Saturday, June 2, 2018

Finding My Past at Goodwill

Remember in the 80's and early 90's, when country crafts were king?  Shades of Wedgwood blue, mauve, seafoam green, and rusty red reigned in the design world.  Stenciling or wallpaper, flowery chintz upholstery, with ruffly curtains at the windows, completed the look.  

During this time, my husband was starting his own business.  Money was tight.  We were fine day-to-day, but the reality of finding the money necessary for Christmas presents for three daughters required some ingenuity.  We had power tools, I knew how to use them, wood and paint was cheap ... and a small business was born.  Very small.

For a few years, in summer I would cut and sand and paint little figures and country-style decor.  In fall, I rented space at craft fairs, setting up a booth and selling my wares.  One of my best sellers was this:



It was a custom item.  I had the large hearts like this at the booth, pre-made in mauve, blue, rust, or cream, and customers ordered small hearts to hang from the hooks underneath.  Husband, wife, children.  I sold a ton of them.  (I remember one special one: a family's four grown children chipped in together and ordered one for their parents, with themselves, their spouses, and all of the grandkids hanging from it.  It was huge.)

I was startled to see this one earlier today.  Somehow it ended up at Goodwill in Culpeper, minus its little name hearts.  It looks as good today as it did when I made it almost 30 years ago.  Goodwill's price:  $1.99. 

My label.  Hometown Designs was what I called my little enterprise.


I still have ours, the prototype, with our family on it ...  it's in a box somewhere.  

I hope this one goes to a good home.

13 comments:

  1. What?!? That is crazy! A couple of times I've found things I've donated there, but never have I had the experience of seeing something I made there. If only it could tell the story of where it's been and who owned it....And nice to know it will be in another loving home soon.

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    1. Crazy indeed! I'm still completely dumbfounded by this. (Culpeper is 45 minutes from here. I was there with the grandkids, visiting my parents, and we decided to make a run to their Goodwill to add to the boys' supply of summer clothes.) I do wish that pink heart could tell me its story.

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  2. oooh, you should have brought it home!!....

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    1. I seriously considered it. It would just end up in a box if I had. Better to leave it for someone who would actually use it.

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  3. I absolutely love this story! Funny how the universe works sometimes.

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    1. I thought the same thing. That's not my usual Goodwill, we were there to kill time and shop for summer stuff for the boys, and there it was ... hanging on the end of one of the aisles like a display piece, at eye level. It was weird.

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  4. That's crazy!
    My Mom was really into country decor in the late 80's/early 90's. She had tons of wooden ducks and wooden houses.

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    1. Your mom was the type of customer that I targeted. :)

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  5. That is wild...I saw a quilt in the Minute Man Mall a few years ago, it came from a kit I sold at the shop.

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    1. So cool. You probably had the same WTF feeling at the time as I did yesterday.

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  6. Wow, that is kinda crazy to find something like that. I was sorta hoping you bought it but since you have the original you didn't need it. Sweet item. I see so many Country Home items in the thrifts now. Styles have changed, until the next change!

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    1. Part of me is glad that this style went away. It was just too cute. With 80's fashions returning, makes me wonder if 80's decorating will be the next retro thing.

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  7. Hi Connie -- Thanks for popping by my blog and commenting! Yes, I'll be watching the Big Game tomorrow night and I fully expect Ovechkin to hoist the Cup over his head! Enjoy the celebration that will ensue -- the Caps have waited a long time for their first Stanley Cup!

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