Much as I try to understand the pitfalls of materialism, I hate to say it but I am a material girl living in a material world. Whew. I said what I said! Why inanimate objects thrill me is actually beyond my scope of understanding. But alls I know is, they have that power. Not all possessions speak to me. But some things just scream out my name. And I find it hard to explain the attraction but they captivate me. Like the way art can mesmerize an audience. Or when we collectively stare at a beautiful model or a gorgeous Model T. Or how people obsess over rare jewels behind glass guarded by secret service. Eyes wide we lean in for a closer look. The craftsmanship. The complexity. The value! Oooooo.
I was browsing in a housewares store that had super fancy knives (swoon!) linens, silver, servewear, and giftables last spring. And my eye caught the to die for interesting shape of a petite fancy candy dish. This is possibly the least important object a person can own, right? Who doesn’t finish a small bag of M&Ms in one sitting and needs to display the three orphans they were too full to house?? I’ve lived into my 50s just fine without one thankyouverymuch, never wanting one or even contemplating this frivolous purchase.
But the glass of this particular candy dish itself was so fine. And the top so architectural with a sculpted tip. I literally could not avert my gaze. I was shopping that day for a house present for a friend and ended up spending the majority of HER budget on that dish for ME! (Bad friend alert.) But I was possessed and had to have it. After which I was then forced to buy a too expensive bag of single-color M&Ms just to show off the shapeliness of the jar. Jeez. But man, she was lookin’ fahhhhhhn. I look at her each and every day and don’t regret the purchase for a moment. She is truly art.
Obviously all the M&Ms have been eaten and the dish now stands alone… but I still marvel at the simplicity of her. (And yes, candy is back on the shopping list. The reason for the delay is that I’m stifled trying to come up with a mini snackable that will best show her shapely curves. Bueller? Class? Anyone??) I’m sure said snack will do nothing for my personal shapeliness, but c’est la vie! It’s in the name of art so I’m actually fine with it.
So as she sits regal on the dining room table, naked in her originally purchased state, I’m both embarrassed and proud to reveal a new household item that has diverted my artistic attention. My desk recently acquired a new treasure from that same pesky housewares store from which I just can’t seem to escape unscathed. (See how I was able to transfer blame there to the desk? Yep, getting good at this shopping thing!) And just like I have a tendency to to gravitate toward interesting knives, I’m now developing a scissor habit. Yes, you read that correctly and stop snickering. You’d be surprised how often I use scissors at home. I have a pair near my desk for trimming labels, cutting coupons and sizing wrapping paper, and the one in the kitchen is for opening dressing packets, food wrappers, and slicing through packages and boxes. Another one acts as a bedside pair for snipping tags, loose threads, and cutting way too long laces on new sneakers. A razor sharp specialty pair is housed in the bathroom for keeping my fast growing fringe just above my brows. So yeah, I have a pretty well rounded collection.
Anyway, the new addition is a complete departure from the plain Jane shears I have. The newbie is a Japanese scissor with the sharpest angled spikes available for purchase. (I made that up but dang it could be true. The blades are serious.) I fell in love with the shiny exterior, symmetrical curved “bows” and overall sleekness of the tool. While laying flat it’s just gorgeous. And it fits perfectly in my hand and cuts like a dream.
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