying goodbye, reminds me that although we say, in times of natural disaster, that possessions are unimportant, that is not entirely true. Possessions have their own ‘life’, their own history, which is intimately connected to ours. As I write I am remembering all those people in Christchurch who lost homes and belongings 5 years ago, and who didn’t have the luxury of saying a proper goodbye to them and everything they represented; memories, love, beauty, place, friends, birthdays, hard work, extravagance, thrift, income, hope, laughter, grief……..
And on another strand; the small island nation of Fiji is tonight meeting one of the greatest challenges in its history ~ Cyclone Winston https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/02/19/catastrophic-cyclone-winston-bears-down-on-fijis-main-island-in-worst-case-scenario/ Please hold Fiji and its people tight in your thoughts over the next few days as they face the prospect of losing life and property.
© silkannthreades
silkannthreades 