thrifty style at 73

losing pounds...finding pottery

In about five pounds, I'll post a complete picture!

This blog began when I had successfully lost weight

and was delighting in assembling a thrift-store wardrobe.

Alas, the "bloom was off the rose" the past year and I gained back

a great many of those pounds.

I have finally gotten my groove back and now have a successful week of

healthy eating habits "under my belt" (no pun intended)!

Today I'm wearing a skirt I found at a thrift store

this summer. It has served me well,

but I look forward to returning to the wardrobe waiting for me

in my closet.

My weight-loss saga is documented HERE.

My husband was making a hospital visit yesterday afternoon.

His route took him very close to my favorite thrift store.

I took advantage of that and enjoyed my browsing time.

I found these two WONDERFUL plates - works of an unknown potter.

My colors. My style. My price.
You could say I have a small "collection" of pottery.
I often find it irresistible.

we will we will rock you

What can I say?

We ROCK!
(Four of the six were found in thrift stores or at garage sales.)

nothing he can't fix

50 cents. And quite a dandy!

He DOES have one small flaw,

but nothing my HandyMan can't fix...

WELCOME, New Friends! You've been noticed!
I'll be over soon to get better acquainted.

how do I explain this?

The Old Spice shaving mug and small statue-ette are the last two items

of Monday's $2.68 splurge. (Remember, I also got two pair of men's slacks,

some doilies, and a linen towel included in this price).

My Protestant friends may not understand (I'm not sure I do myself)

my fascination with these objects. I don't even know their proper names.

(Above) See how my newest one is dwarfed by St. Francis already in my cupboard?

Here are a few others in my collection.

On a different subject...

I'm coming to realize I may not return to delving into

Boheme' or Wabi-Sabi style further.

I've concluded that I'm quite eclectic in my style

and will probably never tame or categorize it perfectly.

(I still can't get enough of Dawn's style, but I think I'll

always just be a wannabe.)

i spoke too soon

My husband had an appointment that took him very near my favorite thrift store.

In spite of having gone on record saying I was currently NOT in the thrifting mood,

I had him drop me off.

I found this doily - and wonder how it can look so different on its two sides???

And I couldn't resist this linen tea towel.

Especially in my current favorite color combination.

And then there were these -- also in one of my favorite colors!

Guess that's why I was thinking "linens" as potential contents

for the drawers of the chest we found curbside as we drove

to appointment and thrift store yesterday...

(Oh! I also purchased 2 pair of corduroy slacks for our son-in-law.

ALL clothing was $1@!)

curbside treasure

Free...Just as we found it curbside this afternoon.

Since these pictures were taken,

my husband has cleaned off the top and applied Restore-a-Finish!

Handy little chest - and as husband says,

"The price was right!"

(I should have posted size. It's much bigger than a jewelry

or silverware box. I'm thinking maybe tableclothes in the bottom drawer,

dishtowels, place mats and cloth napkins in the other two???)

wabo-sabi?


Thrifted and Wabi-Sabi-ly beautiful(?)

Half-way to deciding "Bohemian" might describe my style of choice, I remembered Wabi-Sabi, a Japanese world view or aesthetic. Beauty in Wabi-Sabi has been described as that which is "imperfect, impermanent and incomplete". Wabi-Sabi's characteristics include asymmetry, asperity (roughness or irregularity), simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy and appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and processes.

A thrifted abstract watercolor hanging in our living room.

Is there such a thing as waBO-sabi?

I really identify with the imperfect, impermanent and incomplete thing!

gathering and scattering

"IT'S NOT WHAT YOU GATHER BUT WHAT YOU SCATTER
THAT TELLS WHAT KIND OF LIFE YOU HAVE LIVED!"

Into the middle of my Bohemian Contemplations,

this quotation plunked itself down and wormed its way into my psyche.

Sometimes I DO get overly involved in "gathering".

(I know that must be very hard for some of you to believe.)

My excuses include, "It's one of my few hobbies." "It's less expensive than shopping retail." "It was too good a deal to pass up." (And that's only a few of them.)

Actually, I AM gathering less. My reasons include: "I'm running out of places to put stuff." "It's the economy, stupid." "I don't need another thing." (And that's only a few of THEM!)

This doesn't mean I'll NEVER enter another thrift store

or stop at another garage sale.

Just that the need to accumulate has lost its luster for the time being.

I'll resume my Bohemian Contemplations shortly.

I haven't given up trying to define my decorating style.

bohemia in the library/music room?

"The rules of Bohemian is that there are none. You use pieces in unconventional ways. And you must use what you have or obtain pieces very, very cheaply. Think outside of normal, or outside of the box,", so says braniac who continues:

"Use large brightly colored scarves for curtains, hanging 20 scarves

by one corner on a curtain rod to make one curtain.

Use odd pieces together in quirky ways,

like hanging things on the wall that don't belong on the wall.

Hang plates, trays, or rugs.

Wallpaper a wall with book pages, or a chic magazine. This came from the 60's when flower power was in, and people didn't have money, but they decorated beautifully with what they had and used things in all different ways.

Hang a door on the wall. Put an old chandelier up that doesn't work,
and put candles in the bulb holders. Put a statue in a corner where it is unexpected."

These images from our library/music room

make me wonder about the

possibility of Bohemia in me...

Everything was found at either thrift stores or garage sales...

my inner bohemia?

Ever since stumbling upon Bohemian Valhalla,

I'm convinced I have a little "Bohemia"

in my stylistic genes!

Take my eating area, for instance.

Yes, all these patterns are present in this one room!

Believe me, I've tried the whites and pastels.

Even have an example or two here and there...

But it is the warmth of dark wood, vintage textiles and patterns

that "call my name"!

All the time.

I don't know where it will end.

I don't even know all "Bohemia" means.

I just know I like it.

This week I plan to learn a bit more to see if it's actually "me",

or if there's another name for "it".

I can use all the help and explanations I can get!

Says K. Stone:

Bohemian style decorating is all about living simply and expressing one's creativity throughout the design. The Bohemian way of life is traditionally linked with free thinking counterculture and is influenced by the gypsy lifestyle. Inspiration for this type of décor comes from the art colonies of nineteenth century Europe where musicians, actors, artists, and writers converged into avant-garde communities.