Sunday, March 19, 2017

Unpacking The Past

My late mother and aunt were gatherers in every sense of the word of just about anything and everything imaginable.  These ladies were born and raised in the City of Amsterdam, became war brides and immigrated to Canada with some of us children in tow.  Having survived WWII, hunger, deprivation and losses of their family members, homes and being displaced, they believed they were deserving of these bits and baubles as they were want to call the multitude of possessions they amassed during their lifetimes.  

My Mum at 85 and still beautiful
I have still one storage locker filled with articles of furniture and over 100+ boxes and Rubbermaid totes to prove this.  Today, these ladies would be called HOARDERS, I just called them mum and aunt and loved their idiosyncrasies dearly.

So yesterday I began the daily task of sifting through 5 boxes I managed to extract from the storage locker and bring home.  In those boxes I discovered many more Jewelry boxes....filled with....Vintage jewelry.  Would you believe me when I tell you I have so far unpacked 7 jewelry boxes filled full of real as well as costume jewelry????

So much so that it becomes overwhelming.  Some of these brooches I found are exquisite, some are real gold or silver pieces, some gems to be sure, others are mostly costume pieces, but so vintage!  My late mother and aunt were fashion frenzied but my they sure looked beautiful when all decked out in much of their finery with fashionable jewelry accessories!

I know I haven't seen so many clip on earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets, or brooches all in one place as I have in recent days.  I am not certain yet, but I am hoping this is the last of the jewelry boxes.  *one weekend nearing the Christmas holiday, I spent three days going through tin boxes of buttons....oh my now it's real and costume jewelry I am sorting through.

Here are but some of the pieces I have found.





These are but some of the brooches!




 Some of the amassed clip on earrings!



And necklaces, just haven't photographed many of these yet - many of these have or will find their way into the shop online.  I actually have 3 bags filled with costume jewelry pieces where either the strand(s) broke, or the brooches without pins or bits and pieces of bracelets without clasps or broken links all of which are going to a young person who recycles and she will be glad of the supplies to be certain, but again I find this so overwhelming. 

This task I seem to have been set on accomplishing may at the slow rate I am progressing take another year, but, in all truth as overwhelming as this all is, the memories many of these boxes yield are as precious as they are physically demanding. 

WANNA COME AND PLAY WITH ME?  Cookies and milk for everyone!


No comments: