Because I like the thought of old stuff...

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 22:18:04 GMT

If I were pressed to look around the cottage and describe my style of decorating, I'd have to call it early attic.

I'm not, nor have I ever been, a "matchy-matchy" kind of gal. I do have a matching leather covered sofa and loveseat now three years old, but for the most part, my home is furnished in cast-offs and things handed down to me by members of generations no longer with us.

I've already written about musing at Grandma's table, which continues to be a focal point when you come in my front door.

I've always loved old and pre-owned stuff, and when I had my pick-up truck, I braked frequently (and sometimes suddenly) for the signs announcing flea markets in old abandoned buildings in rural Arkansas. I thrill to find baskets and boxes of old silver and silverplate cutlery.

I am particularly smitten with my newest spooner, which has a place of honor on Grandma's table. What's the point of having a spooner if not to have the spoons at hand?

Spooners were all the rage in the Victorian era, from about 1837 until their popularity died out in the 1930s.

The term is derived from the original name of spoonholder, which I personally find incredibly boring and pedestrian.

My spooner has two really fun serving pieces in it, which I still use.

The lacy looking, almost flat serving pieces are tomato servers. Aren't they a hoot? They were quite popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, until we all seemed to default to stabbing our tomato slices with a fork and hoping we didn't dribble tomato juice across the table on the way to our plates.

My newest spooner is a reproduction, but quite functional. (I am also partial to jadeite.)

Unless it had been passed down through the family, you would not have found a spooner on Grandma's table. It was purchased new in 1949.

The great thing about early attic is that everything blends in and will make for an interesting dilemma for my son when I am gone.

I can hear him now...

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Shakin' the Family Tree

Because I like the thought of old stuff...