...is another Gran(ddaughter)'s Treasure!
There seems to have been a shift in attitude somewhere along the line. Here is me, 30 years old, teaching myself to sew, knit and cook from scratch, and scouring charity shops and boot sales in search of older, good-quality items with a 'granny-chic' feel.
And then you have my Grandma, 78 years old, rapidly chucking out anything in her house that has any kind of history or personality and replacing it with all sorts of old junk from the pound shop. Her living room is currently a cacophony of lime green and fuchsia cushion covers, canvas flower pictures, vases, bowls, candles and other 'accents'. It's as though, after living through WWII and spending years having to 'make do and mend', now that she does have some spare cash she's wholeheartedly embraced a disposable lifestyle just because she CAN.
A few weeks ago I went round and found this picture in the hallway by the door, ready to be put in the bin. I remember Miss Wong vividly from my childhood - she hung in the spare bedroom and scared the bejesus out of me when I stayed over - I couldn't understand why she was all blue-tinged and not normal flesh tones. I hadn't seen her in Grandma's house for years and assumed she'd been binned a long time ago, but it turns out she'd just been stuck behind the wardrobe.
I asked if I could give her a new home - of course Granny said yes, adding that she'd had another similar picture but had painted over it in white and used it as a jigsaw tray! This is her mentality - she just thinks of her old stuff as old junk, and can't see why it would be of any value to anyone else.
I asked if I could give her a new home - of course Granny said yes, adding that she'd had another similar picture but had painted over it in white and used it as a jigsaw tray! This is her mentality - she just thinks of her old stuff as old junk, and can't see why it would be of any value to anyone else.
I had no idea these 1960s Tretchikoff pictures were originally from Boots, but I do know they're fairly sought-after nowadays and go for upwards of £60 on ebay... but I won't be selling her. She doesn't scare me anymore and in fact I quite love her now - I think she looks well on my blue wall don't you?
Does anyone else have to contend with a mad Granny like mine, chucking good stuff away with wild abandon? Have you managed to rescue anything as good as this?
I can sort of see why you'd think she was scary.
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of paintings on my walls, which were given to me by my grandparents - apparently my great grandfather was something of a painter in his spare time, the ones I have are Lowry style scenes and I really love them. Worthless though they may be, I like the fact they are someone's original artwork - a little different to picking up a mass-produced print from Next or Ikea.
I think of judging older relatives for not loving the same charity-shop stuff we do as a bit like the rich girl in Pulp's 'Common People'. We are, at the end of the day, able to pick up something new if we really need it; charity shopping is a choice. For many it isn't. We don't have ration books or shortages etc' and it's easy to laugh at someone chucking out 60s mass produced (because sweet as that image is, it is just a cheap print) art prints... but in 50 years time someone might well laugh at us for chucking out our bits and bobs from Boots!
ReplyDeleteWell I resent being compared to the Common People rich girl!! I'm certainly NOT 'judging' my lovely Grandma and I recognise that she has spent a lot of her life struggling to make ends meet (I even said so), this was simply meant as a lighthearted post marvelling at how something I find so fabulous would have gone to landfill had I not popped in when I did.
DeleteI agree I have to contend with a Mother much like your lovely gran. She was using lovingly hand made crochet doilies to scrub out the cats litter tray as they were abrasive! I could have wept all over her Argos glass and chrome coffee table ;0) xx
ReplyDeleteHmm yeah I think she's slightly scary! But then I tend to prefer landscape paintings, more to look at! I'm kinda loving your trolls the most ;)
ReplyDeleteShe's... distinctive...! I *wish* I'd got a few more of my grandmother's old things; she had fantastic taste!
ReplyDeleteAll Mr P and my grandparents have passed away but we collected special things from their houses and it's what helps to make our house a home. I love the personality and history old things have. Enjoy your picture! x
ReplyDeleteMy parents are always getting new stuff which to me seems boring, but then I replace my ikea furniture with charity shop stuff! I suppose it's partly a generational thing, as you say but I like having things with a history though I do have to balance charity shop love with keeping clutter under control.
ReplyDeleteNope, fortunately my last remaining grandparent is a total hoardaholic! Honestly,you can barely move in there! Sadly, all the Nan vintage clothes are long-gone- I do have her jewellery though!
ReplyDeleteOoh I remember that picture! Pretty sure my grandparents had one - always slightly freaked me out! Goodness knows what happened to it... I don't have any grandparents left now but my parents house is choc full of antiques of variable quality and desirability, can't see them throwing anything out (they never throw anything out unless its to make space for something else and even then more likely to just shuffle things around a bit to squeeze it in!). There are definitely a few things I have my eye on, mostly things that don't really have any value as such but hold memories for me. :-)
ReplyDeleteOh man she is BRILLIANT.
ReplyDeleteNo nothing for me. No Grandparents left to try and steal stuff from. Well gutted.
Just wondered if you'd seen this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21195560 x
ReplyDeleteShe was my first ever Tretchikoff, I bought her for £6 from a car boot sale about 10 years ago and I still get emails from blog readers wanting to buy her. She looks ace on your wall, don't ever sell her! x
ReplyDeleteIf I were you I'd make sure anything to be discarded has to be approve by you first. This picture look fab!
ReplyDeleteShe looks great against your wall - great find from Grandma! My mum is sometimes a bit bemused at the stuff I want from my grandparents, she likes a rummage around a flea market/antique place herself but I think her own parents' stuff is too familiar to her and seems like 'that old junk'.
ReplyDeletex