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!