Love notes

Even though I have spent my sunday packing stuff to move to my parents (my room is getting too small) these little boxes will never leave my side. All three are very different but for me they belong together. The first one at the bottom of the tower I bought in a secondhand store. The woman at the front was seducing me to buy it. I just love these 18th century pictures. In this one I keep my paper treasures. These papers include letters from penpals to brochures of other countries I've been to. Just papers that are personal and I feel I have to keep this together for later. But every now and then when I have nothing to do I'll open the box and going through all the stuff.

The second box was a housewarming gift from two of my good friends. I'll never forget the moment they gave it to me, filled with cookies and a picture of the three of us. It really means a lot to me. In this one I keep all my postcards from all over the world. From my friends who are on holidays and the ones I got through the website: http://www.postcrossing.com A marverlous website where I started two years ago. In one year I gained more than 100 postcards, I love them so much, they are all different in stamps, handwriting and just the idea of someone somewhere on the world thinking of a little personal story to write you.

The third one I got from my stephmother when I moved to Amsterdam, she told me it is a rare piece and I will never get rid of it. I use it as cookiejar. All these little treasures made by other people, mostly personal thing written to me, give me a special bond with these pieces of paper.
Bisous,
Amy

Cutest store ever!

Last week, my friend and I were cycling through the city. At once I saw this little store overloaded with old clothes and objects. Immediately we stopped to visit this little walhalla of vintage. There was actually not much place to move, everything piled and cabinets full of stuff. Even the owner of the shop belonged to the whole picture and Atmosphere with her fifties look. The only thing what bothered me were all this cards which said: Don't touch this. Like I was walking in a museum and not in a store.

Bisous, Amy

Keeping memories

Now, at an age of nineteen. I think about how I like it to look in photo albums. The ones of my mom when she was a kid, the ones of both my parents abroad. When I'm older in about 30 years or so I don't want to show my most dearest photo's to my kids on a computer. Thats why I bought a photo album. A beautiful bordeaux red with white pages. Thats the reason why I'm walking around with a digital camera and a disposable camera in my bag to fill this album. All these memories, these people I used to know and where I can talk about to my children while we're drinking tea and browse trough the big red photo album. A book is just so much more than a digital screen.

Long time no see.

After some rumors, losers en drama which kept my mind of all the nice stuff around me, I promise not to keep my blog alone for so long. A couple of days ago I went to Antwerp. We walked down streets with houses of all era's next to each other. We went to this nice little chapel, hidded in a crowded big street. Inside it was small and cozy. The whole space was used to decorate with portraits and flowers. We sat quietly till our peace got disturbed by the old lady which gave us dirty looks. Unfortunately I forgot my camera (which was still next to my pillow) I made some pictures with my analog camera, so the pictures are coming. Bisous, Amy

Bittersweet

This lovely old lady, friends with my grandma for over 60 years also happened to be my neigbour. I've spend so hours and hours sitting there in at the kitchen table having tea while looking in old photobooks. The tea in porcelain cups with flower drawings, the photo's sepia tinted. She was so happy to tell all her stories about her life in the past to a younger generation. 2 months ago, I was going to my parents and I just knew I had to visit her. I did just knew this would be the last time. And it was, a week later she died at the age of 92. Yesterday my mom came to me with this marvelous glass dish. It was from the lovely old lady, she used it for her sugarcubs. When I will find this antique tongs, maybe I will do suger in my tea and have high tea's in style.

bought at: inheritance age: around 50 years old bought for: free

Bisous, Amy

Sweet pink

When I came home yesterday evening at my parental house, I was surprised. I had forgot how many beautiful stuff I stored in my old room. And I rediscovered stuff I couldn't remember. So here, my chair. I still remember how dissapointed I was when I saw it standing there in a vintage store with a pricetag of 40 euros. Months later I visited the store again and the chair was still there, but 20 euros cheaper. I immediately paid without thinking about how to get it home. At the end I had to call a cab to bring me home with the chair.

bought at: Vintage store age: don't know bought for: 20 euros

Bisous, Amy

Where dreams come true.

When I moved from my parental house to our capital Amsterdam, the first thing I said was: I want a bigger bed. At the same time a woman from my mothers work was going to move to, but she moved into an elderly home. Because this lovely woman knew I love old stuff she asked me if I wanted her bed. So there it is, a bed which is taking half my room but with beautiful woodcarving. The woman bought this bed with her husband in 1952 in a little furniture store in our village and used it ever since. I don't know if I want to know what happened in this bed in all these years, but I know I want to make my own memories in it.

bought at: Furniture store age: 60 years old bought for: for free

Bisous, Amy

Tears in a bottle.

Ofcourse it was raining, when my friend and I visited her hometown 'Delft', an old city here in the Netherlands known for Vermeer's 'Girl with the pearl earring'. In this little secondhand shop I was walking between shelves with ceramics and glas when this little bottle catched my eye. After some research I discovered that the company named on the glass 'Sanostol' is an German pharmaceutical concern which made vitamins and medication in the 30's. The cap is saying 'brocapharm' actually the same sort of company but then in Netherlands. Overall this bottle is marvelous and probably I will use it as vase or something!

bought at: Secondhand store in Delft age: Made around the 30's bought for: €1,50

Bisous, Amy

12-12

Who needs a computer, when you can have this Remington typewriter? Being at my parental home is never exciting so I decided to pay a visit at the secondhand shop in another village. And there it was, love at first sight. Without realizing how heavy this old thing was I already paid. I have to say, it was worth the 12 kilometres biking and the pain in my back.

bought at:'Saartje' secondhand store age: 1922 bought for: €17,50

Bisous, Amy

Bag to school

It was a rainy day, I'll probably never forget. I felt miserable and went to a daily fleamarket in the centre of the city. And there it was, it was even better than I was looking for. This old schoolbag, this lovely leather bag can be used as backpack. I had some doubts before buying, but they disapeared as soon as the compliments (even by strangers) started.

bought at: Waterlooplein market Amsterdam age: not sure bought for: 25 euros

Bisous, Amy

Wandering around

Was it worth to wait in a long line at 9am this morning to visit a large fleamarket on a former shipyard? Oh hell yes. I found some nice treasures today, even though it is not that old or antique. We love vintage clothes.

This shipyard, 10 minutes from my house is every first weekend of the month and gives you the opportunity to wander around, looking for nice stuff.

Bisous, Amy.

Smile

I always had a thing with old photo's from young couples in their finest clothes. When visiting old people I just have to look at their black and white weddingphoto on the wall. This photo I bought on a market in my neighbourhood for just 2 euros. Now this lovely couple is hanging above my bed, so even though they are strangers to me, I can speculate about how their live would be.

bought at: KNSM Halls fleamarket Amsterdam age: from 1937 bought for: 2 euros

Analogtastic.

I will start with a treasure that is really dear to me. This Minolta camera is owned by my dad from 1982 till 2 years ago. It was the only camera my dad used till this era of new digital camera's. This means all the photos in the photobooks I know are shot with this particular camera. Not only the ones of my dad and mom when they were young and traveling around the world. Even the photos of my childhood have been shot with that camera. Now I use the minolta just to memorize special events.

bought at: Present age: from 1982 bought for: free

What can make you happy

There are these little memories, objects or coincidences that make you feel just a little better than you did before that moment. Each person has their own little treasures which make them happy. For me, a girl living as a cultural heritage student in the capital Amsterdam can feel her heart jump everytime when she sees an old object. And that is what I will post here, all my little treasures.