If displaying vintage treasures can make us smile, can't we consider them useful? And when we really can assign a new purpose to an old piece, it's a joyful way to honor the past and present.

Most of my Three Old Keys sales have involved wood Letterpress, and Ampersands in particular. I also am drawn to vintage Housewares and Linens. Enamelware makes me sing. I enjoy assembling sets of vintage Alphabet Blocks. Oh, the Wood Hangers from old hotels and tailors ... and Cookie Molds! There are so many areas for collecting! The pieces I sell are what I love to touch and display in my own home.

As a quilter and stitcher, I appreciate good sewing notions. So I get a kick out of creating pincushions in colorful 1950s-60s melmac teacups. I turn repurposed wool sweaters and shiny plastic cups into what I call my Melmac Make-Do's.

The actual Three Old Keys? They belong to a trio of antique wood cabinets passed down from grandparents. They represent our family history and we will never part with them ... until we hand them off to the next generation ... the cabinets and their three old keys.