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"TraVeL ThRouGh ThE LaNd Of “Soft in the Head”
...the home of “Singing and Dancing Mice & Humorous Frogs!”.

Where “Original Designs” of patterns and soft sculpture characters come to life..…

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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

A Good Junk Store Is...........

"Heaven On Earth!" I find that when I need a break from reality I dive into the past with a vengeance! Not just a neat and pretty past but one that has stories of hard work, family and life! Ever notice that the things you truly love are the things you use the most from a favorite shirt to that dog eared book you have read over and over. Well this is how I look at junk stores. I find treasures with rust and dents and use them one last time to create a piece that will, hopefully, be treasured once again and make the new owner smile everytime they look at it. I find the greatest pieces of odds and ends to add to my characters or actually use it as the foundation for the character. My "Jack O'Lanterns were a HUGE hit at Ghoultide last year. I remember the look on my husbands face when I purchased these rusty non-function-able kerosene lanterns, lol, it was so funny! Once I added my pumpkin heads and began to give them a personality he got it and smiled! They were such a hit! I love old clocks and am always keeping my eyes open for one with character, working or not. Clocks inspire me so much. I think to myself about the stories a clock could tell if they were able....like a young girl waiting for her first date or seeing the minutes, that seem like hours, tick by as you wait for her to come home! I wonder how many times a clock has heard the profanity of someone who is late for work, school or an appointment or the punished child waiting for the time to be up so he can go outside and play.....just so many stories! I could spend hours wandering around the most disgusting and dirty junk stores just hoping to find that right item that will help my characters come to life! Old books are one of my all time favorite junk store finds and I have shelves filled to prove it! I have a house filled with discarded pieces of furniture that I have waxed and oiled and given new life. I never removed the dings or scrapes because that's part of the history that I love about my pieces. I have an old trunk that came off a ship in the Boston Harbor in the late 1800's and one that made it's way from New York to California in 1906. I collect pieces of quilts and frame them. I have one from the civil war and two from before the war of the states, the colors are amazing. I didn't need the whole quilt just a piece that normally would have been discarded but now I have it on my wall. I find a good "junk store" therapeutic and enlightening.....it also makes me feel as though my time here on earth will be remembered through my simple possessions, whether who has them ever knows my name or not my life lives on in the things I used and loved......

4 comments:

The Moonlit Stitch said...

Ah! Just minutes ago posted about the civil war and restoration! Dirty and disgusting old junk shops are the BEST. I believe old items carry an essence with them...you wake that up and add to it to make it so magical. ~*~Lisa

WoolenSails said...

I love thrift stores and we have a lot of antique consignments, so lots of goodies at good prices. I would love to see photos of your home with all your treasures.

Debbie

Unknown said...

Oh wow! I love the junk shop photo! My kind of place!!! Love your referbed pieces. So fun!! :-)
~ Deb
Possible Impossibilities Studio

Victoria Sayer said...

Yeah, me too!! to all of the above! That's a wonderful photo of your lovely junk shop. Happy hunting and gathering!
Don't you just love it when no one else can see what you 'see'. I love to see the amazed look on peoples faces when they finally 'get it'. Good job with those lanterns!

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