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Modern men and women tend to collect keepsakes, souvenirs, and other interesting items. When you begin decreasing your home's contents, follow these steps to downsize your collections while preserving your family history.
My mother collected bears and salt and pepper shakers. My mother-in-law collects dolls and things from her travels. I collected Russ Troll Dolls (which you can see here). Our collections define us during different parts of our lives, BUT our children don't want our entire collections.
In fact, I told my mother I didn't want her bears and salt and pepper shakers, so she got rid of them. Years later, I kick myself for not taking the time to preserve her life by photographing each item and recording the stories behind each piece. Within each piece are elements of her personal history, which I can no longer access.
DON’T let that happen to you.
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Photograph the Collections Before Downsizing to Preserve Your Family History
Before you begin downsizing your collections, grab a digital camera and photograph the entire set of teaspoons, shot glasses, china, historical flags, and so on, exactly where they appear in your home.
Photograph the collections from the following angles:
How you saw them– on a shelf as you sat on the couch, at eye level as you walked down a hallway, on the window sill as you sipped your morning beverage of choice
To see all the details, you must view them from the best angle, which may involve stooping down or climbing a ladder.
Once you photograph the collection in its typical location, move and group them again for photographic storytelling. Group them by:
Theme
Manufacturer
Person Who Gave Them To You
Similar Features or Colors
According to Memories
You may have other ways to group them, but the idea is to tell a story with your photography.
Photograph the Items Separately
Once you have photographed the entire collection, then take the time to photograph each item.
Even if you’re an amateur like me, preserve your artifacts even if you no longer have space to keep them in your home.
Just one of our collections that we photographed and then gave to a new home.
Begin Downsizing the Collection
Your collection might have significant value if it is not divided. Before you start dividing it, determine whether your relatives, a collector, or a museum would like to have the entire group. Then, make arrangements for how and when those individuals will receive your collection.
If you can not find someone to accept the entire collection, then do the following:
Choose 5-10 of your favorite pieces and keep them for your home (space permitting)
Give individual pieces to family members as part of their inheritance (but do it now to reclaim the space)
Find a collector who wants individual pieces (depending on the value of the collection)
Find a history, ethnic, community, or art museum that would take specific pieces.
Sell items online, at flea markets, conventions, or consignment stores.
Preserve the Family History of the Collection
Once you finish downsizing your collection, preserve the stories behind each piece and the collection as a whole. Answer the following questions:
Why did you begin collecting these items?
How long did you collect the items?
How much did each piece cost?
What are the historical details about each piece (think in terms of a curator or cataloger)?
What are the sentimental memories you have attached to each piece?
Where did each piece go when it left your collection?
Create a photo book with the images of the collection, the individual pieces, and the stories that support the pictures. One page with each piece's story should face a page with one photo or multiple pictures of the artifact.
You can create such a book by dragging and dropping the images from my favorite website, Mixbook.com. It's super easy, and you'll preserve the history of your downsized collection.
Even though you may dread downsizing your collections, recognize that you can find homes where the items can live. Your family will also have a wonderful treasure even if they don't want the physical things like me.
