Fashion Project Update or How I Learned to Stop Worry and Love Donating…

Forgive the attempt at of poor use of the Dr. Strangelove title, it’s just that I had written a draft of this post with the singular title of Fashion Project Update. Here is a revised version:

I just thought I would write a post with an update. It took a little over two weeks for Fashion Project to process the donation once received. A couple of correspondences revealed that they do not send a confirmation of receipt email and they were indeed backed up from donations. Happily all of my donations met the requirements and as a reward I am to be sent a Nordstrom gift card. Which is great because the Anniversary sale is forthcoming.

I have another bag packed and ready to ship, yet I am still hesitating. I have two reasons for my hesitation. One is that I am not positive I am ready to let go of the items as they are attire from a long gone and missed time of my life. I think letting go of these things signifies my letting go of part of me and it makes me sad. And I wonder if I will regret it, I know when the time comes I will just buy new clothes then, but that doesn’t console me as doubt seems to plague me.

And there were my issues. I think I’ve resolved them, because that’s the best thing to do when you have a problem is to solve them. Initially I was annoyed a little at the selling price, given how much you spend, but you have to let it go. It is what it is. I was also wondering about how much money the charity receives percentage wise. It was around 30%, I know that they have costs to cover and well you just have to accept that and let it go too.

Now for my personal hesitation. After chatting with a great rep I realized that I am not the only one who wonders if they are ready to part with items. She gave me some good advice:

Once you send it off the sadness goes with it.

I thought that was a wonderful way of looking at it. It gave me the courage to take the parcel to the post office. It also reminded me of Chinese belief a friend once told me about. She said that when you give away something with bad luck you are also giving away the bad luck, or something along those lines. I believe that a lot of things are weighing me down. After I dropped off the package I felt a lot lighter and a bit more accomplished. Now to weed out some more things. Matter of fact I just ordered some more things online for the summer. My closet has never been bare, I doubt that I will ever get to that point. But believe that I can streamline my situation. I hope to be able to fit everything in my dresser. We shall see.

On another note, I heard this song last night and was trying to remember it. I looked it up and could not tell from their playlist which one it was, as it was a satellite radio station. I finally figured it out tonight. I have the CD, what beautiful luck. I can’t believe I couldn’t remember off the bat. So here it is…

That intro is just fantastic, and to end it with that piano, amazing.

The Lost Art of Cursive…

I have heard that cursive is going to be obsolete. Which is quite sad, is that what happened to calligraphy? Maybe not, since calligraphy is a stylized way of writing. Maybe that is what will happen to cursive, it will be relegated to the font-o-philes who cherish all aspects of typography. I would be one of those special folks, I do enjoy typography as an art form. This post is making me think that I should take up calligraphy again.

There is something pretty about it, although my writing is not great (as evidenced by my chicken scratches above), but when done properly it is beautiful, dignified and elegant. I think  it is quite special because there is something quite distinctive about each letter written. When I think about it, there is something so personal about handwriting and by extension handwritten notes. There is something wonderful reading a letter from a loved one. I tend to save them, it’s one of the sentimental things I can not bear to part with. I am not so sure that I would save a text as LOL doesn’t communicate real sentiment. Emoticons are cute and fun, but sometimes a thoughtfully jotted letter can make one’s day feel that much brighter. I wonder if there is a campaign to revive the handwritten letter, if so where can I sign.

Oh, To Be The Cat…

All hail the cat.

The furry creature that can nap in any urban jungle.

The warmth of the concrete greets his flexible and lethargic body.

The soft breeze and gray air entices him to relax his guard.

Here Tom shall rest.

 

 

 

DoSomethingOrg and H & M…

I think my focus has moved away from increased consumption to thoughtful reduction. I received this email from H & M an email with the following promotion:

It seems like another great opportunity to recycle clothes and comes without the $50.00 (USD) minimum criteria. Plus you are rewarded with an extra 15% off your H & M purchase, most likely good for that day. Win-win in my opinion. The Memorial Day weekend is coming up so that may be a good time to buy. Here is Olivia Wilde pimping the program, I don’t know if you have to text, it seems unnecessary. I am going to give it a go, will you?

Fashion Project and Nordstrom…

I continue to clean house. I fear that this next lap may take some determination as well as some doing. It’s the things that I am having problems parting with. I find it hard to part with things that I paid a bit of money for and never found the opportunity to use. While these frivolous purchase, and if I am perfectly honest quite a few of my purchases are on the frivolous side, have  reminded me to give greater consideration before I buy I am still having a harder time parting with them. I wish I had gotten some sort of use for them. Some I forced myself to use but with each moment I wondered why I wasted the money.

A few purchases have been on leather goods. I was in the habit of buying a new pocketbook (because that is what I call them ever since I was a little girl and I just don’t know how to stop) whenever I saw a great sale. And I have a lot more than I need. I stopped a few years ago, but the thing about some of these leather goods is that they don’t wear out, especially when you rotate with others. I’ve been thinking that they should go to other homes. I never had the room and I really don’t need to hold on to them anymore. But just giving something that cost a few hundred dollars is a little off-putting, even if it is for charity. I have been toying with this idea, Nordstrom has teamed up with Fashion Project, a charity which collects and sells designer items for various charitable organizations. There are a few criteria, one of which is that the retail value should be $50 or over and that it must be in nearly new or great condition, the items must also be included on their list of acceptable brands. As a reward should your donation meet the criteria they will send you a $40.00 Nordstrom Gift Card. So that is nice (mind you, you are sending them over $250.00 worth of your own valuables). All you do is sign up and request the mailer bags be sent to you. Then you mail in your stuff and hopefully get your gift card. If you are in doubt, you can talk or email the concierge.

I got my little box in the mail and thought I would post it, I think because I like when folks take time to try to send things through the mail in a nifty way. I am still trying to figure out what I should send so I can’t say how well the process goes. I also wonder if Canada is included, I was not too sure, but I believe that you have Nordies over there. Hmm….

Less and less, and even less…

When we are small, our parents normally control the intake of things in our wee lives. We are allotted a certain amount of toys, candy, and other things of interest. But then you start getting bigger and gaining more and more independence and control. Until you are a supposed adult. You may have gone through some lean years in college, but you come out hoping to have a decent job and new found disposable income.

It can be a dangerous new thing to have in your life. Young and with a few extra bucks burning a hole in your pocket. Many of us buy things we don’t need, it can be a time of extravagance and, well, waste. As a grown woman I realize how ridiculous it was for me to accumulate so much junk. It gets to the point where you don’t own things, rather they own you. Things I didn’t use I had to store, which meant I had to find a way to put it away. Which mean purchasing storage (it’s a vicious cycle).

Last year I had finally had it with all the stuff, and perhaps it was a way for me to gain some control in my world. I found myself giving away those possessions. At first it was hard to decide to part with things. I started with the stuff I knew I really did not want. The things that irritated me every time I saw it. I gave things away little-by-little. The Veterans come by our neighborhood a few times a week, making it easy to have them stop by frequently. It seemed like they came to our house every week, but that may just be my imagination.

After I parted with the things I that I irked me I moved on to the things that I had purchased thinking it would be useful at some future date. I then thought am I still going to use it, and when will that be. If it was some far off intangible date then I sent it on it’s merry way. My thinking was that it was going to a home where someone might need it. The idea was spurred also by the fact that I had a brand new Sonicare Toothbrush (which was not cheap, but bought so long ago that I have no memory how much I payed for it) that died. It had never been used, and now it could never be used. This has also changed my buying habits.

It’s been a year and I am still going through my stash trying to weed out things to go to another home. I am not sure when I will be done, there is no set schedule but this has changed my thinking. I am transitioning to being less attached to things. Although there are some things that remain sentimental, such as things my Father gave me or things which have special meaning. Those things I can’t just discard.

This process has become cathartic for me. Each time made it ever more clear that I want less and I can do with less.

Shaken and Stirred…

We’ve been having a lot of earthquakes here in Southern California recently, tectonic plates shifting and all.  Last night there was a slightly bigger one, no real damage, just a bit of shaking, and about 100 aftershocks. Growing up here you are used to them. They come every so often and a certain section of the population panicked. While the rest of us roll our eyes, no one died and while there is always some sort of damage, it’s nothing that can’t be fixed. It’s just part of living here. We joke that you should buy beach front property in Colorado, for when California does fall off into the ocean. 

I don’t remember the details, but I do recall there being an earthquake on the east coast. I don’t think they get that many so they may not know how to react. I read that some folks just walked out during it; which is a mistake. All those drills as kids taught us to duck and cover under our desks. Or go in a doorway, I don’t know if that’s still true. You basically don’t want to get hit should stuff be thrown around by the shaking. You want to stay safe, although I never got my earthquake kit ready. I really should, right? But we have plenty of water and food, although you should keep cash on hand. I have a bad habit of not keeping the stuff on me. Alright that goes on the list of things I need to fix. 

Hope your ground is stable. ♣

Morrie, Soft and Sweet…

My taste in music is rather eclectic. I used to say that I like everything but country. But I have to tip my hat to the Kenny Rogers, after all he is the Gambler. I have found that I prefer soft and sweet music more often these days. Perhaps I am looking for that calm in my life. A bit of soothing for the soul. I have a thing for Asian laid back vibes. Slow, soft and sweet.

A really nice choice is Morrie. She is a K-Indie (Korean Independent) Artist. Her melodies can relax the soul if you let them. She sings in English, so that is a bonus for us (if you are reading this you can read english most likely, right?). If you want to know more about her, here is an interview she did which I found through this blog.

Here is a bit of her mellow for you to take in.

Gentle Smiles

Yet Again…

OK, I’ve got this. I must tell you I jot down ideas which now sit idly in my notebook. I have written a few blog posts only to discard them. They were a little too depressing. The abbreviated version is that I haven’t been taking good care of myself as I have had to put the needs of others first. I am trying to remedy that, one of my desires is to blog again. It’s a lofty goal, there’s a but that goes there…but it seems unnecessary right now.