Friday Finds

From time to time when I’m not waxing sentimental about my days in New York, I like to wax sentimental about my days in Tucson (Arizona).

I moved to Tucson when I was just barely 20, after dropping out of the Rhode Island School of Design because of, or maybe instead of—it was never quite clear—a mental breakdown. I thought the desert would be a nice place to start fresh and find myself, as they say.

And it was. I loved it there, made amazing friends and stayed for 7 years—which is essentially a lifetime when you’re in your twenties.

I had jobs and I finished my degree in Tucson, but somehow I also had veritable gobs of time on my hands. On Saturdays, I’d spend a massive chunk of my day seeking out yard sales on a meandering route that would ultimately land me at the bakery with the really good streusel muffins. The bakery also happened to be pretty close to two good thrift shops.

It was a win-win situation, if there were no good yard sales I’d still get a giant streusel muffin and head to the thrift shops.

I have a few precious Arizona-themed vessels left from those years. My set of cactus glasses, a saguaro mug and my hand-painted Time To Draw glass. I’ve always loved the latter, because I got it around the time I left Tucson to draw (and paint) at an MFA program.

Happy Friday (even though it’s Sunday)!

I’ve always loved tiny things. I don’t know why. Maybe because I’m a small person, or maybe it’s because I like things that mess with my perception of reality.Here’s a small sampling of tiny things from my dresser top (with a pencil for scale). Hope you enjoy them.Happy Friday! xoxo

This week, instead of a single delightful object, we bring you a few little clusters of wonderful, interesting* things. Appropriately, these things live in the kitchen, at least for the moment.One of the (many) things that got messed up during our renovation nightmare / crooked contractor fiasco, was the windows. And consequently the tiled backsplash and the window sills.

Instead of the window sills we wanted, we had to settle for these weird Corian blocks which look pretty awkward and out of place. When they were first installed we hated them.  We still hate them on principle, but now that our “junk” is all over the place, they’re much less noticeable.

*Why yes, that is a vagina-on-one-side-penis-on-the-other demitasse cup!

My intention was to do a Friday Finds post every Friday. So far, I have not been delivering. I was kind of wondering if it was worthwhile, if anyone is actually interested in my old junk. But then this thing happened.

I was at the neurologist getting my tri-monthly set of 67 injections to the head for migraine. My neurologist asked me what I think makes a home. This was notable, because what makes a home is something I think about every day at work and my neurologist and I have never talked in any detail about my job.

The first thing that came to mind was natural light. For me, natural light is invaluable, even more so after living in a dismal dark basement for a year.

The next thing that came to mind is whatever makes it personal. “Yes!” said my neurologist. “Who wants to live in a sterile home? I have many collections of things, maybe too many things, but it brings me joy to look at them.” You may recall hearing me say the same thing in this post.

So with that Friday Finds is back.

Today we bring you this lovely old tin that someone customized for their 1935 Dodge. This tin is priceless on so many levels, the Clean & Good girls, the sailor dresses, the aprons, the hair, the halftone screen. And inside? 4 special fertility rocks that a co-worker of my sisters gave to me when I was trying to conceive my first child. 

I missed Friday Finds last week because I was too busy getting ready for Sid’s 4th birthday party. Worry not, this week I’ve got a real gem to share with you.

It’s a bank shaped like a bank. A little bank bank!

It’s made of some kind of really heavy painted metal and has pretty much all the fantastic detail. 4 year old finger on left for scale.

Today’s Friday Finds features a very old plastic Captain Kangaroo tumbler with googly eyes, and this lovely tomato(?) woman salt shaker with a sweet face and excellent cheeks.

Now that I think of it, she actually doesn’t really resemble a tomato at all, I’m not sure why I’ve always thought of her as one. Maybe she’s a turnip? Oh my god, what IS she?

In case you’ve been wondering where the dinner posts are, things have been the wee-est bit busy since Shane had his knee replaced 10 days ago. But tune in tomorrow for a Thanksgiving-ish post, if I can get my act together.

Things have been a wee bit hectic around here what with Shane getting his entire knee removed, and then replaced with a new prosthetic knee. But don’t despair, Friday Finds is here to brighten your evening with a little* old metal elephant on a crooked little metal chair.

*1 1/2 inch long, or so

Welcome to the very first Friday Finds post! Here’s some background on the Friday Finds feature, in which I show you, one week at a time, some of the cool old objects in my home that bring me joy. In other words, stuff that makes me happy besides food, family and friends.

Here’s a small collection of antique, vintage and vintage-ish marbles. You’ve got to love marbles with their cold roundness and ability to mesmerize. As a teenager, marbles got me hooked on collecting old stuff, a glorious habit that has stuck with me for life. Hooray!

I also have a soft spot for old glass jars, especially if they have lids.

Enjoy. Happy Friday!