Treasures by Marion Ekholm


I have several treasures, things that mean a great deal to me, but have no monetary significance.


When my parents added onto our house in Connecticut, I finally had my own bedroom. Outside of a bed, I had no other furniture. My mother’s best friend, “Aunt” Helen, invited me over to her barn to look at an old traveling trunk. Oh, yeah, I could use that.



After getting it home, I removed all the old wallpaper glued inside. It  was my reading seat pressed into a corner of my room where I could read for hours. And it definitely is a treasure chest. Check out an old movie of “Treasure Island” and you can see an exact replica of my chest. It’s traveled everywhere with me.


The chest has housed many of my belongings including Clare Louise, my first and favorite doll. The hinges no longer work, the lid is very heavy and difficult to remove, and the side handles made of leather long ago deteriorated. I added wheels so I could move it around without having to empty it.


Detail of the metals & wood.
 
I designed the small rug used on top of the trunk from a photo I took of some marsh lands on the Maine coast. After getting the rug started, I lost interest, and my mother-in-law finished it for me. Every time I see it, I’m reminded of what a wonderful person she was. She actually finished many projects for me. I tend to over buy things such as knitting yarn. She took bags of it off my hands, and made several afghans the family still use.













This treasure, a  mirror framed in pressed wood, makes me smile every time I look at it. My husband and I frequented garage sales and auctions. At one garage sale I got into a conversation with the owner of this mirror. He wanted $10; I offered him $5.




He said no, if he didn’t get his $10, he was bringing it to the auction that night. I went to the auction, made a $5 bid when it came up and won the bid. He had to pay the auctioneer 25% of the $5. Do the math.






This goes to prove a bird in the hand…
 





Do you have similar “treasures” that you can’t part with because they hold too many precious memories?

Comments

  1. I love your treasures. I have some, too, things that warm the heart like our books do.

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    1. I know what you mean about books. Definitely things to treasure.

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  2. Oh, the trunk is wonderful, Marion. I have many treasures, but one I received recently is my grandmother's diary. It's the greatest treasure of all. As I read the entries, it's as though she's there in the room talking to me.

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    1. When my mother died, I found two of her diaries written before she married and when she was expecting me. You're right. They are the greatest treasures of all.

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  3. I had a trunk like that once and hate that I let it get away. I have a lot of Depression glass...probably not worth much, but I like it.

    Thanks for telling us about your trunk! And I love the story about the mirror. :-)

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  4. I have a trunk like yours, Marion, but it's not as pretty. It was my grandmother's and it takes up most of one closet. I'd love to make it pretty, but you aren't supposed to do things like that to antiques.

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    1. Depends on if you ever want to sell it. If you just want it for your own personal use, you can do whatever you want. As I mentioned, someone had placed wallpaper in my trunk which was a common practice back then.

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  5. I love that trunk. I've always had a thing for boxes and trunks. I have my grandmother's candy dish and turquoise necklace, and this last week, my husband's 98-year-old grandmother gave me a carnival glass bowl that had been her mother's. Nothing valuable, but valuable to me.

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    1. Those sound like items you can pass on. They're always valuable in that respect.

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  6. I love your trunk, Marion. I'm sure there's a series of books there as the trunk follows its owner from place to place - or you, on your life journey. And how cool that your mother-in-law finished the rug. We have a wicker rocker on the front porch that Ron's parents bought used in the 1930s. Two years ago, I painted it raspberry. Mel's right, you're not supposed to do that, but it makes me happy every time I look at it. And I can't tell you how many times a tourist walking by (we're on the street that leads up to an Astoria landmark) has shouted, "Love the pink chair!"

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    1. We had a John Rogers statue in plaster made around 1880. I actually took my oil colors out and considered painting. The fact I'm alive and able to write now is because I never did that.

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  7. I love the treasures. I have some as well and even though they may have no monetary value they're priceless to me. Thank you for sharing.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

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    1. The most precious things are the ones with memories.

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  8. I love the treasures. I have some as well and even though they may have no monetary value they're priceless to me. Thank you for sharing.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

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  9. I also love the travelling trunk, Marion. What a wonderful story!

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    1. The weight is unbelievable. I can't imagine how people filled trunks and were able to move them to different places.

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    2. It was very smart to put wheels on it!

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  10. That's great, a trunk where you sat and read for hours. I have little things that I can't part with like one of my grandmother's rings, and my paternal grandmother's bible. I wish I had a trunk too though. ( :

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  11. Sorry I missed this yesterday, but I took my sis in for eye surgery. I love your old trunk. My sister has the old one that belonged to my mother. It has an upper and lower tray that both come out. But your trunk is definitely older. Thanks for sharing.

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