Weekend Update

“Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn't stop for anybody.”
― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower 

 

It was a weekend of change for me. I know I’m not alone in my aversion to change. Change is hard, change challenges us and change can be scary. But change is also what makes us grow. I had a lovely time with my two girlfriends who I hadn’t seen since November; we got a chance to catch up, go thrifting (5 china teacups for the wedding for.25 cents each!) and even got to do some hot tubing and champagne drinking. My friends, being their wonderful selves, also helped me collect what I was given from my grandfather’s house and to say one last goodbye to the house. I wrote about some of the wonderful memories I’ve had in the house here. It really hit me as we were driving away how much I will miss the house. As my mom said, it's a house with great vibes. It will be missed.

Most of the furniture, family heirlooms and photographs are being kept by the family member who is moving into the house. However, there was a nice selection of family dishes that I was able to choose from.  My new collection includes our family china that we used at every holiday meal, a silver platter from my grandparent’s 25^th wedding anniversary, a cake plate with topper, some beautiful mismatched floral china plates, a floral tea set and many crystal pieces which I haven’t unpacked yet.

I also found a neat little pottery dish that says "Pinaud New York"on the bottom. I found this Etsy listing which describes it as: from the "1930's, held shaving creme for men. Pinaud was a french company, selling products in New York". Further googling finds that "In 1920, Pinaud opened its American branch on 5th Avenue, New York City. The Ed. Pinaud Building, as it was known, was an elaborate, million dollar construct that opened to great fanfare...It wasn't until 1933 that Pinaud began to reach the "common man" with their introduction of the low priced, re-formulated Lilac Vegetol aftershave which ended up being a big hit. (wiki) The jars aren't worth much online - anywhere from $12 - $45 on ebay - but its a nice reminder of my grandfather who I remember shaving "the old fashioned way" and always smelling of aftershave. The jar is the perfect size for jewelry.

The only non-dishware item I received is an oil lamp that has been in our family since we first came to Canada from Ireland. It still smells of kerosene and I know my grandfather often lit the lamps up until not too long ago. I haven’t had a chance to properly unpack or photograph any of the items but I do have a few quick snapshots to share with you for fun :).

I loaded everything into a hutch that was previously standing in as my linen closet. I love this piece and hope to have it in the kitchen eventually.  I am planning on actually having the china in a proper china cabinet (my mom offered me one that is in her basement) but waned to get everything inside for now. It's one of those things that if you don't unpack it will never get unpacked. I'd hate to store any of these items in  my basement. Unpacking the china and dishware was hard, I was overwhelmed by a sense of sadness and loss. I know I will use all of the dishes and will give them a great new home and life but it was hard to see them in a new setting.

Temporary China Cabinet

Cake Plate

25th Wedding Anniversary Platter

Other purchases this weekend included a sink from IKEA for our bathroom and two Boston Ferns for the fernery. If you’re interested in my fernery blog post read here about styling an antique plant stand in the home. I decided to leave the plant stand as is and to house Boston ferns in it for authenticity (it is a fernery after all). I didn’t account for how BIG the plants would be compared to the poor little plant stand so we may move these ferns outside when the weather turns and get smaller plants for the stand. I apologize for the poor quality picture I will upgrade it for you when I have better lighting.

The Fernery is now in the Office

What were you up to this weekend? Have you ever had to deal with moving heirlooms into your house and having mixed feelings about it? As always, I'd love to hear from you!