treasures: a new series

growing up i didn't appreciate antiques. no, actually, i hated antiques. and even worse, i loathed antique stores. they were dirty, cluttery (yes, it is a word in my vocabulary), musty, and OLD. to me, antique stores were like big garage sales only worse. and i didn't like garage sales either. i liked order. cleanliness. new things. organization. and antique stores were (& are) the opposite of all those things.

somewhere along the way, things changed. i can't tell you when it was, where i was, or why it happened (maybe my mom finally got through to me), but one day i woke up and loved antique stores. i actually enjoyed walking through them instead of feeling like i was going to have an anxiety attack. i found pleasure searching through piles of "junk" only to find that one perfect piece. best of all, i learned that i find a ton of inspiration when i walk through antique stores.

now don't get me wrong, i don't have a home full of antiques. i do love new, bright, and shiny things. but i also have a fond love for treasures. and treasures just really aren't found in new stores. because in my opinion (and my mom's), treasures are old and valuable and have history. treasures are one-of-a-kind pieces that you "happen" to find (and you should feel lucky when you do!). so, while i don't decorate A LOT with antiques in my own home, i really like them. and i have used lots of special finds from antique stores at parties. often times i have found one single piece at an antique store that inspires hundreds of ideas.

well, we can all use inspiration, right? so i thought i would start a series on treasures that i love. some of these treasures have been passed down to me and some i have bought in antique stores. some were purchased because i knew one day they would be THE PERFECT ITEM. others were purchased specifically for one party. i need to make one thing clear though. although these items were purchased from antique stores, many of them are not necessarily antiques. (so don't worry about correcting me if something is not a true "antique" :)

in this series, i am going to post treasures that i love and/or treasures that bring me inspiration. i don't have a set plan for this series (how many posts a week or how long of a series) because well, i just don't feel like setting a plan, but i hope you will join me! maybe you hate antique stores and don't get what the big deal is. or perhaps antique shopping is like therapy to you. maybe you just don't give a flying rip either way, but you still want to read my blog because you are very sweet. well...whatever the case, i hope i bring you inspiration or help you find new ways to look at old things. most of all, i hope you enjoy. :) i find inspiration in the silliest of places. (kind of like this umbrella picture below).


(please feel free to email me ::rachel@raeevents.com:: treasures you love or that bring you inspiration. i would love to see them and even feature a piece on them if you'd like.)