It’s history . . . and herstory . . . heck, it’s OURstory!

Jul 10th 2009
Karen HawkinsKaren Hawkins & My Life As A Plebe

34 Responses to “It’s history . . . and herstory . . . heck, it’s OURstory!”

1. evlqn on 10 Jul 2009 at 2:17 am #

   I have many TWMs . I have the wooden plaque my sons made for me that says “To the only mom in the world that can take the screaming of two kids and still love them.” And it is signed by them both. There isn’t enough money in the universe to get that one away from me. And the mothers day poem they wrote to their “Smurf- haired Maw”. The watercolor my sister painted of a gorilla grooming two young gorillas she titled “Dan & The Boys.

   I have an antique secretary that belonged to my dad’s mom made of cherry wood. And a buffet made by by great grandfather in the mission style. My brother has the Stradivarius violin our grandfather brought from Germany when he was 9 years old. I have a Buddy Lee doll dressed in a John Deere uniform that my grandfather got for grandma when he bought a new tractor. Grandma kept it on her dresser for as long as I can remember. That is the only thing that both of my sons have asked for.

   My mom crocheted blankets for both of my sons and I still have them, I suppose I should give them to my sons but I’m not ready to yet.

2. Margay on 10 Jul 2009 at 5:14 am #

   My favorite TWM is an old Singer sewing machine that belonged to my paternal grandmother – the kind that comes housed in a gorgeous wooden table. Every time I open the drawers, interesting smells emanate from within (oddly, one of them is tobacco – what can I say? she was from the South) and I am whisked back to my childhood when we visited her in Virgina.
   Margay

3. Cail on 10 Jul 2009 at 5:23 am #

   we don’t really have antiques here, but for TWM:
   Our coffee table was made out of one of the children’s work tables from my DH’s kindergarten classroom. His mom was his teacher back then, and when they closed the school she got to keep them.

   Our end table is an overturned half wine barrel with a piece of marble from one of my grandma’s tables on top of it. She put glass on hers years ago to open up the room, and offered me the marble when we moved.

   Our coasters my DH made for me- cut the wood, sanded it, sketched drawings on it with a wood burner and then varnished them. They’re amazing.

   There are tons of other things, but those are my favorite.

4. Susan M on 10 Jul 2009 at 5:44 am #

   No antiques in my house…unless you count some of my Elvis stuff.

   TWM:
   We have a desk that DH’s brother made for his mom when they were in school. Now that she’s gone it resides in our house and I use it for my scrapbooking.

   I have several paintings that my grandpa made. He was a wonderful painter and used to sell his work out of the basement and occasionally at some craft fairs. I actually have a picture that my grandma took of me and my grandpa in his studio in the basement. I had to have been about 3 or 4. We’re sitting side by side and I’m coloring in my coloring book while my grandpa is painting. *sigh* I still miss him…DH and I got married on his birthday.

5. Lisa H on 10 Jul 2009 at 5:48 am #

   I have several antiques and TWM – my most favorite is a blue star sapphire ring surrounded by diamonds. It belonged to my grandmother and was given to me at her death along with several other beautiful pieces of jewelery. It is my favorite, and I wear it everyday, not because of the style, but because I can still see it on her finger.

   A more recent TWM is a poem my daughter wrote for me. It is called, “My Mother is a Pearl Necklace”

   It is so touching and shows some of her insight into my life. I will treasure it forever.

6. Karen Hawkins on 10 Jul 2009 at 6:28 am #

   eviqn, your family owns a Stradivarius? WOWZA! That’s incredible. I’d love to see your cherry secretary. I adore the older, redder cherry. It’s just gorgeous.

   Margay, my great grandmother was from West Virginia and used snuff. She was very delicate about it, but it astonished me as a child. Like you, I love how old things smell. I adore an older book. It smells like it MUST be read — right now!

   Cail, your wine barrel/marble table sounds divine! I saw a wine barrel/glass top table used on one of the design programs on HGTV a month or so ago and it was so pretty. Made me want one, too! I have an antique table with a marble top round on it and it just sits there on the top, unfastened, like on your barrel table. I used to think they HAD to be bolted together, but nope! The weight of the marble keeps it in place. You DH sounds very talented btw! Those coasters sound like excellent candidates for future family heirlooms.

7. Karen Hawkins on 10 Jul 2009 at 6:34 am #

   Susan M, as my mother was/is an avid Elvis fan, I most certainly would count your Elvis items as both antiques and TWM! She has a very nice collection herself. Susan, I’m so sorry you’re missing your grandfather, but it sounds like you’ve incorporated some living memories of them into your life — that’s so, so sweet. What sort of paintings did he do? Landscape? Still life? What’s your favorite?

   Lisa H, ah, that is so sweet of your daughter! The title is intriguing, too. It’s so nice that she made such an effort for you. It really shows how close you two must be. Btw, your grandmother’s ring sounds elegant and gorgeous. I adore sapphires — they’re in both my engagement and wedding rings.

8. Pesky on 10 Jul 2009 at 6:41 am #

   I mostly have memory things. I have the poem my dad wrote me on valentines day the year he died. I have my mother’s tea set. I wore the plaid neon shirt my brother gave me in the 80’s until it’s now a scrap in my memory box (it was wicked kewl). I have the magnets my sister and I picked up while we were strolling through Newport on a really nice sister day. I have my parent’s wedding picture on my desk.

   I have every item my nephew’s made or purchased for me, including a wonking huge purple plastic ring. Their personalities are all over them. This year Sprat got me a strainer and oven mitts (very practical), The Squid got me a purse so I’d stop embarassing him by carrying my huge black leather one around (and because he lubs me.) Sprat has always been the practical one, The Squid has always been the aesthetic one.

   I do take a lot of pictures and display them so those are probably my best memory things.

9. Susan M on 10 Jul 2009 at 6:41 am #

   Karen H, my grandpa painted landscapes. He did woods, lakes, lighthouses and bridges. He lived in Duluth, MN which is right on Lake Superior. My favorite is actually a small watercolor he sketched and painted. I found it in one of his books. It’s of the Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth which is one of my favorite things to see when I go home. I framed it…I would like to get a nicer frame for it but I haven’t yet. He also painted on saws…those are really nice…I have one he did for me on a circular saw of birds and he made it into a clock. It needs new hardware cause it doesn’t work anymore but I’ll never get rid of it.

10. Susan M on 10 Jul 2009 at 6:44 am #

    I’ll try to remember to take some pictures of the paintings so you guys can see them. We haven’t gotten them all up on the walls yet. Soon hopefully.

11. Cail on 10 Jul 2009 at 7:07 am #

    Karen, I do love the coasters! He made me two sets- the first set of 4 was put somewhere ’safe’ for the move and it was so safe that I couldn’t find them for about 6 months! He made me a second set that year for x-mas, and then we found the first.

    Everyone’s TMW sound so nice!

12. SuzyQ on 10 Jul 2009 at 7:23 am #

    I don’t have any antiques, but I have a lot of TWM. My favorite is a Christmas ornament my dh made for me the first Christmas after we were married. At work, a company came in to spec some solid surface material and one of the samples looked like a fortune cookie. He drilled a hole through it, added a gold ribbon and stuffed it with his own fortune message. So simple but it means so much because he proposed to me with a fortune cookie.

13. Margaret on 10 Jul 2009 at 7:31 am #

    My antiques aren’t anything you’d see on “The Antique Road Show”. They’re just old and fall into the TWM category.

    I have 2 rocking chairs that are over 100 years old. I can see my grandparents sitting in them & I have rocked both children & grandchildren to sleep in them. I had them re-rushed (Grandpa’s) & re-caned (Grandmother’s) when I moved to Lancaster and found an Amish guy to do it. One of my aunts had upholstered them because re-storing them was too expensive.

    I have numerous oil paintings that my late DH did. He was a photographer for Armstrong Industries. He did those gorgeous rooms in the front of magazines. He also painted some wonderful paintings. I have them all over the house and so do his kids. Treasures to all of us.

    I have a tiny green glass hurricane lamp that was given to my mother in 1912 on her 5th birthday. It is so cute. I have no idea of it’s value. Several vases of the kind that once came with flowers to the hospital. Very art-deco. A marble vase made by a stone mason uncle. Other things I can’t think of just now. Love the topic today, KH.

14. Freshechelle on 10 Jul 2009 at 7:39 am #

    My antiques & TWM are combined together to make useful furniture. It’s a stack of 4 LV hardsided suitcases as my TV stand. 2 are antiques, 1 w/painted stripes to be distinguishable from other travelers, 2 were gifts – 1 for college graduation, the other an anniversary gift of sorts. The stack is show stopper.

15. TrishD on 10 Jul 2009 at 8:11 am #

    Next to my favorite chair I have an antique secretary that I remember from my parents house. It moved all over the country with us. I just recently found out that it was from my grandparents house originally. The bookcase from my childhood has the same history, except that I don’t own it… yet.

    My grandmother’s second husband did calligraphy. I have the poem What God Hath Promised that he did on my wall. What makes it great is that it’s a piece he wasn’t going to keep because he made a mistake and didn’t like how it looked. I love it!

    Sitting in my curio cabinet are 2 vases I remember from my grandmother’s dresser growing up, a little bronze bird from my father’s mother, a very cool souvenir spoon from New Zealand my dad got while in the USCG, a signed baseball from a home run my nephew hit while in little league. I could go on. I do buy new things, but I love all my TWM.

16. Rachel Gibson on 10 Jul 2009 at 8:18 am #

    I have tons of TWM. Things my kids have made from me or stuff passed down from grandparents. Most of my house is filled with family photos. I love being surrounded by photos of people I love.

    rg

17. JudyPatooty on 10 Jul 2009 at 8:37 am #

    I’ve got lots of antiques that are precious to me, but the baby grand piano I inherited from my parents is extra-special. It was given to my father by his three spinster great-aunts when he was just a young boy, sometime in the early 1930s. My mother jokingly said she married my dad for his piano. And now it’s mine. I grew up taking piano lessons on that piano and always loved just being able sit down and play some old Broadway tunes just for the fun of it.

    Now, the piano is still sitting in my late parents’ house while the house is on the market, but once the house sells, that piano is getting squeezed into the living room of my condo. Once again I’ll be able to just sit down and play tunes for the fun of it!

    The first thing I thought of for a TWM is a poster I bought at the British Museum in 1979 during my very first trip to London. There was an exhibit on at the time called “Flowers in Art from East to West” and the poster reproduced a beautiful painting of a flower. The text, however, was placed on the poster in such a way that if you glanced quickly at it, it looked as though it said “Flowers Fart.”

18. Lisa H on 10 Jul 2009 at 8:57 am #

    Thanks Karen H – What a nice blog today. I am so happy everyone seems to have such special treasures.

19. Claudia Dain on 10 Jul 2009 at 9:02 am #

    I have a few antiques, but many more TWM. The whole house is TWM! I have photos everywhere and each one brings back the memory of the entire day.

    My grandmother took up painting when she was 60 and my house is full of her art; in my bedroom are hanging two oil paintings of trees in fall color. My mother “commissioned” the paintings from her mother, my grandmother, in the 1960s. My mom wanted the paintings to hang over twin beds in the master bedroom. My grandmother took forever and ever to paint them, my mom nagging and nagging, (my mom on the east coast and my grandmother on the west), finally my mom just yelled at her mom and told her to send what she had, even if they weren’t perfect, even if my grandmother didn’t think they were quite finished.

    My mom was a perfectionist and those two blank spots in her bedroom were driving her batty.

    My grandmother was a perfectionist and those two paintings weren’t quite good enough yet.

    Well, she sent them, and they don’t look finished. But my mom framed them and hung them. And now I have them hanging in my master bedroom, same frames, same slightly unfinished look to them. I love everything about them.

20. evlqn on 10 Jul 2009 at 9:51 am #

    Karen, I remember sitting on the sleeping porch on Sundays after dinner while grandpa made the most wonderful music. He was one of those people who could play several instruments. He had a bass fiddle that my brother would grab the neck and swing his leg over the body pretending to ride a horse. My brother’s daughter plays the violin now so we still have that legacy.

    The beeswax on the desk was so black with age no one knew it was cherry wood until I spilled fingernail polish on it and took off some of the patina. After that I removed the rest of the wax so it wouldn’t look so strange. I was told I ruined the value of the desk but since it is not now or ever for sale I didn’t care.

    I found a construction paper and doilie heart the says I Love You Mom from my son Quentin in 2nd grade. I am having it framed for protection.

21. Sabrina Jeffries on 10 Jul 2009 at 10:27 am #

    Funny you should post about this, because just yesterday the workman and I had a chat about my two 19th-century steamer trunks I bought at garage sales years ago (separate garage sales, but they’re very similar, so when I saw the second one, I figured it was “made to be”). They’re pressed tin with intricate designs. I just really liked them. They look like fancy pirates’ chests (not THAT kind of chests–get your mind out of the gutter! *G*).

    As for TWM–there’s so many! There’s the ship prism hubby bought me that is what they used to diffuse light under the decks of ships (he bought it because Pirate Lord had just come out–isn’t that sweet?). There’s the pretty tile he gave me last Valentine’s Day that I use on my desk as a coaster. There’s the vase I made as a ten-year-old. There’s the card my brother gave me on behalf of my nonverbal son for Mother’s Day (isn’t that so sweet?). Lots of TWMs!

22. Cail on 10 Jul 2009 at 10:34 am #

    Sabrina, I love those prism things! They also used them on docks, and we’ve got a bunch of them on the mantle since the DH comes from a sea family and we live in a sea town. They’re the coolest things! What a thoughtful gift.

23. nancyg on 10 Jul 2009 at 10:37 am #

    No antiques here… my mom has a few jade figures & statues she brought with her from China to Taiwan to the U.S. that are earmarked for me – hopefully it’ll be SEVERAL years before they see the inside of my house

    TWM – an emerald ring from my late grandmother that she got on a trip with my grandfather to Brazil – had to have it resized – she had tiny fingers & I have Fred Flintstone hands – short & stubby!
    A diamond ring passed down from my great-grandmother to the oldest daughter in the family. I have it in my jewelry box to pass down to daughter #1…after she stops losing everything, like her car keys, phone, etc.

    Mostly things my kids made me – pottery bowls on my dresser top to store stuff – clay flower pots painted & decorated – the Christmas ornaments they made every year at elementary school holiday parties. Photos – lots of photos & scrapbooks (I’m still WAY behind on scrapbooking!).

    My kids made my husband a poster-sized photo collage for Father’s Day about 5 years ago – they did all the captions, complete with misspellings, etc. It’s hanging in his office – titled “The G Family – the 1st 10 years”, lol.

24. Karen Hawkins on 10 Jul 2009 at 11:53 am #

    Pesky, I hereby dub you the Queen of Nicknames! Sprat and Squid sounds full of personality — as do you. Those are some lovely TWMs and I can see that you’ve surrounded yourself with them. As you say — way kewl!

    SusanM, that is just so awesome that your grandfather left such a large part of himself with you. I love landscapes. They all seem to tell a story and you can almost hear the artist describing it. Thank you for sharing! Please do take some pictures and post them. I love seeing some of the items you all describe here on the blog. It makes it more real.

    Cail, he replaced the lost ones? Now that’s a Keeper! Sounds as if it was a labor of love.

    SuzyQ, that is so romantic! Wow. Made me tear up a little. I love Christmas ornaments and now, every Christmas, you’ll relive those memories when you hang the ornament. How adorable!

25. Karen Hawkins on 10 Jul 2009 at 12:00 pm #

    Margaret, some of your TWMs are also antiques. That’s a double wowza! It seems we have a lot of goddesses here with talented relatives. That’s just awesome.

    It’s so interesting how many of our TWMs are handmade. It makes me want to do more stained glass so my kids will have something from me. I need to set my workshop back up — it’s been too long!

    Fresh, I know people who would DIE for a stack of luggage like that! It’s artistic and I bet people ask about it all of the time. I saw something like that on a decorating show once, though they made a coffee table out of it and it was SO cool!

    TrishD, looks like you’ve got a treasure trove of TWMs! It’s funny how the calligraphy piece was destined to be tossed and yet it has so much value to you. One of my favorite TWMs is a little card my daughter made me when she was in pre-school. It’s torn and the spelling is wayyy off, and she messed up the flower she was gluing on, but oh, it’s PERFECT to me. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

    Rachel, I’ve only recently started putting up photos and I love them, too. Don’t know why I waited so long, but they mean a lot to me and I grin every time I see them.

26. Karen Hawkins on 10 Jul 2009 at 12:08 pm #

    JudyP, the piano sounds like a grand dame of antiques AND TWM! I bet she’ll be as glad to be home with you as you’ll be glad to have her back. Btw, Flowers Fart — bwhahahahaha! Some typesetter is probably still giggling about that one!

    LisaH, it has been! For me, one of the gifts in doing this blog has been in getting to know and hear about so many people’s lives and treasures. What we hold dear is a very intimate and personal part of who we are and it’s an honor to get these glimpses into their lives.

    Claudia, how I laughed at thinking of your mother and grandmother butting heads because of they were so alike! It sounds as if perhaps the pictures WERE finished since they’re perfect for you.

    eviqn, I think you’re absolutely right to clean off the old wax from the desk! Now you see how it used to look! I had my grandmother’s Victorian rocker refurbished. I don’t want it sitting in the corner of the room, sagging and sad. I want it used and loved. That’s what furniture is for and it’s especially what my grandmother would have wanted.

27. Nicole Jordan on 10 Jul 2009 at 12:10 pm #

    I only own one antique — a china cabitnet that belonged to my grandmother that doesn’t have any sentimental value. But I have tons of TWM’s. What a great descriptive phrase, Karen!

    Photo and momentos from trips I’ve taken. Special books. Plaques. A greeting card saying I got years ago that says “To be good is not enough when you dream of being great.” I think the photos mean the most, which kind of surprises me since I rarely take photos but leave that to my dh.

    And it’s so fun to read about everyone else’s memory treasures. If I were writing a contemporary novel, these would make fabulous background material for characters.

28. Karen Hawkins on 10 Jul 2009 at 12:16 pm #

    Sabrina, I’d love to see those steamer chests! I love that era style of things and the way they used pressed tin for decoration — mixing it with leather and iron and all sorts of mediums, is simply brilliant.

    As for your TMWs, your husband was uber thoughtful to get you that gift — and so was your brother for sending you the Mother’s Day card for your son. Wow. You definitely got some treasures!

    NancyG, I want to see The G Family, the first 10 years! What a glorious present. That’s just SO special! I love that you have jewelry you’re waiting to pass on to your kids. I have a few pieces I’m doing the exact same thing — waiting for them to roost somewhere before I move these items into their houses. You’re so smart to wait until the time is right!

    You guys have some priceless objects in your homes — and some incredible antiques, too.

29. Madeline Hunter on 10 Jul 2009 at 2:56 pm #

    I mostly have things with memories. When my grandmother passed away, I was asked if I wanted something from her house. I chose the little glass and metal container that she kept jam in. It conjures up memories of visiting her and having a simple but delicious breakfast in her kitchen.

    I have a few antiques inherited from my mother-in-law. Nothing really special, but nice pieces. My family has not been in the U.S. long enough to amass quality items that would be saved and made into antiques. So most of my furniture has been bought by me and dh, and it pretty functional. Now that the “boys” are grown I may branch out and get good stuff, lol. I think that I need them gone, though. They are still hard on furntiture.

30. Karen Hawkins on 10 Jul 2009 at 4:18 pm #

    Nicole, I’m the same way about photos only I do take them. But it’s only been recently that I actually displayed them and oh, I do love that!

    Madeline, it’s nice when the kids grow old enough to appreciate the good furniture — or move out so you can! I had some nice pieces that I kept in storage until my kids were old enough not to run across the room and jump on them as hard as they could. Which was uhm, last year. Heh!

31. Jamie on 10 Jul 2009 at 4:24 pm #

    I have some knick knacks that I have collected over the years. Some of the things that I wanted to save happened into my nieces and nephews hands BEFORE I could give them to them. I find out they had them, when they came to me with the broken toy. I was like — but. . . but. . . I was saving that. I had this Tonka dump truck that I put through the ringer and it kept going. My favorite thing to do with it was to put my dollies in the back and take them for rides. I was saving it for my child. My nephews broke it. I couldn’t believe all the things I put that truck through and it never broke, but my nephews found a way to break it.

    I do have some of my Dad’s things. My Dad passed away in 2002 and we have some oil paintings he painted, his favorite chair, that I never want to give away. It is a BIG burgundy leather wing back lounger. None of the things I have are true antiques. But they do have some sentimental value.

32. Karen Hawkins on 10 Jul 2009 at 7:56 pm #

    Lol! Jamie, I think your nephews and my nephew are related. He’s adorable, but oh, everything he touches just seems to ‘fall apart’ in his hands. He’s always as surprised as we are! Btw, my brother had that same Tonka dump trunk and you’re right — it’s nearly indestructible! He also had the crane — did you have that, too?

    Your dad’s chair sounds absolutely wonderful – like something you’d see in an really uber-cool library. If you hang onto it long enough, it will not only be a TWM, but an antique, too!

33. Jamie on 10 Jul 2009 at 8:13 pm #

    I didn’t have the Tonka crane, but I did have a train set. The dollies went for rides in that, too!

34. Patricia Barraclough on 11 Jul 2009 at 12:47 am #

    My husband and I went to auctions to buy furniture before we got married and kept right on doing it afterwards. Those pieces were antiques. At the time it was a cheap way to get good furniture. Many of those pieces have fond memories and a history of our finding them and getting them. Some of the pieces we were able to learn some of their history before they became ours. I have many family pieces from my dad’s side of the family. The most special is a spindle platform cradle. It goes back to my grandmother’s family. My grandson was the 6th generation to use it. I have a lovely little oval portrait on porcelain in a velvet case that I bought in an antique shop in Maine shortly after we got married. Don’ know who painted it or who it was, but our daughter looks a lot like her.