Family Heirlooms

For years, I have watched my mom collect things. Most she bought just because she liked them. She was given a vase from my dad's mother. Nana's story told how this vase was brought to America by her husband's mother (Christine) around 1900.  

But Google lens, which isn't *all-knowing* all the time, shows it made in Philadelphia around 1911.  

Do you have your own family heirlooms with similar stories attached?  It's kind of like the Barbie clothes I found.  The story behind them is lost, mom doesn't remember where they came from, but it would be easy to say "my mom made them", even though she didn't.  Does an embellished story make it better?

Here's the vase according to Lens:

The story is false, but I'm keeping the vase!

Are You Thrifty??

When I worked retail, I was amazed at how much stuff is bought each day.

With the cold snap today--- it was 37 degrees!!! --- I grabbed a lap blanket to keep my legs warm while I had lunch.

And I remembered the origins of this one.  The grey squares used to be my Grandma Clara's coat.  When it became outdated, or outsized, she cut some squares and crocheted them together to make this warm blanket.  The quilt on my bed growing up was also squares of clothing I wore growing up.  

People were quite thrifty when they needed to be!  And that impresses the hell out of me!  We could be doing better at these kinds of things. And should.