Good-bye, Blue Lady

Readers, if I'm a little emotional right now, you'll understand.

I just sold the first dress form I ever owned, an adjustable model I purchased nearly four years ago on AllBrands.com.  Naturally you're not used to seeing her fully naked.  To make her more pinnable, I made her a polyfleece top which I left on during our entire relationship (hence she was spotless to this day).  I gave the fleece top to her new owner in case she wants to use it (plus a copy of "Singer Sewing Essentials").

You're probably used to seeing the blue lady like this:



Her cheap stand broke early on, but I was able to find a better, wheeled base she has stood on for the last three years. 

Alas, I never gave her a name.  Now that I have two pinnable forms, Princess Grace of Monaco and Roy, I couldn't rationalize keeping my blue lady.  I listed her yesterday on Craigslist for $30; she didn't last 24 hours.  I chose to sell her instead of donate her because I trusted she'd find a buyer fast.  She's the first thing I've sold in this round of ditching; everything else has been given away.

Yesterday I discarded, easily, 50 books.  Having grown up in a family of readers, and at a time when books were more precious, it can be hard for me to give books away, but a quick glance at Amazon revealed that nearly all of them could be repurchased for about one cent each, plus shipping.  (The dollar value of most second-hand books is startlingly low.)  We have a tall bookshelf in my building's laundry room where people leave their old books and I've gotten some good ones there myself.  That's where I brought these.









If you've been following my ditching adventures over the years, you may have thought I'd already rid myself of the two large push-button phones below.  I originally tried to sell them on Craigslist but there were no takers.  Yesterday I finally gave them away.  They were too big and heavy to sell on eBay and, in this era of cellphones, the market for land line phones isn't what it was.





Sadly, yesterday even cousin Cathy was forced to part with some ill-fitting shoes, cheap handbags, and an old coat.  When I'm in a flow state, watch out.



I still have another bag of stuff for the Salvation Army and I may list a few things on eBay later this week.  Once I get warmed up, I'm grabbing things to ditch right and left.  I start thinking, If I've gotten rid of ________, do I really need to keep ________?

Do I really need TWO chihuahuas?

Friends, if I've neglected to ask about your downsizing adventures, it doesn't mean I'm not interested.  I just don't want to make anybody feel bad if they've stalled.  TIP: If you're not sure what to throw out of your own, throw out somebody else's stuff.

Have a great day, everybody!

PS -- I promise to return to sewing soon.