Paint Chip Bingo

I love to shop. Browsing through stores gazing at smartly displayed merchandise sparks my creativity.  I don't always have to bring something home to take away from the experience.  In my case, retail does provide some cheap therapy. I love to get lost in a store, especially antique and vintage shops, and hold pretty trinkets, as I fantasize about the life they once led. It seems like lately I've been drawn to specific colors, like pretty pink Pyrex bowls and anything turquoise.

I am also addicted to Pinterest (for many of the same reasons as shopping, I must need a lot of therapy) and I have noticed all the crafts involving paint chips.  It seems like I'm not the only one having a love affair with color. Whether it's calm and relaxing greens, or spicy tangerines, we are aware of the mood-altering effects of color and like to surround ourselves with hues that don't give us the blues (corny, but true).

So, I thought it might be fun to play a game. "Fun and Games" is our theme for the month of September here at Grassy Valley Antiques so it is fitting don't you think? Here's how you play, take a paint chip like this one here and find items in our shop that match the colors on your chip. If you can find four items, one for each of the corresponding colors on your chip, then you get one item of your choice for 15% off! 

For example, if I selected this particular set of colors, I might pick the following rosy items....

Color 1...Love the blush on these depression glass candlesticks.

Color 2...Salmon serving tray

Color 3...Coral Vintage Greeting Card Advertisement

Color 4...Ruby Compote with Lid


It's as simple as that. Your items don't have to be exact matches. We're not Pantone, just an antique store trying to have a little fun.

Summer Love

As we enter the final days of summer, I feel like a petulant child unwilling to let go of a favorite blanket. I stomp my feet and refuse to give myself over to earlier mornings and a more orderly schedule. I know I should look forward to crisp autumn hikes, pumpkin spice lattes, and all the other delights of Fall that I do love dearly, but I need a little more time please. 

I spent most of the summer away from work at home with a six year old boy who very much needed a respite.  Having just finished Kindergarten, he experience the joy of freedom that one can only appreciate once it is taken away for the very first time.  Three months of days spent in pajamas, building forts, and getting waterlogged seemed even more sweet after 9 months of structured learning.  I got to become reacquainted with the boy that I spend so much time worrying over and learned to fret a little less and laugh a little more. A wonderful thing blossomed this summer a friendship between a mother and her son.

Now that school is back in session and structure is forced upon us once again, I try to be positive as I help pick the coolest backpack and the lunchbox with flames.  I even took first day pictures capturing the timid expectancy and fear in those grey-blue eyes.  I wanted to say let's run away, let's get in the car and drive to the mountains.  We'll find a trail and skip rocks into the ice cold water. I'll squeal when you pick up a salamander and tell you how brave you are.  Instead we get in the car and drive to your little school with the sunny windows and painted sidewalks. A happy place, and your home away from home for the next nine months. I was delighted to meet your new teacher and hear about the friend you've made with the very same shoes as yours. Still, I am hesitant to let you go now that I've really found you.  Will bad days make us sullen and quick to snap at each other? Will you growl from the backseat when I ask about your day? Can we hold the magic of our summer in our hearts even as our tans fade and time pushes forward?

I found this in the shop today and it made me think of us. A gentle reminder for the days ahead.

Tell Me A Story

Days like today full of rain and bluster, remind me of a trip I took to a historic home as a child.  I can't tell you the name of the estate that had been converted into an art gallery, but I can tell you they had a huge portrait of Boy George. That colorful, beautiful, and somewhat scary image imprinted itself into my seven year old mind, and I can still remember the contrast between Boy in all his pop glory and the muted tones of the hall he resided over. It was a wet sloppy day and the house felt cozy despite it's grandeur as the rain pounded against the window pains.  I had to go to the bathroom, and as usual, I had held it until it was an emergency situation.  My mom led me from room to room until we stumbled upon a corner bath. She waited outside as I fumbled with the antique lock. Fascinated by the old plumbing, the pull chain toilet, the radiator, even the small tiles below my feet I lingered and imagined the many lipsticked faces once reflected in the crackled mirror.  Despite my shorts and muddy tennis shoes, I felt like I was part of something beautiful and mysterious. I came out of that bathroom with not only a relieved bladder but a little more sophistication. I think my love of antiques and the stories they tell was born that day in a bathroom!

Now, I sit in a shop surrounded by ghosts. Items come and go, and while I'm only with them for a short while I delight in listening to the tales they share. Of course, these yarns are fueled by my own imagination, but there is a grain of validity in each of them.  The Victorian sofa nestled in the corner is covered in velvet so soft and devoid of marks that I assume it was reserved for Sunday visits only.  Guests privileged enough to sit upon it's cushion perched nervously upon the edge while they balanced their teacups upon their laps.  The lady of the house would dream she could shed the bounds of her petticoat and granny boots and lounge across the sofa draped only in pearls and feathers.  

No matter where I look in the shop, there are gloves and military hats, aprons and elixirs, all with stories that precede my own. It makes me wonder what might whisper of me someday? My flat iron perhaps? Only time will tell.

Spring Cleaning

As the weather warms, we have been venturing further from our burrow and becoming reacquainted with the outside world.  The wanderlust has begun to form within me, and I'm already planning a slew of day trips and adventures to share with the family over the next few months...on the cheap of course. I know from experience that out of the 1,547 excursions I plan to take only 5 might materialize into actual "been there, done that" trips. Life has become so busy, and it is hard to leave the ties of work, school, and our various commitments behind for even a day. 

A few weeks ago, we decided it was time to get off the grid for awhile so we hopped in our car and headed for Nashville. With no concrete plans, no list of must see attractions, we just let the day unfold like the road before us. This spontaneity freed us from any expectations allowing us to savor each moment and surprise.  We toured The Hermitage, home of Andrew Jackson and a place I  once thought reserved for school groups and those who frequent cafeterias and early bird specials. The gardens were beautiful in their drowsy state just awakened and full of promise. I could imagine guests arriving at the house dusty and fatigued from travel and being replenished by the live oaks and shady magnolias.  I'm so glad we paid attention to the historic road marker or I would have missed it all. 

Over the course of two days, we drove around for hours just appreciating architecture, browsing antique stores, and creating our own personalized tour of the capitol city. We came home refreshed and more appreciative of our own landscape and each other. This little trip was our version of spring cleaning, a time to reawaken our senses and let go of  our complacent natures letting new passion and ideas burst forth.

Here is a little photo journey of our trip....

Ok, I am totally stealing this idea for Grassy Valley. Coming soon to a shop near you!

If you love warm melt in your mouth biscuits and getting your picture made in crazy cutouts, The Loveless Cafe is right for you!

Off the beaten path, but well worth the find.

Beauty and Aesthetics.....a rant

I am a sucker for beauty. I love to fill my home with pretty trinkets and things that make me stop and smile when I pass by them on the way to fold laundry or cook dinner. I am also a careful shopper, choosing items not only for their usefulness but for their aesthetic qualities as well. Whether buying dish soap or a new coffee mug, I'm a sucker for a pretty package. And, I have a feeling I'm not the only one. The marketers of these products are smart, savvy little fellows who are well aware that most of us are slaves to our aesthetic drives. That's probably why Kitchen Aid mixers come in every color under the sun ( I personally dream of a peacock blue version...sigh) and pink Hello Kitty microwaves exist. Even the most utilitarian of items are designed to be appealing to our senses. I experienced this when I was forced to choose a new faucet for our kitchen sink. Although, I had never paid that much attention to our old faucet when it was my turn to find a replacement I stood for what seemed like hours in Lowe's waiting to hear the siren song of the perfect one. Finally, I picked a curvy model, that I would describe as "whimsical". It's beautiful to me, and to be honest I have spent much more time at the kitchen sink just to admire it.

I believe this quest for beauty stems from our creation when God infused a unique allure into each and every one of us. All different, all captivating. It just makes sense to me that our creations follow the same pattern. I love to discover hidden beauty in objects whether natural or man made and thank the Supreme Artist for that special insight.  Of course being immersed in the world of antiques, I am constantly surrounded by items that take my breath away. Some posses humble beauty, they show their wear and I can tell they have been loved and used for decades, even centuries. Others reflect a past aesthetic such an art deco shot glass that seems transported from the world of Fitzgerald with its glimmer and glitz.

I could probably post a picture of every items in the shop since each would sing to someone. However, that's not how it works. Beauty is best when it is discovered by the beholder. When they can own the moment of laying eyes on something they can not live without.  So, I invite you to come on your own quest. Browse our shelves, look closely and listen for your own sweet song.

Second Chances

I don’t wear hats very often, practically never.  A friend once told me I look funny in hats and that was enough to eradicate them from my wardrobe forever.  It’s sad really, because hats offer such a world of possibilities and provide an inexpensive way to jump start a tired wardrobe.  Whether you’re trying convey a sense of mystery and intrigue, or bring out your inner Marlene Dietrich the right hat can do the job. 

We have gotten a slew of hats in the shop recently and the tiny velvet ribbons and birdcage veils are calling to me.  I had to share some of my favorites because they are just so delectable.

They even make me willing to give hats another try.

COLOR!

I appreciate winter.  I have respect for this powerful season and marvel at each blade of frosted grass and tiny ice crystal.  I think there is nothing more graceful than daybreak on a snow-covered landscape and always feel a little guilty when I have to mar its beauty with my footprints.

Still, the shorter days full of hazy darkness leave me longing to batten down the hatches around four in the afternoon.  While I adore the coziness that comes from being confined with the ones I love the most within arms reach and relish in the comfort of my fuzzy socks and trusty bathrobe, I find myself missing the one thing that January isn’t willing to provide…an abundance of color. 

So, today I’ve decided to focus on colorful items that can shine a little light during these long winter months and remind us of what lies ahead.