‘As I gaze at my three little vintage aluminum pots on the deck railing, I can still remember the now delight in admiring these items, as art pieces, and am so glad I decided to decorate and spruce them up with paint, instead of getting rid of them.’
I cannot begin to explain the many vintage things that are still living in my cabin. When the process of adding or subtracting items to your tiny abode is by boat and then by car back and forth, you tend to keep things around longer. Often though, it is the special memories that make you hold on to them, memories of times long past, that still invoke such good feelings.
One sunny afternoon at my cabin, a few years ago, I decided things were not sitting in that bottom corner cabinet properly. I still love and admire the lovely rosewood inspired cupboards and cabinets that were updated by my father many years ago, from the original, old hideous makeshift counters and cupboards that were original to the cabin. I remember my mother squealing in delight when my father got them up here and installed. It was such a major improvement to the kitchen both for looks and function.
Dad had purchased the units as assembled pieces, so I also remember the balancing act of the big corner unit as it was perched across the small 14-foot boat as we travelled for several miles, slowly up the lake to the cabin. What a feat that was.
As modern as that cabinetry was back then, the guts never had any useful sliding shelves on the lower cabinets, or anything like a corner Lazy-Susan. Consequently, that corner cabinet, you know, the one that has the deep dark recessed area where one never sees the end of unless you crawled right into it? It is a complete mystery as to what is still stored down inside and back in there. I am sure many of you can relate, probably even have had one of those, those mystery-corner bottom cabinets.
So, on this one lazy day, when I put a platter in that bottom cabinet, and everything came sliding back out, I decided it was high-time to explore what was actually in there after all these years. I knew exactly what was in the front area, but, way in the back, well, who knows?
Upon unloading and stacking it all out in a monstrous pile all over the floor and even under the kitchen table, I started sorting, and easily found out I could get rid of several items. However, way in the back, I discovered 3 aluminum vintage pots, a percolator coffee pot, another one I think was for a pot of hot water, and a tiny little one-cupper tea pot. Each had a few dints here and there, but still these were delightful little pieces of history of my cabin. The percolator coffee pot I actually remember my Dad making coffee in, way back when.
I decided to keep these 3 little items and give them a new life by sprucing them up. As I was in one of my painted flower crazes heavily that summer, I thought to myself, why not paint something on these pots?
I used the same little inexpensive acrylic paints as I use on my rock painting projects as I began the painting process. I was thrilled with the end results. My favourite is the tall coffee pot with the yellow cottage rose and little hovering bee.
Every trip these 3 little pots come out and sit on my railing by the front door. I love that I reinvented these old vintage items and kept them as something even more special than the pots they originally were. Now they have a second set of memories for me. The first, of course, was with my parents as a child, with the items being used as they were originally intended, and now they sit on my railing as pretty little crafty art pieces I can enjoy each time I am here.
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