A friend of my once commented on how I have our home decorated and said, “I love how your house is filled with things that have meaning to you.” After she made the comment, I thought to myself...oh no, she thinks my house is full of junk! But after looking around our house, I realized she was spot on, our house is filled with things that have special meaning, keepsakes and treasures I've collected from family and friends. Turns out her comment was a very nice compliment. If you look around our house, you’ll see a pair of my grandfather’s wooden skies propped up in the corning of our dining room, along with a Red Wing crock that my dad got for me at an auction. In our living room, an antique cabinet from my mom displays a number of treasured items, including my great uncle’s fedora next to his picture in uniform. On another shelf, I have an old camera a friend picked up for me at a yard sale. There’s even an old wooden sled with metal runners in the corner…not your traditional home décor by most standards.
My mother-in-law added to my collection a few years ago when she gave me an old single pane window she found at a second hand shop. Not having a use for it at the time, I stashed it away in my framing studio, waiting for just the right project to come along. A few weeks ago I pulled out that old window after a recent visit to my parent’s place. My mom had a few things she thought I might like and, inside a box she had set aside for me, I found an old folder with a collection of song bird painting. The collection has six painting, four of which are vertical and will fit perfectly in each pane of the second hand window just waiting to be repurposed.
This is going to be a fun project that has extra special meaning with the passing of my mother-in-law. Her love of birds and that old window will make me think of her often. I can’t wait to complete the project.