Old & New

Since losing everything we owned last year in the fire, I've had to do a LOT of shopping for everything from clothing, hair accessories, appliances, furniture, cooking utensils, rugs, spices, baskets, coat hangers, to linens. You name it, I've probably shopped for it over the past 21 months and will continue to do so in the upcoming ones.

I tend to be a very sentimental person. There were several items in our old house that came from family/friends, or a place that meant something to us; they had a story. Sometimes they were real stories, like the glass crystals that came from my grandmother that were used to make a necklace and earrings I wore at my wedding. Or real "in my mind" like the wood and brass plant stand with carved out dragon heads that I thought my grandfather brought back home from overseas, Thailand, I think. (In reality, it was given to my mother by a neighbor of ours when we lived in Florida.) All loved, all lost. Gone within a matter of minutes.

Now that we are in the new house, needing to furnish and live in this new space I've found myself searching out new clean pieces as well as older pieces that I love. My husband and I have debated this, he wants and likes all new things because our house is brand new. I on the other hand, being sentimental have enjoyed the process of pulling new and old together. I honestly believe it's what will help make this new house feel like home.

So once a week I head over to the newest thrift store in our area, Savers. This place is bright and clean. Like many other thrift stores, it's hit and miss though. I happen to get lucky today. On my way into the store I saw two women coming out with a couple of great woven cane chairs and complimented them on their find. I was informed there were 2-4 more in the store, plus a table! I rushed right in and scooped them up. Unfortunately there were only two chairs left, but at just $10 a piece I think they are a great find. Let me know what you think!

I'm not sure quite where they'll all end up yet. For now they are hanging out in the basement, mingling with other pieces that will be properly arranged when the in-law is complete. But, I will need 1-2 chairs for my office/craft room. For $10 a pop, I wouldn't feel bad about spray painting them. But I do love the pattern of them, so I'm not ready to pull the spray paint trigger quite yet. As for the table, I was envisioning a dining room-like table in my office/craft room, but when I moved it into the basement where the game table will go, I really liked the clear round glass for that corner (better pictures to follow). The chairs shown around the table are from IKEA - new and very comfy. I originally purchased them for our dining room but when they weren't cutting it for my I replaced them with some others that just matched the casual vibe I'm going for. But that's another story for another day.

Since I'm shopping online, and in stores quite a bit, expect more posts on my finds, both new and old. What are your thoughts? Do you tend to enjoy all new items in your house? Do you like the eclectic mix of old and new styles?

xoxox
~Melanie