The Warm & Fuzzy Stuff
Mementos, or “warm & fuzzy” stuff, as I call them, are items that evoke fond memories. They are usually those things that can make us laugh or cry happy tears when we see them. And no matter what we call it, we all have some. It is necessary to streamline the collection so it makes sense and tells a story.
No matter how ruthless you become at minimizing and organizing, there will be a few items you can’t let go of, even when you have a digital record of them. You need to touch, smell, and see it in person, or the memory is not there. In some cases, we are not ready to part with some items. Maybe we never will.
I recommend getting a special box for those things. This box should be a beautiful, high-quality box, bin, or basket with a lid or a cover. It will contain those items that are so special to you.
The box should live in a private space like a shelf in your closet, under the bed, or in your home office.
Not Everything Is Warm & Fuzzy Material
You should probably scan or photograph the things that don’t make it to your “Warm & Fuzzy” box to preserve a digital memory. I discuss these processes in my blog “Organizing Kids’ Memories.” When you maintain a digital image, you keep the memory but not the clutter.
However, as said before, when dealing with your mementos, you will find a few items for which a digital record would never do. These are the items we are referring to.
Keep a minimal number of treasures in your warm & fuzzy collection. Otherwise, if everything seems important, then nothing is. The moments and memories in our lives are most important, not the things. So, carefully choose the items that best represent your most significant moments in life.
The collection is manageable when you become discriminatory with your “warm & fuzzy” collection. It should be a sampling of happy memories that make you smile, not an overwhelming heap of stuff you’d rather avoid.
Memorabilia
Organizing memorabilia refers to managing mementos you keep for their emotional value, but they are dispersed around your home and stowed away in drawers or closets. We want to gather these together and assign them a good home in your life and heart.
Memorabilia items of high monetary value or related to famous people, like sports players, antiques, and the like, should have a place of honor in your home so they are displayed and enjoyed. However, this type of memorabilia is a different story.
Should you have this type of treasure, you need to find a way to incorporate it into your home’s overall concept. Things like shadow boxes and glass displays come to mind.
There is an infinite number of options to honor your high-priced memorabilia! Just look into Pinterest and knock yourself out!
Having a neutral party help you with organizing your mementos or memorabilia is of great value. Handling these items might be an intense emotional rollercoaster, and you might avoid the issue altogether.
Also, it might seem like a giant ball of yarn or a group of tangled wire hangers before it gets appropriately organized. It takes some patience and skill to untangle it all.
If this is your case, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’d love to help you. We can laugh and cry together about this, but I promise to make it more fun than you ever imagined.
