Heidi Heads Home

I need to go backwards for a moment to explain where this idea for a Blog came from. It started two weeks back with a thrift shop purchase. I often scour my local thrift shop for vintage and handmade items, and this charming bust of a woman came home with me for $2.00. Husband thought it seemed very old, and after cleaning and looking – with reading glasses and strong light – I found a date and signature in pencil: “1976 Heidi” (unfortunately her last name is illegible).

Made me start to think about the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976 when handcrafts, especially “olden times” ones like sewing and quilting, became all the rage. (Gunny Sack dresses anyone?!) I actually recall working on a Bicentennial quilt for a school fundraiser…and yes, I sewed the dang thing right to my pants!

Now we are looking at a 250 years -Quarter Millennium Celebration. I find it sad that, in our busy, hyper-modern lives, people are less interested in handcrafts. Hand-painted, hand-stitched, hand-molded, hand-carved items are frequently offloaded to local thrifts store when family members pass away and the stories attached to the items lose relevance. 

Yes, I get it, having “stuff” is not necessarily helpful in life. But, these treasures bring me Maire Kondo-level joy. My goal is to write about the things I have picked up – whether from thrift shops, flea markets, estate sales, garage sales, or Ebay. Or, family heirlooms that were passed on to me. My writing will celebrate these one-of-a-kind items that are made with love and effort and have a home in my house.

Now, back to our sweet Heidi. No idea where she made it, but I am guessing it was a high school art project. Yes, she’s a bit wonky, but heck, you take a lump of clay and do your best to create a bust of a woman and see how you do! Love the deep groves etched into the clay to make her hair and hat – a vintage cloche! My husband is correct, cloche hats were worn in the 1920s, so Heidi was channeling a true vintage vibe in 1976. A time we were all looking into the past when handcrafts were an integral part of our every day lives.

https://konmari.com/marie-kondo-rules-of-tidying-sparks-joy/