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How I Stole Back the Basement

July 28, 2017 mithra ballesteros

I have reclaimed the basement. It is mine. All mine.

Do I sound greedy? Territorial?

Look, it’s been four years since I started a business in our basement. My inventory, shipping supplies, and photography equipment competed for space with a drum kit, a weight bench, video game consoles, air soft guns, guitars, amps, a fooz-ball table, etc. I gazed upon walls covered with graffiti murals and family photos. 

My high school friends from Waukegan, Illinois will recognize that fooz ball table.

My high school friends from Waukegan, Illinois will recognize that fooz ball table.

How I hated descending the stairs to chaos. For courage, I hung a banner on the basement door that said, “It’s Okay”. Once down there, I felt like Wall-E, the small waste-collecting robot who surrounded himself with all manner of 20th century detritus. 

And speaking of waste, one day I accidentally hit one of the dropped ceiling tiles and a soda can fell on my head. One of our sons -- who shall remain nameless but he knows who he is -- hid empty soda cans in the ceiling. I extracted at least forty empties. Yes, yes, better soda than beer, but the mice don't differentiate. 

Anyway, I don’t know why I delayed the necessary purge. The paralyzing combination of guilt and nostalgia. Also, let’s face it, what a job. Twenty-seven years of accumulation. 

It has been a years-long process, but as of last week, the Ballesteros Museum of Boy Crap has closed.

Gallery wall with abstract art by Melanie Biehle, Fernand Leger, Miriam Eaton, Roberta Alshuler, Suzanne Rosenblatt, and Henry Evans.

Gallery wall with abstract art by Melanie Biehle, Fernand Leger, Miriam Eaton, Roberta Alshuler, Suzanne Rosenblatt, and Henry Evans.

How did I do it? It was gradual at first. I took over the toy closet. Then I painted over the mural and built shelves on which I stage photos.

And then last week, I tackled this wall (above). It used to be covered with out-of-date family photos and childhood art. I took it all down (ouch! guilt!) with the intent of creating a striking gallery wall. How ironic that we empty our homes only to fill them again. But such is the curse of the collector. 

I found the centerpiece of the collage, a giant silk Fernand Leger, on Everything But the House, a site that you should know about. It is a virtual estate sale where you can both buy and sell vintage and antiques, just like at a neighborhood estate sale, only you don't have to line up in the rain and wait for your number to be called. You can bid from the comfort of your kitchen table and if you download the app (here), you can submit your bid on the go. 

I love the four doves in this silkscreen. In my mind, each one represents one of my sons, flying peacefully around the world.

I love the four doves in this silkscreen. In my mind, each one represents one of my sons, flying peacefully around the world.

When I bid on the Fernand Leger piece, I made a typical rookie mistake and didn’t realize how huge it was. Framed in masonite, it weighed a ton, and shipping was over $100. But it arrived without a scratch, expertly boxed. In fact, the shipping department at EBTH taught me something. When mailing artwork, it is advisable to crisscross the glass with tape. Like people do to windows during a hurricane.

Once I had the Leger piece, I added other abstracts and illustrations. I used recycled frames and mattes. I played around on the kitchen floor until I got a combination I liked. I took measurements, snapped photos with my phone, and spent a couple of hours with a very patient husband hanging it all. The result is a gallery wall that is feminine and fun.

From the "Nomad" series by abstract artist Melanie Biehle.

From the "Nomad" series by abstract artist Melanie Biehle.

The rest of the room is filled with many of my vintage finds. I encourage you to try shopping second hand. First, it is affordable. Second, I like buying something from someone who is downsizing. I'm helping a buddy out. I want to tell the previous owner, “Hey, thank you for letting go of your thing. I will take care of your thing and love it on your behalf.”  

The basement is now a reflection of my new life as an empty-nester who works out of my house. I descend the stairs lightly now. Maybe I’ll sell my “It’s Okay” banner on Everything But The House.  

MY PICKS FROM EVERYTHING BUT THE HOUSE

If your curiosity is piqued, I've perused this week's items on Everything But The House and rounded up my faves, including a bronze figural horse, this evocative oil, these Danish tables, this sterling charm bracelet, or this pair of lamps.

How about this beautiful antique platter, these Persian gouaches, a Ralph Lauren paperweight, or this super cool walking cane?

You might be bidding against me for these pendants, this primitive bench, this set of Winston Churchill books, or these candlesticks. 


Photos by Renn Kuhnen. 

This post is sponsored by Everything But The House, which means I received compensation. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the content and the sponsors that enable me to continue writing The Bubble Joy.


Every Friday, I send a newsletter containing behind-the-scenes stories, early access to vintage finds in my shop, and links to cool stuff from around the web. It's almost like a magazine that provides a good hour of topnotch photos and writing. Try it. If you don't like it, you can always unsubscribe and I'll never know!

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In Interiors, Vintage Finds Tags Everything But The House, estate sales, basement makeover, Fernand Leger, Melanie Biehle, Miriam Eaton, Roberta Alshuler, Suzanne Rosenblatt, Henry Evans
← A Horse A PieceShe's Been Dead Two Hundred Years? How Jane Austen Stays Fresh →

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Welcome! I'm Mithra (pronounced Mee-thra). I'm an interior stylist and a writer. I'm also a vintage and antiques lover. I have an online shop, Finder Not Keeper, where I sell my best finds. (That's a white lie. I keep the best finds.) Read more about me and the blog here. 


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Instagram posts

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A few days back in the ‘Quon. All of February is the price I’m willing to fork over for one week in September.
Latest blog post about our new outdoor shower and the differences of opinion between this guy and his mother (me) on how it should be used. #linkinbio
Latest blog post about our new outdoor shower and the differences of opinion between this guy and his mother (me) on how it should be used. #linkinbio
Brainy, brave, kind, genuine, indefatigable, funny, patriotic, fair, hard working, gentle, strong, iconic.
Brainy, brave, kind, genuine, indefatigable, funny, patriotic, fair, hard working, gentle, strong, iconic.
Those aren’t my hands forming baguettes. But I took the pic. @heat_her_all_a_man has it down  and I’m ready with my salted butter and honey. What do you eat with baguettes?
Those aren’t my hands forming baguettes. But I took the pic. @heat_her_all_a_man has it down and I’m ready with my salted butter and honey. What do you eat with baguettes?
Surveying the herb garden after a good weeding session. Basil took a hit the last couple weeks but everything else is flourishing like summer lasts forever.
Surveying the herb garden after a good weeding session. Basil took a hit the last couple weeks but everything else is flourishing like summer lasts forever.
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First restaurant account for @littlelaurentide! Also first time eating out since the snow was flying. Really really fun night. (Not to mention that building’s white with black trim paint color scheme is 💯)
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Surprise lilies, also known as naked ladies, fit in well here at the farm for reasons we will let you ponder.
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This is son #2, the farmer. Walter is working hard to turn this place into a sustainable organic farm. Follow us @littlelaurentide for the latest on how mother and son align, clash, argue, hug.
On the blog today, the newest bachelor at Little Laurentide. Will he draw viewers or is he a train wreck along the lines of Juan Pablo Galavis? Read the latest blog post to find out! Link in bio.
On the blog today, the newest bachelor at Little Laurentide. Will he draw viewers or is he a train wreck along the lines of Juan Pablo Galavis? Read the latest blog post to find out! Link in bio.
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On the blog today: a tour of the best places on the farm to sit for a spell. And I write a bit about what it’s like to cohabit with a son who used to give me every kind of gray hair. He could teach a polar bear how to be grumpy and I could teach a grizzly bear how to be grumpy. It’s a new world for the two of us, farming together, and can you guess how it’s going??

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