Oldies but Goodies

I love old things, people, and marshmellows, peeps to be exact. Just the thought that there are so many stories in each of them, well maybe not the peeps. Or let's hope the peeps don't have too much of a story to tell otherwise I might not eat them, you know like the hot dog has a wild adventure I don't want to know about it if I'm going to eat it.

If it's

• worn
• used [we're not talking underware people]
• distressed from age
• rusted
• vintage-y looking
• built to last
• has personality

It reminds me of 'Friends' with the apothocary table that Rachel buys for Phoebe's apartment that is from Pottery Barn. Don't get me wrong I love PB, but old items are original. I'm like Phoebe, I want each item to have a story. I also love the hunt of a specific item, there is a memory then with where I found it. Going to isle 12 and picking one up isn't as thrilling as scrounging around a bunch of old junk to find a gem.

I have become the keeper of my Mother's keepsakes. It's facinating to see what she kept and hysterical to hear her tell the story of why she kept it and why I need to use/save/have it. Like the awful red and gold candy dish they recieved as a wedding gift and didn't know who gave it to them. There is no story worth saving, except that my mom is waiting for someone to pop back into her life and say - hey I never got a thank you for that candy dish! Since my mother is still alive it's interesting to hear the story behind each item. How sad to think that people only go through items after people have passed, so much is missed, the stories died with them.

Looking at my Mother's keepsakes and hearing her reasons for keeping things, it has really helped me think about what to keep in my own life. Simply talking it out, my mom realized how silly it was to keep certain items and had regrets of not keeping the items that were connected to the stories she remembered.

Once we walked into the barn (this was a year ago) I spotted these two brewing company crates. They are so cool. I knew they would be holding something in my house, but didn't know what. I love the worn paint, the chipped wood. Where they travelled to and all of the hands they passed through make them unique. I didn't have a night stand in the spare room and decided that together the crates would make a perfect night stand, with storage...an added bonus.

My sister is coming into town in early November and she will go through the last bits and pick what keepsakes she wants to keep. Either way, if they live in my home or my sister's all of the items that have been taking up one stall of my garage are finding a new place to live.
Adios big pile of keepsakes living in my garage, time to enjoy you in our homes!