Magpie

I love to find treasures.

For as long as I can remember, I have found special things in the bottom of cardboard boxes at garage sales, in forgotten closet corners of empty houses, in the eaves of my Pennsylvania grandmother's attic, in the dark recesses of my Michigan grandmother's basement, and in the slightly forlorn layers of rejection at thrift stores. 

Things other people have thrown out, left behind, or forgotten.

Treasures.

One joy of having Baby A move away, and Sprout go to school, is I have been able to browse op shops - thrift stores, with a bit more regularity. I found two new favorites where I am rewarded with success each time.

After a week in the sick-house, I went out on my own today and enjoyed every moment of slow and quiet browsing, looking over every rack and shelf while Counting Crows, Etta James, and Tom Petty serenaded me from the speakers in the drop ceiling. It was wonderful.

I love retro towels. Now that we have a house with cupboards, I am in danger of filling them with soft, colorful towels.

The plaid throw was a recent thrift store find. The fake crocodile weekender bag I picked up from council clean-up on the roadside. What should I put in it? Magazines? Toys? Throw blankets?

I picked this painting up at a garage sale when I was in high school. I painted the frame gold. My mother once noted that those flowers would make the vase top heavy and tip over. I don't mind. I've always loved it.

 

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I rescued these odd drawers from the roadside. They have some water damage but inside are very clean. I got some polka dot contact paper and will show you an "after" photo when I get time to clean them up.

The purple chair was another roadside pick up that I gave a coat of paint, as was the little table I painted grey and now use in the courtyard off our bedroom. The white chair was roadside pick up too, and I intended to restore it and use it in Sprout's room, but I love it in the courtyard, holding some gardening bits and bobs so it never made it inside.

I suppose I like found things because there is an experince, a history, or a story attached to them. My Michigan grandmother's house is beautiful, filled with her own finds over the years. Her approach to design has shaped me absolutely. My Pennsylvania grandmother is ever practical and thrifty. My father ran an antique restoration business when I was young. Also, I was raised with my parents creating innovative and lovely spaces with what could be found at hand. Interiors didn't come from a store, they grew out of life, relationships, and adventure.

Call me crazy for picking things up off the side of the road, or choosing a vintage thrift store thermos rather than buying a new one, but I love seeing the potential in something that has been passed by, and bringing it to life again.

Comments

[Adelle]

Oh I just love this one! I learned from the best and it makes me so happy to know how alike we are : ] But also makes me miss you like crazy! Muah!

[Adelle]

Oh and stellar finds by the way, I especially love the brilliant towels!

[sarah b-d]

Love love love your pics of vintage finds - and anything picked up from beside the road earns double points in my book! Your towels are amazing, what a collection! So great to be able to help teach your kids to appreciate olde things with a bit of character too.