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The little things

Discovering Shopping Lives, a blog which simply concerns itself with found shopping lists, has had quite a profound effect on me. It was possibly intensified by a chat with my sprightly neighbour (age 76) and her quaintly old fashioned view of life. She talked of going into town to get out of the house and how meeting or visiting friends takes up a good part of  the day. She lives alone in the house she was brought up in which was bought as a new build by her father in the 1930s.
Just like the author of Shopping Lives I wonder about the lives of the writers of shopping lists and can't help but think that many must belong to ladies who were raised in a different era. My Grandmother would not dream of going shopping without a list and one of her collection of shopping bags.

Then today in a charity shop I discovered a little thing that I felt was so poignant and representative of these ladies of the past that I had to buy it for the princely sum of 1p. It's no secret that I have a love of buttons: jars of buttons, tins of buttons, small wooden drawers filled with buttons so a button attached to a tiny hand written note was a complete delight.

Although the practise of saving of spare buttons has the sentiment reminiscent of  make do and mend necessity of war time Britain, I am guessing this little scrap of history is not as old (it's written in biro and the button is attached with purple polyester thread). I am not an expert on buttons attached to hand written notes but do think that it would be rather a lovely thing to be. What a life this button could have led? Has it always just been a spare or did it once play a very important role attached to the cream tie neck blouse long sleeve? Where is that blouse now and what has happened to it's owner? Were there other buttons attached to scraps of paper that once lived together in a work box or sewing drawer with this one, of is this one of a kind? I am very grateful to whoever it was at the charity shop who decided to keep it attached to it's note and feel that this would make the ideal starting point for a cabinet of curiosities.



Are there little things that you notice that the rest of the world simply pass by?
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Comments

  1. Anonymous31 October 2012 at 04:29

    I love this, it makes my imagination run wild too! Great find :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susie Bass31 October 2012 at 13:31

      Welcome to Ridgeway Cottage and thank you for your comment. What do you think the story of the owner was? I wonder whatever treasures were in her house, carefully kept for years!

      Delete

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