Sentimental Clutter or Scrapworthy Things?

When I first read this post about sentimental clutter on Unclutterer, I felt somewhat defensive.

What troubled me the most was point 2:

You should focus on living, not preserving. Only hold onto sentimental items that you can find a way to honor, that fill you with joy, and/or that are useful for you. There is no need to act like a curator and keep every object from your past in a box as proof of your existence.

What if knowing you will get to preserve something is what prompts you to do something in the first place? What if something like scrapbooking or photography or blogging or tweeting or instagramming or whatever it is you do to preserve moments of your life are what motivates you to live and I mean really live your life instead of just going through the motions?

Is scrapbooking a way to honor sentimental items?

Does scrapbooking fill you with joy?

How are your scrapbooks useful for you?

Do you think that the author, Erin Rooney Doland, is missing a key feature of things like scrapbooking, when she says “there is no need to act like a curator and keep every object from your past in a box as proof of your existence”? Do you need scrapbooks to prove you exist?

I understand that her target audience is people who are overwhelmed with all the clutter in their lives. And maybe many of her readers are folks who are sentimental to the point that sentimental items are overwhelming their life. I suppose my main question for you is, where is the line? When is it too much? Is it too much by doing Project Life or Week in the Life? Or are those a happy medium between filling a need for preserving our lives and letting that need overtake our lives? Comment below or join the conversation on facebook or twitter.

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Stephanie