Filling Empty Space

I’ve noticed that as I take pictures of my home, they often really show up what is 
missing, empty, crooked, mismatched,
 I could go on….endlessly.
 I love taking pictures, but I have not developed the knack of taking
 multitudes of pictures of my family. I’ll explain why in a minute.
Despite that, I still have two drawers full….yes, I said drawers full….
of photographs. 
Actual photographs……they just lie there….unsorted, uncategorized, un…everything.
 That is all I have to show for 40+ years. 
Maybe a hundred pictures?
 I’ll be generous, maybe 200.
  These days, EVERYONE can take a picture at a moments notice
 because of…..cellphones. 
For the majority of my family’s life, we only sporadically had a camera. 
Cameras cost money and then there was the expense of film and developing. 
For a family with a lower income, it wasn’t something we could easily afford.
And then, you picked them up from the developing, looked at them and said..
“uh oh, these are really crappy”….but it was too late. 
The birthday candles were blown out, the wedding kiss was over,
 the baby had been home for two weeks already.
So, when I look at all the great blogs out there with all those pictures of your families,
 I bet you REALLY can’t appreciate how lucky you are to live in this digital age. 
There are whole chunks of my family life that are missing 
and only remembered as far as my mind can go….
which isn’t going to last much longer…..I can tell you. 
But you have been able to follow your children and your family’s life all along the way 
and will be able to remember it forever. 
Count yourself lucky…



I guess because of all that, I never developed the habit of grabbing the camera 
to snap pictures as I should.
 I tend to photograph things that aren’t moving around, 
like the house, my garden, architecture, etc. 
I’ll stand and watch something that is happening and after a few minutes say
 “Oh, I should get my camera”…..but when I return, it’s over. 
My life is like Groundhog Day….I keep having the same non Kodak moments 
over and over….maybe I’m too old to change.
So, you are subject, primarily, to endless pictures of my house or garden. 
Soon, you will get some of Paris though, that will be a change! 
And I recently started photographing food for French Friday
that’s a change too I suppose!
 I’ll get better….maybe….
Even as recently (to an old person like me) as 2001 when we built this house,
 I was taking pictures that used  …..
are you sitting down…….
floppy disc
Trying to locate the pictures of our house in the beginning will require a team of dedicated researchers and several weeks. 
I can’t afford THAT…I have to have money for the thrift store! sheesh….
Here’s an example of something that I thought looked alright 
and then realized didn’t look alright.
Last week I made this library table….remember?

I cropped it so you couldn’t see the big empty wall behind the table. 
Our ceilings are 10 ft downstairs and sitting across the room it was bothering me….
all that empty space.
Just to the left as well, is that huge new wall unit my husband installed.
 The little table looked lost there.
 I knew it the day I did the post, but I didn’t have time or energy to fix it……
see how nice it is to have photo editing these days?
We can ALL look better and so can our homes!
 I needed to fix the big empty space.
Last year I found this architectural piece at a YARD SALE…..
yes, I couldn’t believe it.
Maybe where you are those things are lying around and you have to decide which one to buy.
But not here.
It was a spur of the moment stop. 
I was ALONE in the car..{.it was the weekend so I have NO idea how THAT happened}….
 saw the sign, and decided to stop.
I’m a big thrifter, but not so much with yard sales. 
I’ve tried, but except for once or twice, have rarely found anything but plastic kids toys
 and cheap furniture. 
Finding the yard sale is another problem…..let alone the people who are less than truthful…….
an “antique” pressboard nightstand? really? 
So, I tend to stick with thrift stores. 
Gas is expensive, I can’t be wandering all over town hoping to find 
something worth looking at…..thrift stores…one stop shopping.
But on that day, I found this in a garage.
 It came from an old building downtown and I paid $10


pretty carvings and leftover paint
it’s been sitting around since then….crazy 

I decided that this was the spot for it!
I painted it up a bit with some gesso……slap it on, rub it off…repeat



Until I was happy…..
Hung it up and took a picture……

Hmmmmm…….not what I expected…
Not enough oomph for that big wall.
A picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words.
Back to the drawing board…..
Went to my thrift store stash and took out the set of ironstone drabware small platters
 I had found a few weeks ago.
{ahem…at the thrift…I’m just saying} 

They have a pretty border.
Three matched so I decided to use those.
Found some plate hangers and ended up with this.



Finally……I’m happy with that.
Do you have a spot that nags at you?

Comments

  1. Very pretty. Yes I have few areas like that and it drives me crazy when I know what I want but I can’t find it! HA!

    Have a great day

  2. Very creative and it looks great!

  3. Oh it looks great! I love the architectural piece!

    Your post made me smile aobout the whole camera/picture thing. I am one of those people who, for years, took a picture of every little thing my kids did. Oddly enough, I have no pictures from seconds after their birth (forgot camera both times) and I hardly take their pictures now that their 14 and 10. I spend all my time taking pictures of things in my home. It’s sad really. I think it’s time I stalk my kids like my former papparazzo self. LOL

  4. Nice job Missy! I totally get the whole picture thing. I was looking for some pictures of my son the other day – through stacks and stacks of pictures 90% of the just crap! I’ve still got some disposable cameras from my kids birthday parties that have never been developed! I’m horrible about getting pictures of my kids now. I’ll travel thousands of miles to see them, spend countless hours with them and not leave with one picture. Crazy. I’m sure that will change when they have kids!

  5. Empty no more. Looks good. Do I have a spot that nags me? Do I have to pick just one?

    ~Bliss~

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