Thursday, May 17, 2007

Shopping Our Dreams

I adore simple pleasures.
They are the last refuge of the complex.
-Oscar Wilde


Today seems a flurry of shopping anticipation: Alicia has her bookbags, Hillary has her re-printed patterns, Heather has her fabric. You know what I adore most about this online creative community? The majority of the products and goodies you'll find hearken back to a happier time. A time when we swung a bookbag up library steps and stopped skipping once we reached the door. Don't you remember being in awe of the hushed stillness of those enormous, book-lined rooms? I do. Alicia's bookbags flood me with memories of The Velvet Room and peppermint ice cream and mosquito bites. So, so wonderful.

When I talked to my Mom about opening a little online store to help pay for the renovations at Freeman House, she looked skeptical. "We should go out and buy some magazines and see what's hot right now," she advised. I wasn't so sure. "I don't know, Mom," I said. "I think I want to make aprons and bags and updated takes on vintage pretties," I added. She wasn't sold.

But I was. Don't you remember ...? Awh, don't you remember ladies wearing flowers... on their hats, on their sweaters, in their hair? Don't we all remember a bag (with bright lipstick and change for candy) dangling from a plump forearm? And don't you remember a grandmother somewhere wiping tears and shooing flies with her apron? I do. And I wanted to give a younger generation the option of those memories, too.


Charlotte, A Sleep/Eye Mask

Of course, not everyone holds the same family memories. Some of our favorite moments come from other places... like Breakfast at Tiffany's... when we watched Audrey Hepburn prance around with fantastic hair and a sleep mask. When I was younger I always wanted a sleep mask just like Audrey Hepburn's. I tried to make one once out of a folded bandanna. Didn't have quite the same effect. But now, twenty years later, I stumble around with less than fantastic hair but a darling a sleep mask. It's even scented with my own organic lavender. I have ten more working across the hall so I can share. We can all be Audreys if we want... if only for a few hours.

Gosh. Isn't it funny the memories we hold dear? And isn't it fun to play with those dreams until we have a tangible, visual representation of them? Talking about making dreams come to life! A never-fading cotton rose and a pretty blue sleep mask do it for me....

What about you? If your dreams took shape, what would you be holding?

Happy shopping! -Brin

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Go for it girl. What a great idea!

Christen said...

Today is the first day I've read your blog, and I just want to say you write beautifully. You captured many of my own thoughts perfectly. Many ask me why I want to make things that have already been done before, and my answer is that the world is missing the charm of those days passed.

Anonymous said...

Ahhh..memories of grandma in her pretty cotton bib apron with an embroidered hankie in her pocket and peppermint candies..I am the proud owner of one of my grandma's aprons and a few hankies.
I love your idea!!

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Brin, I'm glad you have something you can do & sell & that it's vintage, reflecting a simpler time in our country. That is very cool & I wish you the best with that. Funny you should ask...I've just posted on my blog about trying to figure out exactly what I want to do with my yardsale nuttiness. I can't fit more stuff in my house, but love going saling. So, I'm thinking about doing something with that...antique booth, Ebay store, or something along those lines. Don't have it figured out yet, but I really want to do something with all this creativity I have bouncing around.

So Brin, when did you learn to sew?? I'm really envious of that...my mom sews great & has sewed all my window treatments in my house (most of them anyway) and I did not get that gene! I wish I had paid more attention in home-ec & really wanted to learn that skill. You're very fortunate to have learned it.

xoxo,
RHoda

Kathleen Grace said...

Yes, Brin, I had a grandma who always wore an apron. They were made out of feedsack material and trimmed with seam binding and sometimes she wore an old apron over a nicer apron so she could make a quick change if company dropped in! When grandma died all I could think of was to get one of her aprons. Of course grandma was 4'10" and I am 5'10" so I can't actually wear it! Isn't it funny how aprons are coming back?

Unknown said...

I just love how you younger girls are bringing back the simple things of yester years! I don't think I could sleep with a mask on, but one thing from my childhood that comes to mind is a bed jacket, my Mom always wanted a bed jacket, a half robe type garment that you could wear while reading in bed. Funny how we remember somethings? Thanks for the trip down memory lane! Have a lovely weekend girl!