My "Dirty" Little Secret

Even though my family and friends know that I love to decorate, they DON'T know that I am a hoarder of decorative items.

Okay, that isn't TOTALLY true. 

Anyone who has stayed in our guest room, might have used the closet. 

Okay, they have ATTEMPTED to use the closet.

  They couldn't because it is my little storage closet.

Unfortunately, dear hubby discovered this secret storage room last month when we were moving our oldest son from what is now the nursery to what was formerly the guest room.  He was absolutely stunned of the amount of drapery rods, frames, tchotchkes (you know that fancy word that the designers always use on HGTV for gewgaws, buables, etc), old textbooks, my American dolls, my scrapbooking carts and bags, artificial flowers, old drapes.  Frankly, you name it...it is in there!

It all had to be moved to make way for oldest son.

I realized that it was time to get rid of my stockpile when it took 4 hours (with the boys help) to haul it all out of the closet, down to the garage.  Then it took another 2 hours to sort it all into boxes.

I kept a few items, but realized it was time to get rid of the outdated ones.

The real question?  Why did I hoard all these items?

  Because we have moved about 5 major times, with 4 small moves in between the past 15 years of marriage. 

With each move, there is the need to freshen things up a bit.

I learned to reuse drapes and rods in new and different ways in each house.  I learned to shuffle the tchotckes.  I learned to mat my own pictures, posters, and prints to keep costs down.

So now, my items sit in my husband's section of the garage.  Most of it was picked up by Salvation Army two weekends ago.  A few boxes made their way to Goodwill.

So, all in all, not only have I benefitted from my hoarding.  So has someone else that might need those things.  
You should have seen the driver's face when he saw what I was getting rid of.  He kept asking me if I was "sure" that I wanted to donate them.

 
But I persevered, stayed on the straight and narrow and gave it away.



Now I no longer have a place to hoard because it is all out in the open.  I am pretty sure that was dear hubbies plan.  He can keep reminding me to get rid of things.  

Even now, I am shocked to look at this pile. It is so small!
 
So the next few weeks I am going to show you AND him how invaluable my hoarding has been and show you what I will be doing with it all!!!