Impulse buying...

I decided to drive to the quaint little town of Oakland, Oregon today to visit antique stores and see if I could find some interesting and unusual vases. As is usually the case for me, I did not find what I was looking for but left with something else I forgot I needed (I mean, wanted, at least in that moment).


I found these blue wooden clogs inside the door of the first antique store I visited. What a coincidence that I would actually encounter wooden clogs! I’ve been mulling over possible images for the header on my blog for months. Surely it was a sign when these blue clogs appeared. I considered buying them to photograph and use. But after thinking about it awhile, I decided not to purchase them, because well, I’d be stuck with those ugly blue wooden clogs. Plus, those pointed toes look rather modern to me.

I looked around some more and was struck by this lovely little demitasse cup. The English china was so delicate and glazed on the bottom was the date July 19, 1920. But it was really expensive. So, even though I just knew it would be a good prop for a watercolor painting, I walked on by.



I finally settled on a small yellow-ware bowl, suitably worn, from Plains, Georgia. (Perhaps it once belonged to President Carter’s family?). It will look nice on my counter with my other antique spongeware bowls, with shallots or garlic in it. I decided to buy it. But then I made the mistake, when I went to the counter to pay, of mentioning how much I liked the demitasse. The owner thought for a moment and then offered it to me at a 45% discount! How could I resist? I bought it.

When I got home I was stricken with buyer’s remorse. Would I really EVER paint a cup with that much detail? Very, very unlikely. Now I had yet another singleton cup to store somewhere. (There must be more creative ways to display pretty mismatched cups besides in a glass case like my grandmother had!) I went on E-bay to see what the starting bid was for the cup and saucer and discovered the (reduced) price I paid was the starting bid on E-bay. I’m glad, at least, that I did not pay the original asking price.

It’s not a big deal, a half a tank of gas, but still, not an item I really needed to spend money on. The classic impulse purchase. I wonder if Carol at Paris Breakfast, the master painter of lovely china, would like to paint it?