Moving Art Pieces

I like art. I have a lot of it – more art than I have walls at the moment. I still have art pieces sitting around waiting for me to hang them. I noticed that my tastes have changed over the years and so I have a lot of art that I may never hang up again. The last time I moved, I used professional movers and they carefully wrapped each art piece and transported it to my new home where I carefully unwrapped each piece and leaned it against the wall in my “library” which is just an extra room full of books and art leaning against the wall.

I have hung a few pieces around the house, but I’ve only hung one or two pieces of art per room instead of a montage of pictures on each wall. I always imagined a wild collection of art up and down the staircases, running along hallways and hanging high above one’s head in a grand entryway. I have none of that. Instead, I have a lot of art pieces leaning against the walls in my extra bedroom. Hmmm.

One of these days I plan to move again. When I do, I plan to take all of my art with me and perhaps the new home will host the wild collections of art I have accumulated. I certainly hope so. I don’t expect to have an extra bedroom just for art and book storage. My next extra bedroom will be for guests. I like them too.

Art comes in many forms. I mostly have paintings – oils on canvass, prints, paintings on glass, and a myriad of others. I also have statuettes and statues, a whole bunch of ceramic Indians my Mom made, and a collection of Chickens. Oh! And don’t forget the Bosson Heads, Painted Plates, and Butterfly collections.

Most of the above can be packed just like you would your fine china. Lots of paper and the right sized boxes – meaning they are not so big items on the bottom will get crushed by items on the top. The paintings though, especially those which were painted on the glass instead of a canvass, must be packaged up much more carefully.

If they are framed with glass, you want to make sure that glass does not break and if they are simple canvas pieces, you want to make sure the painting is not torn or pierced.

Start by collecting boxes that will fit them comfortably and securely and use bubble wrap, newspapers and other packing materials to ensure they are protected during the move. I have found mirror boxes work well for art pieces. If your painting/picture is covered with glass, put a X on the glass with masking tape. For some reason this gives the glass strength and should it crack in transit, it will hold it in place and hopefully protect the painting from cuts. Then cover the glass with a piece of thick cardboard. This could be part of a box that you are not using. The cardboard should be large enough to cover the glass, but not bigger than the entire painting. You can use carpet padding and even towels if you do not have any cardboard. The purpose is to reduce the amount of static cling that can develop between the bubble wrap and the painting.

If they have exposed canvass, don’t place wadded paper directly on the painting as it may put “dents” in it. Put cardboard cut to fit inside the frame against the painting before wrapping the whole thing in bubble wrap.

You should consider protecting corners by cutting cardboard and fitting it over each corner and then securing it with tape. If you use enough bubble wrap, this step may not be needed, but definitely consider it for art pieces in which the paint has been applied directly to the glass. A crack in this glass and the painting is ruined. Obviously, it cannot just be fixed with a new piece of glass.

Use LOTS of BUBBLE WRAP. It is a wonderful invention. And keep the kids from busting the bubbles until after the move – bubble wrap works better to protect your art when it is full of air! Place your art pieces in boxes designed for that purpose. Most packaging stores sell boxes of all types and sizes. Use extra peanuts and/or paper to keep your art pieces from “rocking” inside the box. They should fit securely. Seal up the box an mark it as FRAGILE so anyone moving it knows it can’t be tossed around.

Picture or mirror boxes containing artwork should be placed in the upright position and never be laid flat during shipping.

At the other end, carefully remove all packaging. Box cutters are not a good idea, but if you have to cuts the packaging loose, make sure you keep in mind what it protects. It would be shame to carefully pack, move and unpack Uncle Art’s portrait only to cut a gash across his canvass!

One more tip! Consider hiring experts if you have high value pieces or a lot of paintings in your art collection. Professional movers who specialize in art have wooden crates and other special materials to protect your paintings. And make sure it is a company that will let you insure your artwork for its full value.

Well, there you go. The art has been securely packed, moved and unpacked. Now, hopefully, you will take the time to find a place and hang it where others can enjoy it as well. That’s my plan…….eventually.

So You Are Moving into Something Smaller – Good Grief! Where will you put everything?

There is nothing that can done about it. Demographics in America are such that the bulk of the Baby Boomer Generation is nearing retirement. The kids have grown and have families of their own. That big house with all those stairs is no longer your dream home. You find you live in only a quarter of the house. Your bedroom/bathroom, living room, kitchen and breakfast area. Oh! And you use the laundry room and garage….But the rest? Not necessary anymore and pain to keep clean. What’s more, the house seems to have grown more stairs that are steeper than they seemed a few years ago when you were running up and down keeping up with the little ones. So it is finally time to downsize. I found a great 12-Step Guide that I want to share with you. No reason for me to draft something new when someone else has covered the topic so well.

But what they don’t cover is the emotional dynamics of downsizing. I just want you to be prepared.

Mom, Dad, as you know, starting about the time they become teenagers, your children start finding their friends more interesting to spend time with than you. You start to see them less and less. Then they grow up, get married and have children of their own. You have kept all their old memoirs in safekeeping for the day they have their own home and can come get everything. But they don’t. Their first home is either too small, or their jobs have forced them to move away or move often. The day comes that you want to sell and move into something smaller.

One of two things will happen with regards to those memoirs. They will either come get them or they will tell you that they really don’t want all that junk from their childhood. They have moved past that….. It saddens you and as you go through things you must make tough decisions of what to keep and what to get rid of. My advice? Sell it all and set the funds aside for your grandchildren – or spend it on your next vacation.

The next emotional dynamic? Half the kids want you to sell and move into a ranch style home in a nice 55+ Community where you will be able to enjoy friends your own age. The other half doesn’t want you to sell the home they grew up in and hoped to raise their own children in someday. (Well, not really, but for some reason they feel impelled to say so.) Don’t let them make you feel guilty. Take lots of pictures and give them to them. Don’t forget to include pictures of all their old memoirs they didn’t bother to come get and you subsequently sold at the yard sale.

Don’t let the past hold you up. Even though you may now be considered a Senior Citizen, you are vibrant, have a whole lot of living to do and not quite as much time ahead of you as behind you to do everything, so you better get crackin’!  Sell the old place, move into the newer, smaller, less cluttered and easier to keep clean homestead and invite the kids over for dinner. And order pizza so you don’t have to cook!

Oh! And those of you who are downsizing and don’t have children to deal with? Here’s that link again for the 12-Steps to downsizing.

That’s it for this blog. Hope you found entertaining as well as helpful.

 

Moving? Here are some things to think about

Moving day is looming in your near future. The stress is mounting. Well, if you plan well, your stress level will go down and the better you plan the smoother things will run. What are some things you should concern yourself with?

Should you pack yourself or use a professional?

While this may seem simple at first, there are pros and cons to take into consideration.

For many families hoping to save money on moving expenses, do-it-yourself home packing is the logical option.

Successful DIY house packing requires extensive preparation to take inventory of all your belongings and carefully pack and load the moving truck yourself. You will also be responsible for purchasing your own packaging materials for the move.

Self packing and moving will allow you to save a significant amount on your total moving budget. One disadvantage to this method of moving is that you will probably need to ask friends and family members to help move your boxes and load your furniture into the moving vehicle. You also need to find and rent an appropriate sized vehicle. Although you can pack at a leisurely pace, normally there is a last minute rush to get everything on the truck and get moving. And don’t forget to have help lined up to off-load the truck at the other end.

Using professional packers costs more than doing yourself.  But if you’re looking to relieve stress on your moving day, hiring professional movers is the way to go.

You will be able to turn over all of your boxes, furniture, and belongings to a moving service, who will pack, transport, and unload it for you.

And here is something to think about. You can save money by booking movers on weekdays instead of weekends and by moving in the middle of the month instead of at the end when most leases are up.

There is a middle of the road options out there that you can consider. You can rent a PODS Container and take your time packing and loading your belongings into it. The POD is delivered to your home, you pack it up, they come get it. And they will either store it for you or move it to your new home.

How soon should you start your move?

At a minimum, you should organize your belongings 6-8 weeks in advance. This gives you time to sort through your storage spaces and throw out or donate any items that you no longer need. The rest of your belongings should be packed into boxes and clearly labelled.

Start purchasing and gathering packing supplies at least 6 weeks in advance. There’s nothing worse than running out of boxes on the day of a move. You can purchase all of your packing materials from a moving supply company, or you can save money by gathering boxes from supermarkets, liquor stores, and retail shops.

If you’re moving across country, you may need to book temporary accommodation, flight and possibly even car rental as early as possible. Again, try to book your travel arrangements 6 weeks in advance. But even if you are moving from one neighbourhood to another, take the time to book your moving service far in advance to secure a lower rate. If at all possible, keep your travel arrangements flexible to account for any delays or cancellations.

In the month leading up to your big move, it is the perfect time to inform your change of address to organizations such as credit card companies, utility companies, insurance companies, banks and especially to friends and family. You should also notify the US Postal Service of your pending  move and provide them with the date you want them to start redirecting your mail.

Other Considerations

That will get your started. I’ll be giving your some tips on How best to pack boxes for moving, how to downsize if you are moving from a large to a smaller home or an apartment, how to reduce your moving costs, and provide a couple handy checklists. So watch for my nest posts.

And if you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section and I will do my very best to answer them!

Have a great week!