My favorite part of Junk Bonanza is finding things I am passionate about and bringing them home as if they were my long lost possessions. The beauty of antiques and collections is that they speak volumes to people's hearts. I recently found a quote in a home décor magazine that hit home for me, it read,"Do not worry about style or trend, collect what you love and the rest will fall into place."
One of my favorite vendors at bonanza is Mimi-Toria's Designs. I never seem to leave the booth empty handed. My first piece that I purchased years ago was my "Free Spirit" necklace. I once had a guy tell me that his favorite thing about me was that I was anything besides complacent. I liked this, and it has stuck with me throughout the years. While some days, especially those as of late, I feel anything besides free spirited. However, I know that I have that wild fire inside of me somewhere. Whenever I put this necklace on I feel like raising a little hell and letting go of all my cares.
This past year I could not help myself, I left Mimi-Toria's with two amazing pieces that have already been used and loved so much. The "Aim High" necklace brought tears to my mom's eyes when I purchased it. She recalled a movie where a dying father stated those last words to his son, and she couldn't imagine a better message to pass along to your children. It was so beautiful, and being a country girl, it spoke to my heart. However, while my mom was set on me getting this piece I had already fallen in love with another necklace, "Forgiven."
Hands down my biggest battle in the past several months has been forgiveness. It is a work in progress for me and involves a lot of faith and reflection. The crazy thing is that I know that I have God's forgiveness, but I struggle with self-forgiveness and forgiveness of others. I love when I wear my "Forgiven," necklace and I instantly think about the love and warmth I get from Christ.
While visiting with the creator of my necklaces she mentioned that she often prays that her jewelry finds the correct person. I feel like each time I am leaving her booth I am leaving with something that I cannot leave without. It is a wonderful feeling and I am thankful to have found so many pieces that that I am head over heels in love with each day. Please visit Mimi-Toria's blog:
