did you buy that new?

Need a hanky?

When my girls pulled out my old suitcase of childhood dolls last weekend, I discovered several old handkerchiefs that used to belong to my grandmother.  Despite the fact that they were used as blankets for my Skipper doll and Breyer horses for many years, they're in fairly good shape. 

The floral one on top and the lavender silk on the bottom were my absolute favorites as a young girly-girl, but now I find myself more drawn to the unique patterns and colors of the others.  (Oh, I do like that light blue one with the geometric patterns!  And the one with bright red accents.)

When I first rediscovered the handkerchiefs, I wasn't really sure what to do with them.  If I were a lady with delicate sensibilities I might require a handkerchief to dab at my eyes when I'm feeling verklempt.  But aside from needing to stem my tears at the infrequent wedding or funeral, I'm not a handkerchief-carrying kind of girl.

But then I remembered a handmade item I won last year at a silent auction for my girls' preschool.  (excuse my dust in the photo). 

It's a clever way to showcase a beautiful and delicate piece of fabric.  The teacher who made it told me the handkerchief was once her mother's.

This might just work.  And it's my kind of project: vintage-y and crafty, all at once. 

Pink bubbles and a bag of books

Posted by Nancy

This afternoon, driving back from a nearby town, my family and I stopped at one of my favorite thrift stores.  It's a church-based store that has an unremarkable collection of clothing and knick-knacks, but which usually has a great selection of books (if you've got the time and patience to wade through their somewhat disorganized shelves). 

When we walked in, I noticed the place seemed less crammed than usual.  Turns out they are switching locations before the end of the year, so they're trying to clean out their inventory.  Above the bookshelves were several big signs: "Books by the bag: $5." 

Well, even though the book collection was a bit more picked-through than usual, this family of four cannot resist books.   

Half an hour later, we had our bag o'books.

Our youngest selected several Disney books -- she can spot an animated character a mile away.  Our big girl grabbed a few chapter books and "Bedtime for Francis."  (Thankfully, she didn't seem interested by the short novels featuring Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, though that would have been great blog fodder.)  J found a couple of old books on canning and family preparedness/food storage -- he's harvesting our first crop of tomatoes this summer.  I grabbed a lightweight novel to read by the pool, an Italian phrasebook, and a childhood favorite about a beautiful palomino horse.

And while we were waiting to pay, I spotted one more treat that called my name.  Nothing like pink baubles to wear on a summer day.  Fun, isn't it?

$8 for all those goodies.  No wonder I love thrifting so much.

Eclectic or schizophrenic? Yes.

I'm thrilled to be contributing to "did you buy that new?" with some of the most fabulous people (and talented bargain-hunters) in all the interwebs.  By way of introduction, let me tell you a bit about myself and my passion for vintage-y things -- and I'll share one of my reasons for contributing to this site.

I live with my husband, two girls, and two cats in a sixties townhome in the Washington, DC 'burbs.  My home reflects my need for comfort -- no stuffy furniture showroom or magazine-cover decor here -- and my sentimentality for beloved (and well-loved) objects.  My decorative accents include the ancient chalkboard that used to hang in my grandmother's entryway, the vintage flatware we use on holidays, the old metal cracker tin that brings a bit of color to my all-white kitchen.

But in my house, the vintage pieces must peacefully coexist with newer things.  I love the aesthetic of my grandmother's old cane chairs -- however, they don't work well in a household with two young children.  So at least for now, the chairs are relegated to the basement in favor of a sturdy, modern dining room set.  (Their partner, the drop-leaf table, remains in the dining room -- it's a great sideboard.)   

This whole peaceful coexistence thing works well, for the most part.  Vintage and modern items don't need to be mutually exclusive.  But I do sometimes wonder if my decorating style is less "eclectic" and more "schizophrenic."

For example, observe my spice collection:

Of course there's a story here.  When J and I were newly married, I felt I needed an organized system to display our spices, and I bought the spice rack at left.  But recently I repurposed the old metal rack at right, which I'd snatched years and years ago from my parents' home.  It's old, it's battered, but I love the way it looks -- and it holds twice as many spices as its partner at left. 

Anyway, this is my ongoing challenge: finding a way to showcase my favorite vintage items, while ensuring they live in harmony with the more modern design elements of my action-packed, dust-bunny-filled household.   I really hope to glean some ideas from you all -- I'd love your thoughts on how you're creating what Deb describes as "a pleasant mash-up" of things old and new.   And in exchange for your advice, I look forward to sharing pictures and stories of my thrift store finds and family heirlooms. 

(Now I'm off to weed my spice collection.  Anyone need an extra jar of cinnamon?)

Posted by Nancy