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Thursday, August 27

a festival of 'granny love' ~ day four

on day four of our 'granny loving' festival i bring before you 'a doubter' on center stage...
and this doubter goes by the name of 'my man'.
(a ripple of hushed murmers and nodding heads runs through the crowd).


i share my story, if by chance i may give some of you 'hope'.
the some of you that perhaps are living with a "NO" person...
a person that constantly doubts your granny loving ways, as you strive your best with a hook and yarn, or perhaps return to your home with a thrifted number or two tucked under your arm... only to listen to a barrage of 'doubting' for the rest of the day. for those that live with 'doubters' that lost their rose colored spectacles long ago, this one's for you.
giving you the strength to never give up the chance, one day your nearest and dearest will discover their specs in some dark forgotten drawer, seeing the light for the first time and be converted to the ways of the 'granny chic' movement...

and so if you are sitting comfortably on your afghans, with your favorite tipple beside you and yarn in hand, then i shall begin


last week i announced to my man at ten o'clock friday evening that i needed him desperately, he looked rather interested until i finished up quickly with
"because i found this cupboard wardrobe thing on craigslist yesterday, i went to see it today and paid a deposit, but i have no way of getting it home by myself..."
as he looked quite crestfallen, i quickly added in, a little sobby bit about me and Mr Vertigo and how trying it had been for moi.

getting over his disappointment of my late night demand (or lack of), he soon started to question my need for a cupboard wardrobe thing and where on earth was i going to put it. and more to the point what was i doing searching for furniture on craigslist when we have a mossy shed full of it...
"aaah well, you see i was feeling rather low about my spinning world and so cheered myself up by perusing the vintage furniture section" i replied, "and then i saw it... just the most loveliest of lovely mid century granny wardrobe that i would have been a fool not to give a home to.
besides i liked her inners".
with a sigh, he agreed to be my 'lifter' the next morning.


we arrived on time to collect my little treasure. as we pulled up to the open garage where she was waiting to come home with me, he scoffed
"mid century my foot" and then turned to tell me it wasn't too late to leave it where it was.
"fat chance" i said.
i paid the money that i had begged and borrowed from our #4, we loaded my 'find' into the back of the van and headed off...

"well, we just made that guy's day... not only did we take a piece of crappy furniture off his hands, we even paid him $75 to do it!" and then my man roared with laughter, thinking himself most funny.
a few hundred yards down the road he again quizzed me on my exact use for my "piece of junk", of course i had no exact thoughts other than a vague use for storing all my old linens etc, but then it popped into my head...
"well, once i have painted it and done it all up, so it looks just peachy perfect, i shall be using it in my studio until i am a granny. then i shall place it in the bedroom that my grandchildren will use when they come to stay. it will add a certain granny vintage charm to their lives".
to which he replied
"that's perfect! of course... it will be the wardrobe in the corner of the room that gives all your grandchildren nightmares whenever they come to stay" to which, once again he chuckled.

i think now, dear 'granny loving' festival goers, you are truly able to see before us 'a doubter of the utmost kind'. who has lost his way, along with his rose colored specs, wandering without direction in the world of decorating and all that is tasteful.

several days later, after some serious sanding and four coats of paint whilst ignoring Mr Vertigo and his dizzying temptations, i asked my man if he could move my new treasure into her final resting space. and that is when it happened, a miracle that keeps us 'hoping and a praying' for others who are blinded to the charms of 'granny chic'...
he was lost but now he's found,
he was in the dark, but now he sees the light,
for as we shifted my lovely 'craigslist' find into place, next to my other lovely craigslist find (my desk), he remarked


"mmmm, bet if that guy saw it now, he would never part with his cupboard... what a great find!"
and went on his way chuckling to himself...

and so today we shall rejoice in the knowledge that it is possible to falter from the path of righteousness and all that is granny chic, and still find your way back.
and with a bit of luck this little tale of mine will give you,
hope if you need it,
a reason to believe in your 'granny loving' ways
and comfort when you've heard another "NO"
as you try to sneak in a little crocheted cushion onto the couch...


with that she is off to her little tent to stay up to the wee hours, with head lamp on, practising the fine art of 'chevron' crocheting ~ Tif

32 comments:

  1. good morning! And what a great cupboard. As I read along,you made me smile.I do recognise the mans hovering and content laughing, but as you, I seem to get my way;))
    Love your writing!!
    -Blueberrypie

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  2. Oh what a great story - and you have transformed that piece beautifully! And the innards are great! Great find and glad you won him over!

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  3. I call mine the "nay sayer" - it was like reading a script from my daily life reading this! Nice one - cupboard looks great but seriously, I'm in love with that Orla Kiely wallpaper. Alas, Australia misses out - again!

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  4. Oh what a wonderful tale! and the wardrobe looks fantastic, such a beautiful colour.
    I do hope you are feeling better, my mother suffers from vertigo, so I know how hard it must be for you, do take care!
    Louise x

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  5. You should write a book!! And write it in French so that all the doubters around me(my husband actually likes granny stuff) would be converted!!! THANKS for this encouraging tale :) He really does love you your man!

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  6. Wow you've done a great job, its wonderful to have an eye that sees potential in things other people dont. Glad hubby has 'seen the light' hee hee.
    Karen

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  7. Amasing what a lick of paint can do! Love the colour... and have been enjoying days 1-4 of 'Granny Chic'...

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  8. Hello!
    I've loved the granny festival, thank you! Your wardrobe looks amazing - in particular the 'inners' as you call them are amazing.
    Have a super duper weekend,
    Denise x

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  9. What a lovely story... I love happy endings :) Your wardrobe does indeed look gorgeous. K

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  10. I saw a similar wardrobe in my local 'thrifting heaven' a couple of weeks ago.The inside was full of little drawers and cupboards all with enamel labels.Just gorgeous. I wanted it so badly and it was only £20! Unfortunately I really did not have space for it.
    You are so lucky with your 'doubter'.When my hubby says no he means no.He wouldn't be collecting anything he didn't want to no matter how much a batted my eyes or filled his belly with yummy food! Fortunately most things will fit in the back of my car and there is usually an obliging set of strong hands around on which my batting eyes do work!

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  11. dear tif,
    in my neck o' the woods, it is most typical of my older teens who would disdain my "memere chicness"....that is, until they cozy up on the sofa and reach for the vintagey granny square quilt...or snuggle under the retro cotton sheets...or sit down and watch a REALLY old episode of "The French Chef" on PBS....THEN "Memere chic" is near and dear to their hearts. "memere(granny) chic".... it's in the eyes of the beholder, isn't it?

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  12. oh what wit and style in this post,
    delight in each photo!

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  13. i think of living with a doubter as rather fun... if only because i LOVE it when he does manage to find his rosy specs :-)

    GREAT cupboard by the way!

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  14. Of COURSE it was the perfect find, and who doesn't understand perusing the craigslist for items of the perfect variety? Perhaps your man would be a more willing convert if you were to refer to your surroundings as grampa chic?

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  15. Love the cupboard, a restful color. I too have a 'gentlemans cupboard' with 6 little draws down the right handside, absolutly great forstoring all my goodies.

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  16. Dottie angel dear--I have vertigo too and have discovered that i am allergic to dairy (so is my dear baby 7 year old boy) so as soon as i took dairy out of my diet, viola! vertigo (10 years of it) are gone! but i do have to be very careful, particularly when eating out!

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  17. Oh Tif, I really like your new wardrobe. What a gem! And, it's the perfect color. (Speaking of which, I've been noticing little bits of bright colors continuing to creep into your decor and I'm loving it.)

    I have a very similar man in my house. He's come a long way since we were married 8 years ago but he still has his moments where those rose colored glasses slip off his face. But then he redeems himself by coming home from the local dump with the perfect midcentury metal cabinet cupboards or old school lockers. It's sort of an ebb and flow.

    I hope you're starting to feel better!

    ~ Jennifer

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  18. Oh, this is a beautiful thing! There is hope!
    I love your writing and your wit. You bless me with every post!
    Jen

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  19. This was a delight to my day. Love knowing I'm not alone in both the granny love, the excitement over a great score, and the shameless begging for the doubter to help. I also am having major vertigo issues (to the point of passing out) and found out that my sinuses are completely blocked. Have you had that checked?

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  20. Tif, looking at the before photo, I too had my doubts about it's ability to be transformed. The interior is lovely, but the exterior was that particular shade of brown that depresses me.
    But of course I should never have doubted that you'd pick the perfect color and make it look like it had always lived right there next to your desk! Wonderful :)

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  21. What a stunning find! My man just about died when I bought a gigantic oak hutch on Craigslist. It took up an entire wall in our teeny apartment, and you kinda had to walk sideways to squeeze into the next room, but it was worth it! $20!!! How could I resist?! http://www.flickr.com/photos/geekxnerd/3192612092/in/set-72157607372655858/

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  22. Hello,

    I just found you via the light garden.
    I think I love you...

    -Elizabeth-

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  23. What a sweet and whimsical story! There's hope for those Nay-Sayers, yet! And, that cupboard turned out wonderfully - your grandchildren will love it! Love your blog! Have a lovely weekend!
    http://girlwhimsy.blogspot.com

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  24. And may they all see the light! lol. I have had my share of whispered muttering and stares when crocheting on public transport :D That wardrobes inners sure are something to be proud of too ;)

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  25. What a lovely story! You are a great story teller! :)

    I love the colour of the cupboard, and I also really like your wallpaper!

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  26. beautiful, tif! that cupboard is a dream! as is all of this "granny chic." i am so glad i am not alone in all of this--in both the love of all things granny and the love of a sometimes nay-sayer. xo

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  27. it was a beautiful wardrobe.. it looks great, my husband sometimes shake his had about some of the things i buy,but some times when i am doen transform it he is impressed so it is hope..

    love victoria a reader from norway that love your blogg
    http://husetibyen-victoria.blogspot.com/

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  28. oh my gosh... divine all around! Lovely! (that wardrobe is beaUtiful!)

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  29. Ain't that the truth! I too live with a highly practised doubter who always comes around *sigh* it can be tiring and rewarding!

    Great cupboard!.

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  30. I have a doubter myself. When he begins to grumble, I simply lead him around the house and affirm how ALL of my ideas are the best...Thanks. We BOTH enjoyed the post.

    Warmly,
    Another Granny and Her Handsome Doubter

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