Friday, July 28, 2017

What Goes Around Comes Around

Back in the days before Pinterest and Instagram, I used to tear pages from my favorite 
decorating magazines and file them away in notebooks, organizing them by room. 
Sometimes I'd save a magazine but often it was just a photo here and there that I wanted to keep.


It's amazing now when I look at pictures of things that caught my eye in the 1970s 
how much I still like them and have actually incorporated many of these looks into my home today.
My style hasn't changed that much.
Then there are other pictures that make me shake my head and say, "What was I thinking?" 

But who knew I liked French Country in 1982 when I saved this spread 
about author Peter Mayle's home in Provence? 
Funny how what goes around comes around. 
Guess I am an old French soul.


Take this 1984 cover of Country Living.
(note the price was only $1.95!)
See the shelf on the left side of the photo with the cups hanging under it?
I remember tearing this cover off and mailing it to my father with a sweet request: 
"I'd love to have a shelf like this, Dad. Do you think you could make one for me? Pretty please."


Well, not only did my Dad-who-could-make-anything create a perfect replica of this shelf 
but he made it so it could be disassembled easily (no nails, only hand-carved wedges) 
for shipping it off to me in a flat box.


I had used it in a previous home but when I moved to this little house
with so many doors and windows, I just didn't have room for it. 
So it was stored it in my attic for the last twenty years,
while all the time I was wishing I could find a space for it.

Then recently when Ron decided to sell his yard-sale desk in the guest room/office, 
I suddenly had a space for Dad's shelves.Yippee!


Like assembling a jigsaw puzzle when all the parts are the same color,
it took some time and concentration to put all the pieces and wedges back together.
We laid all the parts out on the floor, 
turning them this way and that until they all fit together beautifully. 
And, because the shelves were only seven inches deep, 
the shelving unit didn't take up much floor space in the guest room. Perfect!

I couldn't wait to style it with my vintage treasures and books.




So, thanks Dad! 
This beautiful piece of furniture means so much more to me
because you made it especially for me. 
I'm happy that it can finally take its place again in my home.


By the way, I still tear out pages in magazines of rooms I like and clip them into my old notebooks. And, yes, I do save pictures on Pinterest too. 
But there's just something about holding a picture in my hands and studying every detail. 


Old fashioned? Yes, I suppose so.
But I guess I'm just an old-fashioned girl.

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Little FarmsteadShabby Art BoutiqueBlue Willow HouseRustic & Refined,
DwellingsBetween Naps on the PorchCoastal CharmCedar HIll FarmhouseA Stroll Thru Life,
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Katherines CornerMy Thrift Store AddictionFrench Country Cottage


30 comments:

  1. My mom (former librarian) had boxes and boxes of clippings. The thing that makes them look dated is the style of photography more than the actual style of the decor. At least in some cases, such as classic decor. Photography styles favored warmer lighting vs. the very white, almost overexposed style currently in fashion.
    It's great that you found a spot for your dad's shelves. Treasure them!

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    1. Hi there! I always appreciate your observations and comments and usually learn something along the way as I read them. You're right about the style of photography; how things have changed. Thank you for kind words about my father's shelves. Hope you're enjoying the weekend. We have finally gotten our monsoon weather which has cooled things off a bit. Hugs, Pat

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  2. I have a photo album full of magazine cutouts, I've been doing this for years as well. Mine have beautiful rooms, tablescapes and gardens. Your shelves from your dad's woodworking is gorgeous and priceless.

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    1. Thank you Carole! I've been surprised at how many people can relate to having magazine cutouts like mine. Thank you so much for your sweet words about my Dad's woodworking talents. He'd be so pleased to read them. Hugs, Pat

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  3. I have several notebooks filled with clippings. Still sometimes I catch myself tearing things out of magazines and posting them on the bulletin board in my office.

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    1. Hi Sharon! I guess I'm not the only "old-fashioned" magazine clipper. Maybe we should start a club! Enjoy your weekend. Hugs, Pat

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  4. Even though i am older we are kindred spirits, i do the same thing and love my pages. My father has passed away but i have so many things he made for me. Thanks this was a great read and i love your shelf.

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    1. Hi Marlene, my kindred spirit friend. I'm honored that you were touched by my story. Thank you very much for your kind words. Hugs, Pat

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  5. Dear Sweet Awesome Pat, I have just spend the last half hour going through your posts from the May 12th, Cafe Bleu Reveal until present day. I am in love with your home and garden, you have a magic touch that turns everything into treasured gems. There is nothing that I didn't find charming and enchanting. I even love your dog, but then he looks just like my Butchy. I've been missing out visiting your posts, so I'm adding you to my sidebar favorites list.
    Oh, before I say good bye . . . I have to comment on your Dad's shelves. He is a work-working genius, I love how he put the shelves together, amazing! Creative talent must run in the family :)
    Have a lovely weekend.
    Connie :)

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    1. Hi Connie, I must tell you your comment was the first time a reader's thoughts made me tear up. You are the sweet one to write such a lovely lovely comment. Thank you so much. I'm happy you have enjoyed my old posts and hope you come back often. (Glad you liked my dog too! (Hugs to Butchy). Yes, my Dad was a genius in many ways. And he'd be proud to read all these complimentary words about his creation. Big hugs to you, Pat

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  6. A treasured family piece! I remember that my mother had a knee-high sewing box which cantilevered out and had lots of secret drawers. This, too, was made by her father. We didn't think too much about it as children, but I now see how beautiful it was. Likewise, in France, when we were searching for furniture for our house, we found a workman's bench; narrow and delicate. Like your father's treasure, this one is a 'flat-pack' and comes apart completely with no nails. It bemuses me that it was worth a fraction of the price of a mass-produced, chipboard option from other big furniture chains.

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    1. Hello Catherine! As always I enjoyed your observations and the stories about your sewing box and the workman's bench. Aren't you glad some people recognize these treasures and preserve them for the works of art they are? Have a wonderful weekend. Hugs, Pat

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  7. It's a wonderful shelf and especially beautiful because of its provenance. I know what you mean about those binders -- I have some too and I also have some VERY old Country Living

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Jeanie. Seems I'm not the only one with binders stuffed with tear sheets. Wish I could browse your old Country Livings. Have a great weekend. Hugs, Pat

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  8. I love this post, Pat. I still have a huge binder notebook of inspiration tear-outs....I should browse through it again and review. :) The shelving unit your father made you is brilliantly constructed, and looks mighty fine in its place. Enjoy it!

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    1. Thanks so much Rita! Too bad we can't all exchange binders. Bet there are some good things I missed. I appreciate your kind words about my father. He'd be so proud. Hugs, Pat

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  9. I have a couple 3 ring binders of 'inspiration' myself but mine are mostly printed from the net. What a great find of a magazine for $1.95 though. Those were the days, huh?

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    1. Hi Monika! The magazine wasn't actually a find; I bought it originally for $1.95 when it was brand new! Can you believe it? Enjoy your binders! Hugs, Pat

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  10. Oh, that makes my heart happy! I'm glad you found a place for your dad's shelf. What a special treasure! I, too, prefer to hold a page in my hands so I can study it closely. I like Pinterest a lot but there's just something relaxing about turning the pages of a magazine. I have several notebooks as well!

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    1. Thanks Cecilia! Your comment touched my heart and my Dad would love to see his shelf getting all this attention. I agree magazines are more relaxing. In fact, sometimes I get a little dizzy scanning Pinterest. Hope you're enjoying your weekend. Hugs, Pat

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  11. I am also a clipper/notebooker, and have been since I was a house-hungry newlywed. While cleaning out my childhood home after my mother's passing, I found a tattered zipper binder filled with her clipped dreams, as well as specs and budgets from when that home was built in the 60's! What a treasure! So maybe this is a genetic disposition among us clippers? Your dad's shelf is gorgeous, and how wonderful to have it back out where you can enjoy it! Thanks for the blog, it always makes me smile. Greetings from Arkansas.

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  12. I'm a clipper too. I also catalog magazines I do not wish to cut up by the articles or photographs i love.

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  13. Pat, Aren't Dads special. That was very thoughtful of him and he was obviously very skilled at his craft. The shelf looks great. Yes, I know how things were in the "olden days" which I feel was not that long ago. Thanks for sharing and have a great day. Sylvia D.

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  14. Your house is so homey and comfortable. I love all of it.

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  15. Pat, I used to do the same thing! To think we decorated and planned birthday parties without Pinterest, lol! I enjoyed your post--thanks for sharing @ Vintage Charm! Pinning!

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  16. Pat, we are such kindred souls! I did the same thing and I just recently gave the binder to my sis for her to use the plastic sleeves for scrapbooking. I told her not to let me look at it, or I will not want to give it away. lol! I have to tell you, I remember that issue of Country Living and I loved it too. The shelf your dad made is fabulous and I love how he made it fit together like a puzzle! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  17. I also have notebooks of saved pictures that I have loved from magazines; still have stacks of old magazines too!
    Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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  18. I love that you have a specific style. My trouble is that I like most all of the styles. I just can't choose.
    :) gwingal

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  19. We're binder sisters, but I would recommend you use the plastic pages to put them in. It keeps the pages from tearing. I've got a whole row of white binders for each room of the house, plus the yard and the porch. Not parting with them ever.

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