The Treasure Hunt

There's quite a lot of talk these days about what vintage living is all about. Perhaps, for some, a cheap & effective decorating style, but for us, a wonderful way of living lightly that transposes us out of the insatiably consumptive world around us & allows a richness & depth of life, that might otherwise remain well beyond our means. Our vintage inspired family life is full of busy-ness, adventure & satisfaction. Not necessarily a simple lifestyle, but one that has established old-fashioned values deep in the soil of our existence, developing in us skills for living, that harmonize with commonsense & resourcefulness sprinkled with a touch of grace.
When people say that they want a simpler life, I think that they often really mean they want a more meaningful one; vintage living wins hands down on that front. A tendency toward sentimental romanticism combined with the curious marmalade of personal memory of a vintage kind, make a great backdrop to living vintagely. This happy blend of goodness : following the seasons, having a go at making your own chutney/preserves/jam/yoghurt/bread...growing stuff  (flowers too of course!!) & foraging...walnuts, chestnuts, blackberries, wild mushrooms.. op shopping (thrifting), buying secondhand, going to fairs, galas & charity book sales, making use of Trade me, sharing with your neighbours, making cards & homemade gifts, making do/mending/repurposing/upcycling..caring for & cleaning tools, polishing leather, painting & decoupaging an old suitcase or hatbox/furniture, swimming in rivers, walking in the local park, making use of the library, cultivating good manners, using vintage cotton hankies, treasuring old lace, knitting/crocheting/sewing, collecting manure for the vegetable garden & seeds from the spent produce & on & on it goes, or any combination of the above is what it's all about, however, unlike in the past, there are usually alternatives if things don't work out so well or it just doesn't suit..phew!!
So..when Nanna was a little stumped with this past Christmas gift giving, we devised a wee challenge..THE TREASURE HUNT

$10 was kindly given to each person, including the little boys. The challenge was to find some special  treasures for ourselves from op shops, car boot sales or secondhand places. 

This is was what we found:

   Rob found two old chairs at an op shop for $2 each. A cool wooden easel (the man threatened to take it home & use it for firewood if he didn't buy it!) for $4 & two really good quality shirts for a $1 each all at a local car-boot sale.

lovely wood in the chairs..looks like rewarewa

Fynn found a vintage wooden Mary Lou doll (Mary who? Mary rabbit by the looks!) 3 Tin tin comics & a 1948 edition of Timberland Tales..

 given to "Nipper" in 1948 at a previous Christmas time event long ago  : )

 Matthew came across this great "Swan family" vintage sandwich tin. An old slice tin painted vintage green & a depression glass fridge dish for use in "Leonard" (his fridge)

 David found... "The work of "Music in the Tuileries" by Manet as a print:8'x12, Yen!(1988) A book predicting perhaps not the worldwide financial hold of Japan as the author thought, but certainly the state of America's debt during the presidential election of 2004." 

 My finds: a vintage sandwich tin..oh look two PUPPIES. I wonder where my swans went to??? Handmade lace doily, lots of fab cotton reels & a piece of sheet music : )

Kaitiaki found Two "Kapai" books for 5+ years old, a yoyo and a skateboard!

Anna found a book "A handful of herbs", a photo frame & an oil burner!

Thanks Nanna!! We had so much fun on the journey, even though it took us a while to get there!

Much

 XOXOXOXOX