I shared about my love of stone fruit in a post a few months ago. It’s marble that’s been carved and hand painted to look like real fruit and it’s pretty convincing. It’s also usually very expensive. One rare piece on E-bay can sell for $60 or more. I was over-the-moon one day when I found stone fruit at Goodwill for $.68 a piece. I snapped them right up and I was happy with my little collection. What I really longed for, though, was my grandmother’s stone fruit collection.
She had it sitting on her dining room table for as long as I can remember. I never noticed it as a kid, but after I got married and learned more about decorating and antiques, I fell in love with her stone fruit. When my grandfather passed away last fall, I really wanted to get the stone fruit. It wasn’t about getting something that was valuable, it was about getting something that belonged to them and had a story…and these have a funny one.
(Above is a picture of the stone fruit on my Oma’s table.)
My grandfather (Opa) was always very frugal. He was a part of the “greatest generation” who grew up during the depression, fought in WWII, and didn’t take anything for granted. As a kid, I would always make fun of him for turning off the A/C and throwing the windows open when it was two degrees cooler outside than inside. Anyway, the frugality resulted in my grandmother (Oma) having a bowl of plastic fruit on her dining room table. Stone fruit was just too expensive. So, my Oma (sneaky girl) started buying stone fruit one piece at a time and would quietly replace a plastic piece with a stone piece. She repeated this process until she had the amazing collection of stone fruit that sits on my dining room table today.
I’m reminded of her and that story every time I look at it. In the end, things are just things, but I really love that I can have things that belonged to people I love and miss very much.
26 Responses
What a great story.
I was having similar thoughts about my grandpa this week as I painted a dresser he made for me when I was a teenager. It's a project I hope to reveal soon and it's the result of my deciding that I'd rather use something with a connection to a beloved lost grandparent than scour Craigslist for a piece that would probably look a touch better in the space.
Girls will be girls. We want what we want and that's it! And where there's a will, there's a way.
What a great story.
What a great story! That fruit is so realistic, I never would have known it was stone. Thanks for sharing!
We wanted our children to call their grandfather and his wife Oma and Opa, but they wanted to be called Grandma and Grandma.
Have a good week! Lisa
Neat story! I'm glad you were able to have the fruit. Your grandma sounds like a very smart woman! 🙂
Love the stone fruit…I would have never guessed. And that is was your grandparents…well that makes it all the more special! Love the story.
Hugs
SueAnn
What a wonderful story. I have always said the best things are things with a story. 🙂
This is MMS's Mom – another part of the story is that once my Dad realized it was stone – he added to the collection with a large rock that looked just like a Potato. Every Saturday night my boyfriend (now my husband) came to eat with us. We normally had steak :). My Dad always encouraged him to eat a potato or two before diving into the steak. One night he put the stone potato on his plate. It looked very real! We all had a great laugh over that. I think the potato is still in the bowl – but it was not purchased – just found :).
MMS's Mom
What a wonderful story!
Very clever Oma! My father was of German decent and the grandkids called him Opa.
I love the stone fruit and the fact that your Oma was such a smart lady to get what she wanted one piece at a time. And how lucky you are to have inherited it. It's those little things we get that bring back such fond memories, that mean the most!
Kat 🙂
I love that story. It reminds me of my great grandmothers plaster "fruit" wall art/plaque (for lack of a better word). Don't really know the story behind it, but it hung in my great grandmother's home, my grandmother's home, my mother's home, and now in our lake cottage. Not that it is "the most beautiful piece of art work I own", but it is a part of our family history.
I love that story! The fruit looks gorgeous and oh so delicious and realistic.
Thanks for sharing this story! I feel the same way about many of my grandmother's things–some of them may be valuable (as is the stone fruit), but that doesn't matter to me. The memories are what are precious.
Oh what a great story, I don't know if I have ever seen stone fruit. Yours looks so real. My grandparents always had those great stories to tell. I two antique pieces from my grandmother and I often wonder how she received them. I know one was handed down from her mother.
Thanks for sharing.
I certainly agree with the ideas you have regarding the previously owned things I am given…smiles.
Hi Miss Mustard Seed-
I have been reading your blog for a while now. I enjoy your painting very much. When I read that you had taught yourself how to paint I figured I could try it too! So I am benefiting from your classes on Wednesday. Thank you for blogging and for the inspiration and encouragement.
I love the story of your stone fruit. That was incredibly clever of your your Oma. I imagine having such a fun story connected with it makes the fruit even more special. 🙂
I would never have known in a million years that fruit wasn't real.
This post was beautiful…what a sneaky -smart grandma you had! I love the things in my home that have a story to tell…just like your fruit!
Blessings, Grace
A friend of mine has stone fruit that I have admired for years, so I have been on the lookout at thrift stores for it. But no luck here. How fortunate you found some. Sally
What a lovely story! Did your Grandpa ever find out????
Dee Dee
Thank you so much, Jan. You'll have to e-mail me some pictures of your work!
I have never heard of stone fruit…very interesting and so glad you found yours! My grandparents didn't have much by today's standards but I do have a wooden crochet hook that one grandma used to hook rag rugs together….love it. I have it framed…It is very precious to me.
Ooo sneaky, I like it. It's lovely.
This is a sweet, fun story. I'll bet your grandmother twinkled when she told about it too! Sherry
Great finds!! Something to be really proud of and you have a very good eye!!
Karena
What a sweet story about your Oma and Opa. I'll be on the lookout for stone fruit in the future. It looks so real and pretty.
Lovely. The fact that you value the things that were so special to your dear grandmother is a tribute to her. God bless you and your family.