Raiding My Childhood Garage

Two weeks ago I visited my sister and we dropped by our childhood home which is now inhabited by my niece.

I wanted to look through the garage in the hope of finding an old ladder, a few old folding chairs, film reels and anything rusty.

No ladder, no folding chairs, but I did find some fun items and there are 5 vintage trunks full of stuff just waiting for a day when Marcia and I have the time to dig into them.

I cleaned up the blue Pepsi crate for storage in my "creative space" to hold odd bits.

Growing up in the orange groves of southern California, orange crates were ubiquitous.

I remember my dad painting this one green for my sister and me for playing - it served as a grocery store some days, a library on others and most frequently it was used to play school.

I cleaned it up and installed it on a shelf in the garage to hold fabric and other sewing supplies.

The only rusty bit I found was an old lantern.

I cleaned it up the best I could and added it to a little vignette on the patio.

I didn't need it . . . I would not have purchased it . . . but finding it in the garage was a bonus and I am sure it will be featured in a variety of vignettes around the garden.

There was a bounty of boxes in the garage that day, but I won't be using these two for anything.

JP wanted the metal box because it had been his grandfather's.

BATES

SF -LA 

is stenciled on each side.

Marcia and I vaguely remember the box and think our father must have used it for his supplies when he worked as a railway mail clerk on the San Francisco to Los Angeles line.

Steve grabbed up the old fishing box to store some of his supplies when he does plein air painting.

Inside the fishing box was a fishing reel given a new life on the hallway cabinet.

I love the texture and the color of the fishing line and might use it to crochet a little bag.

When the fishing line is gone, I think the reel would look good with ribbon or jute.

The reel sits next to my grandfather's bottle capper from his beer making days.

The webbing will come in handy for these flatware pockets I pinned from Pandora's Box.

I cleaned up the green wooden box and put it into the living room, but there was just too much green together.

This morning I got out my can of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White.

I wanted to retain a little memory of the vintage green shade so I taped off a stripe down the center before painting.

I love the green popping through after a good sanding.

It doesn't look like much, but the visit evoked some great memories like the time I threatened to run away, but actually only made it as far as the garage - boy did I get in trouble after they searched the neighborhood for me!

And, those 5 trunks are just waiting for us to return.

What will we find?

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Seeing Green

Lately, I have been loving green.

I got home from work last night and saw a package waiting for me on the table.

I ordered some numbers on-line from BHLDN and some art supplies from Paper Source so I thought the box was from one of them.

But, I was wrong.

I had forgotten that I had won a Giveaway from Primp and, in the package was this sweet little green heart basket.

With the weekend ahead, I stopped at one of my favorite shops, American Home and Garden, 

for a bit of shopping therapy and some ideas on how to display my sweet little basket.

It seems like months since I have been in the shop.

My friend Kathee of Chateau et Jardin writes on her blog about the many changes in the shop.

Jennifer Grey of The Old Painted Cottage just opened a booth in the shop.

As usual, AH&G was filled with wonderful eye candy and green was everywhere.

I love the green cabinet with the number tags and wish I had a place for the great little green ironing board.

I have a little wooden box that I want to paint and it might just end of with a number painted across it.

The little green desk is so cute, but alas no space.

Nor is there space for the green butcher block or dresser.

A vintage garden chair reminded me of a chair my dad used to sit in out in our garden when I was a child.

One long table made from a door and two sewing machine bases would be wonderful in a creative work space.

Chippy green shutters would be totally fun, but our walls are filled with Steve's art which leaves no place for the shutters.

I love, love, love the cast iron sink filled with ivy.

It would look great hanging on the exterior wall of the house in the garden.

Until Steve's shoulder is out of a sling, no house projects will be happening.

A table which mounts to the wall and  just two legs to hold it up would fit right into my hallway.

There were so many things to look at, but I had two limitations on my shopping -

I only had change for a half hour on the parking meter

and

I was in Steve's little car so I couldn't buy anything big.

I settled on three simple things

The number knobs are for a little box I will paint soon.

The parsley stake will go in the garden tomorrow.

And I have no idea what the green piece is (for flowers? ) nor do I have an idea what I will do with it.

But, I thought my little green basket needed a friend.

As I was finishing my purchase I saw the woman behind me was buying a cloche and remembered that I have been wanting one.

I took one last stroll through the store to see if I could find a small cloche, but no luck.

One of the shopkeepers said she has a small one at home and will bring it in tomorrow.

Do I dare go back tomorrow with all that green calling to me?

..........................

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