Do you know a hoarder??

I do.  Her name is Hannah.  She can't let go of anything.  NOTHING I TELL YOU.  If I want to have her purge A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G. I have to begin talking to her about it days before.  I think that part of the reason she  "hoards" things is because her Dad makes everything she buys to be the most special, collectible item he has ever seen.  I can't tell you at the times she has told me how valuable something is or how collectible it is and in her mind, she's worth millions from all of her stuff one day.  This STUFF accumulates rather quickly and before I know it, her room is in a "hoarding state of mind".  This drives me crazy...since I'm a crazy clean up nut anyway.  I love to watch the hoarding shows on TV...it actually gives me a clue of how to clean her room and deal with her.  It is so true that the hoarder has to touch each and every item that is up for removal.  She has a very old soul no doubt.  Her love for history is apparent in every single thing that is in her room.   I started last week telling her about "her" (MY) chair that came from my bedroom that it had to go.  Her room was too small to have it in there.  She was none to happy.  Initial response was...it's my room and I LOVE that chair.  Sighs.  So everyday for about a week, I reminded her about the chair and finally she gave in on Monday.  She bought herself a new stereo system with some birthday money, which meant she had to get rid of some of her books from her bookcase.  I think we went through the books about 5 or 6 times before she finally cleared one small shelf.  Each book she had to hold, look at and depart with, in a container I promised her would be kept safely for her children.  It was quite an ordeal and I started off being very patient, but my patience by the end of the purging was on a fine line.

I'm going to share with you parts of her very soul...Hannah's room.....her furniture is my French Provincial furniture set when I was a young girl.  Yeah...OLD.  She loves it!!

When you first get to her room in our house, you will be met by this old hotel door number that she had to have from Relics here in our town.  She paid $4 for it with her own money.  Yes....very passionate.  

The first thing you will see upon entering her room is her bed with all her SPECIAL Build-A-Bear bears, a bunny she won from a game machine, the cat that was given to me when I was in the hospital delivering her and the lamb that she earned enough points in Kindergarten to buy.  Special stuff I tell ya!  There is no way any of this is leaving this bed!!!!  There are CONTAINERS AND CONTAINERS full of stuffed animals stored!!

Above her bed is her new blinged up chandy that she got for her birthday.  This was something she had found at Hobby Lobby some time ago...and afterall, she is a Princess ya know!!

Not a great picture...but you get the idea.  It's actually very beautiful in there at night lit up.

She LOVES LOVES the movie, Titanic.  She has watched it a zillion times and would marry Leonardo DiCaprio in a New York minute!  You can imagine how thrilled she was when this appeared in a Goodwill store.  I knew when we saw this, if I didn't buy it for her I would never be forgiven.

She has also over the last year showed an interest in LP's.  She wants an LP player.  She's been buying them from Goodwill for $.99.  Here is a pic of her favorite that she has displayed in her room.

Puff the Magic Dragon!  Don't you just love her?!

Her sister has made certain that she is a fan of Disney.  She wants anything Disney she can put her hands on.  This is a small basket with her favorite Mickey's, all from Goodwill.  Since they are from Goodwill...they're old and collectible, right?!  Ahem.

and this isn't ALL her Mickey's.

Her dresser is a place for even more collectibles.  Let me share....

These lamps were my grandmothers.  She adores them.  Can we say OLD?  The center glass dome holds the really special things.  She and her dad put this together.  I know one day we'll have to get a bigger one because she keeps adding to it.

The two pictures on each side of her dresser were a Goodwill find.  How could she not have these?  They were on sale and matched everything so perfectly.  Right up her alley.

The next treasure on her dresser is an old dresser mirror with...what can I say?  TREASURES!  Get it now?

Then one day she got the bright idea that she wanted to put her SPECIAL COLLECTIBLE cars in a jar and it went from one jar to 3 jars holding yet again....SPECIAL STUFF.  I'm surprised the shelf holds the weight of this stuff....but so far, it has.  Of course.

Balls, shells and cars....

She has next to her bed another Goodwill find...$.99...she was in heaven when she saw this....

Remember these?  I mean seriously!!


She has a designated shelf on her bookcase for the really OLD stuff.  Old letters she has purchased from thrift stores...an old looking suitcase....a doll her grandmother gave her.....a box with trinkets in it...some totem poll thingy from Goodwill.....

So...my least favorite thing in her room is this item.  This old tin sign.  But again...a must for her collection.

Does she even know what the Saturday Evening Post was??

So...there's some bits and pieces of Miss Hannah's Collectible Store room.    Her desk was the only thing I didn't show you...a hot mess let me tell you.  It also has a hidden makeup mirror in the desk...can she use it? No...why?  Stuff.  Next purge!!  I've already started telling her that the desk is headed for an overhaul.  Maybe one day I'll get the room uncluttered.  Not sure if it will happen...but I'm going to give it my best shot!!