Friday, December 31, 2010

What's Old Is New Again

I find it interesting to watch my daughters as adults.  I know they were both raised under the same roof, with the same parenting, and the same opportunities...yet there are some striking differences between the two.

Chelsea is typically on the cutting edge of everything fashionable and trendy.  As you look through a current fashion magazine, you might see what some of her current outfits look like.  She loves shopping at high end department stores, boutiques, and, of course, Target...because doesn't everyone shop there?

Courtney, on the other hand, is more traditional and classic.  She's not super trendy...or spendy.  When it comes to toys and furniture, she loves old things.  If she has money burning a whole in her pocket, you can usually find her scouring antique and junk stores for a hidden treasure.  She loves the idea that something had a whole other life before it got to her and that it's getting to live another one with her.  She's also quite sentimental and loves quality heirloom pieces from our own family.  This became increasingly evident as she started putting toys together for Heidi Sage.

I had a couple of "hidden treasures" tucked away that I decided to fix up and give to Heidi Sage for Christmas.  I was certain Heidi Sage would love it and I knew Courtney would appreciate it.

The girls each had a Cabbage Patch doll when they were little along with a bunch of handmade clothes their Grammy and I had made for them.  I held onto these hoping there might one day be some granddaughters to enjoy them.

Courtney's doll had definitely suffered some wear and tear love.  :-)  This required some washing and restitching...




It wasn't long before our little baby doll was looking new again.

I was also able to wash and repair the old outfits for the doll.


As I was working on this, Courtney called one day very excited about a new "hidden treasure" she had found at one of her favorite antique stores.  She was wanting to get Heidi Sage a stroller, but couldn't find one that coordinated with her bedroom and play kitchen....have I mentioned how much Courtney likes things to coordinate???

While making one of her routine stops, she came across this carriage.  The lady who owned the booth happened to be there working that day.  Her and Courtney started talking about what it would be used for and the lady was so touched by Courtney's love for everything old that she told her she could take 20% off the price...and if you know Courtney, you know she's a sucker for a sale...or a discount.  Just ask Rodney.

So, with 20% off, a "classic" look, an untold story, and a paint color that nearly perfectly matched the walls in Heidi Sage's room, Courtney couldn't walk away without it.  I decided I would buy it from Courtney, fix it up, and make it part of Heidi Sage's Christmas gift with her doll and clothes.

I started by making a bumper pad to go around the inside with some leftover fabric I had from another project.

Nothing beats a custom fit.  :-)

Then I made a flat pillow to go in the bottom using the same fabric.

To finish it off, I made a small blanket.  Heidi Sage believes every little girl should have a special blanket, and this blanket has not left this baby since she got it.  :-)

Do you have a "hidden treasure" that just needs a little love to be new again?   Start looking around, you might be surprised what you will find....and how much someone will love it!

Treasuring Memories,

Linking to...
Keeping It Simple

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