Last fall, when I painted the office/game room, I moved a lot of the big stuff out into the garage. That “big stuff” included my mannequin. I loved the room so much, that once it was painted I never brought the mannequin back in. It has stayed in the garage, slowly being surrounded by the results of my decluttering efforts. I’ve mostly ignored it, occasionally questioning whether I should get rid of it, but never making a decision.
Yesterday, I worked hard out there, my fire lit by the approaching deadline of my garage sale next weekend. Months (and months) of passionate decluttering means that there is much organizing to be done. I’ve made a lot of progress, and finally made my way to the mannequin.
I debated getting rid of it. I have declared that I have a new “If I don’t actually need it, I’m throwing it out!” mentality.
I guess I lied.
I can’t think of a legitimate reason to have a mannequin.
But I still want it.
I mean, they’re not exactly the easiest things to come by. I hauled this one (and my friend got to carry his twin) through a mall when I was in college. Yes, I purchased it . . . thank you very much.
I’ve had it for all of these years (tragically, the twin has been lost) and it made a great addition to my Theatre Arts classroom when I taught. It’s male, but headless, and fairly slender, so he looks pretty good in a dress.
I used to have some silk pajamas on him that I bought in Hong Kong. I loved that look, but after ripping them off when I needed a costume, I never re-dressed him.
I’ve decided to keep him. And he’s back inside. I’m thinking I’ll put his clothes back on, call him female and put him in that blank corner of the living room.
And besides, s/he’s my daughter’s new best friend. They talk and talk. They do lots of hugging, as s/he has adjustable-wooden-handless arms. She has named *her* after me, and I’m flattered.
My daughter has an obsession with anything life-sized. If we run into Walgreen’s in a hurry, I have to add to my planned time allotment for her to have a conversation with the m & m character display that is exactly her height.
Thankfully, my mannequin’s headlessness doesn’t seem to be an issue for her. She’s very accepting.
Surely the definition of "need" can be expanded to include artistic, sentimental items. As long as you don't have 200 of them!
Lisa in Hixson
I bet I've told you this before, but I read somewhere that clutter is unmade decisions. That is soooo true in my house!!!
And this whole post cracked me up. I think I snorted a little when I finally got to "she's very accepting." Hee hee hee! :>)
Hilarious! I'm with Lisa. This is an artistic item. And it brings your daughter so much joy. 🙂
Daughter! The whole world will think we are the wackiest people in the world. And there my precious g'dtr is following right in your footsteps! Oh, what did I ever do to deserve the most zany, fun person ever? Oh, well. At least the world has a chance for a smile today, and if they'll let their hair down a little–a belly laugh!
Too funny! Loved the part of your daughter being "very accepting".
I have a Sunshine Award for you. Stop by and pick it up when you have a chance.
http://norcalmom-lemonstolemonade.blogspot.com/
Quirky, quirky, quirky. You never fail to disappoint!
You are funny, but this is the first post that I really laughed out loud at. I can’t wait for my daughter to do the same type of things! While I’m writing my first comment at your blog, I might as well tell you that I recently discovered you and you are my hero. Thank you so so so much, Nony. I finally have hope. And I don’t mind if you get a commission off of every amazon purchase that I make for the rest of my life! I owe you! I also really appreciate how open and honest you are about everything, including affiliate links and such! God bless you, Nony.
I’m sure my darling 2 3/4 year old would love to have someone like that to talk to!
OMYGOSH.
I JUST GOT RID OF MY MANNEQUIN!!!
How do I post a pic?
I used to have a mannequin. Headless and legless; Lola was just a torso but I loved her. I also had a wooden maid named Fifi, and she held a tray for keys and such. Lola the torso lived on Fifi’s tray. Together they spent many happy years creeping people out, but my ex husband has them now.
My oldest daughter sells handmade/sewn items in craft fairs. She has a female mannequin that she sometimes uses as a model. I sort of wish that I had bought one at the same time. The great thing about her mannequin head is that dogs get crazy around it. Some of the customers get a real charge out of it and think it has bad juju. (whatever that is)
I can relate,I have a mannequin from my old store, on my back porch,that I dress for different occasions, from my daughter’s college football team to Christmas. Sometimes I do leave the outfits on her long after the seasons end because I am a procrastinator, not to mention I couldn’t part with her. which is a couple of reasons I’m on here to begin with…Lol.
Love this post and all the comments! LOL!
My mother has one of those old-fashioned dressmaker’s dummies and she calls it Gertrude. She got it from a thrift shop for making clothes when we were kids, but it probably got as much use as the headless horseman each Halloween as its intended use. I was (frequently) told that our family was weird (not just for this, of course, the floor to ceiling bookshelves covering entire walls in every room of the house often mentioned too) so it is thrilling to hear that other people have inanimate, long-term ‘guests’ too.
(I am starting to get braver about commenting on these old posts as I see other people who have been reading/commenting in the past year).