Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Recycling in the late 60's

I don't remember it being fashionable or sensible or even common to recycle in the late 60's, but my mother was good at it. Of course I was appalled at times - especially when she brought something home from the "dump"! I would beg her to keep it a secret and never reveal where she found some of her treasures. This was a lamp that she bought at a church auction in 1969.
She had my father pull out his hack saw to cut of the top and she pulled out all the wiring, After a bit of black spray paint, she adhered a small metal plate onto the top to hold a candle:
Even though I remember being somewhat embarassed by her thriftiness, I always liked this candlestick. And now that it is mine, I love it even more. Ironically, I have turned into my mother!!
She called it being "clever", I called it being "cheap", and now it's called being "environmentally conscious".

Just a little story about a woman who was ahead of her time to share with the following parties: Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville and Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage.
Patti @ Pandoras Box
Patti @ Pandoras Box

I live in central NY and I am a retired family and consumer science teacher. I enjoy all types of crafting, decorating and cooking

11 comments:

  1. That's a great story and I'm so glad you still have that lamp/candlestick. She was ahead of her time...good for her!
    Jane

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  2. What a sweet story and a beautiful candlestick. Wonder what the original lamp looked like?

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  3. Your mom was cool and so if you have become your mother...you are cool, too! I like the look of that transformation. Totally ahead of her time!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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  4. Isn't it funny how things have changed? I would have died if my mom had shopped at Goodwill, now it's cool to find something and remake it :)

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  5. My hubbies MawMaw says she's been recycling all her life - it used to be called making do with what you've got!

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  6. I can so relate! I am choosing to term "Ecologically and economically friendly clever"!

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  7. Yep....I'm my Mother, too! Good thing because she keeps sending me her stuff...and I love it! On my ribbon frame- we drilled little holes and then screwed the cup hooks in the frame. Since the frame was not flat we were afraid the cup hooks might split the wood. It worked out fine!

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  8. Hey, I am doing many things that my mother did, too. She saved the wax paper from the cereal boxes and reused it, as well as plastic bags and paper bags. She reused everything she could. I do it because it saves money. My mom wasn't a decorator, but the same rule applies. I love your candle holder, that is very clever and to think you pay good money for that very thing now a days. Hugs, cindy s

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  9. Patti
    I was sitting here laughing when you mentioned bringing things home from the "dump". My mom would do the same, except we had a dump that was just building materials. She would go with my aunt who had a small farm, and she'd recycle things there for her animals. Well, whatever my brother and I could drag to the truck was ours. We'd sort through sand and sawdust to collect nails. We ended up building a double decker treehouse with our dump treasures! Thanks so much for bringing back those incredible memories.

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  10. Love your mother's candlestick.

    I used to wonder about my grandmother and her "thriftiness" and recycling ways. Can you imagine stacks and stacks of butter tubs? lol

    Now my mother is always telling me "You're just like your grandmother". lol

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