visiting with my grandma

so i've had crazy week.

i've come to the realization that it's time for me to move on and i'm hitting the classifieds once again.

on tuesday, i broke my pinky toe.  man, i had no idea it hurt so much!  i regret not being more sympathetic to others who have had to deal with it.  

as a silver lining though, being unable to work gives me more time to actively job search.  

but even that gets old.

so today i thought i would do something way more fun.

a few weeks ago, my mom surprised me with my grandmother's (nanny's) sewing box.  amazing gift!  at first i was so excited, i wanted to rip right through it and see all the cool stuff i was inheriting.  but i stopped myself, i really wanted the time to properly inspect and also to cherish these momentos.  

so today's the day!  check it out!

the sewing box itself.  i really want to paint it and give it an update . . . maybe yellow or turquoise to give it a face lift.  of course blue thinks i should just leave it the way it is . . . 

it's accordian style . . .  so there are a LOT of goodies that fit inside it.  i love how cute my nanny was by putting all her buttons in little marmalade jars.  goes to show how much marmalade they ate!

my nanny always wrote her name and address on EVERYTHING.  you never know when something might go missing.  this photo won't upload properly . . . what she wrote is:

December 1967

Mrs. John W Butt

912 Bathurst St

Toronto, Ont

xmas present from the children

the crazy thing is that currently we live right up the street.  my grandparents and my dad pretty much lived where the bathurst subway station is now.

i also found this . . . 

just a little piece of history . . . my grandfather was the church officer, or caretaker.  so his whole family lived in the church.  my dad used to tell me epic stories about the parties he used to have.  imagine having the whole church basement as your party room with free run of the place! :)  crazy that in 1968 phone numbers were still  dialed with letters . . . 

buttons for days! :)

now i'm going to have to organize all these fabu buttons!

all sorts of implements and biases and rick rack . . . oh my.

i love vintage tins.  this one is perfect for something . . . haven't figured out what yet.

anyone else old enough to remember woolco?

whiskey HAS to be in the middle of everything . . . 

quilting pattern . . . i wonder if she ever tried this . . . i wonder if i should?

finding this was emotional for me . . . uncle tom passed away recently. :(

there was a lot of polyester fabric scraps . . . my nanny LOVED her polyester!  but there were also some pretty lacy trims and ribbons.  the little hamster in my head perked up and got back on his wheel when he saw these . . . 

it was really exciting to go through all this stuff!  i know it may sound lame, but i felt a new connection with her.  when she passed i was 15, angry and not interested in anything domestic.  it sucks that now my interest is peaked and i have so many questions or techniques i want to learn and she would have been the person to teach me.  i will just have to concentrate on channeling her through her sewing box . . . after i paint it yellow, she loved yellow. ;)