10/04/2026
Meet my ceramic zoo and accompanying pieces. (If you can't tell) I painted each of these when I was just a little kid. A few weeks ago, I let them all go.
Some of you might be thinking, Why did it take you so long? These are...not cute?
You are not wrong. One of my friends described this lot as "scary" and "concerning." 😄
Others might be thinking, "How sad, these are childhood memories!"
You are also not wrong. These do represent a childhood era and good memories.
The way I feel? I'm very contentedly in the middle.
These past few years I've really strengthened my decluttering muscle, learning along the way that the longer we have something, the harder it can be to let it go (these pieces have been with me for over 2 decades 🙉)
But, telling its story can help.
So here's mine -
When I was elementary age, about once a week in the evening, my mom, sister, and I would go to "ceramics." It wasn't at a trendy art studio and it wasn't a class that you signed up for. Ceramics took place at Ethel Lynn's house.
Ethel Lynn lived in the country and had, what we would call today, an open workshop. During certain times, you could just show up at her dusty shed, choose a ceramic piece from a shelf, and spend the next couple of hours painting it. What was fun about these nights is that you never knew who might be there - sometimes an aunt with a young cousin, sometimes a family friend. It was an impromptu "girls' night out" squeezed between piano and sports practices. Everyone there was happy to create. Ethel Lynn herself was great company, too, and she taught her craft well.
About halfway through painting, we would convince ourselves that we earned a break. My mom would give me and my sister a few quarters to buy a bag of salty chips and a can of Coke or Pepsi. After painting as much as we could for the night, we cleaned up our area and washed the rainbow of colors off our fingers. We couldn't take our pieces home until the next time after they had baked for several hours in the kiln. It was a good practice in patience.
If these have special meaning to me, why did I let them go?
One reason is that they've sat in storage already for 10+ years. How much longer would I let them be in container purgatory?
Could I display these ceramic pieces? I could. I totally could, and I believe that the things we truly, truly love should be used or displayed in a thoughtful way. But...as much as I do love a large tabletop turtle 🐢, the overall aesthetic just doesn't fit who I am anymore. Also, I can hold a memory close without keeping all the things. When I envisioned letting these go, I felt relieved, which is a helpful sign that it was time to say goodbye.
Now if you're worried that I'm totally heartless, no need. Remember, this was the 90s and *everything* we liked or did was a COLLECTION.
So yes. There's more. 😬
Whether they stay or go, though, I haven't decided.
Except for one piece -- a nativity set painted in an iridescent glaze. This one I will keep --its style is more timeless than my crochet lavender sun hat with the satin ribbon. I feel really confident about keeping it and am excited to display it this Christmas. 🎄
