So we're still enjoying RUST & ROSES... and I fell in Love with this Vintage Ostrich Plumed Hat with Bohemian Bling... *Swooning*
Vintage Hats have such character... and they Display Beautifully as well... so even if you discover one you wouldn't necessarily wear, it would look fab in a Vignette... though this one I would totally wear!*Winks*
Are there any items you've been trying to Source but which are hard to come across in your area?
One thing I am learning is that what may be more commonplace in one part of the Country or World, might be a rare commodity in another part of the Country or World and could command a high price... or could be had at a bargain if it is more common and easy to come by.
I've never really gone pickin' for Inventory before, just for personal Decorating, so it is interesting to me what folks are looking for and Jonesin' for that I might not have thought much about until now.
My Friends that own these delightful Shops are Masters at Sourcing great product for their Inventory that the Locals and Visitors are thrilled about.
I plan to be a very good Student at learning all about this fine Art of Sourcing from my Mentors...
Because I Love the Thrill of the Hunt... and Hunting for Found Treasures for more folks than just myself is really going to be a Joy!!!
And Creating endless Vignettes for Displaying the wares is so much Fun!!! Don't you Love doing that too my Friends? At Home I'm a bit more limited on how much I can rotate and display... and I keep to my Personal Styling Preferences... but in a Retail Space it is so much more liberating to Style in different ways than you might Style your own Home so you're only limited by your Imagination.
I often admire fabulous pieces that I wouldn't have room for... but which if I had endless Space I would Style a Room around.
And its also Fun to just Style Creatively... where it doesn't have to have Function so much as being visually and aesthetically appealing to whoever is beholding it.
And rotating Treasures in and out of our Home endlessly is also appealing to me because I have many Loves... but naturally you don't have room to store or display them all.
But you'll always discover those smaller items that you could fit in... at least for a Time and a Season...
And of coarse those Dream Items that you would Love to own and are Jonesin' for... ie: these Columns are it for me! *Winks*
But just being Inspired by Visuals releases an endless flow of Creativity for me as an Artist... it helps me to Create Art that may have absolutely nothing at all to do with what I'm looking at, but which can still be a perfect Muse.
And those Quirky, Funky Oddities of Style always appeal to me and get me to thinking outside of the box when I'm Decorating or Creating... how about you?
Yes, I like Old Doll Heads & Antique Tub Feet and repurpose them in different ways around the house...
Anything with little cubbylike drawers appeals to me since I'm a Hoarder of small Treasures that need to be stored or displayed in interesting ways. *Winks*
After all, can you EVER have TOO MUCH Storage??!!! I think not...
And The Man and I have been Rescuing Old Bottles for decades... and those that have lain in the fierce Desert Sun for a very long time take on the most Beautiful Patina over the years.
And what's not to like about Old Sepia Photos? Even if I have no idea who the People in the Images are I've always adored Old Photos... and it just makes me wonder how anyone could or would get rid of Images of Ancestors and Loved Ones? I couldn't... and it seems that they all should be cared for rather than discarded, after all... these were/are real People and it is a part of their History! I shudder to think that sometime in the Future the Photos of us and our Loved Ones would be tossed like Garbage, Heaven Forbid!
But then... I've always been a Rescuer and Keeper of the Past... it is just something I've always had an Urge and a Passion to do... and so Rescuing and Salvaging these Old Treasures is meaningful to me and I'm delighted when others appreciate these things as I do.
To think that any of this could have or would have ended up in a Landfill had they not been Rescued, Saved or Salvaged by someone makes me heave a sigh of relief actually... even if I never own any piece of it... the fact it was and is preserved makes me glad.
Even the Rusty and the Crusty pieces that have survived insurmountable neglect, abuse or misuse have now come into their own as potential Treasures to be Used, Upcycled, Recycled, Repurposed and find New Lives Today and that also makes me glad.
Yes, I'm extremely glad in fact that there are now so many Decorating Styles that are being popularized so that these pieces of History now have Purpose and appreciation, and that those of us who Rescue and find Value in them can not only enjoy them in our Homes, but offer them to others who may not otherwise be able to Source them any other way.
Because not everyone who adores these things wants to go looking for them... picking for them... Junquing for them... but for those of us who do enjoy the Thrill of the Hunt it just makes it yet another good reason to get out there and find them! *Winks*
Or discover all of those great Shops that offer them for Sale... and tell you about them too so that you'll know where to go to Source your Treasures more easily and find just what it is you're looking for, Dreaming of, Passionate about.
So I Hope you'll continue to come back as we Crawl and Trawl Melrose some more... there are more Shops to Explore and enjoy the Bounty of!
But I would be amiss if I didn't also take you to Shelly's Mobile Mini Manse whilst we're visiting RUST & ROSES ... whether you're seeing it for the very first time...
Or a repeat visit... it's always a Treat... and the G-Kid Force are always chomping at the bit to go inside and pretend that it is ours when we're visiting the Shop, it's their favorite part... *LOL*... well, actually they're not the only ones... I confess that I have Fantasized about such things as well. *Winks*
Yes, though I Love all of the Salvaged Treasures that the Shop offers and have brought many Home over Time...
And always see those Special Pieces that I would LOVE to own...
Shelly's Gypsy Caravan is particularly Inspiring and owning something like this is on my 'Bucket List' and one day I Hope to have one to hit the Open Road in and Style just the way I want it...
Everything about it is perfect... and we just Love it...
And from it's very humble beginnings Shelly & her DH have Transformed it into quite the Vision...
A real Labor of Love it is... and I'm so Thankful that they so generously Share it with Friends and Customers who come to the Shop and allow us the privilege of going inside and being transported into a Magical Realm of Free Spirited Living... Gypsy Caravan Style!
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian