Every item has a purpose and a story. I think I've heard that somewhere. Oh yes, Hoarders. On Hoarders, a counselor prompts the hoarder to explore why they have what they have and keep what they keep. I can't afford a counselor, so here's a little self-examination and storytelling.
#1 Balloon Cups and Sticks
These are awesome. They should be put away in the plastic "party box" but they haven't made it there yet. They are more accessible here, sticking out of the repurposed over-the-door storage pockets that I found at a yard sale for $3. When we have a party or event requiring balloons, I use these awesome sticks to create balloon bouquets in large glass vases. I bought a gross of the sticks from Oriental Trading Company 4 years ago, and have used them religiously. They are so much more convenient than a helium tank!
I'll admit, I get a little "Soup Nazi" about them. When children say that they want a balloon to take home and reach for one, stick and all, I swoop in like a hawk and say they can have the balloon but not the stick. Kids shouldn't be playing with sticks anyway. You'll poke your eye out, kid!
#2 Paper Towels
We go through A LOT of paper towels. When children paint, I give them a palette of paint, a cup of water, and a paper towel- cut in half and folded to make a small square. I call it a blotting cloth. I don't know why I use that term; I'm not sure that it even makes sense. I show the kids how to clean their brush in the water, then dry it on the blotting cloth (???) to make sure it is clean and also to keep their paint from being runny. I love to see the happenstance art that reveals itself on the paper towels, and have kept a few particularly pretty ones. For what? That's another story. Sometimes the kids will even ask if they can keep their paper towels. It's contagious, I think.
Paper towels are also a must for bacon. We eat a lot of bacon.
#3 Used Coffee Containers
I've yet to use these for any kind of project. They still have remnants of coffee grounds in them. Most people would clean them before storing them. Me? You've got to be kidding. My favorite ones are the metal ones, but I can't bring myself to throw away the plastic ones, either. They have a lot of potential for something, I know it.
#4 Plasic Crayons
Found at Dollar Tree about a few months ago... They've been waiting to be hung above the windows of the art room. I'm vertically challenged and hate to ask for help. So they're still sitting here.
#5 Lily's Artwork
Lily was 2 when I started the barn. Up until the time she started Kindergarten, she attended most every event and class that I offered, and created copious amounts of artwork. I've weeded through a lot of it, only electing to keep what I considered the best pieces (yeah, I'm not biased.) I attempted to put them all in boxes, and succeeded for a while (see those long flat boxed off to the right? Totally full.) But she keeps making more, and the stacks keep growing, and growing, and growing. In fact, there's a stack currently growing on a table in my office.
#6 Picnic Basket
I love this little basket. It used to be in the playroom, and the kids loved it, too. They loved it a little too much. They'd fill it with food and bring it here and there, having impromptu picnics on my old printed tablecloths. The more they used it, the more I got scared the basket would end up crushed. One misplaced step and bye bye birdie. So now, like many of the toys I've deemed off-limits for one reason or another, it sits in a shelf with stacks of games and "table toys." Table toys are toys that usually have a lot of pieces and can only be played with at the table. Periodically, I take out different ones and put them out for the children to play with. The problem with this seemingly sensible procedure is the fact that getting all of the toys to fit in the shelves is not unlike an HD game of Tetris. And when I want to get something from the back or on the bottom, everything needs to be moved or rearranged. And then, after playtime, the toy needs to be put back again. Yeah, right.
#7 Fake Flowers
I have nowhere to put these little pots filled with sunflowers. Their original place was on our art tables. I stopped putting them on the tables because children could not resist picking them up and playing with them. That, and the fact that they just cluttered things up (as you can see, I can't stand clutter.) But I can't throw them away. As I've often learned, as soon as I throw them away, I'll figure out where to put them.
#8 Paper Towel Tubes
This is a biggie. The only reason these tubes are visible in single digits is because I didn't feel like scaling my appliances to put them with their colony of cardboard above my washer and dryer. Once upon a time, I could overhand toss the tubes like javelins and land them in their storage baskets. But the colony has grown, and now the toss only orchestrates a landslide.
What's more, the colony's residents also include toilet paper tubes, old Play Doh containers, styrofoam and plastic mushroom containers, strawberry baskets, and egg cartons. All of these items have a destiny- someday they will become Easter baskets, Valentine topiaries, egg carton flowers, recycled art, and who knows what else. It's a mess- but no one can say I'm not doing my part in saving the planet. :-)
#9 Metal Chip Spinner
I think I found this at a yard sale or possibly on the side of the road, and it just screams cool to me. Using clips or clothes pins, I can hang pictures, ephemera, etc.. The problem is that it takes up so much space, and it hasn't found an official home. At our last art fair, I used it on one of the tables to showcase class time photos. It is usually stored in the back shed, but somehow it hasn't made it back there since the fair (in November!)
#10 Chocolate Molds
This is probably the most likely item to never be used... But, like Kim Wilde (or The Supremes), I keep on hanging on. These are Halloween chocolate molds, probably acquired from a box of random craft junk at an estate sale. My intention was to use them as plaster molds. In theory, they are great. Reality is another matter entirely. They are usually stored in they big picnic basket they're sitting on top of. Which means that they are out of sight and out of mind. So when I come across them, Halloween is too far away or it has just passed. Maybe next year?
I know that I am not alone in my (limited) hoarding tendencies. Creative teacher types are often the worst offenders. If you took a picture of your closet, what would it look like?
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