Mary Randolph Carter

I realize that most of the items in this book are "collectibles" but I was so not impressed. I like nicer, more colorful, items, more along the lines of "shabby-chic". Much of this looked like junk that was in need of a good refurbishment.

The photographs were dull as well. The section that held my interest was the one on Blankets "Western Junk", as I love Pendletons, and have several.....

Contents consist of: What is Junk, Western Junk, Glass act, Solid Gold, something Fishy, Kitchen Junk (I expected more), Animal House, Child's Play, Junk Matters, Shady Business, Shell Shocked (I wanted more), Heavy Metal, Chair Crazy (I wanted more here too), and Junk Guide.

I consider this book to be a beginning, but not one that is so important to a collector as to purchase.… (mer)

In my early twenties, I visited a friend in Eastern Washington who was renting a two story farmhouse. There was no TV. There were sleeping cubbies. The walls were bright white, but there were bright pillows and a closet full of costumes to play in. Books were stacked on the floor, on the stairs, and in the bathroom. One wall was reserved for all visitors to write a note of greeting. Years later I visited a friend's vacation home in the mountains. She was a tile artist and her husband a metal smith. Every handle and knob was custom made. Tattered persian rugs were scattered. There were feeding troughs attached to the outside of each window and they were filled with birdseed. They were visited by fat chipmunks and lots of birds. It was dog-friendly and mud-friendly. The guest cottage nearby was lined with books and had a sleeping nook.

Neither of these homes would be featured in Vogue Living or Elle Decor or House Beautiful or Architectural Digest for those magazines are for homes that are sparkly and sleek and without any SOUL.

Once I saw photographs of the London home frequented by Virginia Woolf which is eclectic,bohemian, and decorated by her friend/artists, I knew this Bohemian (I will not say 'boho') style was me. It was lived-in and soulful and had a patina.

This book is filled with muzzy photographs of delightfully cluttered (I say 'personalized') homes. Creams, pastels, sepias. Nothing sleek or modern or untouchable. Dog hair is welcome here. It took me hours to get through the book because, for once in a home style book, there was prose I found interesting and relevant.

The pages are thick and smooth. I so appreciated that there was no book cover; the book itself is unfettered and user-friendly. Worth every penny.… (mer)