Just Some Thoughts
A little corner of Rust and Roses just for my email community.
Personal stories, favorite finds, memories, and whatever else happens to be on my mind.
A Sweet Flood of Memories
September 1, 2026
I was walking through a thrift store a few weeks ago and I came across this set of wooden scales from the 1970’s.
The sight of this piece stopped me in my tracks, and I felt myself smile. Not because I was hoping to find the piece, not because I thought it was cute (but it is), and not because I wanted to purchase it. I smiled because I experienced a flood of memories from my childhood when I saw that scale.
When I was very young my mom had one just like it on our living room coffee table. I can still remember the feel of the rough wood, the smell of the plastic grapes, and the sounds the chains made when you jostled the scale trays.
I also remember this piece getting me in hot water with my mom. I would remove the grapes from the scale and take them to my room. I can still hear my mom playfully calling through the house ‘Where are my grapes Peanut?’. I’m not sure why I took them. Maybe to get attention from my busy mom, and she never disappointed. She always came looking for those grapes!
It’s amazing how the sight, feel, or smell of a piece of décor can bring back memories. That spice rack that hung on your grandma’s wall, that silly looking clock that your aunt kept on her bedside table, or that piece of artwork that you saw every day when you entered your home.
These surprise emotions are one of my favorite things about thrift shopping. I’ve never been shopping with anyone who didn’t, at some point, say ‘My mom had that’ or ‘that looks just like my Grandma’s picture’. It’s usually followed by ‘I wonder what happened to that?’
While those beautiful pieces of vintage décor from our past may slip away over the years, the memories of the time spent in the home where they were displayed can be as fresh as they were many years ago.
Don’t wait years to get that smile on your face. Fill your home with things you love, things that mean something to you, or things that tell a story.
You won’t regret it.
Look around while you're here.
There’s always something new to discover at Rust and Roses.
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