Secondhand Wonders

For as long as I can remember, I have been surrounded by secondhand wonders. Every Saturday morning my mom would (and still does) wake up early and hit the yard-sales, furnishing our house, our toys, and our wardrobes with treasures from another person's past. While this was sometimes frustrating as a teenager as the clothes or the accessories are never exactly what one wants, as an adult I am happy that I have been raised to care less about labels and prices and more about saving money for more rewarding things, meeting neighbors, and finding a good deal.

When I moved to JP I knew that there would be a ton of yard-sales around; but as I jumped from room to room in what I considered to be other people's apartment's, I never felt like acquiring many "things" since my housing was only temporary. Now that Simon and I live together my bargain-hunting gene has set its roots. I really enjoy walking around on sunny Saturday mornings to see what sort of gems I find. Below are some of my recent favorites:


This beautiful 70s dress came from the SOWA vintage market in Boston's South End. Other than some buttoned straps which needed to be shortened (easy), it fits like a glove!


The fantastic oven mitt comes from a JP yard-sale and the super-sturdy cutting board from a local thrift store.

Buttons! Lots of them! Another great yard-sale find which my mom bought for me; and they make for pretty decor in the apartment.


Recipes are a kind of secondhand item, right? We obtain them from others who have used them before us. This recipe for rhubarb streusel muffins is another Smitten Kitchen winner. They were SO easy and they taste SO good. I recommend them to everyone.

My heart belongs to you, Jamaica Plain

There are many things I love about living in Jamaica Plain...


the outdoor dining...


the flower sales at the MSPCA...


the crafts, and the hipsters on bikes...


the ladies on stilts?!?

What??

I was walking around town this past Saturday and you can guess my surprise when I came across...


Spontaneous Celebrations! It's the Annual Jamaica Plain "Wake Up the Earth Festival"!! Technically the festival proper took place at the Stony Brook T station, too far of a walk for me, but I did catch the parade!


In addition to tall people in silly pants, the parade included the above teptraptych of Picasso's "La Guernica" - a painting which I just saw in person while in Spain!


City Feed's group featured rabbits on bikes...I'm not quite sure why, there were posters about it that I didn't bother to reader because I was too distracted by this AMAZING bunny riding a pretty fixed gear. S/he had friends on both sides to make sure s/he stayed on course.


No parade would be complete without a mariachi band.


And, of course the entire parade was led by local elementary school students.

Adorable.

Of course things like this don't happen every day in JP, but my love for this Boston neighborhood grew even more when my otherwise boring Saturday became one of sun, music, and happy people.