Caught My Eye, Tugged at My Heart

Like many of you, specific textures, finishes, and objects regularly catch my eye. Marcrest stoneware (the ever-elusive cream or off-white daisy dot pattern), lace and eyelet fabric, Russian lacquer and high-gloss folk art, vintage Christmas ornaments and holiday paper products, yarn, crafting bits and bobs, and vintage picture books from my youth eventually find their way to me after I wander through antique malls, peruse social media, or are gifted treasures from other magpie-minded friends. 

Spending much of this summer with family, and reflecting upon resurfaced memories of my childhood, I made time to explore some antique malls a bit further out of my way to see what I might find. A collector of gold, black, red, sage green, orange, and tan Russian folk art platters, bowls, spoons, and other serving vessels, these small, young-child or doll chairs made me gasp as I turned a corner in a shop in Olathe:

I have yet to decide how I'll use them, but they're certainly NOT for sitting upon. Perhaps as stands for some houseplants or books, near my bedside to hold a crochet project up off of the floor, or next to the Christmas tree for some added elevation for small gifts... I already love them without having an official use for them.

A mixed media artist who has inspired me for years has started to part with collections of items she's used in the past, and I jumped at the chance to bid upon a selection of eyelet and lace in white and cream:

The trims scream summertime to me at the moment, but once cooler weather arrives I know they'll likely inspire me to sew up some warm pillowcases in cotton or fleece, work up some felt or crochet items and then select the perfect eyelet for finishing the edges. Passing along items to a good home where they'll be used, and adopting materials such as these with the intent of using them beautifully are some of my favorite expressions of kindness and manifestations of purpose. 

Are you a collector?  What catches your eye and tugs at your heart?