I had great difficulty with the volume of this video on my Ipad, even with it on 100%. Your voice was very soft, while the commercials were all at the normal volume. I liked the message, but it was a struggle to listen to. Thanks Erica.
I had to depart 2/3 of the way through bc of sobbing (and I'm not all that sentimental most of the time). What a date for this. I was at the WTC on 9/11 - and was 4 mos pregnant with my now 19 yo. Those departed live on in our hearts - not items. I've been most moved by this channel for your sentimental stuff... it's a journey.
My mom kept her sentimental items in an old suitcase on a closet shelf for decades! I went through it after she passed in 2011 and found a beautifully embroidered organza tea table cloth and napkins she received as a wedding gift in the '40s. I cannot recall ever seeing it used (because it was special). I washed away the musty odor and then just last year gifted it to one of my sisters who uses it. I found that as much as I enjoyed the beauty of it, I only used it once in the 9 years I possessed it. I am a beader and have two bracelets I made that feature buttons that were from my mom's clothing. When I wear them I "take mom along" for the day. 😊 I really like how you have made your sentimental items usable and available. I can imagine the joy you feel as you pass by the clock or the doilie. Heart moments, that's what I call them.💝 I really like the album idea. I have avoided that "someday" task for way too long. Initially I intended to make scrapbooks. I have completed less than 10 pages in 25 years. I would much rather enjoy the memories instead of chronicling every event in our lives. As usual Erica you offer so much food for thought. Having watched you transforming your living spaces and witnessing 💕the calm and intention I see in you, I foresee a lot of hope in my "releasing" endeavors. Tell Andy thanks for his service and I'll see you in the next video!
Every decoration in my home tells a story. Gift from my (still) best friends 15 years ago (a candle holder), a wooden pencil holder with a bear on it I got from kindergarten when entering school, a little sheep figure I got for my first communion… I love how you took the advices to integrate these things into your daily life. I have one little box with things that are not on display right now, which was also a gift from one of my best friends.
I have been following you and have seen the evolution you and your family have been going through since you have decided to be proactive in your life and home. I think you are teaching your children very valuable lessons and skills as they watch you do this. You are setting such a good example for them and, of course, the rest of us. Keep going Erica. You are helping me with my mindset too.
A family member made photo albums full of love notes, poems & pictures of our late grandparents & placed them in a photo album for each adult child. We/they truly treasure them. It so neat to see their courtship all the way through marriage & beyond. A story treasure for all of us. We keep this album out for all to see & cherish. A reminder of gentle, Godly love. Thanks for your inspiration.
Love your channel! Is there any way to increase the volume for these 'table talks'? They always seem to be quieter than the other ones and difficult to hear. Love ya!
What I really loved about this video was seeing your family bible and prayer book. I remember watching you put them aside saying you wanted to get them restored and I am someone who puts aside items saying "oh yes, I will get this fixed etc." and then setting aside as a to do which ends up being a silent to do for too long, years even. Seeing you take action and arrange for these to be restored and then using them is inspiring! I have a box of items on this list and you have inspired me to ACTUALLY take some action on these and do the research to find someone to repair them and bring them back to their former glory :) I have loved seeing your journey from start to now and am excited to see where you go from here.
Erica this recording is really quiet... I have my phone volume on full and you are quite (and it's not my phone because I checked other you tube channels)
I love what you did with restoring your sentimental items and then displaying them! 👏🏻🥰❤️ The Bible and prayer book, the clock, etc. So special and a wonderful way to honor them!!
I put the footboard of my childhood bed on the mantel in our living room. Prior to that it sat in our garage for 12 years. Before that, it was stored in the attic of our previous home. Before that, it was stored at my parents house. It was basically stored for almost 45 years. Now it's on display. 😊
I have a handmade quilt chest made by my great, great, great grandfather for his daughter as a wedding gift. It has been passed down to the oldest child of each generation. I’ll pass it to my oldest son soon. It has been lovingly displayed in my home for 38 years. I consider it a treasure!❤️ Also… this is a GREAT video!!
I’m clearing out my parents’ house of 55 years. My childhood home. It’s so difficult. I get hung up on somethings. Then sometimes after a few days I can go back to that item and I am ready to let it go. This video is helpful. Thank you. Your hair looks great.
Seeing the newly bound Bible and prayer book practically made me cry, I bet they are so much nicer to hold and they look beautiful! They did a lovely job and so did you!
Thank you so much for this video! My mom has been gone for 18 yrs and I can now say that I am ready to release those things that she left behind. I know now, exactly what I want to keep and what I want to let go of. It feels great! Thank you, again
Erica, I've been along for the ride with you from the beginning and I have to say, you just glow now! You look so much happier, lighter, freeeee-er lol. It's so lovely and I'm so glad to be on this journey. We are about to move (2weeks away) and started to declutter about 8 weeks ago and are working through sentimental now, so love the video.
This is one of your best videos Erica! I'm really inspired now to find ways to incorporate my sentimental items, rather than keeping them in a cupboard. Thank you!
My girls each have a tote of sentimental items. Over time some of the items get taken out because they would rather keep newer things. I am not a big keeper of sentimental items myself, but this has been a way for them to get to keep what they want but with a boundary around it (must fit in the tote and the tote must fit in their closet).
I do the same with my three girls. They can put whatever they like in there (school reports, photos, art works etc) but they only get the one storage bin. When they move out they can take it with them.
This is very helpful. Sentimental stuff is hard. I’m in the thick of photos myself. I’m married 35 years, with 3 kids (adults now) so there are a lot of pictures! Slowly but surely we’ll get through it all!
Your past few videos have been so quiet. I have to use headphones with the volume all the way up to hear you, then whatever video comes on after you scares the crap out of me because it is so quiet 😂😂😂
Unfortunately our photo albums all disintegrated. Some of them were 60+ years old that we inherited from parents. Even using the expensive albums that are specific for preserving photos didn't prove to be successful. Living in the So. California dry heat is the culprit. I salvaged what I could, organizd and labeled chronologially and placed the photos vertically into photo boxes. There are also a few letters, and other paper sentimentals stored with the photos. This system is also a space saver which I needed in order to locate them in the coolest room in the house. When we have family gatherings it has become a favorite pastime to browse through the photo boxes. I'm thankful most of them could be salvaged and now I keep only a handful each year to reminisce with family. I began the project when you begin your decluttering journey. You definitely were behind the motivation. I appreciate that your goal is to help others through these processes. Your tips and you tube content has helped me so much. Thank you, Erica.
I noticed that you're trying a bunch of different mics. I believe you use an Iphone. You could try the Rode VideoMic Me-L Microphone. It plugs directly into the phone (no dongle or adapter needed)
I feel like I went backwards with decluttering because I started with sentimental items. Very early on in my journey I went through the 8 boxes of ‘sentimental’ stuff at my mother’s house in an effort to be able to keep all of my belongings in my own home, not hers. I did this back in February 2020, at 19 years old, so 8 full boxes seemed ridiculous. After a couple hours, I was left with half a box. I always thought I was a sentimental person because I kept everything (from movie tickets, to receipts, to concert tees), but turns out I’m not! It was so easy to let go of all of those things for some reason. A year and a half on, I’ve decluttered all aspects of my life, and I’m left with a a handful of sentimental pieces, most of which are displayed :)
I still am laughing over the Soap Bottle doll that you had made and kept all those years. I have declutter some sentimental items but my big hurtle will be the photos. Thanks and I wrote letters to My great uncle and he wrote back and I saved these letters and now I have an idea how to preserve them ❤️❤️💕
I have always had my sentimental items out where I and others could enjoy them. My Artwork is mostly framed art that my children and grandchildren have created. Lots of people ask where I bought the print...lol I have scrapbooks for family to flip through out in my wall length bookcase (My daughter built it for me).
About 8 years ago I started my decluttered life because we made a cross country move. I had several love letters between my husband and I while we lived apart during part of our engagement. Sadly, I accidentally threw them out along with a zillion cards I had saved from family members. I was SO very sad.....I’d love to reread those letters now. Moral of story.....be careful when decluttering!
Great advice. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Maybe write new love letters to each other about the different stages and chapters of your marriage thus far? Or maybe even write down any parts of those letters that you remember. ♥️
I guess I am the odd ball! I get to sad and down with my sentimental. I need it nicely packed away. I still want it ,but cant really look at it much. In order to not get down. Also I love the look of streamline minimal.I dont like crafty,clutter. I was like this since I was a little five year old. My Grandmothers house inspired me! Slick,minimal,clean free of clutter! I loved it! Its difficult to be sentimental and also want minimal. Maybe in time i will get it together. I have come a long way. So emo. exhausting!!
I have 3 childhood toys my father made that I adore and want to keep, but I just don’t know how to display them. One is a cradle, (oh, a 4th toy, a Steiff teddy bear which sits in the cradle), and mouse houses that go with the story of the city mouse and the country mouse. They are shoe box size. I don’t know how to display these things,but just can’t let them go. They are family treasures to pass down. Any ideas?
For the mouse house you can find clear display boxes at many craft type stores that it could be put inside to protect it and not have to dust the tiny parts.
I have an antique child's rocking chair my grandfather made for my father. I put my handmade toys (sock monkey and rag dolls) in the rocking chair and display it in our living room.
I have a family book that I can’t display because it’s very old and can in no way be touched without special gloves. I don’t want to get rid of it but I don’t know how to store it. Do you have any tips or a solution for me? I love your videos and the video series with sentimental items are awesome and they helped me a lot thank you so much. ( also hello from Belgium 🇧🇪 🙂)
I've always loved the idea of sentimental and meaningful decor, as opposed to just going to Walmart and buying the exact same prints or knick knacks that a neighbor might have. Makes me want to check my keepsake box for things I could hang and display, rather than them just sitting in a box. Excited now!! :)
My few cherished sentimental items are on display in our living area china cabinet. I am a senior senior. As life goes on, you let go of more. You are on the right track. Love the top. You look beautiful!
One of the reasons I love Christmas is that most of the decor has become sentimental & it’s such a joy to look at one month a year. Christmas decor validates your point that sentimental stuff should be an active part of our lives. You had some great ideas for sentimental items. I’d love to see more on this topic.
Great video, Erica! You've helped me with sentimental items so much! I've been going through my sentimental things and I'm getting back to making photo albums. I have a suggestion for all of you young mamas taking pictures of your littles. My three oldest kids are all adults now and something that I've noticed about my pictures is that I worked so hard on getting the people and the faces in the pictures that I basically cut out the background in most of my pictures. I'm sad now that I did that because my kids want to see pictures of our houses when they were growing up but they're few and far between. So take some far away pictures, let their bedroom or playroom or your living room be in the photograph, even if it's messy! Someday when your kids are grown and the house stays cleaner, we won't mind seeing some pictures of those messes and what our homes looked like. 💗
This is so true! I enjoy looking back at pics when my oldest were little, and seeing how far I've come! Although at the time I tried to avoid having the junk in the background.
So true!! I was scanning some old photos (trying to digitize everything) and I most enjoyed the ones that showed the orange shag carpet, our old family station wagon, the crazy old baby stroller and the 70's and 80's decorative styles!! They are as much a part of our memories as family photos in some cases! Even seeing bedding (that weird green blanket) brought forward great stories (my mom bought 5 of them at a super-sale when she was shopping with my great aunt!) and let me see a different side of our life way back when! My mom wanted to remove photos from the scan pile if they were out of focus... don't do that either, a blurry photo brings the memory much better than no photo at all!!
THIS video has a poor sound ( I can't hear you propper, and, because English is not my mother tongue, it stresses me a bit too much to listen to you through the whole video 😢
I did take pictures of some of my aunts, Mothers and Grandmother's things, some of which were large, but I had the pictures printed out and they are in a small flip book that I sometimes look at. So I went from about an 8 x 10 shed worth to my tiny flip book. After offering it all to family members they only took one item, so it all went bye-bye and I don't miss it. The only things I kept were small and fit in a decorative box.
For photos - I would suggest scanning in a few memorable ones from every year at a minimum. I know our family photo albums are disentegrating now that they are so old. If you don't have digital copies it is hard to give up the physical even when they get gross. They also don't scan as well once they get old. For example there are about 15 photos from my childhood that everyone in the family still love to talk about and reminisce about. For the older folks they remember the events for the kids they remember the family get togethers over the years when we would go through the photo albums with each other. They are pictures everyone in the family can relate to in some fashion.
You’ve made such an amazing progress through the years, Erica. It’s truly impressing! 🌟 this video inspire me to go through my keepsakes box again and maaaybe I’ll get to rehanging our wallhangings as well. I love how you take care of the things you have now and display them in your home.
The Prayer Book and Bible are absolutely beautiful. I have my Grandmother’s Bible I need to have rebound. You have come such a long way and I am so glad I found your channel. 💝
Loved this video. You had some really wonderful things to say. Have you considered using a microphone that you attach to your shirt? Over on Living Traditions they use the best mic's. I have such a hard time hearing you, and I often have to hold my phone up to my ear to hear you on some of your videos. I absolutely love that you made a pillow out of the green jacket! And those Bibles? Amazing. The clock is my favorite thing you preserved. It adds such a great touch to your decor and it has a wonderful story behind it.
I had great difficulty with the volume of this video on my Ipad. I had it on 100%, and your voice was very soft. Loved the message, but had to struggle to hear it. The commercials were all at the normal volume.
I found looking at that microphone so distracting. I love you Erica and all the content you present, but the microphone took up a full third of the screen space. It was almost all I could focus on. 🙄
Great video. I’ve started using my sentimental items recently. I had some kitchen towels that were my Grandma’s that she hadn’t used but were special to her. I had them in a box. I never looked at or handled them. Now I have them in my kitchen drawer with my other kitchen towels. I use them regularly. They are fading from frequent washing but I think of her her every time I use them. They would hold no value for my children so there’s no reason to keep them packed away.
Very nice video. The sound was very quiet and hard to understand, please move the microphone way closer to you next time and/or change the audio settings. Also, the foam on the microphone isn't necessary when using a pop screen (the round thing in front of the microphone) and vice versa.
@@joannevans2829 I had the volume maxed out on my computer as well as the external speakers that I plugged in (which can generally amplify whatever they're plugged into by 3-4x), and I still could barely hear it. I used to be able to hear them just fine from across the room with no speakers.
I love this video, I am ruthless when it comes to keeping a decluttered home. That being said sentimental items are what I struggle with, especially things that were given to me by my parents that are now passed. Thru the years I have saved every little. Note or letter, or card, I have also saved every letter from my daughter when she was in collage, and also my husbands love letters . I keep them in a display box, but I am going to find a special place to display the box, or maybe make a scrapbook… my home is completely decluttered and has been for five years, it’s just Sentimental I need to tackle. I have chipped away at some things, but it’s hard
I love all these ideas. Something I think you said awhile back, or it least it’s how I internalized it, is that if you keep it all then nothing is special. As I’ve chosen to spotlight the super special it’s helped me let go of the general sentimental but not feel loss.
Your journey of displaying or decluttering sentimental is really inspiring. A few years ago I scanned all family photos, also those family members had and it was the best thing to do. Now we can all enjoy all the photos and I discovered some I hadn't seen before. Since all the newer photos are digital anyway, I find it's way easier to organize them as well, if they are all in one place (on the computer).
I LOVE your idea about the love notes! Can I tell you a short story? I too saved every note and letter and card my husband ever gave me (one letter is from 1976 when we were 13 & 16 years old). We were best friends since the day we met. He was 15, I was 12. He was determined to marry me some day, although I couldn’t imagine it - it was liking imagining being married to my big brother! But, fast forward to when he was 21 and I was 18 and we sat in his car on his lunch break and he was talking about marriage. I specifically recall asking myself silently ‘if I marry him, will I still love him in 30 years? Will I still respect him in 30 years? Will I be happy to grow old with him?’………Fast forward to our 30th wedding anniversary where we spent a quiet weekend at a brand new hotel. I decided to bring along the keepsake box where I housed all of our cards and letters we gave each other through the years. We snuggled in the bed re-read them all to each other and basked in the warmth of all the memories that flowed from each card, recalling the trials of our earlier years and also the humorous times that made us laugh. It was the most romantic anniversary ever! Mostly because I remembered the questionsI had asked myself as a young bride-to-be……and 30 years later, I gazed into his eyes and I knew definitively the answer to those questions! Sadly, after nearly 39 years of being very happily married, I lost him to COVID-19. I am now a widow, but I cherish those cards and letters more than ANYTHING! I still re-read them because they truly warm my heart ❤️
Cathy I’ve just read your comment and now I’m sitting with tears in my eyes, I’m so sad you lost your husband to covid, i just wanted to send you love and I’m so pleased that your letters have brought back so many happy memories x 💕
The things I wanted to keep and not use, I took pictures and then got rid of it. I still look at the pictures and have the memories sparked by the photos
Thank you for this video. I appreciate the tips and strategies you share with us on how to declutter. I am just starting my journey to a minimalist lifestyle and love the encouragement for ideas and videos give me.
Wow, Erica, this is SO good! I wasn't expecting to get emotional! Now I know why I'm struggling to let go of the stuffed dog my Grandad gave me when I was in the hospital. Its head recently came off when my son was playing with it. Still I don't regret giving it to him, better that it was used than still in a bin. They did an amazing job rebinding those books!
Such good advice! Been so cool watching the growth you’ve made from a basement (at the last house) so packed you couldn’t use it, to where you are now! Way to go! On the photos, I went ahead and put all my photos that were already printed in albums and moving forward now do photo books (started in 2019). It was faster putting photos into albums and I found some good quality, colorful ones on Amazon. I find it a good wintertime project when the snow and wind are howling!
Erica, I have a question, I recently went through 5 totes of photo albums, pulled out all the photos, sorted out the scenery, doubles (and triples), and bad, blurry or unflattering shots. Now I have 1 tote filled with 4 photo boxes. I can't decide what to do with them. I can put them in albums or maybe (maybe!) scan them and make digital books which I would prefer but sooo much work. But my kids are grown. My daughter isn't sentimental and while she might keep certain photos, she wouldn't appreciate being saddled with the books when I die. My son is very sentimental and would keep them but never really look at them. He would keep because it is the "right" thing to do. I don't want to saddle him with clutter. I think the photo books would be more appreciated because they take up less space. If you find a method of scanning photos (no rush), can you let me know? Or if you find another way to keep the photos. Thanks, I enjoyed your decluttering journey. I see a lot me in you.
I love the ways you chose to use things instead of sitting them in boxes! I find I actually have quite a lot of those types of items.... It makes me glad that I am using the sentimental, but man can it throw a wrench in decluttering an area. Lol.
Hi Sweet Erica! I *loved* that you had your grandma's prayer book and Andy's old and cherished family bible restored. I also loved that you had your childhood coo-coo clock repaired and that it's on display.
I incorporated sentimental into house and holiday decor a couple years ago. I love that you also found this solution, and did such a great job of showing us! I'm struggling with photo albums... I've made everything into albums, but it's "too much" (14 binders!) and I don't know why I don't like to look at them. The past seems to make me sad. I need to figure it out. Maybe I need to get rid of more.
One of my future decluttering projects is going through family photos. Several years ago I did that and made albums for each of my grown daughters. Actually it turned out to be three albums each. I gave them to them for Christmas. They were so surprised, happy, that they actually cried. I continued to keep all the originals, I would like to get them organized, merge with the digital ones and do it again. You have done some wonderful things with your home. I have been following you since the beginning. And by the way, you look great!
I loved this video. Sentimental is hard. Your top is beautiful- great color and cut for you. I enjoyed the "calmness" of this video, just talking and explaining. Thanks for sharing with us.
I loved your suggestions of how to use/display sentimental items so that we honor the person who gave them to us!! When you said “sentimental items don’t belong in a box in your stinky basement,” it truly hit home for me!! Yes, yes, yes!!!!
So glad you made this video. I can decliuttered anything but when it comes to sentimental items I freeze up. But your ideas are perfect. Also I love your hair cut. The length is great .
Such great ideas! I can’t remember where I saw it but there was this one show that took the love letters and had them I guess screen printed onto a blanket for their bed. I appreciate you reminding us that we shouldn’t just keep something wrapped up and moldering away but display and use. I use my grandmother’s iron skillet almost everyday and it’s such a lovely reminder of her and a good way to cook.
I am on month 3 of a 6month ultimate declutter. I am downsizing to an RV so I have zero storage for my sentimental items. I have made hard decisions on everyday items but getting closer to the sentimental ones is starting to wear on me. I love how you added them into every day. My option may come to deal with them when I find my landing spot again.
Paraphrasing and I think I need to print this out: Sentimental items belong in your life, not in a box. Storing an item does not honor the sentimentality of the item.
I have a question about chatbooks: can you have captions added to the photos? I have a loved one with early stages dementia and I think that would be a great gift for them, esp as they progress.
Erica, this was so well presented from beginning to end. I loved how you have started incorporating the items into your home. The clock was so cute. So happy back on the wall. The Prayer book and Bible are so fabulous. Thank you for this. Cheers
My mother had a shadow box of her grandfather’s fiddle, wire rimmed glasses, a tin type of him and a receipt for his Texas farm. It was all not much bigger than the fiddle and it always hung on our walls.
I will be super interested to see the photo and love note methods you employ. These are my last items to work out. I have them in boxes as well at the moment. Love it that you use the sentimental items in your life. Many of my sentimental items are cast iron cookware. I use it all the time and will be passed along to my kids. We had a couple of antique cars that we have passed to our kids. They always loved them and we weren’t using them much anymore. We decided to give them now instead of waiting. We didn’t want the gift to have sadness attached. This is our ‘living’ will. They love them and get to share them with their kids as well to build memories as a family. Early in the quarantine, one of our sons texted us a great picture of his family in the antique sportscar that he titled ‘quarantine cruising’. It is my favorite picture of my son and his family!
It is so interesting to see you reflecting on this. I remember commenting once that we have one sentimental bin for each family member. And you were clearly not ready, almost seemed horrified at the thought. And look at you now 🤩👏🌺
I have a few pieces of special to me jewellery that have been passed down and don’t wear often - I display them in a shadow box on my dresser and they give me joy every day
thank you so much 🙏💚🌟✨💫 your advices help me to process even transitional situations that i am in actually.. hard to let go sometimes.. or to process about, thank you for sharing your experience with such wisdom and kindness 🙏🌟😘
![WHY DO WE HAVE CLUTTER? + 21 Reasons We Have Clutter [Link]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/jEa3CDjfFcI/mqdefault.jpg)
I had great difficulty with the volume of this video on my Ipad, even with it on 100%. Your voice was very soft, while the commercials were all at the normal volume. I liked the message, but it was a struggle to listen to. Thanks Erica.
I agree. Keep experimenting with the microphones. Maybe get this one closer to you. I've had no trouble hearing the decluttering ones in the basement.
Yes please adjust microphone for higher volume
Same. I turned my TV volume up as high as it goes and still could barely understand
I had to depart 2/3 of the way through bc of sobbing (and I'm not all that sentimental most of the time). What a date for this. I was at the WTC on 9/11 - and was 4 mos pregnant with my now 19 yo. Those departed live on in our hearts - not items. I've been most moved by this channel for your sentimental stuff... it's a journey.
Hugs.
God bless you! 20 years ago I lost my 20 year old son. 2001 has to be my worst year in my life. I can not get rid of anything of his. TFS
@@cindynielson4231 Big hugs. I'm still in Manhattan. The 20th hit harder than I expected. Sending you lots of love via our screens.
“You’re letting go of an item not the loved one.” Wow that puts it in perspective.
My mom kept her sentimental items in an old suitcase on a closet shelf for decades! I went through it after she passed in 2011 and found a beautifully embroidered organza tea table cloth and napkins she received as a wedding gift in the '40s. I cannot recall ever seeing it used (because it was special). I washed away the musty odor and then just last year gifted it to one of my sisters who uses it. I found that as much as I enjoyed the beauty of it, I only used it once in the 9 years I possessed it.
I am a beader and have two bracelets I made that feature buttons that were from my mom's clothing. When I wear them I "take mom along" for the day. 😊
I really like how you have made your sentimental items usable and available. I can imagine the joy you feel as you pass by the clock or the doilie. Heart moments, that's what I call them.💝
I really like the album idea. I have avoided that "someday" task for way too long. Initially I intended to make scrapbooks. I have completed less than 10 pages in 25 years. I would much rather enjoy the memories instead of chronicling every event in our lives.
As usual Erica you offer so much food for thought. Having watched you transforming your living spaces and witnessing 💕the calm and intention I see in you, I foresee a lot of hope in my "releasing" endeavors.
Tell Andy thanks for his service and I'll see you in the next video!
Every decoration in my home tells a story. Gift from my (still) best friends 15 years ago (a candle holder), a wooden pencil holder with a bear on it I got from kindergarten when entering school, a little sheep figure I got for my first communion… I love how you took the advices to integrate these things into your daily life. I have one little box with things that are not on display right now, which was also a gift from one of my best friends.
This was perfect for me!!! Also, anyway to make you talking a little louder? I turned it up but when the ads come on they are super loud!!! Haha
I have been following you and have seen the evolution you and your family have been going through since you have decided to be proactive in your life and home. I think you are teaching your children very valuable lessons and skills as they watch you do this. You are setting such a good example for them and, of course, the rest of us. Keep going Erica. You are helping me with my mindset too.
A family member made photo albums full of love notes, poems & pictures of our late grandparents & placed them in a photo album for each adult child. We/they truly treasure them. It so neat to see their courtship all the way through marriage & beyond. A story treasure for all of us. We keep this album out for all to see & cherish. A reminder of gentle, Godly love. Thanks for your inspiration.
Love your channel! Is there any way to increase the volume for these 'table talks'? They always seem to be quieter than the other ones and difficult to hear. Love ya!
I agree, would be great with increased volume
Sound is too low can’t hardly hear you
What I really loved about this video was seeing your family bible and prayer book. I remember watching you put them aside saying you wanted to get them restored and I am someone who puts aside items saying "oh yes, I will get this fixed etc." and then setting aside as a to do which ends up being a silent to do for too long, years even. Seeing you take action and arrange for these to be restored and then using them is inspiring! I have a box of items on this list and you have inspired me to ACTUALLY take some action on these and do the research to find someone to repair them and bring them back to their former glory :)
I have loved seeing your journey from start to now and am excited to see where you go from here.
Erica I love watching your videos but the volume always seems so low on your recordings- is that something that can be looked at?
Erica this recording is really quiet... I have my phone volume on full and you are quite (and it's not my phone because I checked other you tube channels)
I love what you did with restoring your sentimental items and then displaying them! 👏🏻🥰❤️ The Bible and prayer book, the clock, etc. So special and a wonderful way to honor them!!
I put the footboard of my childhood bed on the mantel in our living room. Prior to that it sat in our garage for 12 years. Before that, it was stored in the attic of our previous home. Before that, it was stored at my parents house. It was basically stored for almost 45 years. Now it's on display. 😊
I have a handmade quilt chest made by my great, great, great grandfather for his daughter as a wedding gift. It has been passed down to the oldest child of each generation. I’ll pass it to my oldest son soon. It has been lovingly displayed in my home for 38 years. I consider it a treasure!❤️ Also… this is a GREAT video!!
I’m clearing out my parents’ house of 55 years. My childhood home. It’s so difficult. I get hung up on somethings. Then sometimes after a few days I can go back to that item and I am ready to let it go. This video is helpful. Thank you. Your hair looks great.
The pillow is awesome, crafty, dear Mom!
Seeing the newly bound Bible and prayer book practically made me cry, I bet they are so much nicer to hold and they look beautiful! They did a lovely job and so did you!
Thank you so much for this video! My mom has been gone for 18 yrs and I can now say that I am ready to release those things that she left behind. I know now, exactly what I want to keep and what I want to let go of. It feels great! Thank you, again
Erica, I've been along for the ride with you from the beginning and I have to say, you just glow now! You look so much happier, lighter, freeeee-er lol. It's so lovely and I'm so glad to be on this journey. We are about to move (2weeks away) and started to declutter about 8 weeks ago and are working through sentimental now, so love the video.
Appreciate your wisdom and love to think of the treasured items taken care of and enjoyed.
This is one of your best videos Erica! I'm really inspired now to find ways to incorporate my sentimental items, rather than keeping them in a cupboard. Thank you!
My girls each have a tote of sentimental items. Over time some of the items get taken out because they would rather keep newer things. I am not a big keeper of sentimental items myself, but this has been a way for them to get to keep what they want but with a boundary around it (must fit in the tote and the tote must fit in their closet).
I do the same with my three girls. They can put whatever they like in there (school reports, photos, art works etc) but they only get the one storage bin. When they move out they can take it with them.
@@celianicoll7060 that’s our plan too!
This is very helpful. Sentimental stuff is hard. I’m in the thick of photos myself. I’m married 35 years, with 3 kids (adults now) so there are a lot of pictures! Slowly but surely we’ll get through it all!
Looking forward to your videos on photographs. I feel like it’s a emotionally. difficult one to tackle and work to sort and deal with.
Your past few videos have been so quiet. I have to use headphones with the volume all the way up to hear you, then whatever video comes on after you scares the crap out of me because it is so quiet 😂😂😂
Wow!!! The Bibles turned out beautiful! What an awesome idea!! I really appreciate your ideas for the sentimental things.
Unfortunately our photo albums all disintegrated. Some of them were 60+ years old that we inherited from parents. Even using the expensive albums that are specific for preserving photos didn't prove to be successful. Living in the So. California dry heat is the culprit. I salvaged what I could, organizd and labeled chronologially and placed the photos vertically into photo boxes. There are also a few letters, and other paper sentimentals stored with the photos. This system is also a space saver which I needed in order to locate them in the coolest room in the house. When we have family gatherings it has become a favorite pastime to browse through the photo boxes. I'm thankful most of them could be salvaged and now I keep only a handful each year to reminisce with family. I began the project when you begin your decluttering journey. You definitely were behind the motivation. I appreciate that your goal is to help others through these processes. Your tips and you tube content has helped me so much. Thank you, Erica.
I noticed that you're trying a bunch of different mics. I believe you use an Iphone. You could try the Rode VideoMic Me-L Microphone. It plugs directly into the phone (no dongle or adapter needed)
Thank you for sharing what you have done with your items. It’s very helpful to actually see the process. 💜
I feel like I went backwards with decluttering because I started with sentimental items. Very early on in my journey I went through the 8 boxes of ‘sentimental’ stuff at my mother’s house in an effort to be able to keep all of my belongings in my own home, not hers. I did this back in February 2020, at 19 years old, so 8 full boxes seemed ridiculous. After a couple hours, I was left with half a box. I always thought I was a sentimental person because I kept everything (from movie tickets, to receipts, to concert tees), but turns out I’m not! It was so easy to let go of all of those things for some reason.
A year and a half on, I’ve decluttered all aspects of my life, and I’m left with a a handful of sentimental pieces, most of which are displayed :)
Is it sentimental or do we just feel guilt about not really wanting items that are supposedly family heirlooms.
I still am laughing over the Soap Bottle doll that you had made and kept all those years. I have declutter some sentimental items but my big hurtle will be the photos. Thanks and I wrote letters to My great uncle and he wrote back and I saved these letters and now I have an idea how to preserve them ❤️❤️💕
I have always had my sentimental items out where I and others could enjoy them. My Artwork is mostly framed art that my children and grandchildren have created. Lots of people ask where I bought the print...lol
I have scrapbooks for family to flip through out in my wall length bookcase (My daughter built it for me).
About 8 years ago I started my decluttered life because we made a cross country move. I had several love letters between my husband and I while we lived apart during part of our engagement. Sadly, I accidentally threw them out along with a zillion cards I had saved from family members. I was SO very sad.....I’d love to reread those letters now. Moral of story.....be careful when decluttering!
Great advice. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Maybe write new love letters to each other about the different stages and chapters of your marriage thus far? Or maybe even write down any parts of those letters that you remember. ♥️
I guess I am the odd ball! I get to sad and down with my sentimental. I need it nicely packed away. I still want it ,but cant really look at it much. In order to not get down. Also I love the look of streamline minimal.I dont like crafty,clutter. I was like this since I was a little five year old. My Grandmothers house inspired me! Slick,minimal,clean free of clutter! I loved it! Its difficult to be sentimental and also want minimal. Maybe in time i will get it together. I have come a long way. So emo. exhausting!!
I struggled with the volume on this video and had to put it up really high to hear you. Then the ads were deafening 😂
What a lovely video, so many great ideas thank you 😊
Love your ideas.
Good info. Your hair looks great.
Some great tips, loved this video.
I have 3 childhood toys my father made that I adore and want to keep, but I just don’t know how to display them. One is a cradle, (oh, a 4th toy, a Steiff teddy bear which sits in the cradle), and mouse houses that go with the story of the city mouse and the country mouse. They are shoe box size. I don’t know how to display these things,but just can’t let them go. They are family treasures to pass down. Any ideas?
For the mouse house you can find clear display boxes at many craft type stores that it could be put inside to protect it and not have to dust the tiny parts.
I have an antique child's rocking chair my grandfather made for my father. I put my handmade toys (sock monkey and rag dolls) in the rocking chair and display it in our living room.
Maybe a shadow box type artwork?
hey peoples, THUMBS UP please. this is great info. thank you.
I have a family book that I can’t display because it’s very old and can in no way be touched without special gloves. I don’t want to get rid of it but I don’t know how to store it. Do you have any tips or a solution for me? I love your videos and the video series with sentimental items are awesome and they helped me a lot thank you so much. ( also hello from Belgium 🇧🇪 🙂)
Try talking to a librarian or museum curator for the best way to preserve/display it.
Can I ask who you sent the book to for repair?
🤗🙏
Just fyi, the sound on this video is REALLY quiet. I have it turned all the way up on my laptop and I can barely hear.
I've always loved the idea of sentimental and meaningful decor, as opposed to just going to Walmart and buying the exact same prints or knick knacks that a neighbor might have. Makes me want to check my keepsake box for things I could hang and display, rather than them just sitting in a box. Excited now!! :)
Please create a IG graphic with your new quote: "Sentimental Items Belong in your Life . . . Not Your Smelly Basement." So profound! Thank you!
I am sad to say I could hardly hear you. You did have really good insight on Sentimental items
My few cherished sentimental items are on display in our living area china cabinet. I am a senior senior. As life goes on, you let go of more. You are on the right track. Love the top. You look beautiful!
This video I found too quiet - are you able to adjust the sound level next time, please?
One of the reasons I love Christmas is that most of the decor has become sentimental & it’s such a joy to look at one month a year. Christmas decor validates your point that sentimental stuff should be an active part of our lives. You had some great ideas for sentimental items. I’d love to see more on this topic.
Love this video! Erica, you are an excellent speaker! Great ideas on how to process the sentimental items that we have and what to do with them.
Great video, Erica! You've helped me with sentimental items so much! I've been going through my sentimental things and I'm getting back to making photo albums. I have a suggestion for all of you young mamas taking pictures of your littles. My three oldest kids are all adults now and something that I've noticed about my pictures is that I worked so hard on getting the people and the faces in the pictures that I basically cut out the background in most of my pictures. I'm sad now that I did that because my kids want to see pictures of our houses when they were growing up but they're few and far between. So take some far away pictures, let their bedroom or playroom or your living room be in the photograph, even if it's messy! Someday when your kids are grown and the house stays cleaner, we won't mind seeing some pictures of those messes and what our homes looked like. 💗
This is so true! I enjoy looking back at pics when my oldest were little, and seeing how far I've come! Although at the time I tried to avoid having the junk in the background.
So true!! I was scanning some old photos (trying to digitize everything) and I most enjoyed the ones that showed the orange shag carpet, our old family station wagon, the crazy old baby stroller and the 70's and 80's decorative styles!! They are as much a part of our memories as family photos in some cases! Even seeing bedding (that weird green blanket) brought forward great stories (my mom bought 5 of them at a super-sale when she was shopping with my great aunt!) and let me see a different side of our life way back when! My mom wanted to remove photos from the scan pile if they were out of focus... don't do that either, a blurry photo brings the memory much better than no photo at all!!
Well done! You've come so far. I do hope many, many people see this as it is, I think, one of the most challenging aspects of decluttering.
THIS video has a poor sound ( I can't hear you propper, and, because English is not my mother tongue, it stresses me a bit too much to listen to you through the whole video 😢
I did take pictures of some of my aunts, Mothers and Grandmother's things, some of which were large, but I had the pictures printed out and they are in a small flip book that I sometimes look at. So I went from about an 8 x 10 shed worth to my tiny flip book. After offering it all to family members they only took one item, so it all went bye-bye and I don't miss it. The only things I kept were small and fit in a decorative box.
For photos - I would suggest scanning in a few memorable ones from every year at a minimum. I know our family photo albums are disentegrating now that they are so old. If you don't have digital copies it is hard to give up the physical even when they get gross. They also don't scan as well once they get old. For example there are about 15 photos from my childhood that everyone in the family still love to talk about and reminisce about. For the older folks they remember the events for the kids they remember the family get togethers over the years when we would go through the photo albums with each other. They are pictures everyone in the family can relate to in some fashion.
You’ve made such an amazing progress through the years, Erica. It’s truly impressing! 🌟 this video inspire me to go through my keepsakes box again and maaaybe I’ll get to rehanging our wallhangings as well. I love how you take care of the things you have now and display them in your home.
The Prayer Book and Bible are absolutely beautiful. I have my Grandmother’s Bible I need to have rebound. You have come such a long way and I am so glad I found your channel. 💝
Loved this video. You had some really wonderful things to say. Have you considered using a microphone that you attach to your shirt? Over on Living Traditions they use the best mic's. I have such a hard time hearing you, and I often have to hold my phone up to my ear to hear you on some of your videos. I absolutely love that you made a pillow out of the green jacket! And those Bibles? Amazing. The clock is my favorite thing you preserved. It adds such a great touch to your decor and it has a wonderful story behind it.
I had great difficulty with the volume of this video on my Ipad. I had it on 100%, and your voice was very soft. Loved the message, but had to struggle to hear it. The commercials were all at the normal volume.
I had to crank up the volume too. And some of her other videos. But especially this one.
I found looking at that microphone so distracting. I love you Erica and all the content you present, but the microphone took up a full third of the screen space. It was almost all I could focus on. 🙄
Great video. I’ve started using my sentimental items recently. I had some kitchen towels that were my Grandma’s that she hadn’t used but were special to her. I had them in a box. I never looked at or handled them. Now I have them in my kitchen drawer with my other kitchen towels. I use them regularly. They are fading from frequent washing but I think of her her every time I use them. They would hold no value for my children so there’s no reason to keep them packed away.
Very nice video. The sound was very quiet and hard to understand, please move the microphone way closer to you next time and/or change the audio settings. Also, the foam on the microphone isn't necessary when using a pop screen (the round thing in front of the microphone) and vice versa.
I could hear and understand every word perfectly with the iPad volume on low.
@@joannevans2829 I had the volume maxed out on my computer as well as the external speakers that I plugged in (which can generally amplify whatever they're plugged into by 3-4x), and I still could barely hear it. I used to be able to hear them just fine from across the room with no speakers.
I love all of your videos! Did not like the lighting and mic set up in this one, it felt really impersonal. Great content though!!
I love this video, I am ruthless when it comes to keeping a decluttered home. That being said sentimental items are what I struggle with, especially things that were given to me by my parents that are now passed. Thru the years I have saved every little. Note or letter, or card, I have also saved every letter from my daughter when she was in collage, and also my husbands love letters . I keep them in a display box, but I am going to find a special place to display the box, or maybe make a scrapbook… my home is completely decluttered and has been for five years, it’s just Sentimental I need to tackle. I have chipped away at some things, but it’s hard
I love all these ideas. Something I think you said awhile back, or it least it’s how I internalized it, is that if you keep it all then nothing is special. As I’ve chosen to spotlight the super special it’s helped me let go of the general sentimental but not feel loss.
Your journey of displaying or decluttering sentimental is really inspiring.
A few years ago I scanned all family photos, also those family members had and it was the best thing to do. Now we can all enjoy all the photos and I discovered some I hadn't seen before. Since all the newer photos are digital anyway, I find it's way easier to organize them as well, if they are all in one place (on the computer).
I LOVE your idea about the love notes!
Can I tell you a short story? I too saved every note and letter and card my husband ever gave me (one letter is from 1976 when we were 13 & 16 years old). We were best friends since the day we met. He was 15, I was 12. He was determined to marry me some day, although I couldn’t imagine it - it was liking imagining being married to my big brother! But, fast forward to when he was 21 and I was 18 and we sat in his car on his lunch break and he was talking about marriage. I specifically recall asking myself silently ‘if I marry him, will I still love him in 30 years? Will I still respect him in 30 years? Will I be happy to grow old with him?’………Fast forward to our 30th wedding anniversary where we spent a quiet weekend at a brand new hotel. I decided to bring along the keepsake box where I housed all of our cards and letters we gave each other through the years. We snuggled in the bed re-read them all to each other and basked in the warmth of all the memories that flowed from each card, recalling the trials of our earlier years and also the humorous times that made us laugh. It was the most romantic anniversary ever! Mostly because I remembered the questionsI had asked myself as a young bride-to-be……and 30 years later, I gazed into his eyes and I knew definitively the answer to those questions!
Sadly, after nearly 39 years of being very happily married, I lost him to COVID-19. I am now a widow, but I cherish those cards and letters more than ANYTHING! I still re-read them because they truly warm my heart ❤️
❤️❤️
Cathy I’ve just read your comment and now I’m sitting with tears in my eyes, I’m so sad you lost your husband to covid, i just wanted to send you love and I’m so pleased that your letters have brought back so many happy memories x 💕
@@deniseconaway701 ❤️❤️❤️ Thank you for your compassionate reply. 🌺
The things I wanted to keep and not use, I took pictures and then got rid of it. I still look at the pictures and have the memories sparked by the photos
Thank you for this video. I appreciate the tips and strategies you share with us on how to declutter. I am just starting my journey to a minimalist lifestyle and love the encouragement for ideas and videos give me.
Wow, Erica, this is SO good! I wasn't expecting to get emotional! Now I know why I'm struggling to let go of the stuffed dog my Grandad gave me when I was in the hospital. Its head recently came off when my son was playing with it. Still I don't regret giving it to him, better that it was used than still in a bin. They did an amazing job rebinding those books!
Such good advice! Been so cool watching the growth you’ve made from a basement (at the last house) so packed you couldn’t use it, to where you are now! Way to go! On the photos, I went ahead and put all my photos that were already printed in albums and moving forward now do photo books (started in 2019). It was faster putting photos into albums and I found some good quality, colorful ones on Amazon. I find it a good wintertime project when the snow and wind are howling!
Erica, I have a question, I recently went through 5 totes of photo albums, pulled out all the photos, sorted out the scenery, doubles (and triples), and bad, blurry or unflattering shots. Now I have 1 tote filled with 4 photo boxes. I can't decide what to do with them. I can put them in albums or maybe (maybe!) scan them and make digital books which I would prefer but sooo much work. But my kids are grown. My daughter isn't sentimental and while she might keep certain photos, she wouldn't appreciate being saddled with the books when I die. My son is very sentimental and would keep them but never really look at them. He would keep because it is the "right" thing to do. I don't want to saddle him with clutter. I think the photo books would be more appreciated because they take up less space. If you find a method of scanning photos (no rush), can you let me know? Or if you find another way to keep the photos. Thanks, I enjoyed your decluttering journey. I see a lot me in you.
I love the ways you chose to use things instead of sitting them in boxes! I find I actually have quite a lot of those types of items.... It makes me glad that I am using the sentimental, but man can it throw a wrench in decluttering an area. Lol.
Hi Sweet Erica! I *loved* that you had your grandma's prayer book and Andy's old and cherished family bible restored. I also loved that you had your childhood coo-coo clock repaired and that it's on display.
I incorporated sentimental into house and holiday decor a couple years ago. I love that you also found this solution, and did such a great job of showing us!
I'm struggling with photo albums... I've made everything into albums, but it's "too much" (14 binders!) and I don't know why I don't like to look at them. The past seems to make me sad. I need to figure it out. Maybe I need to get rid of more.
I notice you updated all your thumbnails! I can see all the little tweaks you are making to improve your channel and brand. I'm rooting for you!
One of my future decluttering projects is going through family photos. Several years ago I did that and made albums for each of my grown daughters. Actually it turned out to be three albums each. I gave them to them for Christmas. They were so surprised, happy, that they actually cried. I continued to keep all the originals, I would like to get them organized, merge with the digital ones and do it again. You have done some wonderful things with your home. I have been following you since the beginning. And by the way, you look great!
I loved this video. Sentimental is hard. Your top is beautiful- great color and cut for you. I enjoyed the "calmness" of this video, just talking and explaining. Thanks for sharing with us.
I loved your suggestions of how to use/display sentimental items so that we honor the person who gave them to us!! When you said “sentimental items don’t belong in a box in your stinky basement,” it truly hit home for me!! Yes, yes, yes!!!!
So glad you made this video. I can decliuttered anything but when it comes to sentimental items I freeze up. But your ideas are perfect. Also I love your hair cut. The length is great .
Such great ideas! I can’t remember where I saw it but there was this one show that took the love letters and had them I guess screen printed onto a blanket for their bed. I appreciate you reminding us that we shouldn’t just keep something wrapped up and moldering away but display and use. I use my grandmother’s iron skillet almost everyday and it’s such a lovely reminder of her and a good way to cook.
I am on month 3 of a 6month ultimate declutter. I am downsizing to an RV so I have zero storage for my sentimental items. I have made hard decisions on everyday items but getting closer to the sentimental ones is starting to wear on me. I love how you added them into every day. My option may come to deal with them when I find my landing spot again.
Paraphrasing and I think I need to print this out: Sentimental items belong in your life, not in a box. Storing an item does not honor the sentimentality of the item.
This is so hard. Thanks 🌸
I have a question about chatbooks: can you have captions added to the photos? I have a loved one with early stages dementia and I think that would be a great gift for them, esp as they progress.
I like "Sentimental feelings in your life not in a box."
How do you scan your photos? I downloaded an app on my phone but have not tried it yet.
Erica, this was so well presented from beginning to end. I loved how you have started incorporating the items into your home. The clock was so cute. So happy back on the wall.
The Prayer book and Bible are so fabulous.
Thank you for this.
Cheers
Great job Erica. You've come a long way in your decluttering journey. I appreciate you taking "us" along. Thank you.
My mother had a shadow box of her grandfather’s fiddle, wire rimmed glasses, a tin type of him and a receipt for his Texas farm. It was all not much bigger than the fiddle and it always hung on our walls.
I will be super interested to see the photo and love note methods you employ. These are my last items to work out. I have them in boxes as well at the moment. Love it that you use the sentimental items in your life.
Many of my sentimental items are cast iron cookware. I use it all the time and will be passed along to my kids.
We had a couple of antique cars that we have passed to our kids. They always loved them and we weren’t using them much anymore. We decided to give them now instead of waiting. We didn’t want the gift to have sadness attached. This is our ‘living’ will. They love them and get to share them with their kids as well to build memories as a family. Early in the quarantine, one of our sons texted us a great picture of his family in the antique sportscar that he titled ‘quarantine cruising’. It is my favorite picture of my son and his family!
It is so interesting to see you reflecting on this. I remember commenting once that we have one sentimental bin for each family member. And you were clearly not ready, almost seemed horrified at the thought. And look at you now 🤩👏🌺
The restoration is worth hundreds and is; I'm so glad y'all want for it
I have a few pieces of special to me jewellery that have been passed down and don’t wear often - I display them in a shadow box on my dresser and they give me joy every day
wow! those recover books were incredible!
Erica, I love listening to you. I’m so glad you showed us the Bible prayer book (before and after), I am going to do that.
thank you so much 🙏💚🌟✨💫 your advices help me to process even transitional situations that i am in actually.. hard to let go sometimes.. or to process about, thank you for sharing your experience with such wisdom and kindness 🙏🌟😘