I Am Runneth Over -- With Cups

What:   Melamine Cups.
Origin:   Tag sale awesomeness.   (For "M" and friends, that's what we call garage sales out here in the East.)
Usage/How Long Kept:   Aargh.   I'm guessing that I got these in the 90s.   But it could have been the late 80s.   (Can I say it again?  Aargh!)
Why kept:   Out of Sight, Out of Mind.   And, what I think is for my first deployment of S/PDX's status, They're Cool and Vintage.
Destination:  Housing Works.

Confession:   They may be cool and vintage, but you can't even give them away on eBay -- I checked this about a year ago when I cleaned them out of a cabinet, and again before attempting to Freecycle them Mother's Day weekend.   I got only one response, from someone who wanted me to send a photo:   I deemed her to be too high maintenance, and a possible source of Freecycle Drama, and went with donation as the lower energy option.

Confession, cont:  I had the notion of making them into cute crafty pincushions stuck in my head until they were gone.   Proof positive that I'm reading too many craft magazines.  

(And before they went, I reasoned that if I ever actually wanted to do this, I could buy them from an eBay seller pretty much any time.)

I Am A Material Girl

What:  About 5 yards of cantaloupe colored cotton fabric.
Origin:   I have no idea.
Usage/How Long Kept:   ?   Since the late 1980s or early 90s?
Why kept:  It was one of the baggage finds...Out Of Sight, Out of Mind.  Storage Boxes Are Evil.
Destination:  Freecycler "J". 

Confession:   This actually went on Monday...I pre-posted it for Tuesday because I was prepared for what we call Freecycle Drama.

Bonus:  I didn't even think about keeping this for a moment!  And no Drama with "J"!   I had a lovely request from another "M".

On the other hand, one Freecycler asked me if I would drop this off for her.   Huh?   I resisted the urge to tell her that Freecycle does not have a concierge service...she must be new.

Both "J" and "M" were so polite, crisp and professional that I wished I had two large pieces of cantaloupe colored fabric to give away.

I'd rather (not) have a bottle in front of me

I'd rather (not) have a bottle in front of me
Originally uploaded by DeClutter

What: plastic reusable bottles. These bottles are too big to fit in our bike water holders or the car cup holders. Buh-bye
Why kept: we might need them, out of sight
Space reclaimed: about a square foot of cabinet space
Destination: freecycle. The pickup was drama free before dinner!! Woot!

Confession: we have more bottles. Maybe I'll let them go too, someday.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Hey, Hey Paula

Hey, Hey Paula
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

Please make the Sunday Freecycle pickup you requested -- no Freecycle Drama, please!

The (Putatively) Successful Freecycle Post:

"OFFER:Sewing Machine or Paperweight, You Be The Judge

White Brand Sewing Machine, Model 222, Serial number 88117492, a gift from Mom in the 80s: broken, possibly fixable.

Used periodically in the 90s and seldom in the 00s, I started to use it a bit recently. I was adjusting the (manual) tension knob when the entire knob assembly came off.

Mechanical skills are not my long suit, and -- try as I might -- I couldn't figure out how to correctly replace the elements (all of which came off quite slowly in my hand – none are missing).

I found a blog post that said that the machine itself was worthless, except as a paperweight. In terms of how much paper it will hold down, weight is probably 10-12 pounds (I used to carry it around town with me on the train in a canvas bag).

If you're game to see if it's fixable, I'd love for you to have it, along with its manual. White was apparently somehow related to Husquavarna – they gave me no joy when I requested a copy of the schematic drawing of the tension knob, snippily telling me that it was too old.

I bought a new machine. It was not a Husquavarna. Snap.

I've got probably all of the stuff that came with it. Different presser feet, darning plate so that you can free motion stitch, bobbin cases, etc. And the pieces of the tension knob are in a baby food jar.

I can put it all in a paper shopping bag, or you can take it in another (bulkier) sewing machine box.

It was a good little machine, if it can be fixed, it would be good for a beginner. I don't guarantee it can be fixed...."

You don't have to pick it up until Sunday, but it's going downstairs to the doorman today. It's not coming back into my apartment!  (Update:   Paula, you rock.   You came out on what was arguably one of the worst weather days of the last year to pick up this sewing machine.   I hope you can fix it.)

How long kept: About 6 weeks (broken)...before that it was not clutter!
Why kept: I popped it into the box for my new machine back before the holidays, intending to Freecyle it at some point.   So, reasons are a little bit of many: Broken, Maybe I can Fix it, and Out of Sight Out of Mind/Storage Boxes are Evil. But I also had bigger fish to fry.)

Bonus:   Thanks, Mom.   I loved this machine.
Bonus, part deux:  I'm getting rid of the sewing machine box and styrofoam packing materials from my new machine.

Freecycle or Bust

Freecycle or Bust
Originally uploaded by 365 Things

What: "5 used candles, almost 3" diameter, each 3-4 inches of candle left. They've burned down in irregular shapes, and are in a small plastic shopping bag." (From my successful Freecycle post.)
Origin: 4 of the candles were part of a display some friends and I created for a workshop when our yoga teacher came to town.
How Long Kept: 2006? I've used them since then, but the last time they melted into these interesting shapes...
Why kept: Indifference. They were in sight, but out of mind. I guess I thought I might light them again at some point, so maybe a little bit of They Might Be Useful. But, no.
Destination: Freecycle pickup today, or trash. (They're not coming back into my apartment!)

This is not by far the weirdest thing I've Freecycled. (I've also given away some nice things, namely furniture.) It's good creative fun to write a Freecycle post to "market" (for example) a jade plant that has grown into a really bizarre shape.

In NYC, the downside of Freecycle is what I'd call Freecycle drama: people who really really really want something...and then come up with dog-ate-the-homework excuses for not coming to pick it up. That's why I'm making this a one shot deal: if it's not gone by tomorrow, it's landfill, baby.

Bonus: Congratulations to me, for not even thinking about some secondary use for these things.
M adds: That is Freecycle drama everywhere I'm afraid. One woman I promised items to on more than one occasion came up with the most creative excuses. I've heard from my Freecycle buddies that they have received similar excuses!