its a little nutso at the shed, more so than usual. on Monday the green carpet of 30 years living upstairs, is being replaced by a beige carpet of 10 years with interesting self patterning courtesy of my lovely friend Maggi
on Wednesday evening, my man and i started the job of emptying three bedrooms worth of stuff and hauling it into the bonus room. Our #4 (newly aged 13) sat amongst his dwindling possessions, whilst nursing his broken toe acquired less than four hours before.
"why is everything we own look like it belonged to a granny, even the carpet we are getting is old and granny like?" he had a point, it does have a 'granny like' quality about it now i have inspected it closer, which of course i am delighted about.
he continued "every room we have is filled with old stuff, why don't we ever have gleaming new modern things?"
i looked around his room and noted he has an ikea bookcase and desk in white. the only thing remotely vintage in my mind within his four walls at that moment, was me, my man and an old pine chest of drawers loitering with intent to hold his clothes, however they have never made it that far.
i always saw ikea furniture as modern and new and i was now seeing a 'doubter' in my son.
gosh, he was my one who loved a thrifty hunt amongst the shelves of despair, finding great enjoyment with the crappity crap that lay before him. i chose to put it down to his broken toe, turning 13 and the black cloud above him talking. a rare thing indeed, for black clouds do not hangout over his head, in fact this maybe the first black cloud i have ever seen venture to do such a thing.
yesterday evening i voiced a need to go thrifting (two times in one day!), i am on a mission for materials and as is always the way, you can never find what you are looking for, only what you did not know you needed, like a cheap print of flowers in an iffy frame.
still i was going to give it a go.
"can i come?" he pipes up, which immediately made me suspect he had homework to do.
"how will you manage with your toe?" i ask
"i'll hobble around"
so i went 'a thrifting' this time with my pins of paleness and a companion hobbling. i found a forsaken little soul and he found a brilliant red Adidas jacket with LONDON appliquéd on the back and the skyline (including Big Ben) across the chest. it was in 'top notch' nick and a bobby bargain to boot. he was delighted and so was i.
ah yes, for second hand gods had intervened and his doubting ways were gone. just because something is second hand does not mean it has to be old or granny like. perfectly new looking goodness can be found too, he just needed a little reminder
someone who does not need reminding is Little Olive, who after a day of play yesterday, spent the evening wisely 'swaddled' in her home of secondhand goodness
she is most happy with the transformation of her secondhand, 'slightly kitsch' picture find of yesterday ~ Tif
omg! I was happily reading the post --- nd then I saw Olive! Oh she is so adorable! xxx
ReplyDeleteYour picture is looking positively peachy with its new additions!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear your sons doubting ways were just temporary!
Little Olive looks so cute snuggled in her little bed!
Rachel x
I am quite glad to hear that a boy (young man?) of thirteen finds value in thrifty ways. Most of the the young men I know are more keen on shiny electronics. But I suppose if their mother was a thrifting queen, they may see the greatness of the secondhand.
ReplyDeleteAww...the poor thing with his broken toe - I'm impressed he managed to hobble around a thrifting expedition.
ReplyDeleteGlad the story had a happy ending. :-D
Hey Tif,
ReplyDeleteYour 'DYF' looks great with that light blue frame! Much better than that tatty gold one...
Have you looked in your agenda yet about next week? Gerald was thinking of smoking a pork butt!!! :-)
Marjan
Oh, Olive looks so sweet all swaddled up!
ReplyDeleteoh katie, sorry to disappoint but he loves a sparkly electronic just like the next lad! in fact i believe according to his story, it was indeed as he was running to be reunited with his shiny electronic thing, that he broke his toe on a chair leg :)
ReplyDeleteMarjan! gosh when you put it like that!
have a lovely weekend my dears and thank you kindly for your comments...
Hello from romulyyli-blog. There is so nice!!!! Thank you! Riitta Sinikka.
ReplyDeleteBoys! I have one too who is tolerant of all the secondhandness in the house but who has firmly retained Ikea in his bedroom to house his shiny electronics.
ReplyDeleteBut as a little boy he used to love a car boot sale where he could spend his pennies of lovely toys for a fraction of their new price.
Jayne
Oh, poor toe. I love the picture and oh, Olive is so cute. And talking about derrières, mine too has quietly been growing outwards and downwards. Have a lovely weekend.:) Liz
ReplyDeletefirstly: i am so inlove with that picture. secondly: great post!!
ReplyDeleteI love your tale of your youngest and his observation. Our second son said, "You can't turn everyone's house into a Pom Pom house, Mom." No sleekness here, to be sure. Well, what a lucky puppy, all swaddled in second-hand softness. SO cute!
ReplyDeleteOlive is just adorable in her blankets and stuff :) x
ReplyDeleteWishing happiness to you all and away with the black cloud, oh dear Little Olive in her case, so snug and loved!
ReplyDeleteAnd what a gorgeous article in Molly Makes, which I just caught a glimpse of online, love the red cardie especially ... hope this magazine makes it down here ...enjoy your new/old carpet!
Love the last picture of little Olive. So cute!
ReplyDeletethistle handmade
I'm glad you managed to turn him round. My boy is only 2 so everything is new to him, I hope I can keep him loving secondhand in to his teens! x
ReplyDeleteI was giggling at your son's comments and thinking of all the comments I've heard from my 3 kids over the years about our old house, all the old stuff I pick up for my shop and how our house is decorated! I tell them when they get big they can live in a brand new house and buy all new stuff, if they want! When I never got a puppy, I remember telling my parents I'd get 7 dogs when I was big...one is enough, now!
ReplyDeleteLove your blog, your granny chic and your humor!
let's hear it for our next gen thrifters- the most fun! so happy he found a prize too!
ReplyDeletenow, I'm going to curl up inside a vintage pillowcase until the sun comes out.
Adorable bed for Olive! I will not show my puppies lest they get jealous and demand I purty up some of my hoarded old suitcases for their beds.
ReplyDeleteGlad it was just a blimp in his otherwise 'examplary' record of thriftyness! Well done him spotting the jacket.
ReplyDeleteLovely to see said dog cutely swaddled in warm blankets. The cold here (winter in NZ) is wreaking havoc on my poor westie's arthritis, so today we will take him into the vets for his antiflam shot. I think I shall swaddle him tonight in a suitcase filled with blankets too :-)
ReplyDeleteI'd like a suitcase bed just like that in my size, please.
ReplyDeleteDear Tif/ Dottie,
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to thank you for ages but I didn't know how to post a comment (I've only just discovered e mail, so please excuse me!)
Your blog has inspired me so much that I am hoping to start one myself (if I ever get my head around it!)
If I ever manage to create a blog could I mention yours please, as you are the one that has started this all for me!
I think it would be great to record the progress of my paintings and include the things that have inspired me , even if no one else reads it!
Many thanks,
Letitia Thompson
I just bought a brand new magazine, Mollie Makes, & there you are! I've been reading your blog for a looong time so it was lovely to actually see you in print! Well done Tif xx
ReplyDeleteHow happy I am to have found your incredibly inspiring blog (linked from "Erleperle")!
ReplyDeleteSo my taste all the wonderful things you make!
You make me wanna sew!!!:-)
My blog might not be so very inspring to you since it´s in swedish...
thank you for your lovely words, they have been greatly enjoyed :)
ReplyDeleteTeesha! truly you must start a blog, it will be a brilliant way for you to record your progress in your painting :) thank you for being so kind, i am delighted you have been inspired!
so happy you have seen Mollie Makes my dears, my copy turned up in the mail box this week and it truly is a treat for the crafty soul :)
The picture is wonderful, I am sure to copy... And as for your tiny pooch! :)
ReplyDeleteEsse bichinho realmente sabe viver com luxo,hahahaha. E que trabalho lindo, amei!!!
ReplyDeleteI love , love , love your blog and if had to talk or comment about one post I couldn't , everything is so nice , with harmony and when I visit your blog my mouth begins to open ...hahahaha well congratulations because your creativity is so great and romantic !!!! From Buenos Aires , Bolmara .
ReplyDelete