Buried Treasures: Adventures in Closet Cleaning #1

Yes.  I like Beanie Babies.  Deal with it.

I've put it off for over decade.  I never cleaned the closet.  Imagine the size of a normal hall closet and multiply the size of that times 6... and then imagine 75% of the closet is full... and by full I mean stuff stacked on the floor on up to the top shelf.  A closet so full of stuff that you can't get anything out without it becoming a several day project of moving stuff out just so you can step inside....  That's my closet.

Usually when I start cleaning this much it's all the fault of the 'female cleaning gene'.  The gene that inherently kills you if you don't get up from the comfiest spot on the bed and go dismantle the stove and clean every speck of crust out of it, on it, and around it...  No, this time... this time it's out of necessity.  Moving will be in my forecast soon and I have no idea how much space the new place will have.  I'm anticipating none.  It's good to set the bar low.  Don't wanna build up any expectations.  So with this notion, I decided I have to start slimming down my stuff.

Now I fancy myself a collector of sorts, but most people would call most of my collecting hoarding.  I don't think it's exactly hoarding... but I do have a very hard time with getting rid of things.  Especially things that I feel connected to.  Just like two weeks ago I cleaned out my car... the trash in my car was so old there were Vault cans in there.  I literally wanted to keep one... but I made myself throw it away.

So when I'm in "must do" mode I seem to have less regret about getting rid of some things.  I already took several boxes and bags worth of stuff to the thrift store, and threw out several bags in the trash  I'm not sure if I regret any of it yet.

I know now why it is that cleaning the closet hurts me so much.  I have to see so many things from my past.  I'm not too fond of that....  but then again, I am.  The part I am fond of is the nostalgia I cherish so much.  Buried in the sea of old text books that bring back the angering memories of school... I find things....

Like my Ty Beanie Baby Official Club member kit back from 1998.  Today I share with you something I had been looking around for a long while.  My old Ty Beanie Baby Official Club Member card.  I thought I had lost it a long time ago... I've been wondering for a while where that had gotten off to.

What serendipity ~CM~

I even found the box and certificate tucked away in the dark depths.

I also found some trading cards hidden in a photo album.  Some of the cards aren't official and I'm not quite sure where I obtained them...

There's even a large check list poster in here.

Sadly I don't have any of the stickers the kit promised me.  I don't know if I ever had them or not.

But in case you're wondering...  Yes.  I have Clubby.  Clubby was the very first of the official club bears.  There were 8 club bears by the end of the clubs run.

Clubby has never lived in the closet~

Unfortunately the club went defunct in 2007.  It's a shame I never got to get more out of the club, but that have been a time frame factor.  Beanie Babies started in 1996 and production stopped around 1999/2000.  I only first learned about them in 1998 and I lost interest after the revival in the early 00's, although I still enjoy picking up some old ones at rummage sales.  The new beanies never looked as cute as the first incarnations and I'm actually surprised the company has stuck around this time.  I mean did you ever see those Ty Beanie Kids?

Jumping from cute little animals... to that..... shudders to the Nth degree right there....

So after my rampage of throwing stuff out, I'm not sure how much treasure is left in my closet.  I know there are several more things of interest in there...  Until then I'll be pondering over here.... debating with myself if I should keep my Beanie Club card in my wallet...