I had to clean out my grandparents' forever home a decade ago with only my brother to assist. It was grueling and we had about 48 hours.

We had to very quickly decide what to keep, what to toss, what to leave (anything left behind was to be auctioned via estate sale).

My advice is to keep only items YOU like and will use or display daily. Donate the rest.

A few examples...my grandma did paint by numbers paintings but framed them in antique gilded wood frames. I pushed out the artwork to donate and keep the frames.

I live by the mantra that you can't keep everything.

I'm going to have this problem big time--my DH is a "saver" and even if he doesn't think something is special, if his DAD does, then he "per se" does.

His dad has two stories and one full-size basement FULL of junk and tons of furniture (so when you walk through the house you are kind of moving through "aisles." Including one grand piano (no one in the family plays or is learning to play)

His brother's wife and I are perpetually freaked out by the thought of having to bring this monstrous mass of furniture into our houses "because it's sentimental." We often end up talking about our wish that the house would burn down.

Here's a question-- do you have multiple kids ? If so, think about whether they might each want a couple things down the road. My mom saved a lot of the stuff her grandmother made and it's nice to have those connections to the past. Table is harder because it takes up sp much space. Have you thought about painting it a funky color? I've seen some awesome old "country" pieces totally refreshed by an unusual coat of paint like bright yellow or periwinkle. But if you're always going to hate it, just give it away. I did that with my grandmothers dining room chairs (but help the table)--they looked like something out of a Dracula movie.

Your family enjoyed making these things. I think that is enough.

eBay

I agree with offering them to other family members first, and then getting rid of them - donate them, sell them, whatever strikes your fancy.

We have kept some heirlooms, trashed others (no one wants that stained, moth eaten doily even if great-etc-grandmother made it), and donated or sold others. My family has handed down all sorts of things to extended relatives. It's funny when you realize that your great-grandmother and your cousin's great-grandmother from the other side both had the same china pattern. Your china loving cousin now has an intact 12 piece china set with some other pieces held in reserve for future breakage. And I don't have to feel guilty for sending my great-grandmother's china to goodwill!

Cheese moulds, Earthen ware Jugs and a butter churn. Not really my cuppa to display but fascinating all the same. Maybe one day I'll have a rustic 2nd home in which to display these treasures..

I agree on ridding yourself of them. But first check to see if there are other relatives who might enjoy them. If the table is good, nice suggestion about having a carpenter adapt. Or perhaps you could use it as a work table for folding laundry, doing crafts, wrapping presents, etc.

Anonymous wrote:I'd sell them/donate them. You still love and were loved by these people. Hoarding their items doesn't make it any more true.

This. Free yourself of these things, you'll feel a lot less burdened.

Anonymous wrote:Sell the items (maybe take some pictures of them to remember the items) and use the $$ to buy something special (maybe a piece of jewelry) that you can enjoy and hand down.

I like this idea, but 9:55 makes a good point -- that you might not get much for them. In which case, what about donating the table to a nonprofit group that you find worthy, like a women's shelter or a Ronald McDonald House?

Sounds like these material items have become a burden to you. I would have absolutely no problem donating them, or throwing them out if no one wanted them.

Also, don't expect to get $$$ for this stuff. Who pays $$ for someone else's old needlepoint or Uncle Bob's attempt at building a country kitchen table?

I'd sell them/donate them. You still love and were loved by these people. Hoarding their items doesn't make it any more true.

Sell the items (maybe take some pictures of them to remember the items) and use the $$ to buy something special (maybe a piece of jewelry) that you can enjoy and hand down.

If it's a really well made table I'd think about getting in touch with a carpenter and see if he can rework the piece. If the wood is of good quality and the craftsmanship is special then making the table smaller might very well be possible.

As for the needlework - I'd get some kind of nice storage for it (an old wooden chest for example) and keep it in there. I wouldn't throw it away.

I definitely wouldn't give anything away except for to other relatives or close friends who might cherish the pieces.

I inherited a number of items from my aunt and my father when they passed. My aunt was very talented and made a lot of needlework pieces that are framed for hanging, several stained glass pieces in large frames, and a lot of glassware. My father and uncle made a large, solid wood table that I now have. The needlework and stained glass, while expertly done and pretty, are not my style. They were made in the '70s and '80s and definitely look it. I have one stained glass framed in a window and a couple of the less dated of the needle works hanging around the house, but the rest are just stashed in storage because I don't want to display them but I also feel guilty getting rid of them. The table is nice, but too large for our kitchen and I already have a dining set in the dining room that I prefer. The table has a country vibe, which isn't really our decor. It is taking up space against a wall in the basement. I don't know what to do with these pieces. I the thought of getting rid of them feels horrible, but I don't really need them taking up space in my house. WWYD?