"Take It!!!"

What does a fairy, an antique gargoyle creamer, and a decorative bottle have in common? These three items were given to me as a child by my best friend's mother. My best friend as a child was kind enough to understand my fear of sleeping at other kid's houses and being away from my mom too long so she basically lived at my houses on weekends. She lived down the street from me for a very brief period of time and then moved about a half hour away. When the weekend sleepover would come to an end, my mom would drive us back to Sammy's house and we would stay a bit while our mom's had a coffee. I used to love this part of the weekend because it prolonged my visit with my best friend, but also because that is one of the earliest memories I have of marveling at a home's interior. At the time they lived in a modest ranch home, but the way Sammy's mom, Sue would decorate really spoke to me as a young girl. I loved the way her decorating was not overbearing...just enough and everything seemed to be placed with a specific meaning. It seemed every time I went there, there was a little something different, not always a major change but just enough to keep my interest. I loved that the items in her house were not typical items that you would see from major chain stores, you could tell they were special 'found' treasures. And that is how I like to shop....(not to say that I ONLY shop at antique stores, believe me... one of my favorite stores is T.J Maxx.) But I love to feel like I am searching for one unique item at a time...something you won't find in every other house you enter.  Sammy's mother must've noticed me admiring her decorations on numerous occasions and sometimes she was generous enough to interrupt my staring and say..."Take it!" I felt awkward and embarrassed but there was something about Sue's strong New Jersey accent that made you listen to whatever she said. If she said "take it" you TOOK IT!

This fairy was in the china cabinet in her dining room. I was going through a phase at the time where I collected fairies, but they had to be unique and this little guy really fit the bill for me. I loved his tall hat and shoes. When Sue said I could take him I couldn't believe that I would be adding him to my collection!!! I have only saved a few fairies from my very large childhood collection and he was one of them. I remember as kids, Sammy and I gave him the name Wijick.

This creamer was on Sue's kitchen table one Sunday and my mother fell in love with it. So of course Sue said to my mother...."Take it." When I moved out of my mother's house she knew that I loved it as well so she said to me "Take It!"

This was in Sue's bathroom and for some reason I just thought it was the prettiest things. Whenever I looked at it I made a mental note that I wanted to get one for my room at home, but I could never find one at the stores. I must've told Sue one too many times how much I loved it until she finally said....."Take It!!!!"

These items will always remain in my home because they give me warm and fuzzies and remind me of being a kid and having those endless weekend sleepovers without a care in the world. Unless of course one day some little girl happens to enjoy them as much as I do...I might just tell her... "Take it!" (I should work on my Jersey accent though...I'm  bit rusty.)

By the way ...the bride in the background of the last picture is my Grandmother. She was stunning!