Junk From My Trunk

A summerized antique secretary

My writer buddy Margaret Maron emailed Sunday to gently chastise me, asking why I hadn’t blogged lately. Who me? I’ve been to Kentucky and back, worked on the manuscript for the new book. (And no, it’s still not done!)Entertained old friends for dinner Saturday night, did a little babysitting for Molly–who rewarded me by barfing in my car. Just your typical boring old week. So, here, for Margaret, and for anybody else who is interested, is a round-up of the weekend’s junking adventures. Sadly, I did not get to do any junking in Kentucky, because I did not have a car at my disposal. Instead, I locked myself up in my hotel room in Louisville, and worked on the stinking manuscript. I know, pity party, right?

But I did get home shortly after noon Thursday, which meant I had plenty of time to hot-foot it over to Vicki’s sale in Morningside, another of my favorite Atlanta in-town junking neighborhoods. I found an oil painting of the beach that I really liked, but at $300, it was too pricey. Instead, I settled on a primitive painting on board of a boathouse/stilt-house, which somebody at the sale suggested might be by a Key West artist. The signature on it looks like Ray. Or something. Anyway, I like it, and think it would be a fun addition to the back porch at The Breeze Inn. If not, it can always go in my booth at Seaside Sisters.


Beachy painting, headed down to Tybee

I also found a pair of vintage-looking silver pheasants. Mr. Mary Kay enjoys pheasant hunting, and since I already had a pair of antique silver hunting dogs, which I display on the Welsh Cupboard in our dining room, I thought they might like to join the dogs there. Sort of my own little joke, you know? Pheasants, bird dogs, dining room? Okay, it’s a really, really inside joke. At the same sale, for $3, I scored a brand new autographed copy of Bon Appetit, Y’all, a southern cookbook by Atlanta chef and food writer Virginia Willis, who is a friend of friends. Can’t wait to start trying recipes.


Pheasants, platters, dining room–get it?

On Saturday morning, Katie and I scooted over to a yard sale run by another old food writer friend from my AJC days. Lots of interesting stuff there, but we had Molly, and Katie had a tennis match to get to, so I only managed snag a white and red enamelware pot for $4, a vintage hammered aluminum lidded dish for $3, and a bunch of vintage paper Japanese lanterns, bringing me up to my total of $8.

Japanese lanterns for a little girl’s first birthday

After the sale, I spent some quality time cleaning up Molly, who then settled in for a long nap, allowing me to do some house-fluffing. I rearranged the stuff in the antique secretary in my living room. The secretary is a favorite piece of mine, bought at the Charlotte Metrolina antique market with my friend Mary, using money from an honorarium from giving a speech. Last year, with my friend Clay’s help, we styled it up by backing the shelves with cardboard covered with some blue and white fabric I had lying around in my stash. Then I arranged some seashells and some pieces of ironstone, and voila! Instant summer.

As for the stuff from the Saturday sale? I’ll plop a red geranium in the pot and use it in my Fourth of July table-setting, the aluminum dish may be a gift for a friend who just started collecting the stuff, and the paper lanterns? There are a total of 20 of them, and I think they might make a fun addition to Molly’s upcoming first birthday party. I hung a few from one of my dining room chandeliers, just to check out the look, and I kinda likey. They have that Teahouse of the August Moon vibe, doncha think? Oh yeah, I just happened to find a copy of the book in the secretary, while I was arranging it, probably picked up for 50 cents at a long-forgotten sale.
And that’s my glamorous, thrill-packed week. Aren’t you glad you asked, Margaret?

A little inspiration, perhaps?

7 thoughts on “Junk From My Trunk”

  1. Alright, Lady….YOUR weekend was WAY more productive than mine. I wanna be you!

  2. Just found your blog thanks to Hooked on Houses. I have been a faithful reader for many years and I must say that my favorites are your mysteries. Those Atlanta cleaning ladies are a hoot. My DH is from Savannah so I understand your love for your Tybee Beach House. We love Tybee too…my sis in law has a house there. It is on the north beach and it is part of the old Ft Screven. Her back yard looks out at the lighthouse. Our family has been blessed to spend many fun filled summer days there.

  3. Always in the market for a good book I came via Julia/Hooked on Houses.

    I loved seeing your cottage in BHG, I have never been to Tybee, my daugher recently moved to GA, so we just may get there 🙂

    All the best,

    Kathy 🙂

  4. Oooohhhh! So excited to find that you have a blog! I read (audio) to a book of yours a few months back, Hissy Fit. I really enjoyed it. 🙂 I would love to read The FIxer Upper. Just popped over from Hooked on Houses blog at her mention of you….

  5. Mary Kay,ummm Kathy, what a total delight to visit you here. 🙂 Can't wait to read your book (s) ~ wondering where I've been before this.

    Great finds, love the sense of humor about the birds and hunting dogs. xoxo Lidy

    ps. I'll be having my grandbabies over soon, and I hope they don't barf in my car.

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