Last week I had an appointment in the historic town of Edenton, NC. It sits on the Edenton Bay and is one of the prettiest little southern cities you will ever see.
After my appointment I had plans to have lunch with a friend and fellow pastor’s wife. As is my custom, I left Manteo earlier than I needed to so that I would have some time to putter around. I firmly believe the therapeutic powers of puttering are highly underrated.
One of my favorite places to putter is in the downtown areas of small towns. Each town has its own personality, its own patina, its own persona.
It had been a couple of years since I had been to Edenton and I was delighted to see that Peebles, a regional department store chain, was still going strong.
The thing I love about this particular store is that it doesn’t appear as though it has ever been updated or remodeled;. You can walk in the front door and feel like you have stepped back a few decades; it is wonderfully simple and plain, and just as down home as down home can be.
I walked up to the second floor even though I didn’t really need anything up there. I just wanted to see the view from those lofty heights.
I also wanted to think about the tens of thousands of feet that have touched those treads over the decades. Those steps have been trod by toddlers and grandmas and everyone in between.
Now you may think I am absolutely crazy, but I even loved the bathroom. Even before opening the door, I knew exactly what it was going to look like–a time capsule from an earlier era. And I was not disappointed.
The window. The light switch. Vintage perfection!
Even the paper towel dispenser looked like something Aunt Bea might have availed herself of midway through an episode of the Andy Griffith Show.
One of the many joys of a small downtown is the variety to be found as you walk from store to store. This store was just a few steps away from Peebles.
You might think that this is an exclusive, expensive shop but it is actually a consignment store called Fine Consignments. (Its former name was Bloomingdeals which is such a great name.) If you’ve ever had the idea that thrift/consignment stores were ugly and dowdy, this shop may just change your mind.
Happily, by that point in the day, it was time for lunch with my sweet friend, Cheryl.
Cheryl is a pastor’s wife, a writer, a pianist, a speaker, an actress who writes her own monologues, a newspaper columnist, a creator of Christmas and Easter productions, and an all around amazing woman. (She is also a dear friend of Sheri’s, my son’s mother-in-law.)
We ate at a little place called Nothing Fancy. Half of it was a restaurant and half of it was a market featuring thrifted items and items from local vendors.
Cheryl likes to browse and putter as much as I do.
I loved this cheery yellow mirror and especially loved the creative shot Cheryl got.
We were both puzzled by what these items were. Anyone have a clue?
The piece on the left is a birdhouse but the one Cheryl is holding has a hook on top, the wooden box and then the glass jar beneath. We were completely stumped, as was the woman behind the counter.
They had various homemade foods including these jars of Apple Piesicles. Have to give them props for a creative name.
Some of my favorite things were these guitar pick earrings. The earrings themselves were delightful all on their own, but the way they were displayed made them even more of a treat to look at.
But what I loved even more than the guitar picks was a craft I had never seen before–broken china jewelry.
I told Cheryl that the jewelry was such a profound representation of our lives. There’s not one of us who escapes this world unscathed or unbroken and sometimes we may wonder what our broken pieces are good for, if anything. But just as this jewelry-maker saw beauty in brokenness and repurposed the pieces into something valuable, God delights in doing the same with our lives.
As this week begins, try to carve out a little time to putter, to stop and appreciate an old building or an old friend, to keep your eyes open to all the beauty God creates–every day and in many ways–from broken pieces.
Oh! This broken dish jewlery is stunning! I have 2 dear friends w/ 2 very crafty daughters. I can’t wait to share this with them! They will love it. 🙂
Brooke,
It makes me so happy that you found something on the blog to pass along to your creative friends. I hope they make incredibly beautiful jewelry from this idea!
Such a wonderful trip. When my husband and I travel, we don’t like to eat at places we have at home, but at mom and pop places or ones we think have character. He also accommodates me in my search for tea houses. It’s nice that you have a friend too to go along and enjoy these quaint places.
Sharyn
I know. It seems like a shame to eat at a national chain when there are locally owned restaurants available. Steve inherited from his dad the desire to encourage small town business owners and eating at home town restaurants is a great way to do that!
Nice that your husband tags along with you on the tea house search!
Yes, the glass contraption is for catching carpenter bees. They are very destructive with wood. We have two of the traps on our front porch and they work very well.
Marge,
It’s good to hear from someone who uses them and knows they work.
I would have never in a hundred years guessed what those were for. Nice to learn something new!
Hmmmm….now that I see insect catcher in the comments, it makes sense. I had no idea what it is.
I love the idea of jewelry from broken china. How pretty!
LeeAnne,
Yes, as soon as as I saw that broken china jewelry, I was enthralled. Cheryl even commented how meaningful it would be to give a necklace to an elderly friend or relative who would appreciate a vintage gift like that.
Thanks for taking us with you to those quaint shops in Edenton!! I’d never heard of Peebles before, but would love to explore it – that light switch plate could probably tell some tales. And I loved the plate in Nothing Fancy with the lighthouse (I love almost anything lighthouse since I’m now so far from the coast.) What a clever idea to made jewelry out of broken china, definitely a nostalgia factor there.
Sue Ellen,
Yes, that light switch has seen a bunch of people come and go over the decades. I enjoy lighthouse items, too. I have a soap dispenser in my kitchen in the shape of a lighthouse and it makes me happy every time I use it. 🙂
I thought maybe it was a candy jar – couldn’t see the whole thing. I’ve seen them where you push in a lever or something and candy like M&M’s or Reece’s Pieces would come out.
I like to meander through flea markets and antique shops – never really buy much though.
The broken china jewelry is beautiful.
Phyllis,
A candy jar would be a LOVELY item! 🙂
Cheryl and I didn’t buy anything either. We’re like you; we just like the wandering part of it.
My thought is that it is a bird house for very small sized birds that are tiny enough to enter through the glass. But squirrels or larger birds that act as predators wouldn’t be able to make it through the glass.
I love the china jewelry!! One of my kids broke the spout on my teapot from my grandma last week. It is several decades old. Neither child will admit to it and I’m heartsick over it. I wonder if I can turn it into something special.
After reading the other comments I took another look at the photo of the contraption and realized that the glass is a jar with a bottom and isnt open so that tiny birds could fly through it. So it must be the bee/ insect suggestion and not my idea of a protector of tiny birds.
We did have an overly territorial squirrel attack the nest of tiny baby blue jays in the big pine tree by our house last spring. I was very mad at the squirrel.
Jenna,
There actually SHOULD be a contraption to protect smaller birds from predators! A little glass area for them to fly into but too small for what’s chasing them would be a great idea. You are definitely a creative thinker.
I have no doubt something very special could be made from the teapot spout.
Today, I am appreciating God’s beauty in the snow that we currently have. Not huge amounts like the east coast, but enough that it is slowing things down and making the trees beautiful.
Nicole,
I LOVE it when when trees are covered with snow. One of God’s most beautiful ideas!
I was going to chime in and say that it is a bee or wasp catcher for your porch or deck. Heather beat me to it! Loved the pictures and congrats to the Florida Smiths on their fourth. Love abounds x 4!
Elizabeth,
Whether that was an educated guess or just a guess, you nailed it. I would have NEVER figured it out.
Nathan and Meagan are going to have plenty of love abounding!
Pictures are beautiful. Love the jewelry from broken china. I need to find some good thrift shops in our area but have not done so. Pictures of you are very good, too! Have a great week.
Ann,
Yes, I think you would really love finding a few favorite thrift/consignment stores and popping in and out a couple times a month. So much fun to see what new things have arrived.
I have to laugh, you purposely leave early to dilly dally & I time out whatever is the VERY latest time I can stay in bed & get to “wherever” a few minutes early. Usually, that mean showering at night! The showering at night is so my hair is dry by morning. Although, stick straight with no body it’s very, very long (donating for the forth time maybe summertime) & I try not to use heat on my hair to cut down on damage; the fact that I’m deficient in so many vitamins/nutrients I do what I can to protect it (NEVER colored it either, YET-maybe after this last donation) so I kept saying last donation) and now there’s been four given to WIGS4KIDS in MI as I’m not a fan of LOL, sadly!
Jodi,
THANK YOU for your hair donations. Four times is a LOT! I’ll never forget how excited Sarah was when her wig arrived and she put it on. She was beyond thrilled to look like a “regular kid.”
Well, I’ll be the one who dilly dallys and you can be the one who stays in bed as long as possible. Between us both, we’ll cover all the bases. 🙂
The item with the glass jar and the hook is used to catch carpenter bees. First time commenting…I absolutely love reading your posts!
The thought crossed my mind that the contraption hadto do with trapping insects.
Steve,
Well, if anyone can figure out a conundrum, YOU can!
Hooray, Heather!
A first-time commenter ALWAYS makes my day. I’m especially happy to know you enjoy the posts. Don’t be a stranger here in the commenting corner!
Well, you were the first to offer an explanation for the mysterious item so you get 10,000 points. Or even 15,000 points. Your choice! 🙂 Thanks for chiming in and explaining that puzzler.