Just checking in to see how you’re doing and to leave a mini update. I have all decor8 posts for May and June back on the blog *yay*, now I’m working on March and April. My husband jumped in to help me and we’re making tons of progress. I am learning more about servers and databases than I ever thought possible thanks to the clever data architect in the house (woot woot!) and plenty of Whimsy & Spice baked goods which arrived today from Jenna and Mark. Perhaps I’ll walk away from this experience a little more tech savvy since that would be nice and I was telling my husband that if things were going to fall apart on my little blog at least they did now and not in July since we’re moving in six short weeks. Speaking of moving…. here’s my currently temporary workspace, I’m in the living room now since we sold a bunch of our furniture and it left the house between Saturday and today so I’ve been moving around our rooms to make it feel less empty in here.
I love this chair with my desk but it’s not that comfortable so I think I’ll use it as a guest chair…
I painted the entire house, this wall was pale blue, and cleaned every nook. I also threw a huge tag sale in my yard a few weeks ago and that went exceptionally well. I’ve also been selling things on craigslist which have been selling like hotcakes. So far I’ve earned the exact amount that I need to ship over everything else by boat. By July 5th we’ll only have a bed to sleep on and my desk and chair so we’ll be living very light during the month of July. I’m feeling good about this relocation though and at this point I’m eager to just get on that plane and get going!
Part of me is still trying to grasp this huge relocation and wondering if at some point I’m going to wake up and really miss all of my things — I’ve sold so much and watching people carry out my things is a bit tough. But I keep telling myself that this is all for the sake of starting over and getting out of my comfort zone. My heart keeps telling me this is exactly the right decision and I need not look back. I think it’s important to not become so attached to home and possessions that we forget to follow our dreams or put our life on hold because of “stuff”. Whether we have emotional baggage or material (or both) it’s best to shed and move forward. I’ve moved several times in my life, the last time I felt like this though I was 15 years old packing up my bedroom to relocate from South Carolina to New England. I was sad, terrified, scared and disliked the idea of leaving my life there. But you know, it all worked out and I had some of the best experiences of my life in this region and now as I hop over the pond, I’m bound to do the same over there: gain some, win some, but continue to grow and move forward. The only way to move forward is to leave behind the familiar things and to just go for it. The only way to move forward is to break free from your comfort zone. I’m breaking free.
But.
Well.
I’ve decided to allow myself to bring a few of my cherished peices with me just to connect a bit back to my life here someday. Show my someday kids this or that and say, “that was what mommy brought over from America”. So I’m bringing along two chairs (one is the upholstered one shown here) and my giraffe lamp. My other giraffe lamp went to my best friend but I had to keep at least one because it’s one of my top five favorite material possessions. Do you have a top 5 list? I’d love to know what things you cherish.
Care to play along?
Pretend you were relocating to a new country and only could bring 5 pieces of furniture and lamps. What would you take?
(images: holly becker for decor8)
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Hi Holly: I know how you feel – I moved to England right after I got married way back in 1991 and I didn’t take anything other than a suitcase and leather trunk (by Cross, a real beauty) filled with clothes. Maybe I had 2 suitcases. When I moved back to the US in 1994 I sold all my furniture over there and I still think about some of the pieces I wish I could have kept. We only brought back stuff like china and clothing. I really do miss a couple of things like a wardrobe, an antique cane chair and lovely little chest of drawers.
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Wow, what a great question! Hmmm. Let’s think…
1. my father’s drawing table
2. Eames storage unit
3. Arne Jacobsen floor lamp
4. David Trubridge pendant lamp
5. the Prouve chair I plan to buy next year
But you know what? I could really leave all of this behind and be happy. I don’t care much about material possessions. Other than my husband and dogs, the only stuff I’d really want to take would be various pieces of art.
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:13 pm
Hi Holly,
what are your other 4 Top5 if I may ask?
Mine would definetly include the turquoise urn I bought at a estate sale for 25$ and a few weeks later there was a similar one in Domino for a fortune
Then the New York pictures by German painter Jörg Extra that my parents gave myself and my husband for our 30th Birthdays
The antique dining table we got for our engagement
The antique glass cabinet with bureau we got from my parents-in-law for our 30th birthdays (we just bought a house shortly before our birthdays)
and I am not sure on No5….
I am looking forward to reading everybody elses
Kathrin
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:14 pm
PS: I love, love, love your desk! that’s the desk I want!
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Anna – Nice list. :) I want dogs sooo bad.
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Ah I forgot… LOVE your lamp. Where didi you get that?
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Holly, I think you’re right to keep some things and try not to get weighed down by the other things. This move will be great and you certainly wouldn’t want a couch to keep you from living in Europe.
I’m not really attached to my furniture– we lived in Saudi Arabia when I was young and I got used to the idea that big, heavy things didn’t always move with you :) But… the furniture piece I love most is the Ethan Allen sleigh bed my husband bought for us when we got married.
http://www.ethanallen.com/product?productId=1459&categoryId=8028
:)
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Kathrin -
1. iMac G4 – my life is in this machine along with all my amazing music. :)
2. Jonathan Adler Giraffe Lamp
3. Mid-Century Thonet Chair with Amy Butler Fabric (shown)
4. Moroccan wedding quilt from a friend
5. Original Bertoia white wire chair with original leather gray seat pad.
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Dear Holly,
You just wrote down, how I feel about moving on and leaving our comfort zone. Every word of yours is true and it’s so nice to know other people are thinking in a similar way like me :)
It’s really hard to choose which is my top 5 things to take with me. I was lucky to bring all our belongings from the UK to Hungary.
But let me think, which will be my top 5?…
-my bed…might sound silly,but I love my bed so much :)
-my paintings…the trouble is, I have too many :)
……sorry Holly but I am so bad, I want to keep everything what I have.
Must be really hard for you to give up most of your things! But I am sure you will make your new house in Germany a Home again!
I wish you all the best Holly :)
Warmly,
Marianna
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Oh and let me add a 6th – all of my art! Sheesh, I can’t live without some of my paintings. :)
Well okay I can live but they’re part of me in a way. Especially the commissioned stuff.
Kathrin – I purchased the lamp in ’06 from Jonathan Adler. Isn’t it the best in the world? At least to me.
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:25 pm
here’s my top 5:
1. Antique Armoire I had shipped from France
2. Antique Settee shipped from my France trip
3. My vintage Barbola mirror collection
4. My daughters’ “artwork”
5. The vintage Tole chandelier in my dining room and Olivia’s room
-Jennifer
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Holly – I LOVE Jonathan and it’s hardly available in Germany therefore: good choice to bring along :-)
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Photos (ok i now need a shipping container, actually most of it could be reprinted in the new house i suppose). My son’s baby clothes, my art books, and some personal items.. i could buy everything else again. Looking around the house and office.. yep.. everything could be rebought fairly easily. I love your temp office..very sweet.
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:39 pm
I seriously clutched my chest when I read this, because I, too, was terrified I would have this “what the hell did I do?” moment after we picked up and moved to Paris.
I gave almost everything to my friend Sarah, who was moving into our old apartment, and sold the rest. We had a small storage space that held our prize possessions and other than that, we had nothing. Nada.
Here are my top five:
1. A box full of “memories” – photos, kids’ art, journals from college (ha!), papers I had published during my grad program, etc. Things that connect me in a real way to the past.
2. A box full of art. A lot of it from etsy, and a good majority from my friends.
3. My mattresses! We have the W hotel “heavenly bed” mattresses. Let me tell you how fab they are.
4. My quilt. White on white, beautiful varying patterns. Made by my grandma.
5. My espresso machine. It was a TOTAL impulse splurge after we had to cancel a vacation due to morning sickness (I was pregnant). It was outrageously expensive (Delonghi), but we love, love, love it and use it multiple times a day.
The rest? Who cares! After we got to Paris, I didn’t miss a thing. And get this: we planned to be there more long-term, but ended up having to return to the US three months into our stay.
And even then I didn’t miss any of the things I had parted with before we left. This despite the fact, that I had not planned to return, and had nothing when we got back.
I’m enjoying bringing new things into my life. It’s refreshing and feels like a new start. New starts are important and energizing whether big or small, imo.
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Love the pieces your keeping and the pieces you sold! I was sniffling when you announced yesterday your chairs had sold!They were beautiful! I would keep this kitchen hanging lamp that my husband and I bought in France 10 years ago also a yellow wooden ornate mirror we also bought at the same time.This barn wood antique kitchen table we haveand that’s really all I can think of that I would absolutely have to have. I think I would like starting fresh!New style possibly! Anyways I can’t wait to see your transition if you share it with us!!
Tracy
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Hi Holly,
I had to write a response to this post because although I didn’t sell all of our things, my family went without nearly all of our belongings for three months. We moved from NC to SC two years ago and ended up selling our house in NC in a week. They wanted us out in a week as well. We ended up having to stay with my parents for three months while our new house was being built in SC. We had our clothes, my computer (of course) baby items for our daughter and not much else. We put everything else in storage. The thing that surprised me the most is I didn’t miss a thing. I missed having my own home and decorating, but I rarely even thought about all our stuff. It actually turned out to be liberating that although I love my furniture, antiques, etc I was happy just having my family.
Best of luck with your move, I’m sure you will look back and be so happy you took the leap. :)
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Does stealing your cute chair count :)? And great job on being so productive! If I could just get an ounce of that… for me, furniture-wise, I would take this 30+ year-old couch we inherited from my husband’s aunt (after it’s been re-upholstered… or bring it with me + hope I can find something to do that with :D!), the pair of rattan chairs a group of our friends bought us (it was soo terrific that a group of them banded together to buy us the pair!)… and I think that might be it! I’m not particularly attached to the rest of the furniture we’ve got (okay, our dining set we scored on craigslist (a bench, world market table, and 2 leather chairs!) was a sweeet deal, but to start new again?) — i think that’d be terrific!
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Wow your post really made me look around my house and think. We’ve talked about relocating for our jobs but the main reason holding us back is our friends and family. I think we could do it if it was our dream, but I certainly am not going to for a job that I don’t love. There are a few handmade items from my grandma and mom that I am attached to, but otherwise it would be just being with my furbabies (2 dogs + 1 cat) and my husband. And be able to see my mom every month or so. Oh and the sewing machine she passed down to me, that has a lot of sentimental value :)
June 23rd, 2009 at 7:02 pm
I’ve moved across the US five times (!) and dragged some pieces from NY to Oregon and back so I must love them! They are: 1. A cedar hope chest with my diaries dating from 4th grade, 2. A glass top coffee table that was my mom’s, 3. A 1940′s fiberglass lampshade that was my grandparents’, 4. Blue bookcase I’ve had since birth, 5. A completely trashed night table that I can’t part with! :)
June 23rd, 2009 at 7:09 pm
you are so right…i LOVE that chair with your desk. i would never leave it. i’d just sit there all day long.
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:09 pm
Hey Holly–
Its funny because I would love to have taken home some of the things I had bought when I was abroad in Japan for a year, such as my nice simple, but comfy queen sized bed from muji and my awesome self warming & interactive deep bathtub! But if i was to move abroad again… I’d probably take my beloved dishes (my mug collection and cute flower plates with a mug rest) and my huge antique mirror!
PS! I am very happy you are taking the wonderful Jonathan Adler giraffe lamp!!!! I love that lil guy! (I have the ornaments of him which I also treasure and would take abroad with me!)
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Love this question! Let’s see…
- The changing table that my husband built for our first child that I now use as a bookshelf in my little home office
- A bed box that my father built for my mother (they divorced, but he died last year and I cherish it more than any other possession)
- A drop leaf table that I bought off Craig’s List for $25 and then spent ten days transforming with Paper Source paper and Mod Podge (my first and last time decoupaging)
- A curvilinear marble bookend (again, from my father)
- A pair of mid-century modern chairs that I just got off Craig’s List that are about to be sent off to the re-upholsterer!
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:38 pm
That chair is really cute, it’s a shame it’s not more comfortable. Good luck with the move, I’ll be moving in July also, and while it’s not nearly as far as your journey you still have to go through the same process.
As for what furniture/lighting items I’d bring along, the only thing I can really think of would be my mattress. So comfy. :)
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Man, this is so timely. I just relocated (within New Zealand) and was planning to leave the first home intact, returning there is a few years’ time.
But health issues intervened, and I am now having to sell the original home. The furniture and contents won’t fit into my newly rented one bed studio, so I am left wondering what to do with them. I think I’ll keep:
1. Conran Ellipse sofa and love seat. They’re comfy as anything and hold a lot of memories of me + friends + cats lounging, drinking tea, enjoying conversation (not the cats..)
2. Fiona Pardington ‘shells’ photograph
3. Stephen Bambury ‘Apollo’ painting
4. Beaten old leather Ny rocking chair
5. Much cherished industrial floor lamp which has followed me through a marriage breakdown and emigration!
But if all five were to be lost in a fire? Well, yes – they’re just THINGS – they don’t have a heartbeat, like me and the kitties.
You’ve given me clarity – thanks Holly and all.
Jo
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:55 pm
I lived like that for about 10 days when I moved from the west to the east coast – I found it pretty disorienting and when I finally got all my boxes in the new house I just tore them open like a maniac trying to get things out and the house going.
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Wow, I found this post extremely inspiring! For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to live in Los Angeles. My plan included two things: graduate college and move L.A. Well, I just graduated on May 7 and, while I still really want to move, I keep talking myself out of it! Leaving all things familiar is much harder than I imagined now that it is actually here! After reading this, I feel so inspired to “break free from my comfort zone” and “leave behind the familiar things.” I just hope the feeling lasts! To answer the question…
If, no when, I move, there are just a few of things I would have to take.
1. My best friend, Hemingway (a beautiful English Golden Retriever)
2. My chest of drawers/highboy
3. My iron bed from Anthropologie
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:58 pm
1-Escada “Ice Tree”; 8′ clear plastic tree trunk with branches, the biggest conversation piece in my apt. People either love it or hate it, I love it.
2- My Jonathan Adler menorah’s. (I have 2, can’t choose between them!)
3-My dads pottery, he’s a potter. Again, I can’t choose exact pieces, sorry. There are 5 of them I just couldn’t part with.
4-Moroccan wedding quilt
5-My comfy white PB couch that everyone loves and never want to get up from.
June 24th, 2009 at 12:34 am
Fun question! I’m actually going to be moving soon myself and your posts have been helping me reinforce the positive approach I’m trying to have towards the whole thing :) So, thank you!
1. Birdie chandelier
2. Pair of vintage Bertoia chairs
3. Acrylic umbrella stand
4. Danish tea set
5. Red felt Sunset chair
Now if only I could pack up my favorite views around the neighborhood, the scent of flower from the garden steps, etc…
June 24th, 2009 at 12:41 am
I did the same thing when I moved from the US to Europe and I had no regrets whatsoever. It was so fun to start fresh. I’d love to do it again!
.-= FROM THE RIGHT BANK´s last blog ..Summer Houses =-.
June 24th, 2009 at 1:31 am
You’ll love redecorating when you’re in Germany! And you’ll enjoy visiting other parts of Europe and bringing back lovely things to help make your new home.
I’ve had to move cross-country several times (I moved ten times in less than three years!) and as if that weren’t enough, I wound up moving to the UK to live with my boyfriend! Moving that much meant I had to give up a lot of things I was really attached to; I wound up paring down my possessions to a few boxes of books, my cat, and my collection of vintage dresses.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:35 am
Thank goodness you asked what furniture and lamps I’d keep, and not the Top 5 of everything in my flat. Then this list would have taken a lot longer to be posted.
The move last year was the 17th in my live, if I counted correctly. I’ve changed cities needing a truck, I’ve changed countries with only two suitcases. The last move was thankfully only from one flat to another in Hannover, expertly organized with the help of my mum, a day-by-day to-do list (with little slots here and there with ‘time to panic’ scheduled in) and the movers.
1. mid-century mahogany sideboard
2. old drum case found on flea market, put to coffee table use
3. old linen cupboard my father sanded and brought back to former glory
4. 1800s dining table with set of non-matching chairs
5. iron-wrought canopy bed (lovingly crafted in Switzerland)
In the last move I brought along the linen cupboard and the drum case, chucking out most of the IKEA I bought on my student budget. Everything else on the Top5 list I aquired over the last year by way of flea markets and second-hand sales. So much furniture for little money – score!
June 24th, 2009 at 3:49 am
Hm…we didn’t bring any furniture when we moved to Germany, but….
1) Art Deco green glass collection from my grandmother. I love it. And our wedding china. Love it. Looks nice in our white cabinets here.
2) Large-scale mounted nautical map of the island we used to live on. Reminds me of 10 beautiful years and the seas I used to race on. Lovely splurge-y anniversary gift from my husband. Awkward to transport, but so worth it!
3) I wish I had this great antique trunk I passed up at a yardsale once back in MA. I still kick myself over it. I saw it August of 2006. I need to move on…=)
4) Our mattress, gosh it was so good. Ours here just doesn’t compare.
5) Lovely spindle bed I inherited from my grandfather. Alas, it’s in my parent’s basement.
But yes. All things said and done, as long as my family is safe and healthy I’m ok. My parents have copied CDs of all our most favorite pictures, so that’s a nice thing too.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:57 am
I am glad the blog is coming back together!! as for the moving abroad I know exactly how u feel. I am Spanish and moved to London 11 years ago, and I am considering going back home soon!! but the though of leaving behind this city, my home and possessions is terrifying. So thanks for shearing your thoughts on this, u are right they are only material things, and nothing is for ever, if things don’t work out u can always move back (I know too much hustle). if you ever come to London, I will take u around the markets and nice shops, and I will introduce u to my dear friends, so there u have potential friends awaiting for u in London!! Marga
June 24th, 2009 at 6:10 am
I moved to Italy last year and had to clean out too. I still miss my lovely Room and Board sofa and vintage tin that I gave to one of my best friends. The things that I could not leave behind were 1. My Le Creusett cookware 2. art and craft books 3. photos 4. art 5. my sheets and towels. The rest had to go. It’s liberating to start over. I’ve done things with this home that I would not have done with the other. This move has made me more adventurous!
I love the giraffe lamp!
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..In Bloom: Raspberries =-.
June 24th, 2009 at 6:57 am
I did the relocation thing from England the the US this year, other than clothing and my computer (which has my life in it also!) the only things I brought along with me was some treasured Artwork, my Fathers guitar and a couple of hand knitted blankets made by my grandmother. Everything else was sold or given away. I still have one box I’m storing back in England which I will get around to shipping over eventually that has some of my childhood toys and books in that I could never part with. The things I hold dearest are the sentimental things everything else is just “Stuff”!
June 24th, 2009 at 7:43 am
don’t look back.
it is an amazing adventure to move from one country to the other. i recently moved from brooklyn to berlin and don’t regret a thing. to get rid of all the stuff we didn’t want to move with, we organized a raffle/house-cooling party. it is a sweet feeling to know that your friends will enjoy things that one day was yours and that they will take care of the plants you cherished.
germany is a great country to move in, and i think a good place to live in europe. originally french, i am ddelighted to be back to europe, although my life on the other side of the ocean was splendid. another page of the life book!
June 24th, 2009 at 7:49 am
Hi Holly,
My most beloved belongings are:
+My italian coffee maker
+My laptop
+My old collection of pictures
+My old collection of jewelry (a present from my grandma when I was born)
But even without these thing, I think I would not miss anything at all. In my opinion only lasts forever your (very good) friends and your family. So, if you are gifted with a good memory, you can take with you everything carrying nothing.
Good luck and Sorry for my terrible English…
http://coleccionandoestrellas.blogspot.com/
June 24th, 2009 at 8:56 am
I have always lived with this strange rule- to be able to pack everything within 24 hours. It must be the result of a gypsy like childhood. If I did move overseas my destination would be Switzerland and the five things I must have with me would be-
1- a treasured oil painting
2- 2 quilts from my mennonite aunt
3- an antique piano bench that has been with me since my childhood
4- antique oak desk with secret cubbies, also with me since I was a child, first it was painted white, then yellow, and finally stripped bare
5- a small vanity stool recovered so many times throughout every phase of my life
June 24th, 2009 at 9:44 am
I agree, that giraffe lamp is a keeper. it must make you smile every day!
I would keep all the paintings my grandmother painted that adorn my walls… where I go, they go!
also any ceramic heirlooms from my family… that kind of thing.
otherwise, it would be interesting to start fresh just to see ‘who I am now’…
June 24th, 2009 at 9:51 am
We sold our home of 25 years and downsized, discarded, gave-away, and sold so much of our ‘stuff’ and it feels very good now — that we are in our new place and finding that shedding reveals new skin. Embrace this process! There is a quote that hits home for me and I thought I would share here as it seems to fit the spirit of moving on: “all the true things must change and only that which changes remains true” (C.G. Jung).
Things I kept:
All my pictures in frames (which I have since taken out of their frames and have plans to scan into a program called “Book Smart” and create a photo/art memoir)
Gave away 2000 books to a college library and kept the gems that feed my soul. I have already returned to said library and checked out one of my own books!
Quilts made by my grandmother
Boxes of memories from my children’s childhoods which I have now narrowed down and organized into one large container for each child — took me days/weeks to sort through, lots of tears and sweet memories.
I wish you well in all your discarding and packing. Creating anew is a good thing. I just planted 14 new trees and ordered 9 more yesterday — time to put down new roots, even at age 62.
June 24th, 2009 at 9:53 am
So, my top 5 would be:
1. My Eero Aarnio Ball Chair. This one already travel with me from Miami to Buenos Aires
2. My Doron Lachisch Cubitec shelves. This one too!
3. My two vintage Saarinen Executive chairs that I got from my brother (he was about to throw them out! Obviously he isn’t a design furniture person, hehehe.
4. My desk from West Elm (same as yours but in red)
5. My mug and teapot collection, specially the ones from Shinzi Katoh.
And of course, above all this is Poncho, my french bulldog! :)
Love your blog!!!!
Sol
June 24th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Awesome post, Holly! I’ve loved reading what everyone else would bring on a big move as well :) My top 5, aside from kitty & hubby, would include:
1. My Mac
2. The Danish coffee table I bought at Brimfield last year
3. Art
4. The little crystal lamp with a pink shade that I keep by my bed
5. My Grandma’s silver
You’ve really got me thinking about decluttering and letting go of some things – we’re buying our 1st home, and even though we’re only moving 1 block away from our current apt, I would really like to use the move as an opportunity to start fresh.
.-= Laura´s last blog ..Good Morning, Sunshine! =-.
June 24th, 2009 at 10:21 am
1. my daughter’s crib. My mom spent so much money on it, and it really is such a beautiful piece of furniture. I’d love for her baby to sleep in it someday.
2. my daughter’s table and chairs. Not antiques or anything close, but they are beautiful and substantial, will last forever. Plus, I plan on using one of her little chairs as a bedside table in my room.
3. um, considering we don’t have a lot of real furniture (everything we have is plywood make-it-yourself junk) I’d take all my photos…all of them.
4. and all my childhood diaries (I have two tupperware containers full of journals that contain juicy details)
5. and the tall chest of drawers my mom bought me when I first got married 5 years ago. I love that thing. It’s got like 15 small but long drawers and I keep all my crafting supplies in it.
June 24th, 2009 at 11:50 am
how exciting!!! super random question: where did you find that cord hider you have on the floor? love the parsons desk and JA giraffe lamp!
June 24th, 2009 at 11:59 am
what a great question!
1. sand collection
2. long bench that my dad gave to me when i moved back to california from nyc.
3.my iron bed that i bought 15 years ago
4. a quilt that my grandmother made out of her old dresses
5. my art collection
everything else is fun to search for when you get where you are going.
June 24th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Carrie I’ll ask my husband, he bought it for me since he knows how much I hate visible cords!!!
June 24th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Hi Holly,
Several years ago I moved to Europe and sold or gave away just about everything I owned, except for some things that I just couldn’t bear to part with. When I returned, I found that I didn’t miss any of what I no longer had – except for a collection of small brass candlestick holders that to this day I swear are misplaced somewhere. Anyway, you’ll be accumulating so many new things, you won’t miss your old stuff. It’s just stuff. Have a great move!
June 24th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Speaking from a been their – learned that lesson, point of view I wish I would have seen things differently when I moved abroad. Because I moved only a couple years after my wedding, and because we had a company paying for everything, I took all kinds of housewares, furniture and just stuff, that in the end didn’t fit (doors, rooms, and basically everything is smaller in London) and I didn’t want (or worse wanted, but had to get rid of for lack of a place to put it.). I packed all my cheished items at my parents house for safe storage. What did that do for me? Nothing good I tell you… It gave me no sense of permanence when we got there….no pictures, no sentimental items, instead just a bunch of stuff…I so wish I had done the other way around. I think I would have felt more grounded while there and able to live in the moment rather than having all this (literal) baggage.
Anyway, being more enlightened, what would I take now?
1) my computer with all my family pictures on it.
2) A couple of flower vases that my grandmother gave me.
3) My favorite picture…my grandmother as a baby, with her grandmother, in a rounded glass antique frame.
4) My children pet items (Tiggles the taggie blanket for my daughter and Bla Bla the sock monkey for my son)
5) my 2 cats…even though they had to go to quarantine for 6 months when we moved to England (we drove over and hour each way every Saturday to visit them) I could never leave them behind.
June 24th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
This is so interesting. On the one hand, we just bought our first house last year, so we are definitely in the accumulating phase, rather than a decluttering phase. We’re finally only buying things we really love, rather than just the cheapest thing that will serve our needs. So, it’s taking us longer because our budget still isn’t large and with 2 little kids we just don’t have the time to all the flea market/antique-ing type shopping we’d love to do more of (it’s just too hard when the kids are with us b/c we’re both picky and indecisive!).
We definitely moved too much just stuff with us last year when we moved across the country. We did give a away/craigslist a lot, but really still needed to hold onto some necessities since we had some money to pay for the move (which we couldn’t use to buy new stuff).
But, if we did have to/choose to up and move to Europe tomorrow, I think I’d have to keep:
1.) photos and kid mementos
2.) the little vintage bar cart in our dining room
3.) my grandmother’s chrome serving pieces
4.) our silverware (sounds strange, I know, but it was a wedding gift from my family and we just love it. It’s WS stainless and there is just something about it we both love.)
5.) my new glass top coffee table
June 24th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Wow, loved reading everyone’s responses. Some of you have some really valuable stuff. My list falls more on the “sentimental” spectrum… My husband and I have moved several times in a few short years, so we haven’t accumulated many nice things yet to avoid worrying about transporting them.
My list:
1. Cheap metal serving tray we bought on our honeymoon in Napa Valley
2. Vintage aquamarine dentist chair that my dad and I impulse-bought for $100 at an antique store. It was a fixture in my college dorm room and is actually a great chair for reading. Heavy though.
3. Box of old photos and letters
4. My grandma’s old Fiestaware gravy boat
5. Side table my husband made for me out of polished copper pipe while we were dating
Good luck with your move!
June 24th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Wow – I would never ever part with that giraffe lamp either. Too cool. So I have moved my whole life a few times (to Europe and back and I didn’t take anything either way except clothes). The 2 biggest moves were from Australia to the US, and I didn’t take anything (only clothes), and kept the rest in storage. The second was moving from the US to Australia, and by that time we were married and had collected things together, so took with us:
1. Our couch (comfy and a lot cheaper to ship than re-buying in Australia)
2. Our DWR dining table and chairs
3. Art (photography, posters that would remind us of the US)
4. Our stereo and bose speakers (again, too expensive to re-buy)
5. Kitchen items that we received for our wedding (mostly good pots, pans and knives).
Everything else we sold and gave away which felt great. Good luck with the rest of your move and I hope it’s as cathartic as our clean-out was!
June 24th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
This is a great question Holly!
1. my grandfather’s lamp that he built when he was in grade school.
2. my hoosier cabinet that my husband built me as a belated wedding gift
3. the antique closet/desk/armoire that we refinished together when we were dating (it took AGES)
4. my pair of sweet little antique chairs from my grandmother
5. the mission style dining room server my husband built
guess i’m pretty sentimental tonight!
xoxo
June 24th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Holly,
Glad to hear things are progressing so quickly for your upcoming move. I know how you must feel, having moved to Sweden several years ago and then back to the States a few years after that. International moves can be so nerve wracking, but your approach demonstrates your usual natural grace.
RE: One’s top five for a move, mine have been:
1) A small copper bowl, very simple and ancient looking.; mostly decorative but I love it
2) A blue Dalarna rooster that belonged to my grandmother
3) A yellow Fiesta bud vase
4) My favorite mug, handmade by a Jamaican potter
5) A small bird sculpture from South Africa
Over the years, I have done a LOT of traveling and living out of a carpet bag, but the copper bowl and Dala rooster almost always join me on the road. The other three items are a little too delicate for extensive travel, but with those few items, my home begins to sprout even in a lonely hotel room on the other side of the world.
Good luck with the move!
A
June 25th, 2009 at 11:25 am
What a great question! My top 5 would definitely be:
1. my “Children’s Prison” oil painting by my super-talented art school
classmate, Laine Justice
2. my cream and blue brocade telephone “gossip” bench, found while
scouring a antiques market in Ithaca, New York
3. my wrought iron “enchanted forest” canopy bed with vines and leaves
4. my dresser, built by my great-grandfather and mosaic’d by my sister
and I with bits of sea glass
5. my bright turquoise blue refrigerator by Big Chill
June 25th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
I love your blog! It is a refreshing part of my day when I am able to stop by for a few minutes! I’ve been searching and searching for the desk that you pictured. May I ask where it’s from? Thanks!
July 3rd, 2009 at 5:29 pm
I’m so late to play this game, but what the heck! =)
1. It’s a tie between the chest of drawers that my mother-in-law refinished and gave to my husband for his golden birthday AND our huge coffee table that I made my hubs (then friend) take with him after college. It had big turned legs and it’s painted black. I’m sure we’ll paint it more colors in our lifetime.
2. The oak library desk that I bought at an auction and painted the top with a harlequin pattern.
3. The perfect blue fluted vase that used to belong to my mom. I always admired it when I was little and now I have two rooms painted the exact same color.
4. The set of round shaped vintage mirrors that I inherited from my aunt. One is art nouveau and is a brassy gold with a woman and plants encircling it. The other has etched stars all the way around.
5. The rosary I received for my first communion. It has garnet colored stones, my birth stone, and I always loved it. I was desperately tempted to wear it at one point, because I love jewelry. Haha
This was fun to think about Holly. It’s interesting to see what the list says about me. I guess I’m very sentimental. =)
.-= Shanon´s last blog ..You’ve got to see these! =-.