APRIL 21, 2009

Suddenly, my house has found itself with a few more treasures lately – actually not suddenly at all.  A while ago my mom and I hit up the best antique in Kansas City – Rivermarket Antiques. Oh the goodies one can find in that place.  I carried a basket with me the entire time, because the one of the joy of thrifting is price – $3.25 for a glass milk bottle from Vermont? Basket. $1 for an white and blue enamel container? Basket (what a steal!). $45 for a Danish sugar, flour, and coffee canister set? No basket (but I am still dreaming about that canister set).

I would not consider myself a seasoned thrifter yet – but it’s in my blood.  My mom and grandma are/were huge thrifter – I remember being dragged to several antique stores, Friday night auctions, and early morning garage sales – row after row of stuff crammed into itty bitty tiny spaces. Somehow between all the hotdogs/peanuts/sodas bribing and hearing “East Germany – ouhh that is good.  Hermes…vintage…ouhhh that is even better”, I’ve caught the bug – the thrifting bug.

Another reason my house seems to be a little fuller is because we just helped my mom move from the house that she is lived in for 15 years. Now, my mom definitely has an eye for anything in need of a home – oh the stores I can tell – boxes and boxes of green easter egg, two brozne statues name Sue and the other (naming rights, Amanda and myself), hoardes of trash ties, beautiful Italian marble tile, the list goes on and on. Our house was known to have a perpetual summer garage sale where deals could be found and made. So combine all my mom’s treasure along with my grandparents – remember my grandma was a thrifter as well and my grandpa loved loved loved paper and to make copies – we had our work cut out for us. Somehow we dwindled my mom’s earthly processions down to 6o boxes – an amazing feat, oh and I am just a damn good purger and packer.   All this to say, my payment was in the form of vintage croquette sets, a wooden train, beautiful children’s book, a Snow White lamp and much more.

Throughout the week, I noticed the concern in Andreas’ eye as I would come home with more stuff.  My three reaffirming points: 1. I am not a hoarder but a purger in nature 2. Utility is important – if I can’t use it, lose it 3. Our apartment is only 900 sq ft. All is well, and everything has found a new home.