"flea market" style.

i have what i think can best be described as "flea market" style. the eclectic mix of things that adorns my walls and clutters my corners tells lots of great stories and could ignite many interesting discussions, but collectively lacks a coherent, pulled-together, pottery-barn-esque theme. and it's not that i don't want that. because i admire that pulled together, pristine, tastefully decorated living space. i really do. i spend hours perusing home decorating sites, and i have high hopes for re-creating the ambience i can almost feel from the pictures. i'm content wasting hours in stores like crate & barrel and pier one and anthropologie, and no, i don't need anything... i just like "looking" and admiring all the pretty, tasteful "things." but when it comes right down to it, i guess i'm just happier with these randoms odds and ends i've acquired. in fact, this accumulation trait has earned my abode the "hodge podge lodge" nickname from my sister (she even found a sign bearing the moniker, and it's proudly displayed on the tv stand, explaining the decorating scheme to otherwise bewildered guests).

anyway, my mom and i share this love for interesting pieces (though mom is disproportionately more skilled than i at tying everything together), which usually translates into me stealing her decorating ideas and sometimes even the objects themselves. which brings me to the. red. stool. my great-grandpa's red stool. it's just a simple antique step-stool. i've seen the likes of them at antique stores galore; they're not even that expensive. but, i've been in love with the thing since my mom "inherited" it. and if we're being completely honest here, i've been pretty vocal about my love for the stool, as well as my own personal opinion that it would look great in my kitchen because of its similarity to my prized carnation cabinet. (see below. a one of a kind find, that i just had to have. i may have threatened john with divorce in between assorted bouts of bad behavior before he finally said, "fine, get the cabinet. i just don't understand why something that old would cost more than something new.")





ok, so i wanted the stool, and i made no bones about it. but i really thought that this would be our running joke. i'd continue to whine about how the stool would look better in my kitchen, my mom would continue to express surprise at my brazen ways, my siblings would express disgust at my lack of tact, and my father would continue to yell about how i steal things from my mom. (which is not entirely true, pops. because my mom and i do trade various things. "this would look better with your stuff" 's and "i found this and thought of you" 's are constantly being exchanged)

last weekend, my brothers, dad and sister were all out of town at a hockey tournament, and lest my mother come down with a horrible case of empty nest, i decided to invite her for dinner on saturday night. she took us up on the invite (because john makes a mean quesadilla!) and when she arrived for the meal, she had brought the stool.

the. red. stool.

i tried to convince her to take it back. all the while john is shaking his head and ruefully asking, "when are you going to buy your own stuff and stop stealing your mom's?" i'm actually getting really sappy and sentimental at this point because my mom is explaining how it really does look better in my kitchen, and how she always likes to sit in my kitchen and talk... and how she would rather use the stool at my house. soooo, now the stool is mine.



it means a lot to me. i was fortunate enough to have known my great-grandpa (who was the original owner of the stool) for fourteen years, and i have a lot of wonderful memories of being at his house and spending time with him. when i look at the stool, it is a little overwhelming (i know, i'm being slightly dramatic) because it makes me feel so loved and so grateful to have such a wonderful family.

i guess the moral of this story is that no matter how much time i spend wishing my house looked like the pages of some home-decorating magazine, i really wouldn't have it any other way. i live in a collection of memories that i treasure dearly. i'm working towards embracing my "flea market" style completely.

stay tuned for updates on some projects i'm planning with some of my more unique finds!