Thanksgiving

A few of the things I'm thankful for . . . .

Although I lost my mom this season, I'm thankful for a wonderful family

 filled with people who accept me and hug me and love me. 

 While a lot of folks feel alone in this world, 

I have an incredible network of family and friends to laugh and share life with at any time.

I am especially thankful to work side by side with my daughter, and a group of delightful women!

I'm blessed to make a living doing the work I most enjoy.

I do what I love and love what I do.

Add to that, that I am surrounded by friends who are supportive, talented, 

encouraging and appreciative of

 the world of antiques, history and making a home a special place.

My community of faith . . . those around me who love to celebrate our faith.

There is a bond and communion in shared ideals and beliefs.  

My sweet home . . . perfect for my needs and so cozy and warm and pleasant.

I actually think about how grand it is to have been born into a culture and time

 where hot running water and indoor plumbing and central heat are the norm.  

To cozy up in my favorite chair with a good book and a cup of tea,

to turn up my music and sing outloud,

to cook, nap, putter with decorating or do laundry . . .

it's all heartwarming when you think about it.

I realize how special it is that I have the luxury of making choices in my life.

Sometimes they seem insignificant to me, but I know there are millions in this world who

 would look at my life and see a wealth of opportunities and choices to be had.

Friends!!! 

 I have circles of friends who enrich every aspect of my life. 

 They are every age and stage of life, scattered and near . . . 

We are connected . . . woven together like the warp and weft of a huge, strong tapestry.

They are part of who I have become.

I am needed. 

 It's a basic human desire . . . to be needed and found useful

 and hence, 

to sense that we are valuable to those who know us.

I am thankful.

  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Autumn Decorating

There is a promise 

of 

autumn

 in the air, 

and

 that always nudges me into a

 fresh decorating mode . . . 

gathering and collecting

 and filling jars and cloches with the

 small items

 from around the house.

I have filled one tall apothecary jar with acorns,

one with tiny, antique, white ironstone doll size tea sets & dishes,

one with small, leather, pocket-size bibles and prayer books from the 1700's and 1800's.

Mellow wood bowls now cradle creamy stacks of linen napkins,

dried artichokes or fragrant bundles of cinnamon sticks.

I love

incorporating seasonal bittersweet and shocks of wheat or hops.

Crockery is back out on the counter, filled with wooden implements, prized for their timeworn patina.

Silver cutlery is on display . . . 

(as I anticipate serving some of the delightful fall pies and cobblers with steaming cups of coffee.)

Both of our shops, 

Dwell Antiques & Home 

and

 Patina Antiques & Home

are freshening and ripening with the bounty of the harvest season.

There are antlers and dough bowls, bread boards and baskets, dried hydrangeas and pumpkins appearing every day . . .

and

in the twinkling of an eye

you'll find both shops been fully transformed into a wonderland of autumn splendor!

This is the time when we polish up our reserves of silver plate

 trays and urns and flatware. 

The 1800's ironstone and transferware appears in stacks

with 

pitchers filled with autumn stems.

Botanicals, gourds, copperware and huge wooden bowls will come in and disappear quickly.

Our displays are so much fun to create

but we are delighted and thankful when they're plundered by excited customers

who 

choose their favorite items to cart home.

Designers came in yesterday and turned the shop topy-turvy as they extricated a truckload of freshly displayed items.  While we're honored to see them fly out, there is a momentary catching of the breath when we say goodbye to those precious antiques

so recently scored!

These are precious days, near the end of summer, a fresh awakening of the senses . . .

an opportunity for a fresh palette . . .

a time to 

be

THANKFUL

Come visit us in the South Denver neighborhood of Greenwood Village, Colorado.

Dwell Antiques & Home 5910 S. University Blvd. Greenwood Village, CO. 80121

303-795-3454  Monday - Saturday 10-5,  Sundays by chance or appointment.

Every so often I get an overwhelming sense of thankfulness.

I live a simple life, and enjoy simple pleasures . . . 

so,

it doesn't take anything major to bring me to this place.

It's the way the birds sing early in the morning,

or,

the way the sun shines through my window,

or maybe

 a song I hear.

It can be holding hands with one of my grandchildren

or,

breathing deeply

while

walking barefoot though the freshly cut grass.

I suppose it has much to do with the way I was raised

and

the stories I was raised on.

I was born into a large family

of five generations.

Blessed

 to have not only grandparents,

 but

 great and great-great grandparents living,

I was privileged to learn the history of the family.

It was my greatest delight to listen to these 

incredible 

men and women 

as they related their 

struggles and successes.

"This was your great-great-great grandmother's teaspoon".

"This bible belonged to your great-great-great grandfather".

True stories of their quests 

were more thrilling than any fairy tales or novels.

Great-great grandmother could recount history from her grandmother,

taking me back to the time just following the Civil War.

The struggles and privations,

the journeys and risks,

the sorrows, successes and joys 

of their lives 

were the most astounding stories

because I knew they were real!

They lived through wars and Depression, droughts and epidemics.

They struggled against loss and poverty and being uprooted.

They began again . . .

 and again.

I grew out of these people.

My strength and courage and endurance

 in my life to come

seemed guaranteed

because I was made of strong fibre.

If they could do it . . . 

chances were I could too.

They assured me.

They were behind me.

More importantly,

they had gone before me,

paving a road that they had forged

generation by generation.

The most important thing they taught me

 was,

"enjoy the simple pleasures

every day."

More to come . . . 

Memorial Day Thanksgiving

Happy Memorial Day!

Thoughts of my country and freedom crowd my head this weekend

and

I am thankful to those brave and dedicated men and women

who

have given their time

and hearts

and

in many cases,

their very lives

to insure that 

I

can live in a free and safe country.

So,

as we go about our weekend

and

enjoy our picnics and parties and bar b ques,

let us take a moment or two 

to 

remember.

THANK YOU

and

 GOD BLESS YOU

to each of those who have served us and protected us and died for us

and for our freedoms.

They took the high road

and

did not stop until their job was done.

My heart is so very thankful that we live in

the land of the free,

because of the brave!

One of My Favorite Stylists

Isn't it nice when we meet people with whom we connect?

I connect with this super talented guy.

Although I've never personally met Matthew, we are indeed on a first name basis.

(At least I refer to him by his first name.)

Truthfully,

my dear friend and soul mate 

Matthew

 has not met me.

At the risk of sounding like a stalker,

I 

LOVE

this guy.

If you're not familiar with his work,

allow me to introduce you.

(Being as we're such good

friends!)

LOL!

Hop over to Matthew's link and see what he's up to.

Matthew has been styling for the best photographers and magazines and books forever.

He's got his own now - and you'll see that he's 

the ultimate

 in

 repurposing and upcycling and styling and creating.

Did I say

"I love this guy"

www.holidaywithmatthewmead.com

FOLK Magazine

There are few products I endorse in my blog,

 but this morning I want to mention a new magazine I've subscribed to,

 called

 FOLK

I just received my initial copy and am fascinated by how lovely it is.

It's filled with real people,

sharing

real stories

about real life.

I found myself identifying with the stories and musing about conversing with the writers.

(A sure sign of a good writer/editor is the ability to engage the reader in this fashion.)

Content, photography, advertisement,

every detail is delightful!

Subscription price is very reasonable.

With a cup of cocoa and some cinnamon toast it made my snowy Sunday afternoon perfect.

Living the Good Life!

Sample them online at

www.magazinebyfolk.com

Joy

Dwell Antiques & Home

DWELL ANTIQUES & HOME

dwellantiques.com

http://www.facebook.com/DwellAntiques

5910 South University Boulevard

Greenwood Village, Colorado 80121

(South Denver, Southeast corner of University Blvd and Orchard Road)

303-795-3454

Monday - Saturday

10am - 5pm

~additional hours by chance or appointment~

Dwell has had a delightful first quarter after opening in September of 2012!

We are evaluating the success by reviewing what we've been doing to be true to our concept.

Some of our touch points are:

 seek the unusual 

 add fresh treasures to the shop daily

 display with an eye to how you might like to use an item in your home

 rotate displays weekly

search for one of a kind and handmade items

feature the creativity of numerous local artists

incorporate elements of nature

love well made pieces

repurpose

upcycle

offer design consultation, in store and in your home

celebrate each month with a special event promotion

keep a wish list for your dream items

offer social media contact points

play happy music

do our best at what we do

The Dwell Girls

 are 

studying fresh design ideas

searching for local artistic talent 

buying all over the country

refurbishing vintage and antique items

listening to our customers ideas

reading up on the trends

enjoying life

It makes us happy to do what we do

and

it makes us happy

making you happy!

Drop in and browse

soak up some atmosphere

and

know that each month will look different

at

Dwell Antiques & Home

as we find fresh

and

seasonal

bounty!

Photos I've Collected

Over the years I have amassed a huge box of old black and white photos.  

I 

mean

HUGE

I have family scrapbooks

 and

 photos I've bought at antique shops

 and

 those I've found at estate sales

 and 

many that have apparently just attached themselves to me

 in some magnetic and random fashion. 

I love history and fashion

 and 

studying the way people lived a hundred or more years ago,

but

really

where did all these photos come from?

I have primarily photos of women and children.

There are hard faced, tough, prairie women

and

sweet, hopeful brides

and

careworn, weary mothers with eight or ten children gathered round them.

I have gun slinging gals

and

nuns

and

sets of sisters with starched pinafores.

There are curls

 that some momma rolled up in rags the night before

 and fussed over for hours

while a patient papa blacked his boots

 and slicked down his hair, wishing his stiff collar was not choking him.

I've got a truckload of  straight laced, prim and proper matrons,

posed in formal studio settings

with several generations of progeny staring somberly at the camera.

They wear their best clothing, tight, starched and uncomfortable.

There are families who've included their strutting chickens, huge hogs and favorite horse

in their photo

presumably to impress or reassure kinfolk back east that they had made it out west and were prospering just fine on the prairie.

There are women mountain climbing

and

women sightseeing

and

a woman posing with her prize mule.

I'm not quite sure how I came by all these,

or

what I want to do with them,

but

apparently

I can't get rid of them.

There's something so poignant and appealing

about the history these photos hint at

that

I'm holding onto them

just for the pleasure 

of

imagining

what stories

they might tell!

Accomplishments

I have accomplished much this afternoon

and

am finally able to relax

and

enjoy a bite to eat before a nice warm soak.

There were boxes of small items to be cleaned and sorted and inventoried and priced.

There was laundry to be washed, folded, hung, ironed and put away.

There was vacuuming to be done.

Dusting away some cobwebs.

There was the dishwasher to run and dishes to be replaced in the cupboards.

Just the ordinary household and work chores that we all have to cope with.

It's been a pleasant time of tidying and rearranging some pretties that I had been taking for granted.

I think I have a sweet little nest

and

am living the good life.

I enjoy refreshing my bookcase displays and counter top collections

and

organizing my closet

for the coming week.

Now

home made soup

 and good bread

and

a cup of tea.

Time to pick up my book and nestle in with my late supper

and enjoy the beauty of all that has been accomplished.

I'm so easily pleased with small touches!

Finding My Calling

Part of my

  Antiques By Joy

business is home styling.

I visit the home of a client and tweak the look they're going for.

Sometimes they have no idea about what they want, and I have free reign.

Often they say,

"I want it to feel like your shop."

My mother says I began my styling career at the age of 4,

and

 I can recall some of the projects I conned her into.

I dreamed up a bedroom that had purple and lavender

(1957 - and where did I get that idea at age 4?)

T.V. was still in black and white.

Not that we owned one.

She tried to dissuade me,

(apparently there was no purple she liked, 

or,

 no purple in her fabric stash).

She compromised with curtains and dust ruffle

 of 

a delicate white cotton printed with tiny lavender rosebuds

and

(I insisted)

 a

 vivid purple

 throw pillow.

Mind you she made these herself, because that's what our family did.

I recall regularly 

haunting the fabric store with her . . . 

a 40 minute walk from our house,

where we would browse for hours

 and 

dream of the possibilities!

When I was about 6, we walked to the store to purchase fabric for a new outfit 

for me.

I will never forget the excitement of entering that big old fashioned place,

breathing in the aroma 

taking in the colors

and hearing her incredible words,

"you may choose ANY fabric you want,

as long as it's not over thirty nine cents a yard"

... remembering an

 angel choir . . . .

By 12 years old I was living in a world that was changing.

(NOT in my little world, but in the bigger sense.)

The Hippie movement brought tie die and psychedelic and neon intensity to our color world.

Being the worldly, well read 12 year old that I was, 

my design sense was evolving, and I wanted

MORE!

There was no decorating budget to prevail upon for my room

so

I had to improvise.

I plowed through my mother's extensive collection of bargain fabrics,

(friends often gifted her the remnants of their projects because she was "crafty"),

and came up with a hunter green burlap and some hot pint print and began to picture the contrast they would create beside one another.

It wasn't quite the psychedelic combo I needed,

but

when I unearthed the next component,

a chartreuse gem,

(Oh the 50's were a heyday for chartreuse!!!),

I knew I was on to something!

I rummaged about and found the ultimate fourth:

turquoise with a touch of chartreuse!

Bingo!

I patiently upholstered my hand me down dresser

and even trimmed it in chartreuse prairie points

 I cut from a school folder I found in that color, 

using recycled upholstery tacks I scrounged.

(Stop laughing!)

I pleaded for a gallon of intensely pink saturated-hue paint.

Now this was serious - we didn't paint much at our house, because paint was expensive, 

but after much pleading I got that paint with my babysitting money.

Fifty cents an hour was what I earned, and that included doing household chores while babysitting.

We dragged my little area rug out to the back yard and using our big zinc wash tub, dyed the rug hot pink with Rit Dye from the local Five and Dime.

Oh, I was on  a roll!

Ultimately, I conned my mother into letting me have the "pole lamp" from our living room.

It had filigree ball shades at three heights, and cast the most enchanting shadows.

That evening, breathing a sign of almost complete contentment, I had my final brainstorm.

My parents were out and I knew just what I wanted to accomplish.

I dug around in the utility closet where we stored the Christmas decorations and found

 three red light bulbs.

Installing the red bulbs and flipping the switch, I melted into my hot pink/chartreuse/turquoise

haven

and simply revelled in the creation!

When I awoke in the morning, I discovered my dad had replaced the red bulbs with normal ones.

His reprimand was that he didn't want me using the Christmas ones.

(About 10 years later it dawned on me what that was all about.)

I don't believe I've ever had so much fun as I did with that decorating project.

And that was the day I

 KNEW

I had found my calling.

Filing And Sorting and Shovelling Oh My

It's the first day of February, 

and I'm catching up on filing and paperwork.

I'm living the 

GOOD LIFE!

There is always

 too much

 of that filing and sorting and shredding and organizing

and

never quite enough time to do it properly.

It's not my favorite thing to do

by far

and so I tend to let it pile up until the pile topples over

and

I fear that if anyone sees the messiness of stacked and toppled receipts and invoices and business cards and whatever,

 they will think I'm one of those hoarder types who needs to have 

an

intervention.

I can see it now . . . 

they will shake their heads and say,

"we 

always

  knew

she was a little strange

and now we have the evidence

poor dear . . . 

buried alive under

  several tons

of crumpled receipts, paperclips, manila file folders and notes to self!"

Mind you -

this debris is essential to my business

as any antique dealer will confirm.

We faithfully keep exacting records of each item purchased

and

add to that

 receipts

 for the supplies we buy 

to clean, polish, restore, repaint and refurbish every little piece.

Why the paper towels alone run into the thousands of dollars!

There are mileage record books and checkbooks and all those business cards of hundreds of people who wish to

 sell to us,

 or paint for us,

 or convince us to advertise with them.

We 

dare not

discard anything so vital to our potential success!

There are paint sample cards

(oh my . . . I have thousands of those),

and even tiny chips of actual paint we have peeled off some old thing

 to save for reference

 for that day when we 

NEED

 that beautiful shade of robins' egg blue.

It's a little embarrassing!

That's just the tip of the iceberg

but if I blog any longer

I'll lose daylight hours

and

tomorrow it's back to the shop

and whatever paper is still drifting through the air will once again settle in odd places around the house.

So

if you ring the doorbell and I don't answer,

please

please just give me time to claw my way out from under my mountain

and run to greet you!

Don't call the authorities.

Happy filing!

Botanical prints today are courtesy of The Graphics Fairy @  www.thegraphicsfairy.com

Joy is partner/owner at

Dwell Antiques & Home http://www.facebook.com/dwellantiques

Greenwood Village Colorado

303-795-3454