I am a storyteller.

A weaver of tales.

A spinner of yarns.

Maybe that’s why I love vintage decor. You know. Something a little old and worn around the edges. Something with more lives than a cheshire cat. Something that has lived a long and prosperous existence before you ever meet it.

Oh, the tales it could tell.

You are standing in a flea market or yard sale and tucked between the random pieces of junk and nonsense and 50 pairs of coat hangers from 1954, you find something that makes your heart beat faster. You scoop it up and clutch it to your heart and lug it to your back door.

But sometimes?

Sometimes you discover one of the most amazing vintage finds you’ve ever discovered right in your very own house in the back of a cabinet tucked away under stacks of towels and sheets.

YOU WON’T BELIEVE IT.

Wait until I show you what I found.

But wait.

We are friends, right?

Now that I have your attention? I’d love to chat about all things vintage. Before I share THE vintage find, could I take a few moments of your time to share some of the CUTEST vintage finds I’ve discovered lately?

Sometimes you just have to share.

Look at this vintage bee skep.

I do love a good bee skep, and I’ve collected a few over the years.

But this one is special.

It’s a little smaller with a woven handle, and it has a little bee flying around it on a wire.

I’ve never seen a bee flying around like this before, and it was the inspiration for the butterfly wreath I just made.

Remember my hunt for brown transferware? I know I talk a lot about blue and white around here, but I’ve been trying to collect brown transferware for the last several years.

I wrote about it here.

I found this vintage brown transferware platter.

To get my collection started, I bought several new pieces of brown transferware. Vintage transferware like this makes the new transferware pieces look older.

This is a vintage candy mold of a rabbit.

That’s the thing about vintage shopping. You never know what you are going to find. I’d never seen anything like this before and I thought it was so cute. It was kind of pricy, but I knew it would be a piece I would regret leaving behind, so I went back to get it.

There are two pieces that clip together. I think they used to pour chocolate in the center and make the rabbit.

I added a ribbon to the top and hung it on the cutting board.

One of my favorite vintage finds?

Vintage architectural pieces like this piece of molding.

Usually, they come from a historic home that they are remodeling and I find them and use them as artwork.

Look at the detail and the carving in this molding.

And now?

Enough of these other vintage finds (they were too cute not to share).

Let’s see the FIND OF THE CENTURY.

Can you see it?

It’s hanging there right next to the drawing of the house.

I know it looks a little inconsequential. I know it just looks like a random plaque that you may have seen before.

You are probably shrugging your shoulders and asking yourself, “What’s so special about that?”

Wait until you read it.

Here is a close-up.

It reads, “Christmas Tour Home//Heritage Guild of Collin County//1980.”

Let me explain.

For more than 50 years, our town has had a Christmas home tour to benefit a historic square in our town that’s been renovated, called Chestnut Square.

(Total aside: if you are ever in McKinney, make sure to add Chestnut Square to the list of places to see. It’s truly spectacular.)

Every year, 5-6 houses in the historic district are open to the public, and the ticket sales go to restore the historic houses in Chestnut Square. It’s an honor to be asked. It’s an honor to have your home on tour. It’s an honor to help rebuild the community.

And in 1980?

My house was on that tour.

WHAT?

On tour? My little house?

Yep.

And here’s the plaque to celebrate it.

For 46 years, this plaque has been hanging around the house, tucked in the back of a cabinet, waiting for its day in the sun. When I found it? I cleaned it up and dusted it off and hung it up right by the back door.

I’ve always known something about this house was special.

I was just waiting.

Waiting for a sign that proved it.

The post This Incredible Vintage Find appeared first on Thistlewood Farm.