Thursday, May 28, 2009

suitcase

I was a bit stumped for todays Thursday Theme - suitcase - and thought I might not post.
But then I glanced up and saw these



on the top of a wardrobe in my bedroom.

The smallest topmost suitcase contains a selection of vintage lacey loveliness passed down over a few generations through my family.



The largest bottom-most (bottom-est? hmmm what is the opposite to topmost?) suitcase contains personal memorabilia


including my wedding dress and veil, the bridesmaid's dress I wore at my sister's wedding, a family christening gown, a collection of letters and cards going back nearly 30 years including love letters, poetry - some written by me and some written for me long ago, cards sent when our daughter was born .... ahhh, I nearly lost myself in a voyage of re-discovery when I opened this to take a photo.

The middle-most suitcase contains a couple of very prosaic spare pillows.

I love having these old cases for storage but blimey, they don't half weigh a ton even when empty.

I wouldn't mind doing a Victorian grand tour of some kind but rather than one of these suitcases I'd sooner take my loud red lightweight expandable suitcase which has lots of handy pockets



and especially wheels.

33 comments:

r. said...

Oh it's ALWAYS great to see you post Sally! :-) Oh what precious treasures!!! Wait, but they're all girly stuff! haha! The red rollaway seems out of place! :-)

Hope you're enjoying this lovely day!!

xo, r

Brian Miller said...

like the brown one myself. fun to open them and find old memories to keep you warm. hope you had a great thursday!

Steve Reed said...

Even though I'm not a "stuff" person, I love all the old heirlooms you've saved. Beautiful! (I think if I had nice old suitcases to store things in I might save more, too! :) )

tut-tut said...

It's always wonderful to get a whiff of the odd perfume, on opening past treasures. transporting. little ghosts.

The Clever Pup said...

Those are lovely. A real treasure trove.

ArtSparker said...

A lovely collection, good that you have a daughter...

Leah said...

I ADORE the old bits of lace and other treasures. How beautiful. Also what tut-tut said, "little ghosts"...

Gary said...

It's like taking a journey back into the past 'Somewhere in Time'. I couldn't come up with anything worthwhile for this Theme Thursday - perhaps I should have just looked up.

Ronda Laveen said...

Love those old leather cases! Can almost see them on the back of an old car. I am a fabric junkie so getting to see those fine pieces was a treat. Thanks.

The Silver Fox said...

Love the look of the older cases!

mum said...

Lovely for keepsakes - but I agree with you: the little red number on wheels is much more practical. (I have one almost like it!)

Squirrel said...

I love your little red suitcase (old ones are fab for storage-they looks very "I'm a gent with a valet" old timey) and the contents! I'd love to see the wedding dress up close.

Akelamalu said...

One would expect to see old suitcases contain treasures and yours do - how lovely! :)

Zhoen said...

Ah, the days of traveling heavy. With light lace things inside.

The red one would be so easy to see among the usual black cases on the carousel at the airport.

e said...

Lovely keepsakes and the cases are a great form of storage! Thanks for stopping by today, Lettuce!

natural attrill said...

Heehee!
I have a few of my grandad's old cases, but thay're quite small, so they're not too heavy to travel with.
Toby.
=]

Megan said...

Oooooooh!

goatman said...

I wonder how poetry would read after years of storage. Would it seem dated and trite, or have a timeless quality pertinent to feelings and emotions still existent?

A passing thought on your treasures.

Barbara said...

Suitcases are so perfect for storage. Even when the zipper pulls fall off, they can still be useful.

Mrsupole said...

These are some beautiful treasures that you have saved in those suitcases. My mom has a red one almost like yours.

Thank you for sharing a peek at your wedding dress. I gave mine away years ago. Somehow it got destroyed by something and I didn't want to ever see it that way again. You have a great idea to keep it safe. I should have done that.

Anyway I tried to add the Crafts Charity site to my feed, but because it does not show something that the feed needs it just put it at the bottom of all the other feeds.

But I hope that you will let me know when you want us to advertise and I will try to add it if I can.

God bless.

Lynne said...

Your bright red roll-around suitcase is just like mine! :)

Love the old cases! Such character can be found in their scuffed and worn leather.

What is it about a suitcase that makes it a good place to store a wedding gown? When we cleaned out my mom's house after her death we looked high and low for her beautiful wedding gown that we knew she still had. It was not in the drawer where she had kept it in the past. On going through the attic we were about to leave the old suitcases when I happened to open one and there was the gown! To think we might not have discovered it! I am so glad I looked inside!

Reya Mellicker said...

They are venerable ... well, all except the last one which is actually practical.

The old suitcases SHOULD be filled with lace and combs, and old things. I can almost smell them. Very cool!

Christening Gowns said...

It looks like there is a lot of memories kept in those suit cases. The photos are beautiful!

herhimnbryn said...

All those treasures ontop of your wardrobe! I always wonder about the journeys old siutcases have taken, what their stories could tell me.

Pod said...

bottomest
yes

Tom said...

we brought home an old suitcase like those after cleaning out grandmas house...it still smells like her house...memories.

Baino said...

Lettuce darls you're way behind on your Theme Thursdays . . is all well with you?

Betsy Brock said...

Love the old leather suitcases! But the thing that caught my eye first was the Laura Ashley wallpaper! Thistle pattern, if I remember correctly. Used to be my fav!

Harnett-Hargrove said...

Love the old leather suitcases.
Too good to use just for holiday! -J

Baino said...

Lettuce you are so behind the 8 ball . . everything OK? You haven't posted for AGES.

Anonymous said...

lettuce, had a couple of those cases meself( but silly me gave 'em away! )Lovely collection of memories you have :)

Baino said...

OK what's happening. Have I got the wrong address in my feed cos you are on the TT list every week but nothing new posted? I'll Facebook you

Anonymous said...

Интересно. И самое суть - необычно. [url=http://tutledy.ru/sovmestimost-s-muzhchinoy/90-sovmestimost-muzhchina-lev-zhenshchina-lev.html]совместимость мужчина лев женщина лев[/url]