Whenever I go to the thrift store I always scan the bookshelves for good, hardcover children's books. I often find a beautiful Caldecott winner for a dollar or two. Sam and I love digging into our latest treasure as soon as we get home. This latest find was a bit of a disappointment though, as four of the pages were missing! Now, I know the story of Puss in Boots well enough to fill in the gaps, but somehow I thought the pages could be put to better use...
I've been working on getting some art up on our walls. Clay has stacks of beautiful work from art school, we have various pieces we've collected throughout the years and gifts from family and friends. Yet somehow, our walls have remained depressingly bare. But, I've been remedying that very fact these past few weeks! I first gathered up all the art we want to display, then measured the pieces and wrote down the dimensions. Now, whenever I'm in a thrift store I also sort through the frames, keeping my eyes out for the sizes we need (I keep a measuring tape in my purse too). While measuring pieces of art, I decided Puss in Boots would be better served, framed and hanging over Sam's new reading nook. (I recently did an overhaul of Sam's new room and I promise I'll show more details soon! It's been a really fun project.)
With three matching frames from the thrift store and an exacto knife, we had some wonderful new art for Sam's room in no time at all. This was such a satisfying project and Sam seemed to appreciate the touch as it was the first thing he showed his dad when he got home.
Down below, just for fun, is a picture of a wedding present from my parents. It's one of my favorite pieces because of the mysterious story that goes with it. My dad, who writes for the Maine Antique Digest and does a little bit of antique buying and selling, came across a guy with an impressive art collection, which the guy asked my dad to broker. Long story short, the guy actually owned a bunch of fake art with a few real pieces sprinkled in. This piece, allegedly a Chagall (lithograph, I think?), was a gift to my dad from the guy before his shadiness came to light. We never had it checked out by anyone official, and I think I'd rather not know if it's real or a fake. We love it either way, and I love a little mystery:)

















