Adventures in Antiquing

Those who know me in person know that aesthetics are important to me....not the most important thing to me, of course, but I do like my "creature comforts" and I prefer my surroundings to be aesthetically appealing. I think I must get this from my mother, who got it from her father and stepmother...

And you see, I don't think it's at all incompatible with the faith, because order and beauty are important and quite theological...aren't they?

Those who know me in person also know that I love a bargain...so you can only imagine my reaction when I discovered a small thrift store less than 5 minutes away from my house? A thrift store with prices that truly cannot be beat!

Take these vases, for example, for $1 a piece....now those who know me in person know that I'm not a fan of knick-knacks...but I can't resist a tiny, cute, inexpensive vase in which freshly picked flowers my little boys bring me from the fields can dwell...

I've been transforming one of the downstairs apartments into a guest suite. It is a LOOOONNNGGGGGG project given that I am doing this - painting and all - with a baby strapped to my back! Luckily, my mother is graciously sending me a reinforcement troop (her husband Jim) next week to help me finish painting! When I decided to paint the kitchenette cabinets down there white, they ended up with a "distressed look" thanks to my beginner painter skills...so I decided to "go with it" and just create a "shabby chic" style guest suite down there to make the distressed look seem intentional. Check out these hooks I found that I can hang down there...they'll look nice...definitely will fit my theme - don't you think?

And I forgot to take "before" pictures of the kitchenette in the guest suite, but picture the most awful army/watery pea soup/1960's green you could ever imagine, and THAT is what the color of the wood was before! Doesn't the light blue brighten it up a TON? It's amazing what mere paint can do! It's the cheapest way to TRULY TRANSFORM a space! When I sent my mother photos of my progress, she suggested that I paint the cabinets white. I think she was right! (You can see the old pine still on the bottom cabinets before I whitewashed them).

This next item is a bit funky, but for $2 it was too unique to pass up...It's a serving tray with little coasters and real butterflies and dried flowers pressed beneath. It will be a nice addition to my little guest suite kitchenette, don't you think?

This handwoven Rattan chair really caught my eye, and for $15 I think it's my favorite purchase. My grandfather, whose house is displayed in the first photo of this post, was a fan of Rattan chairs, and I remember him sitting in his Rattan peacock chair looking out at the water...that must be where my love for them comes from!

Look at the detail of the weaving on the back of the chair!

And in case you're wondering, it actually IS very comfortable, though admittedly, that was totally secondary on my list of importance! :-)

And this hand painted French petite pitcher...so gorgeous...$3...

And I think a grandmother, who just so happens to be a size 7/8, may have been emptying her attic shortly before I arrived at the store...?

Vintage skirts - $4.99 each! A little "old ladyish," but I think I can pull it off and make them look fashionable!

I love how this one buttons on the side....the top button is just open...the skirt is in perfect, like new, condition!

And last but not least, is my favorite purchase...something I had been looking for for many years...even before I had a daughter...and today I found it. A dollhouse that was VERY SIMILAR to the one I had as a little girl...my favorite toy ever...something I played with EVERY SINGLE DAY.

And there is a story behind this favorite childhood toy of mine...

My mother, who did the bike trails every single day on Cape Cod in the summertime, fell off of her bike one day and was injured. She used the time recovering from her injury to make me a dollhouse out of a kit, that looks VERY SIMILAR to the one I just purchased for Joni with the money my father sent me for her birthday.

It always meant a lot to me that my mother had done that for me, so it's a labor of love I would like to pass onto my daughter...this is something I always wanted to do, and now I have both the daughter and the dollhouse!

When I told the lady at the thrift store my plans for the dollhouse, she cut me a great deal, and even threw in the little dollhouse that looks like the bigger one for free...

I plan to repaint it and redo the inside of it...put up new wallpaper, and maybe some tile floors in the little kitchen? I have about 6 years to work on it until she can use it, and it DOES need A LOT of work, but I'm up for it...and I'll think about her with each tile that I lay and each stroke of the paintbrush.