Granting that I am deeply prone to random flights of fancy, it somehow never occurred to me to look at antiques as anything but what they are. See, my dad loves antiquing, so its something that I've tagged along on since before I was able to watch. On any given weekend, growing up, it was a distinct possibility that I would be at an antique mall, walking around and looking at fancy hats, dresses, pictures or dolls. For whatever reason, I never used this time to indulge my creative side.
That changed when Justin and I decided to go antiquing with my dad last weekend. Justin has never been (I do love taking people on adventures they've never had before) and it had been almost six months since the last time I set foot in an antique shop and gave it a good once-over. So when my dad told us he was heading over to Bay City for the afternoon to hit up the big antique mall there, we both decided that was the way to spend the rest of the day.
The thing I love about antique malls is that they just have everything. There are toys, old guns, medals, furniture, books, candles, paintings, sculptures, hat- OK. I think you get my point. Really the better part is how many buried treasures there are. A lot of times people don't really understand the value of something they're selling so its a bit like a bargain-scavenger hunt.
Oh, John F. Kennedy, even sewn into a throw,
your timeless good looks shine through.
Despite my years of experience with antique shops, I'd never stopped to think about what those buried treasures could become. I decided it was time to look at my familiar haunt in a new way and see what interesting things came of it. While my dad looked around for books, Justin and I went around the whole place looking for things we could transform.
By the end of the afternoon, we'd come up with a ton of different designs. Ways to turn bathtubs into couches and street signs into sculptures. It was an exciting indulgence in creative thought. But man what a cop out it would be if that was the only thing I did, right? I know. I'd be disappointed in me as well.
No, once the dust settled at the antique mall, Justin had gone back home and I'd gotten myself over to Lansing for the week, I sat down and put pen to paper on some of the designs that we talked about while we were walking around. The one problem, of course, is that I'm an absolutely hideous artist.
Its a truck.
I still did sit down and sketch out at least a couple designs that I thought could be realistic. I'm incredibly excited about the possibility of actually making one of the designs that Justin and I talked about. I've gained a new found appreciation for antiques. In particular the old furniture. As we walked around last weekend, we stopped and opened drawers and tested shelves. There is so much beautiful craftsmanship that could be put to use in interesting new ways.
As for the design drawings; I'm still choosing which one I'll actually build. Once I do, I'll post the runners-up for your viewing pleasure. But, you know, I gotta keep the mystery alive somehow.
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