Victoria Ponders

I love it when home décor is simple and books – especially lovely (albeit musty) old volumes – come to my rescue. 

Here’s a snap of a fireplace mantel in our house.  It was an empty space that drove me batty because it’s narrow and nothing I envisioned worked.  I left it barren for a long time because I was annoyed.  How could such a teensy space be so difficult to address?  And so, for a few months I gave that ledge my side-eye, considering possibilities. 

Eventually I relented – trusting that whatever was supposed to rest there would rise up and declare its intentions.  Hey Vicki – over here – see us?  We’re the antique books imprisoned in the storage tomb…err…tub…with the silverfish!  Get us out of here…we’d like to get into the light and we know just the spot. 

Oddly, that happened.  Except for the part about the books actually speaking to me, of course. 😉 In another of my periodic forays into forgotten family bins and boxes, these little guys appeared.  And I knew where they belonged. 

Such a satisfying moment – dusting them off and placing them on the mantel.  I suspect one or two might be first editions, but their value is in the sweet visual they created, not their market value.  Home, finally.  In their spot.

When I help others with home décor conundrums, I encourage patience.  The need to do a rapid-fire retail spree – buying everything at once – might be tempting. I get it; I am a ‘task completion’ kind of girl. But when it comes to your precious safe space, your home, your haven, I prefer slow over speed. 

And don’t get me started about shopping in your own house.  Often all you need is a little reset – not the acquisition of anything shiny or new. 

Here’s to repurposing with love!

-Vicki ❤