The Loot (Part 1).

One really fun part of my parents coming up is discovering the stuff they pull out of the car when they arrive. I was surprised to unpack two boxes filled with a set of plain white, gold-rimmed China place settings for 12 that my Mom couldn't pass up at an estate sale. I would have never picked gold, but it definitely compliments the living/dining room decor. Hilarious to imagine entertaining 12 guests to sit-down dinner, but also nice to have.

She also brought up a framed boat photograph by Ray Hartl that I love. At least I thought it was a photograph*. I'm barely remembering her telling me it was a print of a painting, but we got sidetracked when she called the boat "yellow" so I didn't get the full story. I have since asked two people, and not one of us would call this boat yellow. You?

As I mentioned before, figuring out where to put these new things was a challenge. I needed to pull down a bunch of stuff and rearrange, typically a long process of moving, looking, leaving, moving again, and so on. So, while the pillow cases were being made and I was OCD'ing my closet, I was also able to go about this ritual uninterrupted.

This last shot has the 6 items I found at the antique pavillion place in Michigan. The second to last booth I stopped at had what I'd been looking for the whole time: the first beveled edge mirror to start my collection. In it's reflection you can also see 4 frames I got to hold some botanical prints. Another surprise was the little robin's egg blue frame that has a sweet little bird scene. I still think that black frame on the large print is too heavy, but it will do for now. The bathroom is coming together. I love finding treasures.

*It is a photo, or at least a print of a photo. I don't know where that earlier discussion was going. Also, the website I've linked to doesn't really seem to be functioning, but this is the artist.