Monday, September 6, 2010

Saving the Sentimental While Decluttering

I'm still working on decluttering, but I've been having a hard time letting go of sentimental items. For example, the box above housed the my wedding invitations. Obviously, I've already sent out my invitations, so I no longer need the extras, but for some reason I was having trouble recycling the leftovers.

The solution I came up with is to frame one invitation as a keepsake, which I know is not a novel idea, but because I'm such a pack rat I also attached a couple of extras (including envelopes, response cards, etc.) on the back of the of the frame with a rubber band. They're out of the way but I still have some complete sets in case that I can share with future generations, if they're interested.

Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. Now I feel okay letting go of the rest of the invitations. Another box down, hooray.

4 comments:

  1. Ugh this makes me feel totally guilty. I absolutely know there is a box in my attic with extra invitations. This is a great idea though.

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  2. That is such a great idea! Get rid of the rest but keep a few sets for sentimental reasons. :) I got a framed invite as a wedding present, which was a nice idea too.

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  3. A suggestion, having just dealt with a lot of decayed rubber bands that glued themselves to papers: put the extras inside a larger envelope, then tape the larger envelope to the frame. Don't use rubber bands or tape directly on or next to anything you want to preserve.

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  4. Hello, My suggestion is to enclose the extra sets inside the frame. You might have to remove one layer of light cardboard that is now within the frame to accomodate the extra thickness but they will be better preserved with no dust and no chance of their getting separated. Emmy Bea, Hayward CA

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