How Many Mugs Does One Person Need?

My newest decluttering inspiration is Marie Kondo's The Magic of Tidying Up. I read all the online articles I could find on her and then finally purchased the book.  One of her big things is not to declutter & organize room-by-room, but rather by category.  For instance, you may have books scattered all over the house.  You won't realize how many you actually have until you bring them all together.

I haven't been following her plan in the order she recommends. I've been working on whatever category seems to need attention.  Today, my coffee mugs begged to be culled.  I pulled them all out.  There were 15 of them in the cabinet. I also have a few special hand-made mugs that I use in other ways. I'm not including those in this category.

Despite the evidence, I'm not a mug hoarder. Most of these mugs were gifts, collected over many years. The most functional ones are scratched or chipped.  Many are colors or designs I don't like.  I'm keeping 5 and tossing the rest.  In true Marie Kondo style, I thanked them for their service and sent them off.

Unfortunately, I'm not all that thrilled with the ones I'm keeping. In this case, the decluttering hasn't left behind what I consider to be beautiful.  One day soon, I'll replace them all with a matching set of simple mugs.  They'll be the perfect size and the perfect color and will feel just right in my hand.  They won't have quotes or cartoons or distracting designs.

Tidying up really is a bit magical.

1930's Book - The Art of Drinking

One interesting thing I came across during my latest thrifting adventures was an old book, The Art of Drinking by Dexter Mason.  It was published in 1930 and is apparently a sought after book for those who collect bar-keeping and cocktail books.

The book itself was a nice find, but there were tons of little goodies stuck inside the book that are even more interesting.

There was a stack of attendance diplomas.  Cross and Crown is church related, so a cocktail book seems an odd place to store these.

Most interesting of all were the old pamphlets with drink recipes stuck throughout the book.  It's quite a collection.

I have no idea how old they are, but just guessing, I'd say they were from the 1930's, 40's or 50's. 

I had originally thought to sell this book in my booth, but I don't think it would go to the right home that way.  This seems to be something that a serious collector would most appreciate, so, I'm thinking maybe I should list it on Ebay or something.  I feel responsible for finding it a good home!

South By Southwest - Interesting Vintage Book

Two weekends ago, I went to an estate sale and bought a few small items.  One item of particular interest was a vintage book, titled South By Southwest.  It's by Richard Ellis and Walter Cronkite.  The copyright is 1983, which to me seems like yesterday, but it's 27 years ago.

The book is in perfect condition, other than missing it's dust jacket.  I like to take a glance at old coffee table books when thrifting.  You never know when you'll find a gem.  As soon as I opened this one, I knew it was coming home with me.  The art is what grabbed me. 

Once I sat down at home to really take a close look, I saw Walter Cronkite's name.  The book is about two friends, Walter Cronkite and Ray Ellis, traveling down the Eastern Coast traveling the Intracoastal Waterway, from the Chesapeake Bay to Key West, Florida.  Each recorded their impressions, Walter through writing, and Richard through his art (90 paintings!) I had not heard of Ray Ellis before, but it turns out he's quite an artist! 

The book is huge - each page is 15 inches wide by 12 inches tall.  Some of the paintings take up two pages.

I looked the book up online and saw it for sale for as low as a few dollars and as much as $600.  There didn't see to be any rhyme or reason to the price variations.  I saw lots for a few dollars (plus shipping, which can be fairly high since the book is so big) and lots for over $50 and a good many for over $100.  I'm going to put my copy for sale in my booth in a few days.  My price will be very reasonable - probably $10.  I hope whoever gets it enjoys it as much as I did.

I took some photos of the paintings.  My photo quality is not good.  I didn't even bother to take time to flatten each page.  That little mistake can make things look oddly crooked - some of the buildings appear to be be leaning.  Here's a peak at some of the beautiful paintings.  Enjoy!