Collections: Night Lamps

This week I was asked to share one of my collections and had a hard time making my decision. Should I show my collection of vintage lingerie, edwardian dresses, white ceramic woodland creatures, ray bradbury books, random cross-stitched/embroidered pictures, vintage hats....at which point I realized that perhaps I hoard...er, collect too many things. Well, rather than come to terms with that notion I decided to just go with my night light collection...a collection I didn't even realize I had until asked to share on the blog.

So here you have it. My night lights, or night lamps...I'm not sure what to call them exactly. Nightlights always make me think of things plugged directly into the wall, and these are a bit brighter than those little glimmerers, so I call these night lamps. Not bright enough to light the room but bright enough to make it cozy.

This collection is the culmination of a wish and a gift. The wish was something I possessed ever since "While You Were Sleeping" came out in 1995 and ever so briefly showed me the wonder of a light-up globe (It's in a tiny little scene in the very beginning of the movie). Well that did me in and for YEARS I pined for such a beauty but to no avail. I never came across one in all my thrifting adventures. 

Fast forward 11 years to my first wedding anniversary when several girlfriends gave my husband and me a perfectly lit sea urchin. Over the years, through multiple moves and being in the same house as a clumsy me and a growing bebe, it has shattered several times and I've faithfully (and imperfectly as you can see) glued that little darling back together again. (There's a metaphor in there somewhere, I'm sure.)

So, how did a single sea urchin light and a teenage dream of a lit up globe turn into a collection? First, I started working at Ruby Rose over a year ago and was lucky enough to go with Stephanie and Stacy on my first adventure to the Alameda Flea market. There I found the answer to my glowy-world dreams and toted that baby home as gleeful as can be.

Since then I found another sea urchin, (Castaways in Morro Bay) 

the frog (Revolve in Morro Bay) the snail (random antique store in Fresno) 

the rabbit (Anthropologie CLEARANCE!!! in Fresno) 

the salt rock (Sedona, AZ) 

and the shell lamp (Achievement House, behind Cuesta)

So there you have it, most of this acquisition wasn't thought out. I saw it, it glowed, I liked it! 

Well, I've been thinking about it and I believe I found the metaphor. Life is imperfect. Life cracks, chips, and even wounds us sometimes. But Life and we ourselves can still be a light to warm those around us. Perhaps we give off more light the more cracks we have in us. We can let the lines and shattered spots leave us fragile or we can let the broken parts of our lives make us more compassionate and understanding and careful and kind to those around us. We may be small lights, but we can be lovely lights. 

- Kendra G. - The Body Electric