Friday, July 29, 2011

Favourite Things Friday



First - a thank you to everyone who linked up last week. I was blown away by the level of link-iness and loved popping around and having a squizz at what your favourites were. There were some corkers! If you'd like to play "show  me yours and I'll show you mine " this week , all you have to do is write a post about something you love and link up to this one. Easy Peasy.

I don't have any particular style or theme for my house and so I've ended up with an "eclectic" mixture of furniture. Please note: Eclectic is what you call things when other people might think your house looks like a conglomeration of stuff you brought home from the tip. I  try to have theme or colour scheme for each room but I love mixing old and new and seeing what happens. I love using accent pieces that draw your eye to a particular spot in a room. 

My favourite thing this week is the old dresser mirror in the entrance of my house. This is the first thing you see when I open the front door and say "Come on in -Let's crack open that wine ". 


It came to be mine through a series of unusual circumstances. About 10 years ago I was antique shopping with Mother of Pyjamas  and  we came across this. MOP fell in love but it was a slightly expensive piece to buy on a whim. She hesitated and so I said "Your birthday is coming up - if you really want it -I'll pay for half" . Faster than you can say "Done Deal" , she bought it , took it home and started auditioning spots for it round her house. I'm going to confess I was secretly  jealous because I  loved this piece too. It's old and someone took a lot of time hand cutting those dovetail joints to make sure it would last a lifetime.


For the next 4 years that mirror got moved around while she attempted to find the perfect spot for it. I swear it was in a different place every single time I visited. And eventually MOP ran out of places to try it in and rolled up to my place one day with it in her arms when I opened the front door. 

She was almost crying when she said to me"I cant find anywhere for this to go in my house. I've brought it to you to see if you can find a spot for it" All of which  was said with the same air of sadness and regret  that you might use if you were giving one of your children away.



I lovingly took it out of her arms , walked two steps and put it on top of the hallway table where it matched perfectly and said "Thanks Mum". 

It's equal parts of scary and really funny when you see your mother practically spitting blood. For 4 years she'd been trying to find the perfect spot and I'd just found it in less than 3 seconds. I'm pretty sure she still wants to hit me every time she comes to my house and it laughs at her as she walks in the front door.


Sorry Patty-Finders Keepers. You can have visiting rights though.





P.S. I would like to point out my mother would never ever give any of her children away . Not even when she threatened to on a daily basis while we were in our teenage years.

31 comments:

seabreezequilts said...

Don't know what I was doing last friday, I think I was just a bit shattered after a week of OMG Work and in between that finding entertainment for the kiddies during school holidays. Only 2 more day and boss comes back form Italy ... he'd better bring me back something good.

Love the mirror, in fact I thought it was one complete piece it does match perfectly and love the story that goes with it.

Helsie said...

I'm glad there is someone else out there who develops a fondness for furniture! It looks lovely where you have it. Aren't you lucky it matched so well?
Cheers
Helen

Anonymous said...

Hi Shay,

My husband refers to our style of decor as "Early Salvation Army." We have odds and sods from various stages of our lives that help to create a warm and inviting home. It most assuredly is eclectic and regardless of what others may think, we love it.
Your mirror is a beautiful piece and I understand why you love it - I do as well.
Keep warm!
Helen (Nanci's P.T.)

Paulette said...

What a great piece! Love the story behind it coming to live at your place. What kind of wood is that on the front of the drawers? Very cool grain pattern.

My decorating style is definitely eclectic too, as in absorbing the castoffs of others, supplemented by thrift store finds, antique mall, and crap I picked up at the curb and refurbed. Mixing old and new works for me too.

Hey, I might link up this week because the meme theme of today's post asks my favorite color and I actually went to the trouble of taking a couple photos to illustrate. Is that copping out?

Mistea said...

I always wondered about those threats parents make during childhood and teenage years - though I was pretty convinced my mum wasn't rich enough to get anyone else to take me off her hands!

Super cool mirror - glad it has found a nice home with you and Patty is allowed to visit.

thea said...

What a cool mirror .. I'm there for the wine! I love the way it looks on the table. Love the story behind it.

I have no particular style or theme, so I suppose I'd be eclectic too.

Canadian Abroad said...

Cool mirror. It was meant to be there. Just gently explain that to your mother, and then run! I don't threaten to give my children away - I threaten to leave myself therefore punishing my husband in the act as well. I go for all out coverage of everyone for punishment in this house!

Unknown said...

I'm sure a nice daughter like you wouldn't rub it in by stroking her hand across that beauty each time your mum comes to visit would you....

Anonymous said...

That is a gorgeous piece!!
Yes our house is a little "eclectic" as well... we go for the modern look mixed in with a bit of "salvation army" designer fashion ;)

And hey - look at me - 2 weeks in a row all intentional and stuff... must be on a roll with my concentration!! ;)

xx

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous piece of furnitute - it's lovely to have beauties like that though your poor mom lol - I can just imagine her looking longingly at it when she visits and wondering why she ever gave it away whilst you give it a loving stroke :-)

Larri said...

LOVE it! The story that goes along with this beautiful piece is just wonderful. Our home is filled with lots of hand-me-downs from my VERY traditional Southern in-laws. It's eclectic at best. One day, when I'm old and could care less what others think; I'm going to have white-washed and slip-covered everything. ☺ Fabulous favourite! Thanks for sharing. Happy FTF! ☺

AMW said...

Beautiful piece! It's great that you could help your mum find the perfect spot for it! ;)

Linked up for the first time in a looooong time....

Kris said...

Ok. So I posted and linked.

I really thought it was one piece too! Meant to be I guess. (I only worked out that it wasn't near the end of your post.) Hope your Mum wasn't too shattered. After all, she's the one who brought it to your house. Hope you have a beaut weekend Shay!hoseonte

Kris said...

Ok now that's embarassing! hoseonte was my word verification, not a sneeze or anything. I wondered why it wanted me to type it twice! It's late. End of the week. You know.

Canadian Abroad said...

I've linked again.

Vesuviusmama said...

Mirrors are such great accents! Not that I ever look in them much - I need the courage to leave my house in the morning and looking in a mirror would send me scurrying back under the covers. That said, nearly the half the rooms in my house have mirrors, and I love how they lighten a place up.

Vesuviusmama said...

Mirrors are such great accents! Not that I ever look in them much - I need the courage to leave my house in the morning and looking in a mirror would send me scurrying back under the covers. That said, nearly the half the rooms in my house have mirrors, and I love how they lighten a place up.

Petra said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
petra said...

I've just linked to your Favorites, was inspired by my bloggy friend at Seams Inspired. I too have an eclectic collection, and your piece is a beauty. Thanks for having me!

Mindy said...

Eclectic is my favorite style! Who wants a formal copy of what everyone else has? I love mixing styles, woods, colors, and whatever to make it personal.

I see why the mirror is one of your favs! Very pretty! At least your mom has visitation rights.

Elizabeth said...

I actually thought you were talking about the entire piece and not just the mirror on top. It does go PERFECTLY on that table! I love it! It is a very beautiful piece. You really have an eye for finding beautiful things among the rubbish. Great FTF.

xo -E

Kristie said...

I;m baaaack. Kinda. A bit. Just popping in to say hi ;) Love the mirror, and the story even more so. Glad I am not the only mother who threatens to give away her kids. I once pulled up to a garage sale (do you have those in Australia? Basically when someone sells all their used stuff on their front lawn) and told the kids to wait in the car, I was going to see if they had any better kids for sale, and if so, I would buy those and leave my kids behind. Left for 5 minutes, got some sympathetic words from the lady of the garage sale, then returned to a vehicle ringing with the wails of remorseful children. Ah...... I guess you know I kept them...so far!

Rachaeldaisy said...

Mirror Mirror on the table in the hall,
Who's the luckiest Pyjama of them all?

Kate said...

Beautiful mirror, love the wood. I thought it was all one piece too. Great story too! The only thing my mom decided didn't fit in her new house was the stuff she was keeping from my days as a teenager. Needless to say that got moved from her attic to mine.

Marti said...

That's a great piece and it was just meant for your table.

Baa-Me Kniits said...

That is a truly lovely piece of furniture....no wonder you wanted it right away. Looks great in your place :-)

OzRose said...

Beautiful!
Things are good Shay! Hope they are with you too. Am off O/S soon but when I get back will have to have a day again!

Kirsten's Cooking said...

good things come to those who wait!

Good for you for setting aside your wants and buying the mirror for your mom! Too bad she couldn't use it, but it looks beautiful in your entry way.

hope you had a good weekend....how was the big birthday lunch?

melissa said...

What a gorgeous mirror, and it looks like youve found the perfect spot for it! I can understand why your mum would be spewing!

have a great week Shay!

x

Brenda said...

What would we do without our mothers?

Michelle Ridgway said...

Love your mirror and your poor Mums tale of woe...at least she can visit it and she doesn't have to dust or polish it.