Hidden Treasure

I don't know about you but I had an awesome weekend.  Not only was the weather great, but I got to knit with Lori on Friday and then on Saturday and Sunday, Jason, Imani and I all went antiquing and treasure seeking.  We found so many cool things to add to the home that I have enough blog material for at least two weeks!  Any yes . . . Jason's OCD kicked in and he bought more coffee cans but we'll save that for another day.

I took a vote on Sunday night and asked Jason and Imani what their favorite find was and they both responded with the same thing:  the old weathered trunk.  I agree.  It's an incredible piece -- one of those pieces you might see mass-produced at Pottery Barn carrying a $350 price tag.  We scored it for 65 bucks and it is definitely my favorite piece of furniture in my house right now.


Imani thinks it's so beautiful that she didn't want us to put it near a window for fear that someone might see it and break into our house, thinking there is really some sort of treasure inside it!  She is now on her own little mission to convince us to get a trunk for her bedroom. 

We found this piece at the infamous "Cool Stuff" shop in Candor, NY.  For those of you who aren't familiar with this place, it is a random house in Upstate New York that appears to be without a name.  It is located on a main road and there is a sign that says "Cool Stuff" alongside the road.  Jason grew up not far from this house and many of his friends have commented that they wanted to stop just to see what kinds of "cool stuff" are in this bizarre, old, run-down place.  Jason had never stopped to check it out and neither had I, until this weekend.


I'm so glad we did.  As soon as I saw the piece, I knew I had to have it.  There were a number of old trunks all stacked up high, and this one was in the middle.  The colorings were just right and it looked almost like someone had worn it out intentionally in all of the right places.  I asked the guy how much and he told me "$35." He took it down and then discovered it had a tray, which somehow drove the price up to $65.  I didn't much feel like bartering (which is very, very out of character for me!).  I was way too excited about this new piece of furniture and I was envisioning exactly where I was going to put it when I got home.  


I half-heartedly looked at the other trunks to see if I liked any of the $35 numbers. Nope.  None had the right coloring, and none were worn in just the right places as this one.  This one just seemed to speak to me. 

Much to Imani's dismay, our beautiful trunk found its new home right next to our big bay window in our living room.  It's like a little end table and I have found my new favorite place to sit in the living room -- at the end of the couch right near the trunk.   Jason and I plan to line the inside so that we can use it to store our blankets.  When we first brought it inside, we all just sat and stared at it looking all aged with stories we will never know.  If I could have, I probably would have curled right up inside it and fallen asleep.  That's how much I love it. (Ew . . . it's really nasty inside).


The next day, we were pleased to see that the trunk looked just as beautiful with the sunlight coming in through the window as it had in the dim lights at night.  We all love to look at it and wonder what its purpose was in its former life.  Was it used simply to store clothing or blankets, or was it used as Imani envisions: to hide valuable treasure?


Whatever the case is, we're happy that we could be a part of its journey.