The Trailer Diva

Western New York is such a unique part of the country and is rich in history, especially in the Rochester area. It’s absolutely beautiful almost any time of year but I have to admit my favorite times are lilac and corn seasons.

Rochester is also the home of the Kodak corporation and camera junkie that I am when I’m in that area I try to go to as many flea markets and thrift shops as I can to find the perfect addition to my growing collection. At one time my collection was over 400 still and movie cameras but I’ve thinned it out a little and some of my very lucky builders got some very cool cameras in the theming of their model homes.

I’ve been keeping in touch with the wonderful Ronald McDonald House volunteers that have been gathering goodies for our Homearama house by @Home Builders and as luck would have it a wonderful woman donated a large collection of cameras and Kodak memorabilia that had belonged to her late husband Leonard Coleman.

When I collect I try to learn as much as I can about where the items came from or who they belonged to so when we were able to learn about Mr. Coleman I was thrilled.

Leonard Coleman was an avid collector and had a life-long love affair with photography. His collection had included over 2,000 cameras, most manufactured by Eastman Kodak and some manufactured as early as 1890. Mr. Coleman started his career with Eastman Kodak in 1948 as a messenger when he was 17 years old. He worked his way up through the company and retired as a vice-president in 1990.

Mrs. Coleman has been very generous with sharing the amazing collection that her husband had put together. Much of the collection was donated to the George Eastman House, and thankfully she has also decided to share some of the collection with The Ronald McDonald House ABC Sale and with us!

If you love photography and cameras as much as I do, the home and the fall sale will be one that you won’t want to miss. All of the collection will be either be included in the rooms that are auctioned after Homearama or in the ABC Sale. As soon as I have more information how you can bid on these items I’ll share it here.

As a Lifestylist®, I realize that there is a lot more to creating a home or office environment besides making it look pretty. Lifestyle, budgets, and what’s important to you and your family play a large part in what you should be considering when you are working on making your house a home.

Often when people decide to purchase a new home they think that to make it look as good as the model home that they fell in love with they’ll need a king’s ransom to be able to afford all new furniture, artwork, and personality pieces. To show how you can buy on a budget and recycle at the same time, I have teamed up with @Home Builders and the Ronald McDonald House to do an entire home that will be furnished and merchandised with gently loved items that have been donated to the Rochester, NY organization for their annual ABC Sale.

Always up for a great challenge, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I visited the warehouse that houses all of the donated materials until sale day. With it being so early before the sale, they have just begun to get donations so what I saw was just a preview of what there will be in October. It was amazing! The selections they had were so unique that hardest thing for me when I design the home is going to be making a decision!

Being green and recycling doesn’t have to just be about solar energy or spending a lot of money on fancy equipment. It can be as easy as giving a vintage rocking horse a new home or specifying new carpet like Shaw offers that is “cradle to cradle” recyclable. If we all made an effort to just buy one or two items for our new homes at a thrift shop or Salvation Army store, imagine what a difference that could make in our landfills.

I’m looking forward to sharing my @Home Builders showhouse journey with you but be warned - when you see the treasures that can be found at sales like this you’ll be joining me with UHaul in tow at the sale!