Yesterday I shared one of my favorite organizing tips at my friend Laura’s blog. To reduce sentimental clutter I live by the motto, “Take a picture it lasts longer!” By saying that I don’t mean the physical item will last longer, but I am talking about the memories attached to the item. There are so many things we hold onto in life that remind us of fonder times or people that we have loved or perhaps lost. The physical item may not necessarily do more than collect dust and take up space, but when we see the item we remember those special times.
I shared my story before about letting go of the outfit I wore on my first date with my husband. It wasn’t like I didn’t have space for it, but I realized I hadn’t worn the outfit in 5 years and that clued me into the fact that it might be time to let it go! I wasn’t using it. It was just taking up space. Getting rid of the item does not negate the fact that we went on our first date or remove that memory from existence. I took a picture of the outfit so one day when my daughter and I are chatting about clothing and dating and stuff like that I can say “Oh, this is what I wore when Mommy and Daddy went on our first date.” Instead of pulling out a dusty outfit we can reminisce over photos!
Today Laura shared how she was able to let go of a stuffed animal her brother had given her way back when. It is her brother that she loves and she loves the sentiment that he bought her this bear so long ago and she captured all of that very well in this photo don’t you think! …
Now I know it is hard to let go of the stuff, So I want to give you a little challenge. Start taking pictures of some of your cherished memories that might be sitting in boxes and get creative with your photography. You don’t have to be a pro! Find creative ways like Laura did to add a description in the photo or just write a description in your favorite photo editing software. Then, make sure you back up your photos!
Perhaps you will like this activity and find yourself willing to let go and maybe not. But here is what I want you to think about. Your memories will not withstand flood and fire, so regardless if you want to let go of the physical item now, start taking steps to document what you do have fond memories of. How much more devastating would it be if you lost everything due to a disaster? At least by taking some action now, in case something did happen, you would have a digital keepsake of your memories. As an added bonus you can put your photography and creativeness to the test and have fun with this little project.
What would be the first thing you would take a picture of?
* You can now join us every Friday in the Picture My Memories challenge, take a picture and share your memories on your blog!
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I so need to do this. I have even thought about scanning all of my college notebooks. Yes, I have them still. I used to sell my notes because I was such a perfectionist. They are beautiful and mathematical works of art. I know this will help with the kids stuff too. Great post!
Great idea! I took a photo of my hubby’s 40th birthday poster that everyone signed and put in on a page in our scrapbook.
GREAT Post! Thank you so much for sharing this idea!
Great advice!
I have a friend who ripped out the pages of her yearbook that she was on, as well as any with special notes. Then, she threw out the rest. She admits that might have been going a BIT too far. To each his own!
I have a few photographs of some things I threw out before my move http://www.flickr.com/photos/tygerlotus/2532852712/
I would really LIKE to photograph my ancient stuffed “Kitty.” I doubt my husband would let me get rid of it, though – he’s a bit sentimental and has kept ALL of his childhood menagerie. Scary.
This is great advice: I tried this last fall and it worked great! Before I gave away a whole bunch of clothes last fall, I took pictures of each item, including this black dress with white polka dots:
http://elisabethbucci.posterous.com/an-easy-way-to-blog-0
It’s a great way to declutter: hang on to the memories and not the stuff! I felt so cleansed after doing it. I highly recommend it!
And it you don’t get around to scrapbooking the memory, you can just write about it in posterous (which I use) or tumblr (same idea): easy-peasy.
Good luck!
I love this tip! Taking pictures and making a scrap book of these treasured memories taking up space is a wonderful of idea.
I saw a beautiful photo book online. The Mother took pictures of her favorite pieces of preschool art, and integrated photos of the child, into a lovely keepsake. I was just comparing prices at the photo websites because I am going to do this with 3 portfolios I have stuffed with preschool masterpieces! Ready to find my favorite art, take photos, and get rid of all that construction paper clutter!
That is awesome Carla! That will make such a nice keepsake and will hold up so much better than the original artwork. That is another thing to consider!
This is a great idea. I did this with my trophies and awards from high school. So much effort went into getting them, but they were taking up so much space! I took pictures of them all and then ditched them. It was harder than I thought to do it, but I’m hoping to do that more as I prepare to move from my current home to a new one.
I feel it is always hard in the beginning but the more you do it the easier it gets. You still have your trophies just in another form. A much smaller space saving format! :)
Great post – love the way to gently present the idea and the teddy bear pic is great.