…these are a few of my favourite things.
I’ve seen this around the ‘sphere before – and by ‘this’ I mean a show and tell post of some of your favourite things – and I think posts like this are cool because I like seeing other people’s tastes; seeing their favourite things and hearing the stories behind them. (Kind of like how, when I’m not driving, I always try and look through people’s front windows – to see what colour their walls are, what kinds of pictures they have hanging on their walls or what they’re watching on TV. Or maybe not; maybe that just makes me sound like I'm two steps away from being a Peeping Tom.) Anyway, Fishy Girl did this a little while ago and after I read about her favourite mug and her deck and the view from it I grabbed my camera and started taking pics of stuff around here.
(An aside: I love The Sound of Music. Love. It. When I was largely and uncomfortably pregnant with Julia I sat down with a box of Oreos to sing along with Julie Andrews and I made Dave watch it with me. He’d never seen it before and although I could sense that he would have much preferred poking his eyes out with dull, rusty objects he watched half of it with me and never complained once only complained a few times before I got tired of giving him the stank-eye and let him go do other, more manly things.)
Anyway. First up is this wicked clock I bought myself for Christmas. My mother-in-law gave me a gift card for Winners so I could buy new bed sheets, but when I saw this baby winking at me from the shelf at the back of the store I nearly ran an old lady down with my cart to get at it. It hangs in my kitchen and I LUUURVE IT.
When my mother died I inherited her house, my childhood home, which was filled to the brim with stuff. Over the years my mum had become an incurable packrat; she kept things like receipts dating back to the early 80s from stores that had been out of business for years and the cards her parents received on their fiftieth wedding anniversary. She was also somewhat of an incurable collector and it took Dave and I quite some time to go through her things and weed stuff out.
One day, I was downstairs in the cellar going through a moldy box of old books when I found two rolled up prints hidden at the very back of a shelf – one was a gorgeous Brian Wildsmith print of two owls that he’d autographed for me personally and the other was this, a very cool, intricate image of a phoenix.
When I unrolled the print I noticed that on the back, my mum had written about what this picture meant to her. It was once part of a huge wall calendar she’d spotted at a second-hand store somewhere and she was drawn to the phoenix because of its meaning – my grandmother, her mother, had recently passed away and at that time in her life, my mum felt like she was rising from ashes to start anew. When she saw this print she immediately felt a connection with it, so she bought the calendar and for years it hung in our kitchen, on the basement door, flipped to this picture.
I had thought it was long gone and was excited to have found it, but I had no idea what the significance of this print was until I read her note on the back. I sat on the cold cement floor in the cellar and stared at the phoenix, examining each tiny, intricate detail until my eyes were sore and blurred with tears. It’s an amazing, beautiful image and after we’d sold my mother’s house I had it professionally framed. It hangs in our bedroom now and although it was costly to frame, every time I look at it, I'm glad I did.
Judging from the noises (Crash! Bang! Slam! Scream! MUMMY!) that are coming from upstairs, my son is not taking a nap today. So that’s it for now, folks – more favourite things to come later.
31 Comments, Comment or Ping
The O man like to party, no times for the naps.
That clock is awesome, I want nine of them
March 20th, 2008
awww…i love that story of the phoenix. my godparents also have a lot of the wash art series.
brings some memories.
March 20th, 2008
That clock is fabulous! & what a lovely story about the phoenix, too!
March 20th, 2008
The clock is SO cool! And what a fabulous story about the phoenix – glad your mom took the time to write that down.
March 20th, 2008
Where is the broken plate?
March 20th, 2008
what a great story! very touching….
I like this post idea. stealing it pretty please with sugar on top. ps. I’ve never seen Sound of Music. I know…
March 20th, 2008
Oh, man, all that stuff. I could spend hours–days going through it all.
March 20th, 2008
I LOVE that phoenix.
March 20th, 2008
What a cool story on the Phoenix print. I love stuff with provenance.
March 20th, 2008
Fun post. I too love seeing other people’s style. I could use some inspiration to spruce up some of my walls.
BTW.. We have similar taste in wall colors. :) Love your colors!!!!
March 20th, 2008
Love the picture! And the clock of course. But the story is truly priceless.
March 20th, 2008
I’m glad I’m not the only big Sound of Music fan!
March 20th, 2008
I LOVE that clock. I think I need one of them myself. Thanks for the shout-out, too, I’m so glad you liked what I did.
March 20th, 2008
That clock is wicked and I love that story about your mum’s print.
March 20th, 2008
I love that clock. My Mom has one in her kitchen that I always stare at. It’s shaped like a coffee mug and a spoon swings at the bottom to keep the time.
March 21st, 2008
Your pheonix hit home, as to my odd thing I have been doing…
You know what I have in the past for my daughter or for my grandchildren?
All the special books my daughter has loved in the past, I have written wee memories on the inside flap… Like what we were doing in that year, why the book was special, and wee monumental events that happened in her life…
I hope, fate willing that when she has children I can give these to her, so that she may reclaim part of her memories and share them with her daughter or son…
March 21st, 2008
Oh! What a nice post! Perhaps I’ll jump on the bandwagon and show off a few things, too. Except I have lots of art I like… oh dear. Maybe something else, then.
But I love your clock, too! It is really cool.
March 21st, 2008
that clock is money, girl.
March 21st, 2008
Love your clock. Hmmm, thanks for giving me an idea for a post.
March 21st, 2008
wow. that is so amazing that your mom wrote on that print. and may i say, it looks INCREDIBLE against that ochre wall.
March 21st, 2008
not sure how the veggie thing is going with julia but here is a great website if you’re still interested- http://veganyumyum.com/
March 21st, 2008
Too funny but that movie was just on last night. I used to stay with my Grandmother when it came on TV, no matter what the nights. We would pop popcorn and watch that movie. Sweet memories.
AND I love your clock!
March 22nd, 2008
Uh, Brian Wildsmith autographed something for you personally? Really? Really and truly? Cool.
The story of the phoenix print was beautiful.
March 22nd, 2008
I just today bought a library table at an antique store in a little town near ours and I swear that I could nearly hear my own heart hum with bliss as we carted it home. mineminemineminemine…
I also have an antique oil painting of a monkey. Oh, and a gajillion books that I adore. I’d save my kid first in a fire, of course, but there are a few things that I might just hesitate over.
May need to do this one.
March 23rd, 2008
That clock seriously rocks. The print is beautiful and what a great story to go with it. I love seeing little corners in your home. Speaking of which…how is that bathroom coming along?
:)
a.
March 23rd, 2008
Love the phoenix – even more because it has special meaning. (OH, and I love the Sound of Music too, btw – Mr Earth and I went to the Singalong version at the movie theatre)
March 24th, 2008
That is a beautiful print. Totally something I would frame and hang in my home, as well. But the story makes it much more special. ;)
Wyatt has always had a “thing” for the phoenix. I’m not sure where he heard about them, but he has always talked about them. Funny.
:)
March 24th, 2008
the clock! love!
you’re right…these are great posts…i love getting a little glimpse into other people!
March 24th, 2008
That clock? It’s the bomb.
March 24th, 2008
I love it. The clock, the print, the story. I love getting a look into your life and seeing the things you love.
I’m gonna do this one.
Just for you.
March 25th, 2008
OMG this was awesome to read. What a great idea!
I know you have told me about that clock, but I don’t think I have ever seen a picture of it. It ROCKS.
March 25th, 2008
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