Home - Bits & Bobs 2
Here, we continue to include bits and bobs around our home that help tell the story of us.
kitchen corner
It’s sweet how just a few little items can make you smile when you see them everyday. The cutie lamp is from Target, the cutting board is a gift from my oldest daughter (more on that below), the clay pot and succulent is from a former preschool family (found at Signal Mountain Nursery), the brass bell is from my childhood home. I can’t remember a time when we didn’t have it and I cherish it, the wooden swan is from Shops on Main and a recent addition. I brought her home because she reminds me of our trip to England, where we saw several graceful, beautiful swans swimming on the Serpentine lake in Hyde Park. I’ve never seen so many swans in one place. She takes me back to London every time I look at her.
practical & pretty
I wish you could smell these cutting boards! They are both made of olive wood and have that delicious fragrance. They come from two very different places but absolutely go together. The taller one in the back is from Marshalls, bought by me several years ago. The one in the front with the lovely rosemary wreath is from my oldest daughter. She found it in Brooklyn from an artist who “burns’ a design into boards. I love it so much and think of her every time I look at it. I have used these for charcuterie but I like to keep them on display, too.
shades of blue
I like to make little groupings in similar shades of colors, like these blues. I love a mix of new and old, shiny and natural elements together. This lamp is from Target from years ago and I still love it! It’s a painted wood base with a burlap shade. The ceramic pot is from Sophie’s Shoppe and did have a plant in it at one time…need to find another one for it. The blue ceramic wall flower is also from Sophie’s and was a gift from my daughters years ago. The mercury glass owl is from Marshalls, I think, and is sentimental to me. I was a Chi Omega and the owl is its symbol. I wouldn’t have met my husband if I hadn’t been a member of that sorority, as a sister and friend introduced us. The basket was actually a little purse from my childhood. It had a red bandana lining at one time. How it survived all these years intact, I’ll never know but I adore it. The adorable ceramic kissing couple was in my parent’s home for years. I really don’t know where it came from but it says “Holland” on the base. These items sit atop our 33-year-old pine chest of drawers in our bedroom and I enjoy seeing them every day.
any guesses?
If you are of a certain age, you might know what this cute little inset shelf was used for decades ago. I only know because my Mema had one in her house. It’s a telephone table! Back in the day, some houses had these built in to hold their phone and phone book. We actually did use it for this purpose for a few years, giving our daughters a land line phone in their upstairs hallway until they were old enough for cell phones. Now, it holds sweet little yellow ceramics from local vintage shops and such. Every time I look at it, I think of my Mema and our girls.
going green
This little nook is beside our fireplace and has held different things over the years. When tv’s were smaller, this is where it and our vcr lived. I do like to switch it out from time to time, with other mementos and objects. Currently, it holds an Irish donkey (painted by me from a photo from our family trip to Dingle ), a basket from Vinterest Hixson, vintage books from various antique shops, a glass hurricane filled with corks from past celebrations, big and small. Above it, hangs an old rug beater, found at Vintage and More in Red Bank. Green is my favorite color and I’m drawn to anything derived from or related to nature.
best surprise ever
There are moments in your life when you are completely, overwhelmingly surprised by a gift. This basket was one of them. My sweet husband thoughtfully gave this Fortnum & Mason hamper to me as a Christmas gift a few years ago. I had no idea what was in the huge box and hadn’t asked for it. It was filled with teas, coffee, biscuits, candies, jams and crackers. He knew I fell in love with England when we visited. He knew how I loved wandering through the centuries-old F & M store in London. To have a little piece of that memory in our family room brings me much happiness. It perches atop an antique pine armoire I’ve had since I was a teenager. My parents bought it for me and we think parts of it might be from Holland or Sweden. It has held many things over the years but now holds games and such.