Broken is Okay!
No one will ever know, I promise!
Do you ever wonder how some people have such adorable decor in their homes, and how they afford it? I’m going to tell you right now, having the things you love doesn’t have to be expensive. You don’t have to go broke buying things for your home. The trick is to look for things that are already broke, so you don’t have to be!
You see, a lot people think everything they have has to be brand-spanking new, or if it isn’t, they want it to be in perfect condition. Well first of all, I’m not a fan of any decor piece that is brand-spankin’ new, because everyone else probably has one too. And if it is a vintage piece, if you look for something in mint condition, you may end up paying a premium price. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Case in point:
Broken is beautiful
Just because it’s broken, doesn’t mean it can’t be pretty. This photo is loaded with perfectly imperfect items.
To me, nothing says summer’s a-comin’ like a big ole bowl of lemons. Even if they are fake! These were super cheap, from an estate sale, in came in a white farmhouse style box lined with moss. At first glance, they didn’t look like much, because the top ones were super faded, and super dirty! Fortunately, they weren’t glued in, so after I took them out and cleaned them up a little and turned the faded ones over, they look great!
Don’t they look delicious?
They are full of texture and variations in tone, just like real lemons. They aren’t perfectly shaped, have occasional spots and blemishes, and even the ends don’t look plastic and fake. I think they looked like they were plucked right off the tree.
The bowl they are in has its own story as well….
This poor bowl is badly cracked and has a giant hole in the middle.
It was originally sitting on top of a gorgeous wooden pedestal. It too, came from an estate sale, for only $5, because
It was filthy
It was barely attached by a tacky white plastic thing-a-ma-bob
It was filled with cracks, stains, a giant hole and some extremely tacky looking plastic fruit
It didn’t look like much. So it was no wonder it was still there for 75% off on the last day of the sale. But if you detach it from the pedestal and clean it up a bit, throw something in it, it looks like a $50 bowl instead of a $5 bowl. No one has to know! Well, except for you and the rest of the world now….
When I figure out a plan for the pedestal, I’ll let you know. For now it is in my sitting room with a doily draped over it (shocking, I know) and a basket sitting on top.
Here is that same bowl, done up with pinecones for winter
Have I mentioned I like doilies and greenery? I just think they add a little extra something. There are numerous things you could plop in a bowl like this, including
other fruit
wooden spools or spindles
eggs -regular or Easter
colorful skeins of vintage yarn or thread
hydrangea heads or other flowers
sea shells, starfish or coral bits
baseballs or softballs
tinsel and Christmas bulbs or ornaments
vintage kitchen utensils-disguise the hole and cracks in the bowl with a vintage towel or pot holder
There are lots of other cast-offs in the photo as well. The old watering can that belonged to my grandma & grandpa, is missing its spout. A lot of people might have tossed it out because its broken. But I think it’s so pretty with some flowers in it, and brings back memories of my grandparents and spending time in their garden with them. The old tool box on the left had some kind of soldering equipment in it, and is covered with scratches and paint drips, but I still love it with some pretty blue flowers on top. The drips of paint make me wonder who owned it before, and why they were dripping paint on a box of soldering tools. Maybe they were multi-talented, like my dad!
The old lace in the foreground is yellowed with age and has numerous tiny holes in it, but WHO CARES! I know I don’t! The pretty yellow and blue floral picture was covered in dirt when I discovered it, and the backing is torn up, but when was the last time someone came in your house and took your art off the walls and looked at the back of it?
The Edison cylinder record is missing its lid, but that’s ok because now it is simply begging for a sprig of greenery or some old sparklers or even some drinking straws at a summer lunch gathering. The spice tins are in rather rough shape, but then again, that’s what makes them great. Just think of the meals that might have been prepared using them, and by who. Or whom. I don’t know, I just know they make me think about stories they’d tell and the songs they would sing, if only they could.
Buy things you love and that speak to you, whether they are broken or not. Because NO ONE is going to come into your home and start inspecting all your things to make sure they are in perfect condition. They will simply see a collection of beautiful, unique things that none of their other friends have, and they will love it. I promise!