Ya’ll, I am so excited about today’s present for you guys!
So, Tonia and I met about a year an a half ago when she started dating one of our dearest friends. I knew I liked her immediately when she accidentally spilt an entire cup of water all over me and burst out laughing the very first time we met! I LOVED that she laughed! Like in those moments where someone awkwardly falls up the stairs and you should check to make sure they’re ok, but really you just want to laugh because they looked so stupid doing it?!…So you’re dying laughing, but trying not to laugh, and then you just make that weird pursed lip face and squinty eyed look to prevent an all out laughfest. You know what I’m talking about right?! Well, I knew I liked Tonia immediately because she didn’t even try to prevent it…she just erupted laughing. We’ve been good friends ever since. And then she married our friend, so another reason to love her ever more. You may remember her as the gorgeous bride in the Rustic Chic wedding that I styled and arranged flowers for last summer.
Anywhoo….Tonia and I both have a love for all things chippy and old looking. We totally connect on all things crafty and creative, and generally have a fabulous time making things when we’re together and apart.
She started Rustic Elegance a few months ago making the most GORGEOUS picture frames from salvaged wood. Chippy, painted goodness. Super yum! As her business has expanded, so has her repertoire of items for sale. Now she’s making everything from picture frames to jewelry hangers, towel hooks, chalk boards, cork boards, and more. I LOVE her stuff! I bought a towel hook from her that she made from an incredible piece of old moulding with gorgeous vintage door knobs. For my birthday she gave me a thick aqua frame that I’d been salivating over. And let me tell you what….if this is something that was on my own birthday list, you better believe I wanted to tell you all about it during my birthday week too!
I love older pictures even more because I love imagining what it was like living when they were taken. It’s the same thing that draws me to smell really old books. You can chalk it up to my literature major quirkiness, but I can’t help but wonder who held that book and what they were going through when they read it.
So for this reason, you will find no fancy artwork in my home. Instead, you will find pictures. You will find our memories.
And isn’t it magical that my family’s memories are surrounded by beautiful, gnarled old wood (up to 150 years old)–wood that may have been part of someone’s fireplace or part of their doorway.
Our memories are cradled by the memories of so many others.
Love the chippy look myself!
Yay!
I absolutely love the chicken wire jewelry holders! They are awesome 🙂