SERENDIPITY

ser·en·dip·i·ty/ˌserənˈdipitē/ Noun: The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way: "a fortunate stroke of serendipity".

 Every once in a while, life takes an interesting turn.  You never know where it's going to lead you.  On a recent visit with a friend, we went to a lovely vintage shop, aptly called Serendipity Boutique.  Upon entering, Linda, the owner, whom my friend knew, immediately shared her sad news that she had to close and move out West to take care of her ailing parents. We chatted for a while as she spoke so lovingly of her beautiful boutique.

After a while, the mood shifted and Linda asked if there was something specific I was looking for. I told her I was a cardmaker and I collected vintage buttons and lace.  With that, she told me to wait a minute and left the room.  When she came back, she was carrying a box of the most gorgeous buttons.  She said I could have them for some absurdly low price.  I said I was willing to pay more.  She left the room again, and this time came back with a huge box and a large bag filled with more buttons.

At this point, we are both in tears because what turned out to be a treasure for me, was Linda's treasure she had been collecting for years. And then she took me to the back of the shop and filled my arms with vintage sewing machine drawers and lace.  It later turned out, when I got home, I had received over 30 pounds of buttons!

It is now one month after my visit to Serendipity Boutique and I just finished sorting out my wonderful, new collection of amazing buttons.  As I touched each and every one, I fondly remember Linda, her story and our serendipitous meeting.  I have all kinds of ideas of what to do with them.  First thing, I'm going to share them with some special friends.  I had promised Linda that I would take care of her treasures and be respectful.  I could never use them all in my lifetime!  AND, no, they will never be on Ebay! 

Here is just a sample of some of the collection.  They are mostly glass, bakelite, wood, ceramic, metal and shell.