Happy Thursday, my friends! Today I want to share with you a sweet story about a piece of our family history! Pop on over to hear a little ditty about a wicker piece that is 40 years old!
Flash back to 38 years ago when my older sister was pregnant with her first child. The baby was to be the first grandchild on our side of the family. A good friend of hers, who also happened to be a sweet neighbor, offered her a bassinet, which she no longer needed. It was a lovely white, wicker bassinet with a pale yellow skirt and in perfect condition. My sister used it for her son, then her second son.
A few years later, when I was pregnant with my first child, my sister offered it to me. By then, the yellow skirt had frayed a bit and faded so I bought a new white skirt for the bassinet. I used the bassinet for my first son, then my second son. After that, our younger sister married and became pregnant with her first child….
Thus, the bassinet was passed down from sibling to sibling, and baby to baby. This bassinet has cradled 11 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren in our family. Every single Brooks baby. What a legacy, right?
Recently, my sister was cleaning out her garage and offered the bassinet to me. I don’t have grandchildren yet but couldn’t resist restoring this family piece back to its former glory. I always love a good project! This is how the bassinet looked when I got it. It has never been updated and been in storage for 3 years, so it was a little rough-looking. I rolled up my sleeves and set to work!
First, I cleaned it up with some degreaser and water. Then, since it had yellowed over the years I thought it needed a coat or two of fresh white paint! I taped up the wheels and hardware and gave it a few coats of semi-gloss white spray paint. I painted the underside first, let it dry then flipped it over and sprayed the sides and interior.
And this piece of our family history is as good as new! I understand some folks aren’t as sentimental as I, but to me, this little bassinet symbolizes my family’s past and I love that every single baby in our family has slept in this bed. My hope in restoring this bed is that many other babies in our family will spend their first nights in this bed with the blessings and prayers of so many Brooks babies before.
And a before and after! A sweet little bassinet that is four decades old. The wheels and legs are as sturdy as ever and now with a fresh coat of paint, this beauty is ready for another generation or two of Brooks babies!
The white bassinet skirt I bought nearly 32 years ago is still in relatively good shape. I spot cleaned a few areas and washed it on the gentle cycle several times. I didn’t remember until I saw it in person, but the skirt has a tiny palest of pale pink ribbon on it. Back in my day, we hardly ever knew the sex of the baby so I’m sure I bought the skirt before my first son was born. It doesn’t matter though. The bow is tattered and frayed now, so maybe I’ll replace it with a white ribbon so it can be unisex in its next life. Godspeed little bassinet.
As a matter of fact, my first-born son, who slept in this bassinet, is about to turn 32 years old in 2 days. It seems a life time ago that he slept in this tiny little bed. His baby brother, Nicky, who is now 29, also slept here. So, happy birthday Chase! We love you so much and hope this year will be your best one yet!
Thank you, my sweet friends and family who stopped by today and every day and for supporting my little piece of blog universe! And thank you to my son Chase and his friend Josh who helped me create Dellsdailydish. They took my idea and set it in motion. If it were not for them, my little blog would not exist. Thank you, thank you! xoxo Dell