It's Bow Time

Blair Waldorf would approve. Bow barrettes from my mom's collection. 

This one is very "A Chorus Line." 

Fashion Friday: Shopping

How did my family end up so fashionable in the first place? We did a lot of this.

Picking, preening, and buying. And also returning, because that's what all shopaholics do.

"I'm not leaving without the Gucci!"

Bob's Lemonade, where you could get ice cream popsicles dipped in chocolate. Heaven. The mall was our second home.

Outside of Gucci. Check out my red knee high boots! 

Appointment Cards

The old and the infirmed carry a deck of doctor's appointment cards. When I was taking care of my mom, cards were bursting out of my wallet and the pockets of my jackets. I still find my dad and grandmother's cards though they've both been gone for over fifteen years now.

I suppose when you go to the doctor, you always take a few extra. You figure you're only one call away from safety. 

She's On The Phone

Wild Sheep and Dog Chase

I found these photos late last night and wasn't sure if I was seeing things. Not only is my grandmother posing with a frozen herd of sheep but two Rotweilers got in the mix. 

This photo is less bizarre. It's just a deer! 

Mystery Object #2: Stamped Cards

Know what these stamped cards are for? They're blank and have postmarks. They're part of my dad's stamp collection, but otherwise, why keep a bundle of them? 

Help me figure out why philately enthusiasts collect these, I'll send you a some. Unlike the nose hair trimmer, I don't know much about these. 

Taichung, Taiwan 1959. 

The Incense and Napkin Miser

More mystery bundles from my grandfather. He was the OCD man who kept collections of styrofoam, string, and Whole Foods napkins. These came out of a box of things he had shipped when he moved from Taiwan.

Inside my grandfather's bundles is a little bit of crazy. Crazy because incense doesn't cost much and it's insane to ship it across the world. 

My grandfather lived through the Japanese occupation and became an extreme saver of odds and ends. But he was vastly generous with family and friends. To the horror of my grandmother, he'd entire spend entire paychecks on dinners with friends and would even pay for tables of people he had just befriended. He was a spendthrift with people but a miser when it came to things like paper napkins, which he took from supermarkets and fast food chains. 

It's the joke in our family that our grandfather spent money like napkins and saved napkins like money. If napkins were money, I'd say he left me a small fortune. 

Not So Infinite Hallway

After having hallway fun, we were relieved. Operation Hallway CLEARED! It took some weeks, but the many trips to Goodwill paid off.

INFINITE

NOT SO INFINITE ANYMORE

Looking at these pictures I realize that we have a freakishly long hallway. Our house was unfortunately designed by someone who made office buildings. We have a giant foyer that looks like a lobby and long corridors with rooms leading off of them, like little conference rooms. It's a house that wants to be something else.  

Fun In A Hallway

How much fun can you have in the hallway? Maybe as much as in the Garage! Clearing out the Infinite Hallway, it was hard to not try on stuff every five minutes. Some of this is too wacky to sell. Or is it? 

My long lost polka dot Esprit tiered dress! The size reads "age 12". Don't worry, I didn't put it on! Thought about it though.

Never enough animal print for my aunt. Rrrah.

Swimming in silk T-shirts! I know what I'll be wearing everyday of the summer.

Studded vest by Caché with open mesh back. We were both like, WTF! 

We cleared it all out and for the first time in five years the hallway felt normal. It was really the only part of the house besides the garage that felt like Hoarders. I won't stumble on mounds of tennis shorts anymore. I don't have to say to friends, "Don't go into the hallway PLEASE!" And I got some pleated trousers out of it. 

Etsy Store Is Open

The Infinite Garage Etsy shop is up! I'll update weekly with new items. Get your Versace-esque warm-up jackets or sequined sweater dresses here. It's my mom's vintage for now but I'll be adding accessories and housewares this week.  <3 the Garage on Etsy!

The Answer to Mystery Object #1

From miniature canon to strawberry stem remover, this curious object got a lot of guesses. Good tries my friends but Mystery Object #1 is a Henkel nose hair trimmer! It works inside the ears too.

Props to Scott for guessing correctly. He'll be receiving affectionate Garage mail soon.

Thanks for playing!