Is Your Antique Trash or Treasure?

So what treasures do you have? Have you found anything old in the attic or basement?

The very moment you find that antique tea service tucked away in your attic, illusions of fabulous wealth take hold.

Who knew your great grandmother hid this rare treasure all those years ago? Maybe a famous artist painted it on his death bed in the 19th century, or perhaps a royal used it when entertaining dignitaries.

Or maybe you've watched too many episodes of Antiques Roadshow and it's just junk from your attic.

How do you know if you've got something special on your hands? And if so, what should you do with it?

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This "trash to treasure " phenomena is more than it's cracked up to be.

The keepsakes that we've cherished to hand down to our children eventually....have no charm nor a place in the homes of our children these days. In our modernized society, our treasures are kitchy and tacky. So why have we clung to them for all of these years? When we realize that our children and grandchildren have no use for them....we seek out an antique dealer who will only scan over one's treasures and scoffingly say..."Oh...that's worth 2 bucks....I'll give you 10 bucks for that...or 50 cents for all of that"! All of this hype about collecting because it will someday be worth something, is like buying a ticket for a lottery. But still....we hang on to all of our stuff...for our "kids" and hoping that it will be worth something someday. We drag it all around with us from place to place and eventually, we nestle into our retirement home....still clinging to our keepsakes. I know!! I'm doing that!! and my apartment is cluttered and full of it.
Hmmmmm...will my Granddaughter eventually wish that she had any of this stuff?

Soooooo...I should just pack it all up...all of those things that are taking up oh-so-much of my space and causing me concern about what will I do with it if I should have to move into even smaller accomodations....eg....a Senior's Home...our what will my Son do with it all if I should "kick-the-bucket!!

Why do I keep it all? Mainly because I love it and it's all been such a huge part of my life. How does one break ties with those things that we are so attached to?!!!!!

Over the past few years, I've donated so many of my belongings to charities and much as I want to do that, it breaks my heart to cast my posessions away.

An alternative would be to make "treasures" out of some of my unused possesions (trash)....but who'd-the-heck would want those! That was something that I might have done in my crafty days of yore...but today, my craftiness is impotent for the lack of anyone lovin' such creations.

Soooooooo.....I must muster up my will-power and energy once again and line up my donation bags and begin to toss!

But Lordy!! whatever will I do with my precious keepsakes and my china and crystal and my fancy china tea-cups!!

And then.....I do love my humungous wardrobe...that I've depleted and depleted....yet remaining....is enough of a wardrobe to attire my entire apartment building!

Lord! teach me and give me the will to simplify my possessions!

Maybe our Lord needs your support in encouraging each of us to downsize! What hints do you all have to share?

I know how you feel Willows.
I have two china cabinets full of china cups and saucers
and antique dishes, some belonged to my mother and some from
my grandmother.
China cups and saucers meant so much to me but now the younger
generation don't want them because they can't be put in a microwave or dishwasher.

I have donated some things to church auctions but it was hard for me to part with them.
If we ever have to move to an apartment there will be a lot of
items that will have to go somewhere.
There is a museum in the nearest town but they have more items
than they have room for and can't take anymore unless they can
find a larger building.

Willows - don't really have any hints but do recommend that you don't try and do everything all at once.... take baby steps instead when it comes to simplifying. I had been thinning stuff out at least a year before we moved a few years ago. I'm glad I started early because we had to get rid of a lot of "stuff" because we were downsizing to a house half the size! When I was getting ready to pack for the move, I recalled years earlier.... all the time and hard work involved in having to clean out anything and everything from relatives apartments - after their somewhat unexpected move to a Nursing Home. As a result of those less than positive experiences I decided to start giving away some of my dining room "treasures" and other goodies to my family, which for the most part they were happy to receive. I did try and sell some new gift items/craft supplies.... at rock bottom prices.... at a couple of yard sales but found buyers to be generally difficult if not rude. I thought it would be better to donate to a worthwile charity instead so my local and very popular Mennonite Thrift store was the recepient of a lot of various items. As for my hubby's surplus "guy" stuff.... that's a project for our next move.