Community Chat

[GiGi8]

You could donate the mink stoles to a local theater group or a high school for their high play performances.  They love to get these items to use in their productions and are operating on limited budgets so the "quality pieces" are very much appreciated.

[Enufstuff]

@Puppy Lips@SeaMaiden@ninjawife   Since many fur pieces are now out of style and most people won't wear real fur anymore, there

are people who have found ways to repurpose mink and other fur.

    There was a very talented woman who made beautiful Teddy

Bears from old fur coats. She lived in Massachusetts and sold her

Teddy Bears in the gift shop of the Ritz Carlton in Boston and

also in a gift shop in Rockport, MA. She also used the satin lining material to make little bow ties for the bears. Any embroidered initials could be saved in a little tie or collar for a bear.

    I purchased a few of her beautiful little bears. Perhaps there are other people on Etsy or other places online who could make bears or something else out of any unwanted furs.

[Maggie Nolia]

Cleaning out someone else's home after their death is a great motivator for cleaning out your own home.

[Duckncover]

I honestly see no problem with giving anyone as much as they want to keep, even if it is only for sentimental reasons. I would let her take everything she is willing to move to her place, and she can gradually get rid of it as time goes by. Less for you to have to worry about. My mother had all the kids and grandkids write down things they would like to have when she had passed away.....amazingly, everyone wrote down different things, not a single duplicate. My niece wanted an old cookie jar...my nephew wanted my grandfather's old garden tools. One of my daughters wanted a specific gold and Ruby ring and an afghan my great grandma had made and given to my mother. It was frayed and not in great shape, but she wanted it and now has it draped on a trunk in a bedroom. Everyone has memories associated with things and they will fondly remember that person  when they look at those things. 

[FiddleDeeDee]

When my parents died, each child went through the house and chose what they wanted. The older ones chose furniture mainly because my dad chose masculine/simple lines in when it came to the master bedroom and dining room: the oldest has placed them in his townhouse and they look fantastic.Son #2 has dressers, prints and all of my dads' tools (the engineer) and has wonderful memories of the two of them when they would work together in my dads' workshop. The younger two chose things such as coins, jewelry, clocks, things that they have stories about when being with my parents. I knew all their clothes were to go to organizations that directly helped the homeless, the displaced, womens' shelters, etc. Bedding all went to animal shelters. We took items that we loved/that held memories for me. We asked those who were good friends if they wanted anything and opened the doors to them. In the end, it was artwork, antiques that we had appraised and then sold to private dealers.

The same will happen with my in-laws when they pass on.

Our sons have made it clear what they want and what they don't care about. In our move to Florida, we rid ourselves of items and as we've unpacked and started decorating, we've cleared out more. It's obvious that we do NOT need to buy ANY house decor ever again and instead, storage is our focus.