Saturday, May 15, 2010

Channeling Emma - Katie's Story

I received the loveliest email from Katie this week. She advises:
Spend an evening with your grandmothers! I spent this evening with one of mine and left with some goodies that Emma would adore.

While she was going through jewelry - she wants me to know what came from whom, why certain pieces were important to her, as she won't be with us much longer — it was the sweetest thing ever to hear some of it.
These were my great-grandma's. She used to wear them to church...and while I'm not big into bugs, I will be sporting them with a lovely brown or blue cardi sometime soon!
This was quite possibly my FAVORITE piece in her whole collection. The teapot and cup with little chain as the tea just screamed Emma to me! Couldn't resist it! Grandma said she never even wore it!
This last sweater-clip was from my other grandma, actually. A long, LONG time ago (probably age four or five) I was going through her jewelry box without permission and she caught me and gave me the matching poodle pins. I just found a chain from my broken jewelry box - it needs a longer one - but this works for now.

Grandmas are so giving. A few "oohs" and "aahs" is all it takes to snag a piece of vintage jewelry they're probably not wearing anyways. That and a hug accompanied by a long, dreamy flashback about grandpa's love letters from WWII. Although she couldn't understand why I wanted a sweater-clip so badly...that can be our little secret.

Katie's right. When I was growing up, my family lived in the same house with my grandparents. I come from a blue-collar working family, so my grandmother didn't have much in the way of possessions, but she did give me a few pieces that are priceless to me. Most importantly, I have her handwritten cookbook, filled with the recipes my family enjoyed around the table each and every night of my childhood.

Whether you walk away with pretty vintage sweater clips, handwritten cookbooks, or photographs, make some time for the important women in your life. The greatest reward will be the memory.

Thank you, Katie, for sharing your memory with us.

13 comments:

Teresa said...

This was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. What gorgeous pieces and they are even more gorgeous because they belonged to someone so special.


My grandmother passed away 2 years ago, and I have her pajama pants hanging on my headboard. They make me smile every time I see them. :) Sometimes I take them down and just hang on to them as I sleep.


This post was absolutely wonderful and really warmed my heart. Thanks for sharing with us!

Eliz said...

Wow, those are amazing clips! Just adorable. I love them!

Unfortunately my grandmothers are no longer alive (and they didn't wear things like sweater guards—too bad!), but I have an ivy plant one left to me that I treasure.

Anonymous said...

omigod i love the teapot one... amazing!!

those pieces are really special :-)

warm wishes!
Claudia K

http://fashionandpoise.blogspot.com

Amy Berra said...

Lovely, lovely post!!!

Sarahnargle said...

Just spent the morning at an art class with my grandmother; she always says the funniest things and has great stories: immigrating from Lebanon to California, the Bay Area in the middle of the century, and lots of things about the family, some of them as fun and snarky as can be. :)

Permanent Rose said...

Grandmas are the best. My grandma has lived in the same house since she got married, and it's like going on a treasure hunt when I go through all the rooms. I have so many trinkets, books, and jewelry that just remind me of her everytime I see them...

But the best part the items I find at my grandma's house are the stories behind them. Those are what I will truly never forget :D

the soft soled said...

I just found this site, and this is INCREDIBLE! I'm so glad others share my obsession with Emma's clothes; they're great! Can't wait to see what other Emma outfits you put together!


http://alittlesoftshoe.blogspot.com/

Melissa @ Silly Bee's Chickadees said...

I had my Emma Pillsbury birthday party last night and needed some accesories. Mom gave me two brooches of my late grandmother's. They were perfect with my butter yellow embroidered sweater.

When she passed away, I also got all of Grandma's cookbooks which are true treasures. Grandma was a baker for a school district for 30 years!

Thanks, Grandma Clara!

Deliciously Girly said...

I love them all, but the Teapot/Cup pin KILLS ME. Absolutely slays me. I'm dead. DEAD. This comment is coming from the beyond. ;D

Finding Me said...

oh my, what amazing pieces!

I wonder if sweater guards existed in the uk, and if so what they were called (maybe cardi clips??) I must own some pronto! hehe

Greg and Kim said...

I like to go through my grandmothers jewelry about once a year. I always find pieces that I love, but had overlooked in the past. I can't wait to go home at the end of this month and search again. Fingers crossed that there are some sweater clips in there!

Unknown said...

These are incredible pieces! Maybe I will go talk to my grandma... And I will definitely be stalking my favorite vintage and antique haunts. All of a sudden I'm obsessed with sweater clips, thanks to this blog, hehe.

Digitally Delightful said...

How sweet and memorable : )