Ok, so it’s not REALLY an elephant, but it IS large. And grey. And a little more exotic than your average golden retriever (which you might typically find in a room. Right? Moving on.)
Once upon a time there was a store near us called Buddha Belly. Sadly, they closed their doors in April and are moving to an all-online sort of presence. I think. (If you are in Las Vegas, I believe you might have a pop-up shop going soon of their un-sold gear. Just a heads up.)
Anyhow, it was run by two or three ladies. Virginia traveled to Bali every 6-12 months, met artisans, toured old homes or temples preparing for demolition, and gathered up wares. These were then shipped back to the USA, passed through customs, and eventually made their way to her small, funky shop. She gathered everything from hand-painted, cat-themed tchotchke, to carved stone buddhas, to huge antique pieces of furniture. She also sold Native American artwork from a local artisan here in Seattle, and handmade jewelry from another local artisan. The store was an absolute delight, and fit in perfectly with the Asian/fusion vibe we’ve got going on in our home.
We stopped in several times on a whim during the last year…and usually left with furniture. When she wanted to get rid of something, she would put it on silly cheap clearance, and somehow the pieces would always be just the size and style we were looking for.
When she had her Closing Shop sale, we came home with these two beauties. Again, for a Silly Cheap Price. (The black console table in the foreground, and the armoire in the background.) We knew we wanted a console behind the sofa, and were also looking for a way to store my mountains of sheet music.
Lo Gung went out of town after we had paid for the furniture, but before we were able to pick all of it up. I went back with my little sister to pick up the black table…and came out with one more little treasure. (I just wouldn’t feel loyal to my Seattle heritage if I had left this totem pole out of my life!)
He seems pleased to be here. I think. Are totem poles ever pleased about anything?
And…maybe I should think about putting a picture in that frame, eh? I’ll add it to the to-do list…
I think he looks...surprised at where he ended up. I'm sure he'll do a great job scaring away evil spirits :)
ReplyDeleteI love all of those pieces! The more I see of your home, the more I wish it were mine, lol. Such history and character. As for the frame, I could do a whole room around it. I'll be looking for that frame everywhere I go now!
ReplyDeleteI adore glimpses of the beautiful things in your home. I can't believe you have more kids than I do and your place is so clean. My house looks like a toy consignment shop.
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