This trivial post was inspired by a rainy Sunday afternoon, a camera in hand, the need for a blog post, and a house full of people . . . which meant I had to clean.
In the kitchen, there are the new mauve baskets on my shelves. They hold all the opened bags of lentils and brown rice and dried banana chips and popcorn – the stuff that can spill if the bag tips over.
And there’s the glass shelf that holds some of my gluten-free flour.
This is the coffee cupboard that holds my coffee and chocolate mix, the sugar cubes and the jam. I currently have an unopened jar of fig jam, which means I need to buy some foie gras, of course.
In the laundry room, there’s the basket full of detergent sitting on top of the stacked washer-dryer. And there’s the bird magnet with articulated wings my husband bought in Florida. (It was part of a set, but there’s only one left now).
In the guest room, there is a handblown bottle, which was turned into a light, and topped by a lampshade we bought in Honfleur on our 10 yr anniversary trip. There are also the elephant bookends with real ivory tusks, which were given to us in Kenya. On the end there is a beautiful old illustrated book of the Fables de Fontaine.
Inside the “bonnetière” – which used to sit in the entranceway of the large house (to hold people’s hats, I suppose) – there is a shelf, which has my English teaching material and scrapbooking supplies.
And in the living room, there are my scrapbooks.
Am I going blind, or are all these pictures blurry?
On the shelf above that is another handblown bottle lamp.
And there is the car lantern that was used by Matthieu’s great-grandparents, now attached to our shelving unit as a decorative light. When his great-grands met with another car at night (a very rare occasion at the time), they had to get down and turn their lantern towards the ground so it wouldn’t blind the other person. That was the socially correct things to do.
There are the cinnamon sticks a friend brought me back from Madagascar, plus a sketch done by Matthieu’s grandfather.
There are elephants from Indonesia.
And there’s a monkey who “hears no evil” from Somaliland, plus a carved silver decoration from Peru.
And high up is an ordinary china blue earthenware tea set from his grandparents’ home, plus a cobalt blue pot containing a hanging plant, which we bought in Auvergne.
Here’s a view from the other side, which also shows the stainless steel incense pot, that contains incense over 12 years old. In Somaliland, we would burn the incense cubes in an earthenware pot, while standing over it with our long dresses so that the scent would permeate the fabric and our skin. The incense smells just as strong as it did 12 years ago.
That’s what’s on our shelves.
Now here’s what’s on our table.
Oh hey guys, don’t mind me. Oh, did I have guests over?
So friends, tell me – what’s on your shelves?
(And if you say, “junk” you just need to invite people over so that you’re forced to clean. That’s what I did).
I love that your shelves contain artifacts from trips and memories of your current and past lives, with gifts from loved ones scattered throughout. It makes such a great, rich story, and a lovely home.
I’m also a little starry-eyed over your organized flour containers.
Andrea recently posted…DIY Photo Album
Thank you! I owe a lot of credit to my husband for the way our home is decorated.
My shelves have books, books, music books, books, art supplies, rocks, vases, plaster casts of feet and hands, books, DVDs, books, and one tall skinny case of random stuff that has no other home (like the GPS or a duct tape mouse) that we simply keep neat so that it doesn’t bother anyone. And we also have books.
Korinthia recently posted…Detroit On My Mind
And some more books? 😀
There is no more worthy item to fill a shelf with than books.
I don’t invite people over so I’m forced to clean, more the other way round…I always clean like a nut when people are coming!! Anyone, including my parents, my best friends, and teenage babysitters. :(. I can’t stay ahead of the mess created by my family and the dog on a daily basis, as hard as I try. My shelves have lots of memories on them as well…my own and things from my parents’ house growing up that they’ve shared with me. I’d rather dust a few knickknacks than live in a sterile home!!
Mama D recently posted…Things That Make Me Cry
You have it the right way around – I’m the one that’s topsy-turvy. But the more organized we get, the cleaner I am able to keep things.
Cobalt blue is my favorite color … it makes me happy to see it on your shelves.
anymommy recently posted…Gardening is just cleaning outside
Cobalt blue is my favorite color too!
I just looove that car lantern. I love it when items have a story or a special memory. That’s what makes a home feel warm 🙂
sarah reinhart recently posted…the sunday spill–back to school, a birthday, and the house begins
I also love the family stories that come with each piece.
So many wonderful items on your shelves with so much background and stories. I just adore that. Makes me want to travel the world more and more! 🙂
Elaine A. recently posted…Snack Attack! Green Giant Veggie Chips
There is always time! Even my grandparents who grew up in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere started traveling overseas in their retirement.
I wish I had fig jam on my shelf. But I don’t have jam of any kind on my shelf, unfortunately.
On a happier note, I am headed to Paris for a last minute trip! So excited. Not sure what your plans are but maybe you can email me if you are around the next 2 days? We can totally play it by ear.
Ameena recently posted…a tantrum
I’m supposed to be leaving right now to meet up with you, but I don’t think you’ll get my second change of plans e-mail in time. Sorry!!!
I love all the wonderful mementoes from your travels, and it always thrills me to see one of Matthieu’s family heirlooms.
My desk shelves – full of books, notebooks, pens, random assortment of things that doesn’t have a home. It needs organizing, can you tell?
Alison recently posted…All The Places I’ve Been
I need to be bit by the organization bug and it doesn’t happen that often. Otherwise, I live in a state of something akin to shambles. 😉
And yes, I really like antiques too. Matthieu married the right woman because some people really don’t care and would only want the modern stuff.
There is nothing as pretty or unique on my shelves like what you have. Books, pictures, and some random crap that has little meaning.
Sad isn’t it?
Jackie recently posted…No idea is original
But it’s filled with your life and your memories, so it DOES have meaning! 🙂
I love this peek into your home. I use a lot of baskets on our shelves: clear plastic ones in the fridge and the pantry for sorting snacks, dark brown ones for toys and candles and laundry stuff and bathroom things. I also love interesting photo frames – I have a hard time resisting them.
Kim@Co-Pilot Mom recently posted…The Shift
That is so cool the way you colour-code your baskets. Do you hang your frames on the walls, or do you have them standing on shelves?
My shelves are so, so messy and my pantry is in dire need of cleaning out. I wonder if I could write a post about that….
Jennifer recently posted…Summer Loving, Creative Writing
Do! Because I love your makeover posts. They are so inspiring.
I love how many family heirlooms you have on your shelves – that is what it’s all about, my friend!
Those hand-blown glass lamps are to die for!
On my shelves I have a bunch of Jane Austen’s, Agatha Christie’s, Dickens’, and Charlotte Bronte’s novels. We also have antique piggy banks, a Darth Vader bobblehead, and a Yoshi doll that reminds me of when my hubby played Mario golf on Nintendo with my dad and bro-in-law while we were dating. Oh, and Beatles nesting dolls and some Toby jugs and a whole series of Christmas décor and recipe books (fun to look at, too much work).
Nice post, Jennie.
Hillary recently posted…How my life’s great love affair is like an Austen romance
I like what’s on your shelves! I don’t know why, but I’ve never been able to get absorbed in the Bronte’s work the same way I did with Austen and Dickens.
You have Christmas decorations year-round? Well, why not? 😀
Purist IS fashionable! We actually do try to keep the junk to a minimum with varying degrees of success.
You really nail it, having guests over, for all the work it creates, leaves you with a spiffy house and sweet memories. Loved this post!
Amanda recently posted…Forever in a Week
It’s amazing how much you can learn about someone with that exercise! Looks very cozy and very YOU there.
Nina recently posted…I’ve Lost Control of the Treats Around Here
Oh thank you Nina. You are lovely. 🙂