Unboxing Discoveries: Glamour Shots

Lately my general response when I open boxes that have been packed away for years is, "Oh my gosh ... I had completely forgotten about this!/I still have this?!/I thought I donated this?!" Which, based on my reaction, likely means that the item/s were not so valuable (if not completely vexing) to me. Despite the feelings of overwhelm they incite, it also means that sorting through it all is probably a good thing.

Yet, there are those relatively rare moments when a long-lost item does, as Marie Kondo would put it, "spark joy". Over a decade ago, I visited an antique store in Zionsville, IN, with my sister, nephew, and my parents. There I found a whole trunk full of black and white celebrity photos, probably from old magazines, that some meticulous soul had taken the trouble to laminate. Since many of the images were gorgeous and so reasonably priced, I (a broke graduate student at the time) couldn't resist. I was most attracted to photos of glamorous actresses from the 1930's-1960's. I vowed that, when I could afford it, I would get some beautiful frames to do those photos justice.

Fast forward three moves and many other life events, I found them still carefully packed away as I unsuspectingly opened the same box where I had placed them. Seeing once again the beautiful faces of these iconic women, I was initially saddened. Never mind the frames, why hadn't I displayed them? Truth be told, I had forgotten their existence.

In a seemingly unrelated matter, today I went window shopping for a valentine-themed tablecloth to see if I could find something suitable before looking online. Although I couldn't find a tablecloth, I did find a black and white photo holder, which I realized would be perfect for the long-lost photos! After pondering for some time (I want to have fewer things in my home, not more) I decided that for these photos, it was now or never. As luck would have it, the holder was also on clearance! Below you can see the photos as I have arranged them.

So, there you have it, one example of something that I was glad to find during my decluttering 'adventures'. Finds like this break through the tedium and motivate me to continue decluttering, box by box. I am happy that in this case my patience was rewarded.

What about you? Is there anything that you have 'found' on your decluttering jaunts that you were super excited about? Share in the comments!

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