Vintage Treasure and Plants I Live With

I live with my vintage treasures and favorite plants that remind me of who I really am. I found this vintage deer statuary piece in the yard of an elderly gardener who had passed away. A friend call me and asked if I would like to walk around the garden to see if there would be anything I would like to have. This is one of my favorite pieces so I keep it in the window above my kitchen sink so that I can see it every day.

It reminds me of the woman who like me loved this dear and I think it is a happy legacy for this time worn piece of statuary.

The vintage photograph is of my great grandmother's daughter Alice who died from the pneumonia epidemic of the early 1900s. It broke my great grandmother's heart and she always looked broken in photographs afterward no matter how she tried to smile for the camera.

So, I keep Alice's photograph in honor of my great grandmother because I think it would make her happy and also to remind myself that no matter how difficult things seem - well, it could be so much worse. It reminds me to remain thankful for my life and my children's health.

I guess you could call it my "feel good" place to look upon.
The other items in the window are vintage brass hose nozzles, a tiny porcelain rabbit, a vintage flower frog in the shape of a flower, a bird's nest, a soapstone Mona Lisa and a vintage rosary wrapped around the deer's neck. All things I love to look at while I am at the sink.
I have had this aloe plant for years and it has grown, twisted and has curled into a sea creature like plant. I love it as I used to live in Charleston, South Carolina and developed a love of the ocean and it's creatures. It reminds me of the beach.

I will always have African Violets in my home. My grandmother, Pearl always had violets and they remind me of her. She would have loved this variegated variety I found that has deep purple blossoms. I also have a variegated variety that has pink edges instead of ivory and has light pink blossoms. The key to African Violets is a cool North window and watering from a saucer underneath. Add plant food occassionally and they will take care of themselves.
I always encourage my friends to live with things that make them happy. Every workshop I teach involves the discussion of creating something that makes you happy. It's the one time that it is all about what you want and not trying to please anyone else. Your home and your art become very personal and give you pleasure on days when you need to be reminded of how lucky you are no matter how gloomy the day might seem.

Create your own personal space that makes you sigh with contentment whenever you look at it. Remember play houses when you were little, it was your own personal happy place that you could spend hours in contentedly. Create an adult version filled with whatever makes you happy like collections of seashells, dolls, china, plants, what ever your heart desires. It will make you happy whenever you walk by or better yet put it in a place you can gaze at it for a little while.