Wednesday, March 16, 2011

The story of a box.

Meet my box.



She's lovely, right? Little ribbon design, "jewel" decoration, shiny bronze paper covering it? The inside has a mirror and two ribbon "hinges" on each side. The box came to me as part of a makeup kit I ordered online and I have NEVER USED IT. The makeup has been used up or given away but the box remains. Even the plastic protective cover on the mirror is still there.

But here it sits, in my Room of Doom. Why???? Because it might be useful some day. I hear people saying this exact phrase on those hoarding TV shows all time time and yet those words come out of my mouth, too. When is that some day going to be? 2045? It hasn't happened yet. But each and every time I try to get rid of this piece of velcro clutter it clings even tighter. I come up with MORE reasons why I need to keep it! Or, I find that suddenly my attention is needed elsewhere (anywhere but here) and the box goes back on a pile for another month. Sad, but true.

I do honestly believe this box is useful. But how long will it sit here until it becomes useful to me? I am afraid to think about how long I can hold out.

Do you guys have demons like these? If you are clutter-y folk like me, you will get it. Someone who's found this blog and doesn't "get" clutter will think I am just plum crazy. And they may be right.

ps -- does anyone need a box? :)

6 comments:

  1. It is quite cute lol, I so get where you are coming from, I have one or two velcro items but I'm working on it :)

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  2. I have been reading your blog for a little while and I thought I would just write and say thank you for some vey useful tips as I try to de-clutter my tiny little home.

    I too have a velcro item that is very similar to yours, although not quite so pretty but I love it. It was also a cosmetic gift box, a lovely tiffany blue and once I'd used the contents I just couldn't part with it. However I did find a use for mine. I de-cluttered a bedroom drawer and put all my bookmark collection into it!

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  3. Hi Dreamer!! Good to see you! I know, isn't it weird what becomes a "velcro" item? This box has ABSOLUTELY no value whatsoever and yet I can't let it go. My niece likes "jewelry" (she is 3) and I wonder if I can put some costume jewelry in it for her and make a fun toy. It's easier for me to let go if I have a real purpose in mind.

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  4. Hi Anne -- thank you so much for writing! I think you've hit on the right concept -- coming up with a good use for the box. I wonder if that's what's kept me from moving forward with it? Clutter is such a weird thing, isn't it? :)

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  5. Hmm...maybe you could use the box to give a gift? Then that person could reuse it, as well. I can definitely relate. It's so much easier to think of reasons to let go of someone else's clutter! Like I'm sure that if you needed a similar box at some future time, it would be easy to find a new one, since you got this one for free in the first place. Your pictures are super-cute!

    (Emilie on Unclutterer)

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  6. Hi Emilie! You know, that's a great idea too! It is so pretty it is kind of like it is a gift box -- that is something I hadn't thought of.

    And you are so right about the replacement concept -- it's not like I am out lots of $$ for it...and if I "really" loved it I would have used it by now, right?

    Thanks so much for visiting my blog!!

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