We know you all have burning questions for us (and if they're still burning after this post, you might want to go get that checked out), so today we'll be digging deep into the world of...knick knacks. We really start with the heavy stuff, eh?
Sass: Growing up, I spent a good amount of time at a close friend’s house. I have many fond memories of the two of us and the cutesy hijinks we got into, but whenever I think of our time together, I invariably think of her house. It was filled with every knick knack imaginable. From miniature dolls to ceramic replicas of clowns, dogs and fake spilled soda, little bits of kitsch littered their house. It was virtually impossible to move more than two feet in any one direction without potentially stumbling into something breakable.
None of these things served a purpose beyond being cute or creepy to look at, and I always wondered why they had SO many. Really, it was like somebody went crazy on etsy and dumped a warehouse of its products in their house. I always remembered my friend’s house as I grew up and began decorating various dorm rooms, apartments and eventually my own home. I never really hopped on the kitsch wagon, so when Snark suggested we take a picture of our favorite knick knack, I had to think for a long time before coming up with one. To be honest, I’m not even sure this can be classified as one, but for the sake of argument and blog participation, let’s just look the other way and pretend it is.
Well...*what* is it? It’s a....decorative wall hanging? I’m sure there’s a fancy name for it, but that’s all I’ve got. My father in law actually made it, so I could probably ask him. It’s like a super fancy, wood carved, hand painted checker board, with one of the tiles replaced with a mirror. We have never played checkers or chess on it. In fact, it’s hanging on the wall of our dining room at the moment.
My father in law used to make furniture, and tends towards crafty projects like these to keep him in the furniture groove. He carved the design and then somehow stumbled onto the fact that his cleaning lady is pretty handy with paints. She’s the one that added the pizazz of color, bringing it all together. I love the design, the vibrant colors used and the style of it, but since it’s not really used for anything besides looking cute, I figured it totally fell into the knick knack category.
Snark: On the other hand, I LOVE knick knacks, but that is not to say that my apartment has a single ceramic clown or fake spilled soda. Those things are creepy and weird. A knick knack to me is just a little something that makes you happy you own it. You shouldn’t be cluttered with things or hiding useless things in the closet, but you want a few other things besides books on your bookshelf.
One of my favorite things to do on the weekend is go to estate sales. Now, a lot of people think of estate sales as morbid because in most cases you are going through the things of someone who has recently passed away. The family has already been through and taken the sentimental things, but there are always other things that need to find a new home. That’s how I view it. I buy something that they obviously liked since it was in their home. Now, it’s my turn to take care of it. It’s the circle of life. Like, picture me holding my new brown purse in the air like baby Simba, but then you shouldn’t compare purses to babies. What a horrible mind you have. I’ve gotten a lot of things at estate sales that are unique and fantastic deals. Lamps, my coffee table, books, book ends, salt and pepper shakers, pie cooling cabinet (where I cool zero pies but I do use it as a pantry), a corner buffet, desk, chairs, glasses, purses, belts, jewelry, and knick knacks like:
My wonderful elephant. I’m currently using it as a plant stand, but he has also had the task of holding my Jane Austen collection and a lamp. I also know the roundabout price for everything I have purchased at Estate Sales. If someone compliments me, say on the elephant, my response would be. I got it at an Estate Sale. Fifteen dollars. That’s right. I only paid fifteen dollars for it. Be jealous. That is all. ;)
PS - How many times can I use the word "things"... yikes.
Do you have any awesome (or not-so-awesome) knick knacks of your own?
No comments:
Post a Comment