The "Occasional Sale", now here's a concept my fellow Junkin' Gypsy pals and I have toyed with the idea of doing from our homes, combining resources and energy. I certainly have the acreage and out-buildings to host such an event. We also have such an abundance of found treasure overflow that we realize we're all at about saturation point and need to edit and pass along some of the bounty. *wink* Sure, I've donated benevolently every year to my favorite charities and Thrifts, knowing the proceeds support good causes, and I still will, it's so much easier to let go of my lovelies when I know they will do the most good and be bought by those whose love for them parallels my own.
But, there is just something about the alure of having a sideline business doing what you absolutely love and are passionate about, that you'd do for nothing, but if it profits you, well that is icing upon the cake! Utilizing those scavenging skills to be a blessing to your Family, who have long endured your pack rat habits and obsession with the Junquing instinct. *LOL* So, it is drawing us... we were MEANT to do this, why else would it be such a strong urge and desire to comb every crevice and corner for those found treasures and never tire of it?
We get excited when we know we're about to embark on one of these grand adventures, even if we come up empty handed, the thrill of the hunt gets the adrenalin flowing. Its not just retail therapy, we find as much for free as we would buy and haggle for. "Big Trash Day" can often find us driving around the neighborhoods scouring the curbside discards for those items we can restore, re-purpose, or simply can't believe someone thought was trash and rescue from the fate of being lost forever to a landfill! *gasp*
Architectural Salvage is my kryptonite, I can almost never pass by those pieces that are pre-1950's era without a longing to rescue them and salvage them! Every old remodeled or condemned and soon-to-be-torn-down house has a wealth of beautiful architectural elements that often aren't even given the chance to be discovered, recovered and rescued by those of us that realize their inherent value. Even if not valuable in an economic sense, their aesthetic and historic value can't be denied... they just don't, or can't, make 'em like that anymore. Craftsmanship of that quality is a rarity and when found today can cost a fortune to attempt to replicate. Perhaps their value is imagined, at least by me, and they truly are worthless to anyone but those of us who have vision or see beauty where others see only... well, I won't even speculate or presume to know what others see or fail to see. After all, beauty is subjective and different things excite different people, it doesn't make it right or wrong, its just a small part of what makes us who we distinctly are.
Our Homes and how we feather our nests is a reflection into our Hearts, minds, and Souls... our tastes and personalities are glimpsed by what we surround ourselves with and are drawn to. That is why I encourage the space you reside in to be decorated and filled with what YOU love, regardless of the opinions of others and what may be deemed "in" or "out". If you absolutely love it, you'll find a place for it, a use for it, and a Joy of owning and possessing it for your distinct reasons that maybe not everyone "gets" and thats okay... they can feather their own nests to suit themselves.
Something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it or take the time and effort it requires to rescue and reclaim it. You wouldn't believe the measures I've taken to drag something home to my lair when I've stumbled upon it, fallen in love, have to have it, and had to figure out a way to transport it! *LOL* MacGyver has nothing on me in resourcefulness and ingenuity when it comes to finding a way to get a found treasure from it's present location to my location!!! *smiles* I often look like I could be a Circus performer as I'm balancing and transporting a "find"... it's entertaining to watch me I'm sure! I'm surprised that spectators haven't broken out in fits of laughter or spontaneous applause at times as they marvel at my antics or wonder what on earth they're witnessing?! It's a sight to behold!!! My dear Husband only sighs, he's long since given up the fight to discourage me or ask what I intend to do with or where I intend to PUT this newest acquisition. After over twenty years there doesn't seem to be much point in trying to change me. To be sure he has often been my accomplice and enabler *smiles*... because there are those particular acquisitions we both delight in and he's a Treasure Hunter in his own fashion and way too, so we're a good fit. Some of the best little surprises are those he's found "for" me and dragged home to take my breath away! My clawfoot slipper tub is a prime example... found while he was Scouting the back roads of the desert prior to a hunt... there it lay right in the middle of the road... and JUST what I had been LONGING for, praying for, lusting after, unable to attain at any price... surely a gift from Heaven laid at our feet gratis, serendipity at it's finest! The lengths he went to maneuver that bohemeth of cast iron all by his lonesome during an Arizona Summer heat wave and load it up to cart home to me only confirmed and proved his Love for me!
Some of our fondest memories are the excursions we've done as a Family or Couple, combing the back roads like a band of merry "Pickers" and in the most unlikely of places to find a group having as much fun as we've had. There are those almost Sacred places where you should take only photos and leave only footprints and we're respectful of that and abhor where others have violated that code of conduct in areas that should not be disturbed and plundered, however tempting it might be. Good Karma is as important as good pickings to us, so some things we leave be and pray others will also.
All of us who share in these passions are preserving pieces of History one bit at a time... and the stories and snippets of culture, eras and life we hold dear and hope to have enough of for future generations to enjoy and hopefully experience are definitely worth our time and efforts I believe. Being a "keeper of the past" is a responsibility I have felt Called to, how about you? Guard the treasures of the past as earnestly as you look forward to a rich future... and happy hunting... Dawn... The Bohemian