one man's trash...

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve checked in… basically, everything hurts, and I’m dying, but we’re really close to actually feeling settled in our new place, and I can’t wait to share more with you in the form of a little tour of sorts. We moved exactly 12 days ago, so I took a bit of a hiatus. I think that, for a moment, I wondered if I would ever find the will to write or even be creative again. It sounds silly, but I was having a real identity crisis for a few days when I woke up feeling as though I’d been hit by a Mack truck nearly every morning because, well, moving is miserable. I’m such a nester at heart, everything has to be just right and settled. I also feel a little bit like I’m racing against the clock with a senior in-house, before our next big event this weekend: prom. It’s funny how moving can change everything with your belongings, too. Close friends and my own family are walking through the house asking, “Where was this in the old house?” and “Have we always had this?” because changing things up in a gigantic game of pineapple turnover has a way of doing that, and making old things new again. I guess you could say my own head feels like that, too, and I’m suffering a little bit of decision fatigue. If I have to put one more thing together… but alas, I digress. It’s starting to feel like home, and we’re only ten minutes away from our old location and {cue your best “Annie” throwback voice…} I think we’re gonna like it heeeerrrrrre.

fb marketplace photo

Since I was giving up a lot of built-ins and strategically planned areas in our old home for the new rental, I knew that first things first… I needed something fun to display all my favorite colorful plates and glasses. {Gimme a hit of that dopamine.} So I started to do what any sensible person would do smack dab in the middle of a move… and decided to peruse the old, tried-and-true: Facebook Marketplace. I have a lot of rules when it comes to all things flea markets and lists, but when you’re looking for a specific item, FBM will NOT disappoint. I find myself looking just for fun… you never know what will pop up.

Anyway, we were still covered in boxes the very next day after moving in, when Jamin and my oldest went to pick up this beauty. They may or may not have totally hated me in the moment because BERTHA is HEAVY. {But she’s a beaut, Clark} I took a risk, thinking if this piece was awful in real life, I would paint it. But when I saw it in person, I realized that, dear friends, it would be sacrilege. Because, well. Just look at her.

So, instead of doing anything to her, I cleaned her and touched up any scratched places. Then I decided that I wanted to go for minimally invasive procedures, so I lightly tacked some old wallpaper {recognize the pattern?} in the back. It can always be removed later, and TADA! We were done.

Not to be a total nerd, but gosh. The beveled glass. The burlwood and two-tone coloring with the brass accents… yes please. It gives me pause for what I will be designing in our next house. I love giving one-of-a-kind pieces space to breathe.

I saw a hot take on Insta a few weeks ago that said we have turned into such fast fashion in all aspects of life, questioning what will be considered vintage in a few years, anyway? Half a sleeve of an old shirt from Temu? I also saw something else along the same vein, speaking to antiques beginning to flood the market again from boomers, and suddenly… everyone is interested. So there’s a lot to be said for upcycling. Nothing beats a good old-fashioned Facebook score. I guess I’m turning back to my old ways. What goes around comes around, I guess.

Anyway, we’re settling in, and I can’t wait to share more! The rental really is lovely, and we’re ready for a fresh start. Stay tuned. In the meantime, it’s back to work as usual with some exciting projects and some other things we can’t wait to share.