Friday, April 23, 2010

Chotchkies and other useless crap....

What is a chotchkie?

Urban dictionary defines it as: A small piece of worthless crap, a decorative nick-knack with little or no purpose.

Side note: Chotchkie can be pretty, sentimental, or even occasionally useful though it usually breaks easily if useful. If you are having trouble identifying Chotchkie just look around your house or someone else's and whatever you see that a burglar wouldn't steal is probably Chotchkie.

Great definition right? So why do we collect such things? My aunt collects sewing thimbles, my grandmother collected spoons, my girlfriend had a china cabinet full of creepy life-like dolls, my father had a lobster-trap coffee table and before my husband became "my husband" he collected shot glasses and beer mugs.... and thus the list can go on.

Some say this useless crap is what makes a house a home... well... I call bullshit on that! What makes a house a home is family memories, personal photos, beautiful artwork, decorative pillows.... not chotchkies. This weekend we are in Pismo Beach a typical California beach town, I am sure not much has changed since 1965 including the chotchkies in the gift shops that line the boardwalk near the pier.

Now I love these tacky gift shops w/ bikinis hanging in the window and t-shirt cover-ups w/ PISMO splashed across the front in bright florescent font... call me crazy I know. But, the fact is, we're having a wonderful family vacation here and I want to remember it... so should I buy?

Well, I broke down and purchased 3 dried starfish and a set of wind chimes which are just beautiful. That's it. We don't need rows and rows of shells, just a few that make us think of the beach or a wonderful vacation. The starfish are right at home in my master bathroom with my sand dollars from Morro Bay and my white sea shells from Cape Cod. I have them all in a beautiful glass jar that I see every day once I step out of my shower.

The key to collecting is less- is -more. Think similar in color and group things in no more than 3. Stick to odd numbers. Picture frames use different sizes but stick to similar frame color; for example, black frames and white mats... they work well with all photos and make it easy to create a photo gallery on almost any wall in the house.

By collecting a few things it leaves room in our lives to make new memories...

Live Beautifully... Erin

3 comments:

  1. Finally learning "less is more." No need for the family to "clean out" later. . . . . . only keeping what holds memories or a special place in my heart.

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  2. haa haa yes! less IS more! If I didn't know any better I would say you sound just like my mother!

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  3. My new favorite Quote "If a burglar wont steal it....get rid of it!" This is a great theory to clean up clutter in your home. Great info and advice!

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