A Few of My Favorite Things

For several years now I have been making an effort to curate my own house. I want to enjoy the everyday things that surround me. There are so many things I am constantly touching and interacting with in my at-home world, and it's a tad less of an effort to go about my daily tasks when I enjoy interacting with those small, seemingly insignificant, inanimate objects. So when it was announced that last week would be "Favorite Things" week for my online e-course I was immediately thrilled. I have so many favorite things, and I loved the idea of documenting them and saying what they mean to me. But as I thought about it further I realized that despite the fact that I am surrounded by so many favorite things, there are very few, if any, that I would actually try to save in a fire. Either it's due to the sheer quantity of loved items or possibly the fact that I could replace most of it, but either way it made me sad and I wondered should I have more things I'd want to save from peril? I don't know, but here are some of my favorite things anyway...

Morning~

My morning wouldn't be complete without a cup of hot coffee, and an ever so soothing cup of tea on a cold afternoon. These are my four favorite mugs~ just looking at them makes the smile~ and I think they make my coffee taste better too. I also love my vintage set of chrome canisters and my Sunbeam toaster (both from the 1950's.) But really, no Autumn morning is complete without a super satisfying pumpkin muffin :)

Collections~

1~ I started collecting vintage tins a couple years ago. The whole thing started because I had two adorable tins when I was a little girl and have always wanted more (you can see them on the bottom~ far left and third from the left.) The collection just hasn't stopped growing. I do occasionally clear out the ones I don't love so much to make room from the ones I love more.

2~ I love red wine, and drinking out of a fun wine glass makes it that much more enjoyable. The colorful glasses are my favorite from Uncommon Goods, but the little ones say "Ottomisto" above the line and "Pessimisto" below the line which means you must always keep your glass half full :)

3~ These are the vintage suitcases I can't get enough of.

4~ I adored my Strawberry Shortcake lunch pail when I was a kid and it seems the love never wore off~ they just don't make them like this anymore. If anyone out there knows where I can find a She-Ra one, I'll love you forever.

Jewelry~

1~ This is my Phrenology bust that holds my favorite everyday necklaces.

2~ These are my three most cherished rings: My great grandmother had the first one made for me after she picked up the stone on her world travels. The second ring (the middle one) has been passed down in my family for six generation~ I was the sixth first-born girl to receive it on my 14th birthday. In about 8 years I will pass it on to my daughter when she turns 14. (There is a wonderful story of this rings history, but it's too long to include here.) The third ring is my wedding ring. We were so poor when we got married that my husband's grandfather let us pick through the rings that were left over from his old jewelry shop. For the longest time I didn't like it, but now it represents so much that I couldn't imagine having any other ring.

3~ The top of my dresser houses an old jewelry box that belonged to my other great grandmother. The photo is of her when she was a toddler.

4~ You can see the photo of my great grandmother much more clearly, plus my ever-growing collection of hand accessories.

 

Colors~

I LOVE colors, especially in accent pieces, and these ones are my favorite. My great-grandmother made the three brightly colored needlepoint pillows  (top left, top right center pillow, bottom right);  the small green one is from a vintage shop; and the two matching red ones are from Pier One. The crewel rug from Anthropologie greets our guests when they walk in the front door.

 

 

Handmade~

1~ I found this clock at a garage sale for $1. I painted the frame electric blue and put new hands on it. I LOVE this clock!

2~ This lamp is a thrift store find that I painted red and bought a drum shade for. I later found another fun lamp base that I painted the same color. They now flank our bed with their fun color and warm light.

3~ I bought this poster by Paul Michael Dellostritto about a year ago. It reminds me to live in the moment and enjoy where I am in life.

4~ A small glimpse of the yards and yards of flags I have hanging in our basement---mostly on the ceiling and walls. I made them to brighten up an otherwise dreary play space for the kids, and also for when we make our basement into sleeping quarters for guests.

 

Places~

These are my favorite places, or at least the most frequent places, I spend my time. My reading chair, my desk, and bed. A book is almost always nearby in all three places.

 

Comments

[Molly - Vivi Dot]

So much cute stuff! My sister gave me the same wine glasses which I love and the tins remind me of my Mom's kitchen growing up. She kept loose tea leaves in one and used another for storing cookies. If I ran into any of those tins while thrifting I'd definitely snatch them up too! Now I'm on a hunt :)

[Jessica McElravy]

Glad I could inspire you :) I'd love to hear what you hunt down!

[Rebecca]

I have to say that you've inspired me to buy something at an antique store today - a porcelain white hand to hold my funky rings! I love it, and it reminded me of you and your beautiful collections. I love colour too, and love vintage old things. Snooping around thrift stores and antique shops is a favourite pastime of mine. Too bad we don't live closer! I also love your idea of curating your own house and surrounding yourself with the things you love. Sounds energizing. AND I love Anne Lamott - I'm reading a book of hers right now: Plan B. Lovely to read your blog!

[Jessica]

Thank you dearly deary :)