Lessons

When I was young, my mother taught me the love of fine things. She was the Queen of tag sales, flea markets, etc. During one of our outings, she purchased a table with a small drawer. The owner sold it to my mom for a song. When my mom opened the drawer, she found the most amazing hand painted portrait brooch of a lady from the 18th century. The brooch was exquisite. My mother tried to return the pin to the seller, who said, “No, it was in the table, and you bought it. It’s yours now.” This is the kind of thing that happened when I was with my mom. She had amazing luck and a discerning eye for bargains. She often saw trends ahead of time for things that eventually became popular.

My mother is older now and we are separated by many miles. We try to see each other every year and I’m hoping to see her soon. The treasures below are some of the things she has gifted to me.

This is a beautiful pearl collar that belonged to my mother when she was a young lady. I love this and the fact that she wore it often.


A dress form she gifted to me when I moved away from our home town.






This is a Victorian antique barrette that she thought would look beautiful in my hair. She gave this to me when I got married.