vintage treasures

It's not often that I make it into our local thrift shop anymore. I used to do thrift shopping on a much more frequent basis, but life has been too busy for those fun little trips to the "treasure cove" as I like to think of it! I know that there are those that would disagree with me, but the thrill of thrifting is that you never know what you will find. And I love that.

Several weeks ago, I stopped at our thrift shop in town for the purpose of hunting for crafting supplies. I always seem to find so many of these kinds of things to use with the kids on our crafting adventures. I found a whole basketful of things this particular day, paid the small sum for it all, and then headed back to the car which was parked on the street right in front of the store. 

As I was putting my bags into the car, I happened to look up and see a very beautiful hand-embroidered table runner in one of their display windows. I wasn't sure if it was just for display or for sale, but I was determined to find out.

Well, I found out that it was indeed for sale, but when the volunteer retrieved it for me she found that it was not priced. And it had some marks on it, a dark coffee ring, etc. Oh but I didn't care about those stains or the coffee ring. I knew that those things told a story, had a history behind them, and I could easily cover them up anyway.

Then she came back and told me I could have it for $3.50! I practically ripped the thing out of her hands before she changed her mind. 

Someone spent a whole lot of time on this table runner. Not only does it have embroidery on it, but it also has crewelwork on it. And I love the colors. And my favorite part about it is that it was made by hands, not a machine!

I brought it home, washed and ironed it, and now it sets atop our bookcase that is in our living room. It's perfect for the spot, and it makes me feel so good to look at it. As someone who invests a lot of time in producing handmade items, I always feel so sad when I see handiworks in bins at thrift stores. I realize that there are people that have no concept of the time and energy put into handmade items, but it really does make me cringe to see handmade items tossed away without thought.

So having some unknown person's handiwork in my living room serving both an aesthetic and functional purpose elates me! I have been known to rescue several handmade items from thrift stores and yard sales.


And moving on...

A dear friend of mine just gave me the crocheted jar lid covers and the handkerchief. These items were from her personal vintage collection {she's been a collector for many years}, and she gave them to me because she knew that I would appreciate their worth. She was so right. And I felt honored to receive them from her. This particular woman has been a mentor figure to me over the last year or so, and so I really appreciated that she thought of me.

Yesterday my little girl turned seven. We had a little family celebration during the day, and then this afternoon some of Lily's friends are coming here for a crafting/art party. So I need to get our school lessons finished (well, started actually! LOL) and make a few yummies for the party.

I pray that you all have a blessed day!