The Wonder of Simplicity

While preparing to post the images of what I unearthed Saturday from collections I found displayed in front yards and strewn about carports, I was thinking about why it is I find such joy in the simple utilitarian items that have, in times past, found their way home with me...

I just needed these grass clippers last night!

Now, mind you, if people around here sold vintage relics of the kind many of you seem to score each weekend, I'd be thrilled to find similar antiquities rich with tradition, beautifully chippy, worn and swathed in patina or crusted with rust. However, most of the time, the fare here is a little less exciting. Every now and then I snag a cool relic, but when those are unavailable for the pickin', I'm happy to find joy in useful beauty, especially if it's caked with nostalgia and I can get it for a song. There's nothing quite like having something you need when you need it. So many of the utilitarian items I've found have come in very handy!

Speaking of songs... my love for all things minimal and practical was instilled in me early. I was a TV-obsessed child (even with only 3 channels, one of which was mostly static), and my love of "simple" came by way of commercials such as the one below from Van Camps Pork & Beans. Back then commercials were populated with catchy little jingles that would stick in kids' heads, ensuring that their parents would never be at a loss as to how to spend their money. Those commercials also fairly well defined the times. Sometimes they defined us. They certainly defined me. 

                                                                                              

To this day, I still sing this one.

As an aside...does anyone else think this sounds like B. J. Thomas singing? It also sounds just like his song

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head. Hmmm...I wonder which came first.

This song lolled about in my head, and I have an especially vivid memory of it traveling along with me to my Aunt Vernie's house one Summer. During Summer vacations we took roadtrips to Grand Rapids to visit family and friends we had left behind when we moved to Florida, back when I was two.

There I was on the front porch of Aunt Vernie's (my mom's oldest sister) home taking in the wonder of the new surroundings. I was intrigued because there were steps, which were in short supply in my Florida world! I thought that was so cool...(back then we would have said "Neat!") I was enthralled by the wonder of them, and I developed a fascination for steps and stairs, probably from those youthful trips to the other-world I discovered in Michigan.

Aunt Vernie's house had a walkway leading up a sloped yard that felt like a huge hill to this girl from the flatlands. Steps took us up to her porch. There was what seemed like a magical endless staircase that led to an upstairs apartment she rented out. The wood floors (being as I was from the land of terrazzo and concrete) were utterly foreign to me and produced an odd, hollow sound when we walked across them, unlike the solid floors of home.

It was in some ways like this home I found online here.

Wonder of wonders, there was even a mysterious, shadowy basement (a fascinating unknown in my short life) to which we were led by more steps toward an odd smelling adventure of discovery and the quaint sights one might find in such a captivating place. Mystery abounded. Aunt Vernie's basement came complete with easels, her paintings and odd basement miscellany that brought a beautiful curiosity to everything about that time and place.

This is Aunt Vernie about 20 years later in the late 80's.

~

In addition, Aunt Vernie's vocabulary was peppered with quirky words that made my sister and I exchange glances and giggle...she said things foreign to us, like "cockeyed" and "cockamamie", and described things as "delightful", which while causing us to smirk as children, endeared her to us as the years stretched on. We absorbed those engaging moments, her brilliant smile, comforting personality and her creativity. They settled in and took root in our hearts, leaving us with sentimental memories of times spent with her.

There I was on her porch, family mingling inside, the boys running about the yard, the breeze - wonderful, the scent in the air, sweet... and it was dinnertime. When I asked (probably hollered) the age old childhood question through the screendoor: "What's for dinner?" and heard the words "baked beans" in the lineup, the Van Camps jingle welled up inside of me, right on cue as prescribed by the advertisers who had planned for just such a time and place for their plot to unfold. This plan, through the years, by way of every form of media, has become more pronounced, more sinister and more effective than formal training could ever be. At the time, however, this particular media voice was benign enough, and it landed in just the right spot to hitch a ride with me for life, finding it's way to both my inner and my vocal voice more often than I could begin to count.

There was a special sense about that front porch moment at Aunt Vernies. There I was singing "Simple pleasures are the best..." feeling as if I belonged in a commercial. I was probably between the ages of 7 and 9, outside on a neat front porch (another anomaly because where I was from, porches were screened and in the back of the house) in an intriguing neighborhood with treelined streets and a sidewalk. It was kind of magical in that summer vacation/freedom way. Some of that sentiment stuck as I absorbed the glory of the carefree place and time and connected those sensibilities to the words of the song.

I remember feeling a little special, perhaps a bit proud of myself because I knew all the words to the Van Camps song. It gave me the impetus to sing with abandon, hoping I'd "accidentally" be noticed for my impressive memorization ability. If not, at least maybe I'd find a good excuse to bring up the fun fact of my prowess for all who would, no doubt, find my talent enthralling.

Somehow, perhaps catapulted from that moment and the ensuing needs that coerced me to make do in years and life to come, I became a lover of all things beautifully uncomplicated. I found my way toward the joy of the humble and useful, even managing to live decidedly content as that little song clicked on in my head, even at the mention of the words "simple pleasures". Each time it did, I was connected to sweet memories and those simpler times when the world was exciting, carefree and full of discovery.

This is me with my two of my brothers, two of my sisters and part of our Florida neighborhood gang where simple pleasures defined our lives and our times. I'm the mostly hidden one who is peeking out from the middle - it's the only old pic I had on my computer. Wouldn't you know my scanner isn't functioning!

~

Yes, when "beautiful" is in short supply, "useful" does just fine. More than fine sometimes. There is a certain delight there...and maybe that's what takes me on Saturday junk excursions with a longing to unearth treasure and wonder from the discards of another's intriguing life. Today I continue to look for something to connect me to moments as meaningful as those I discovered at Aunt Vernie's house in Michigan where I sang pork and bean jingles with abandon outside on her porch. I was loving life and discovering treasure in "all the little things that make you smile and glow".

Not much has changed.

Perhaps you'll understand, then, why sometimes the junk I cram into the back seat of my car, or for which I sort through grungy boxes, is often rather unremarkable at first glance, utilitarian in fact, and useful rather than glorious and glamorous.

Yep, I'm still a simple girl at heart, and I'm pretty sure that I have Van Camps and my visit to Aunt Vernie's to thank for it.

I'll be sharing this at:

Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple
Saturday Show & Tell @ Cherrios & Lattes
Potpourri Friday @ 2805
Inspiration Friday @ At the Picket Fence
Treasure Hunt Thursday @ FMFPTY
Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here
Live, Laugh, Linky @ Live, Laugh, Rowe
Time Travel Thursday @ The Brambleberry Cottage
Share Your Cup Thursday @ Have A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims
Share the Love Wednesdays @ Very Merry Vintage Style
Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style
Time to Shine @ A Diamond in the Stuff
Be Inspired @ Elizabeth & Co.
Cowgirl Up @ Cedar Hill Ranch
Open Call Tuesday @ Salt Life
Terrific Tuesdays @ Adventures of DIY Mom
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home
Cure for the Common Monday @ Lines Across
Metamorphosis Monday @ BNOTP
Mod Mix Monday @ Mod Vintage Life
Manic Monday @ Serendipity & Spice
Inspire Me Monday @ Create With Joy



Mop it Up Mondays @ I Should be Mopping the Floor
Show & Tell Saturday @ Be Different Act Normal
Sunday Show Off @ Twigg Studios
Sunday Stop @ joy 2 journey
Get Schooled Saturday @ Too Much Time
Hodgepodge Friday @ It's a Hodgepodge Life
Fridays Unfolded @ Stuff & Nonsense 
Tickled Pink @ 504 Main

Practical Beauty

~ "Endless Post" Alert ~

Please understand that I enjoy the stories that tell what the pictures don't say, hence the following long-winded tales of my junk hunt.

Whether you read or peruse images, it matters not to me.

Rambling is in my blood and my breath.

So shall it be written, so shall it be done.

~

The thrill of the hunt came and went last weekend, and as is often the case,

I didn't come home empty handed. 

I drug home a car full of practical beauty.

Having recently scraped, sanded, caulked and primed the soffits around my house (among other parts), I used nearly this much caulk. When you live in an old house, you can hardly have enough. Sooner or later, you know you'll need it. So I jumped on buying everything in this box for $3.00. Next time I need to caulk, I won't have to break the bank. Better yet, I won't even have to run to the store! And who doesn't have oodles of uses for wide pink ribbon!

Caulk and ribbon, a glorious first find!

Then came these babies. Okay...I admit, I wasn't looking to buy chairs, but there these were retro cool. They weren't even for sale. They were out there for the yard sale ladies to sit on, but when I asked the woman if she would sell a chair, she said "Make me an offer." (I hate when people say that. It always comes unexpectedly, throws me a curve, and a decision is forced. Do I really want it? I'm forced to know instantly, and I never offer low enough.)

That's like being told, hurry! Decide!

I clam up at decision time.

Plus when people say that, you become the one setting the starting point and have only yourself to blame if it all goes wrong. I hate that place.

Decisions... they strike fear within.

So there I was trapped in that awkward place where I don't want to offend by offering too little and I don't want to panic into error and offer too much (I truly have poor haggling skills, overthink everything, and worse, I don't think fast on my feet! Besides, did I really want these that much?)

Surprisingly, I heard my own voice answering for me - out loud.

"$5?" I asked. I guess I thought she would want $10 and the decision would be made for me. (What was I thinking?! $5.00 is my upper limit!) However, instead she said, "SOLD!" (with flair). There I was, the proud owner of a way-too-blue metal chair and the realization that one wasn't enough; I'd have to have the set. So again I heard vocal me piping up.

"Loud mouth me" asked the woman if she would sell both. She said "sure". So here "shusshing me" was with two new chairs and I wasn't even sure I could get them in the back seat. That me, the one with the big mouth didn't even help. It did take a lot of finagling, but I finally got the door closed on the pair! (I can't believe I didn't take a picture of them cuddled up together back there.) I must say I amaze myself with my wedging skills.

That's another badge I definitely wear on the weekend...the badge of skilled wedging!

So yeah, I'm good at that. Big deal. I may be able to cram stuff into my back seat with aplomb, but I drove away wondering what just happened and why I was accompanied by two blue metal chairs hovering over my shoulder and blocking my view right at the start of my morning hunt and way too far from home to go drop them off. What if another large, to-die-for treasure came my way. Agh! My mouthy side may have sabotaged me. I would have to have a chat with "vocal me" and set some ground rules going forward.

My eyes don't happen to fancy this shade of blue and especially not on a large piece that has to go outside with nature. It just screamed "garish" within my patio setting. The true color is just unnatural for the great outdoors. Had I considered the price of painting these before I opened my big mouth and offered to buy them, I would have offered $3 each. However, even at three bucks, the price of the paint would have put me over $20 for the finished product. It took 3 cans!



Whether unnecessary or too expensive, these lovlies now belong to me. Hey, it's okay... they ARE useful. That's what counts, and I will put them to use as part of the patio family. Wasting no time, I immediately got them painted. I couldn't have my neighbors or myself startled by this offensive blue every time we glance in the direction of my back yard.

On I went. This assortment from back in the day cost me $1.00. Sewing machine lightbulb, sewing machine oil, guarantee, wood spools of shiny thread, measuring tape never used, needles, seam ripper, screwdriver and even hair clips (for old school curlers which I passed up and wish I'd gotten now).

There was also this leather key clip thingy with a few small keys... I had one of these when I was little.

Inside of this, under the flap was a little yellow printed card. It was old and cool looking and had some sort of handwriting on it. I was chatting with the people having the sale as I went through items in a tin, the woman came over to see what I had found in her stuff, thinking it might be a social security card or something. I thought the graphics were so old school and very cool. I wanted to save it for a paper project. However, before I could say so, she ripped it up in a bunch of pieces. Too late, it was gone. I was dejected. It would have made a great item to scan and use on cards or whatever.

She thought I was nuts. She couldn't imagine why anyone would want such an old piece of paper.

Then there was this...a small Sunday School pin? I couldn't find anything just like it online to compare it with. Have any of you ever had one of these? I feel like I've seen one before. Not sure.

At the same house, I got this small version of a pitchfork. It's about 3 feet high with a handle on it. Yea! It's an item I was searching for... $2

BINGO! 

The same nice folks invited me into the house to look at the furniture. This chair was sitting at a desk and was covered with hand sewn blue flowered cushions tied tightly onto the back and the seat. I was elated when the man agreed to sell it to me for $3. I tried not to show my excitement. Last year I bought 8 chairs similar to this for my friend for a bit more each. By the time I finished semi-refinishing them, I was so in love with them that I have been on the hunt for more. I did find one at Goodwill recently and had to pay $8 to get it, and now redemption has come in the form of this beauty. It's in decent condition aside from some names carved lightly into the wood.

Ahh, character

I ran into an old acquaintance at the same sale. She said "Don't even bother going to the yard sale down the street because it's just junk!", this said with nose scrunched up and disgust in her voice. She was aggrivated that she had wasted her time. I wasn't daunted by her disdain and asked with a lilting hope in my heart... "...like what kind of junk?" She said "nothing you would want, just stuff that should all be thrown in the garbage. Don't bother going! I don't understand why they waste people's time trying to sell stuff that should go in the trash."

My ears pricked up when she indicated it looked like stuff out of their garage. Not everyone loves and looks for the same types of things at garage sales, nor do they see value in the same objects (after all, I get heart palpations at the onset of bulk trash day). I figured I'd test her leanings (although I pretty well knew already the kinds of things she likes),

"What do you look for?" I asked.

"Oh, high end things, nice furniture and decorative items" she told me.

Ah yes, as I figured. "Well I look for junk, I said! I look for all kinds of odd things, so maybe they'll have something I want; you just never know."

Her eyebrows went high again. "Maaay - beeee," she drawled with an absence of conviction and slowly averted eyes. Then and there, I knew I should get a move-on and get myself over to that junky yard sale. It sounded like just the place for me.

These are both the same. One side is yellow and one is red.

I was right! First thing I noticed was an old blue tackle box, but I was down to a fistful of dollars and didn't want to let go of it before I'd done my full perusal of the junk. As much as I really do want another cool old box (and I don't have a blue one), I held off and scored these rod mount lights which are harder to come by. I was dying inside because I've been looking for these for over a year. There is something I want to make with them. I have numerous other items to collect first, though, and now that I have these, maybe the rest will follow. So glad to get them for $1.50 each, because they can be pricey online.

I spent a lot of time going through boxes of nails and screws to see which were most like the ones I seem to always need and never have enough of.  So I got tapcon screws, complete with a drill bit in there. Bonus! Galvanized nails, drywall screws, poultry staples and tacks...all together for $1.00. Now I can build, build, build! Sorry, they aren't exactly pretty, but I am a practical soul with a love and need for "useful". I can use all the help I can get.

Useful makes me happy.



I selected this variety of hooks, clips, hinges and clasps... each one cool in its own right. All of these together cost me one dollar...

"just because it's you" the guy said...

...this after I had talked junk with him, discussed his granddad, and had already bought the other items.


I was on the hunt...digging through boxes and uprooting precious metals. They were trying to help their grandad get rid of some of the huge stash of stuff in his garage. The guy seemed to be enjoying the fact that I appreciated all his granpa's old stuff. I would have loved to have gotten into that garage. I could have appreciated it even more. He had tons of old stuff in there that I would've had a heyday with. All sorts of tools, tool boxes, bins and who knows what. I can only imagine the treasures from times past that were aging to perfection in there.

This was found at Goodwill after I wound up my morning yard sales. Too cool to pass up. I didn't want to pay the Goodwill price of $3.00, but I did. The lid and all of the handles made it too tempting. I couldn't walk away without it.

This was also from Goodwill, and also $3.00, but it was on my list of things I was searching for, so I had to cave to the Goodwill pricing, much as it nagged at me to do so. I recently found a mold at another Goodwill for $1.89 and my goal has been to find two more. Now this one has entered my life and my kitchen. It's slightly different than the first, but so shiny and pretty, It goes well with my retro kitchen vibe.

The Blue Chairs

The blue chairs have indeed been painted...


Ta, da! They are now a yellow/green... and they no longer harass the eyes. Kinda thinking after the fact that maybe I should have painted them white, but what's done is done. Besides, not another cent is going into these chairs, and now they compliment rather than shouting obscenities at the surrounding yard and flowers.

I don't know why people love to spray paint, especially not items like this. My fingers were crippled and crumpled for three days, and spray paint is not inexpensive. Glad that job is done!

The finished result makes me much happier than the original, though, and they rock...literally. Well, they sort of bounce, but close enough, I'll take it. And I'll use them to take a break when I'm out working on my projects in the Florida sun.
Sweet beautiful utility. I'd say these were well-worth the backseat wedging, crippled fingers and all.

Well, gang...2 days and counting and I'll be out hunting again! Wish me restraint and a few simple pleasures; that's all I'm really looking for. What about you?

Stop in at these parties:

One Creative Weekend @ One Creative Mommy

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch to Yours

Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here

Live, Laugh, Linky @ Live, Laugh, Rowe

Primp Your Stuff Wednesday @ PRIMP

Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims

Knick of Time Tuesday @ Knick of Time

Cottage Style @ Lavender Garden Cottage

Time to Shine @  A Diamond in the Stuff

Be Inspired @ Elizabeth & Co.

Cowgirl Up @ Cedar Hill Ranch

Open Call Tuesday @ Salt Life

Terrific Tuesdays @ Adventures of a DIY Mom

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Thrifty Treasures @ Southern Hospitality

Cure for the Common Monday @ Lines Across

Metamorphosis Monday @ BNOTP

Mod Mix Monday @ Mod Vintage Life

Manic Monday @ Serendipity & Spice

Inspire Me Monday @ Create With Joy

Mop It Up Monday @ I Should Be Mopping the Floor

Show & Tell Saturday @ Be Different Act Normal

Sunday Show Off @ Twigg Studios

Nifty Thrifty Sunday @ Nifty Thrifty Things

Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Potpourri Friday @ 2805

Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style

Inspiration Friday @ At The Picket Fence

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ FMFPTY

Made U Look @ Made in a Day