“Houses aren’t refuges from history. They are where history ends up.”
― Bill Bryson
Paint by numbers.
I never really paid any attention to them. I had never painted one.
No one I knew had this for a hobby, and frankly, they just weren’t anything that interested me.
Then, at 18, I married my husband, and a simple trip up North changed my viewpoint. I never saw it coming.
This is where my story begins of wanting these in my life. The story of where I first became enamored with these framed treasures of my husband’s past.
Tim was born and raised for most of his childhood in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. I was fascinated by the stories he shared with me of this idyllic time in his life. This was a place where little boys could ride their bikes to the lakeside, and jump around in the cold waters of Lake Michigan until their bodies screamed for warmth. When swim lessons were needed, those required a little bit more friendly temps than what the Lake provided. You got back on your trusty bike and went to the local YMCA a few blocks down the street from home. Visiting Grandparents anytime you wanted was the norm. Sharing fun times with a myriad of aunts, uncles, and cousins was something you could count on as a regular occurrence in life. My childhood had been quite different than what he described, and to this day, I have never tired of his sharing these memories with me.
“I promise you, the blessings that emerge in a home prepared with love and attention are never limited by square footage or a lack of trendy furniture.” – Bre Doucette
Because we only live a few hours away from Sheboygan, we enjoyed taking day or long weekend trips to visit Tim’s childhood haunts and of course, loved ones. On this trip, shortly after we were married, we were visiting Grandma Meissner. In previous visits, I had only viewed the main living area, but this time I was given a tour of the rest of this sweet home. This was the day when I came face to face with a room filled with something that I never knew my heart had longed for.
In the upstairs television room at Grandma and Grandpa’s storybook house (It appeared to come right out of a child’s fairytale), I paid attention to the beauty that comes from paint-by-numbers. Who knew that they could be so captivating? I certainly didn’t, but their old-fashioned charm just drew me in.
Tim informed me that Grandpa, before his stroke, enjoyed working on a variety of these little pieces of art for relaxation. As far as I could tell, they weren’t displayed anywhere else in the house, but in this little room, the walls were filled with them along with other special knickknacks.
A more delightful room I had never been in before, a true feast for the eyes. It was made extra special to me when I later found out that this was my father-in-law’s bedroom when he was a child, growing up in this loving home after he was adopted by Grandma and Grandpa.
As a little boy, it was also the room that my husband enjoyed spending time in when all the adults were gathered downstairs. After one such gathering, Grandpa with a smile on his face, had to have a little discussion with Tim after he “decorated” the ceiling of the room with spit wads. Knowing my husband, that ceiling was covered in all its paper glory. I don’t think that Grandma ever found out about this creative endeavor from her grandson. Probably for the best.
When we were blessed with three sons, I thought of those paintings often. They had long since disappeared to who knows where after Grandma died. How I would have treasured bringing a couple to decorate their bedrooms with, to share in a bit of their history with a great-grandpa that they never met.
After painting various clients’ nursery walls with murals, I have often wished that I would have done something like this to one of our son’s bedrooms.
How cute is that! Lest you think that they missed out on the decorating, I did hand paint and stencil their rooms throughout their childhood, but I wish that I had gone this route, trying my hand on a large paint-by-number. It certainly isn’t something that you see in many rooms.
Have you watched the series, “All Creatures Great and Small” on PBS? Not the older version from the 1970’s, but the version that began in 2020 and is still running.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/shows/all-creatures-great-and-small/#
You really must watch it! It is so well written. The characters are beautifully acted out by the perfect cast, all the while wrapping you up in the loveliest of emotions. The opening credits are imposed on paint-by-number pictures. From the very first second, I was once again captivated by the beautiful imagery of this art form and filled with nostalgia for that long-ago upstairs room.
I longed to start my own collection of found paintings from someone’s past, but the little bit of selection that I found in my area was either too expensive or not in that great of shape.
But then…….
Just before Christmas of last year, I stumbled on a piece in a local antique store, framed in an eye-catching manner. It was a paint-by-number of a barn in the winter. I had to have it. I went in search of my husband who was on his own treasure hunt within the multi-level store. I eagerly took him to the booth where my treasure lay. I pointed out that this piece, this one right here, would be a perfect Christmas gift for me. I stressed how much I wanted it. Christmas morning, it was sweetly gifted to me by our son Chris. To say that I was thrilled would be an understatement.
Do you want to see it? I think it is beautiful.
Now, after my last post, you understand that I won’t be taking this down, but finding something else to display in this frame for the rest of the year. I’m pondering on doing my own Spring-Summer paint-by-number and giving it a place of honor in this antique frame with the winter barn scene tucked snugly behind, waiting to come out again later this year. It’s just a thought.
“People usually are the happiest at home.”
– William Shakespeare
Do you have treasures that you are always on the lookout for? Do you like to tuck family treasures throughout your home? Have you ever thought of the stories that they tell and the memories that they bring forth?
They may not have any value to anyone else outside your family, but within your home, they share a past that weaves the threads that tie your history together.
I’m truly enjoying your posts, dear sister. Not only are they beautifully written, but they feed the soul.
As a child and a teenager, I loved doing some paint-by-number pieces. Not sure where they ended up. I love the barn one Chris gave you for Christmas. I hope you do a springtime one and post it.
I love looking at things around our home that represent the adventures Fred and I shared at different places around the world. Especially value the times we got to experience with family and friends.
I’m a big fan of All Creatures Great and Small on PBS. Looking forward to the next season of it.
Deb, I never knew that you enjoyed paint-by-numbers! How I wish that we still had them in our family possessions.
We gifted Kristi a Diamond painting Kit- a version of a paint-by-number for her birthday. She is thoroughly enjoying working on it. Finding a creative way to relax is so important.
You and Fred have surely collected amazing treasures from your travels around the world! Creating a home is so much more than filling our homes with things to take up space. Taking our time with the process, and curating things that become a placeholder for our memories make them valuable. This is where our stories live. You have done that well in your home.
Your kind words about my posts are appreciated more than I can say.