March 10, 2010

why I play...

i grew up with parents
who love old
~~
and
because of them
i love the smoothness of old farmhouse tables
with initials carved in the sides
and
the tiny drawers of old spool cabinets
and
bubbled glass in old windows
and
anything
absolutely anything
that has layers and layers of peeling paint
that whisper tales about life
as they start to fall off
~~
i love old iron beds
that squeak
and
old grungy feed sacks with frayed edges
and
cracked dishes
that can only be admired
and
the
glass front cabinet that holds
the dishes my grandma used
without ever thinking
~even when were little~
that we could possibly break a favorite plate or glass
and
even if had
she wouldn't have cared
~~
so when some of my photos look unloved
which is how i often describe
new
i love them up with
a little bit of
old
*

granted
i loved this photo the moment i saw it
but
old and warm
just seems to fit me right now
as we wiggle our way out of winter
and
into spring
but
i wanted to share with you
the original
*
and
in case you were wondering
my parents are just as excited
as i am
for the outdoor flea market season to begin


40 comments:

  1. i love the way you love up your photos!

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  2. Me too - I'm a lover of 'old'. Wonderful processing...perfect way to 'love up' your photos!!

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  3. i love the texture used on the first photo. great match.

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  4. Ah beautiful! All the things I love and what a wonderful photo. I found a new favorite show now called American Pickers on the History channel which involves two guys roaming the countryside going through farmers' old treasures.

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  5. and you capture the aged in life so well..this is just so fantastic beth, I ALWAYS enjoy seeing what you see!

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  6. I love the ageing process you use on your photos. It is the first time I have ever seen it done. I love the way you see the world through your camera. I love to visit here and use the word love. It is the perfect word to explain how I feel when I view your photo's. LOVE them.

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  7. great nostalgia here ...

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  8. even though my parents loved new and modern, i still really appreciate old, as well. i think a lot of that comes from the fact that i'm married to an englishman and well, when we go over to visit, everything is old and so beautiful. i especially like the sound of creaky old wood floors!

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  9. oh Beth...I lust for weathered worn, tattered torn, rusty crusty, chippy peely...it's all about SOUL....stuff with LIFE, stories and a history. I am the one who scuffs up new tennies, rips her jeans and bleaches bandannas. I sandpaper my furniture, rip my fabrics and crumple my stationery. and I also have become a grunge texture addict with PS!!

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  10. To me, old means it has a history, a richness. I love the glorious things you describe here, it makes me want to touch them and to feel their history.

    Old is magical!

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  11. Beth, I feel the exact same way. My mother is an antiques dealer, her parents were antiques dealers, and my brother is an auctioneer. It's in the blood! Some of my earliest memories are of flea markets and auctions. I'm with you 100% about outdoor flea season. It is my favorite weekend pastime, hands down.

    I love this photo for all the reasons you describe. It is just beautiful.

    xo Gigi

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  12. let's go thrifting and antiquing!:)

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  13. hi beth, it's always a pleasure to visit you. i just love your grunged up photo (i love ALL your images!)
    erin

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  14. Love the photo!! And the thought of being able to be outdoors doing anything but shoveling sounds divine!!
    Come on spring!!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  15. Love the photo old and new.I think old tells a story and I like that. Have a wonderful Wednesday.

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  16. Love the photos, and LOVE flea market season even more :-)

    Yay Spring!!

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  17. yes everything you said, me too ... the photos (top & bottom) made me well up because the last time I saw a fence in snow was while visiting my beloved Aunt Judy at her farm in Nebraska, in February, and that was 2002. The prairie girl in me (who also needs wants loves adores thrives in seasons) surged forth. Oh you are so in my head, so much of the time ... love that.

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  18. Great pictures both ways. Love old, oh yes! When my husband and I were first married that was all we could afford to decorate our house. I always thought some day I will have new, but now all I want is old. Love searching out flea markets.

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  19. Beth, I love the photo, the textures and soft colors of old wood .. and disused barns lost in fields of uncut grass ... long-abandoned farmhouses with all their history soaked into the peelng walls...

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  20. Love it both ways, but I don't know how you managed to get a portrait of me when I'm not even there. And you've given me an idea: I think I'll google "flea markets Italy."

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  21. Love Them Beth, as we wiggle out of winter. Always great words to go with your photos. I will be gone until April so be well my friend, I will be by the moment I get back. take care.

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  22. Love, love it Beth. I love flea markets too, Do not get to them often, but every once in a while. Just stopped by , my sister is coming to get me today, will be in touch when I am back.

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  23. You do a great job loving up that fence, beth!

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  24. Beth, your thoughtful photos and words make us feel loved. I guess we have your parents to thank for raising up a good girl.

    donna

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  25. you know this, but i love the way you see things. i look at old fences or old barns or old windows and think, how can i fix this up? you see them with all their stories and layers and beauty and say, i'm listening.

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  26. I'd give anything for parents to go to the markets when spring finally arrives! This is a lovely photo and a wonderful tribute to people who sound very special (and much like mine in terms of valuing things that are old and very wabi-sabi!)

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  27. oh me too.... lover of old as long as i can remember...

    and i adore grubbying things up. :)

    funny though, my parents and my only brother are completely the opposite... which was nice for me..'.cause i got all the antiques... :) yay.... soo funny how life works...

    what a fabulous photo... the red just adds the perfect punch....

    not sure if i mentioned i adore your yes photo from yesterday as well...

    you "ROCK"... :) xxo, kim

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  28. Well, you'd love my place with it's authentic antique-ness and layers of peeling paint in some of the rooms!
    Beautiful post. Love what you did with the photo.

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  29. Is that top board of the fence bent? Kind of like me!! Old and bent. Smile.

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  30. I'm totally with you on worn out and loved and lived in.

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  31. Your edited photo is so lovely old. I love old, too. Flea markets and antique stores are two of my favorite places. (Book stores tend to take the top spot.)I used to visit them more often, finding old cameras and the beaded handbags.... You've reminded me of that!

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  32. i love old, frayed and previously loved too. beautiful processing on the shot

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  33. I love the photo and how you made it look rustic.

    Thumbs up to your mom & dad!

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  34. I love what you did to "love this photo up" a bit...you did good:)..and I'm with you on the old and the worn...my house was furnished from handmedowns and fleamarkets...

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  35. old certainly enhances. it does, after all, bring with it a little bit of character...

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  36. one of the many reasons (as i often say) i have come to love and appreciate you.

    old paint. grunge. metal and rust.

    yes. absolutely yes.

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  37. yes, old things are the best...of course it is good to feel that way as I get older...
    love both photos, but you are right, the aging adds that something extra special. just like on people...

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  38. P.S. The aged one reminds me so much of an Andrew Wyeth painting. Beautiful.

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  39. I would have to agree with your entire post! All except for the part about your parents loving old. My parents think I am nuts for loving things with a history.

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  40. DO you know you totally just described my life...upbringing and now! Uncanny, Beth- lol!

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**I love reading the comments you leave, as they make me feel like we're sitting in my kitchen, having a cup of tea, discussing life and wondering where all the time has gone ...beth