Treasure Box Wednesday: Heavenly Finds

And a-one, and a-two, and everybody sing...

Er, no, better not. Let's just talk about our friend the conducting cherub here, and the other found items for this Treasure Box Wednesday.

The elaborate winged fellows are a lamp discovered at Construction Junction architectural salvage. This has already made it's way into my blue room. I would say it probably was the land-speed record for lamp placement in America.

How the lamp managed to survive in that store amid the big chunks of heavy marble mantles, thick wood planks, and masonry, I can't imagine. It does have some issues, certainly. A chipped wing here, a missing bit there...

And this fellow is completely sans-arm. But I think some clever patching will make it less obvious, and just add to the character. Too much was brilliantly intact for me to care very much...
Sometimes I think it's the imperfections in well-made old pieces like this that make them even more worth rescuing to me. Like I have to save them from further damage!

At the Salvation Army yesterday, there was absolutely nothing wrong with this pink hobnail vase...
I've seen this in white milkglass a bazillion times over the years-- in fact my mother had one-- but never, ever in pink! This was quite a surprise to me. I believe I recall it being an Anchor Hocking piece, but don't hold me to that.

I had also picked up this green Depression glass platter...

Funny, I'd been in line, saying to the friend I was shopping with how there were just a few small chips on the bottom, but how no one would see those. And the woman in front of me in line sniffed, "Well, I can tell you're not an antique dealer, then!"

Er, yes. I probably wouldn't expect people to buy from me something that had chips. But given it was for my own use? Well, you all know how I feel about that. Again, it's another pretty item whose beauty isn't ruined by the little flaws.

And my last second-hand venture of the weekend was attending a flea market at a local synagogue. It was set up almost identically to the church rummage sale I went to just a week or two ago. And there, I set my eyes on this great sandwich-glass and lightly-lustered amethyst dish...
(Here you can see an aerial view)...

And this excellent large, old mirror for a whole $2...

So it's been a pretty heavenly week for fun finds! And a nice respite from working on that fireplace.

• Folks who've not yet seen the whole fireplace installation extravaganza can check that out here.

It's going well, by the way. I installed the rest of the trim last night. It still needs a few coats of paint, and then I have some other touches to add. Oh-- and the mantle shelf. But the mantle shelf issue is one I'll share with you later. I think you'll laugh.

Take care, and I hope you'll pop back on Sunday for our next post!

You Gotta Have Heart: Impromptu Valentine's Decor

Vanished! Gone was the garland and angels and bright bejeweled fruit... The Shiny Brites and Santas and the horns that go toot.... Away went the hozwanglers and the zangdoodles, and the tootonkas and trees--

(I'd no idea how many hozwanglers and zangdoodles I'd picked up at the thrifts this year. Took me forever to put 'em away.)

And as I looked out on my hollow halls, my empty mantle, my wistful walls, where once there had been happy shiny Christmas decor, well...I'm afraid my own heart felt two sizes too small.

(Sniff)

Okay, for, like, FIVE SECONDS. Until I put that heart into some serious Valentine's Day decorating!

It started with a fake potted rose or two I'd put away before the holidays.

Then some little rose topiaries. And this nifty little 1950s Valentine's girl planter I got from the Good Samaritan Thrift Store back in August.


And then some, er... more...velvet roses. (Apparently, I pick up velvet roses the way some people pick up extra packs of toilet tissue.)

I added a flock of white thrifted cherub vases... (Cherubs come in flocks, you know.)


And cards, cards, cards! These vintage Valentine's cards were a set I'd bought back in July at the Pottery City Antique Mall in East Liverpool, Ohio. There was a ton of them, all for about $4. I'm glad I'd thought ahead.


What I like about them in particular is they appear to be all of the cards collected for different members of one family.

We have the husband...


The wife...


Son...


And Mother...

For the table setting, I broke out my pink glass dishes, and made a minor investment from Target for the beaded heart-shaped placemats. The candlesticks, candles and the previously mentioned cherub vases all were things I'd already had, purchased over time through thrift stores.


And just to get truly carried away with the spirit of things, I changed the shade on my vintage cherub lamp to a red rose embossed one I'd gotten for $1 from the U.F.O. in Greensburg.

Now I enter the dining room, and there's really no chance for the post-Christmas blahs to take hold. And it's another sunny day in Whoville!

Anyone else do any decorating for Valentine's Day? I'd love to hear about it.

Cottage Decor Swap 2007

Our grandmothers would be in shock; swap-meets have taken to the Internet highway. Now instead of gathering together in a large church basement to trade crafts, baked goods and other items with friends and neighbors, we do so with our virtual neighbors online.

Recently, I had the pleasure of participating in my very first swap. This was a little bit of online whimsy devised by some of the crafty minds on the Cottage Living forum, and efficiently organized by one of the fine members there. In this case, our set of rules were this...

We were each to mail an assigned swap partner a package of cottage-style decorating items for their home. It had to include:

--One floral item (because, hey, what cottage girl doesn’t like flowers?)
--One old or distressed item (because cottage girls are never distressed by distress)
--One recipe
--And the total cost of the items were not to exceed $10 (because cottage girls believe in bargains)

Prior to the swap, each member posted a little info about their favorite colors, flowers, and collectibles, in order to guide their swap partner.

Below is the thoughtful and rather overwhelming collection of goodies my swap partner sent me.
Not only was I touched by how she took into account the colors and types of things I collect-- like the Victorian postcards and transferware plate-- but I particularly appreciated the handmade cards and pretty little notebook she took the time to assemble for me. The fabric-patterned notecards are so cheerful, I’ve included them on my memo board here by my computer, and I think they look right at home.

I’ll be having a lot of fun in the coming week finding just the right place for all of the items. I think it might be hard-- simply because there are so many things they’ll coordinate with!

Now, my swap partner indicated she collected milk glass and vintage handkerchiefs, loved peonies, had a number of rooms in a pale green, and had just beautifully redone some outdoor furniture in a vintage Shabby-chic-styled fabric. This was the kind of information I needed!

So armed with my list o’ rules and my swap partner’s favorites, I set out to, yes, the thrift store and antique malls.

This turned out to be amazing fun because, having never focused on milk glass as an option before, I was really surprised and delighted to see just how much of it is out there. For folks who are collectors, they really have a wide choice of lovely glass pieces, and it has gotten to the point that now when I go out on my shopping adventures, I actually can’t un-see the milk glass!

Anyway, at the Salvation Army, I uncovered a really nice milk glass vase-- good size-- and within my $10 limit. I was rolling!

But what to put in it?

Well, that very day I also found a bouquet of... pale limey green silk peonies of all things! When I saw them there in the craft aisle, I about fell over at the happy coincidence. So I grabbed those babies, which turned out to be just the right size for the vase. So that took care of my “floral” item-- along with enabling my swap partner’s milkglass collection.

The next thing I needed was something distressed. So I decided I’d go with something old, and distress it just slightly, in order to meet the criteria.

I think I’ve mentioned many a time about my Lamp Addiction, and how I like to fix these up to either use myself or give to others. Well, I selected very nice little lamp which was waiting for a home-- because it seemed to me very similar in style to the Shabby Chic outdoor furniture my swap partner redid. Probably originally from the 50s, the lamp just needed a little love and a bit of rewiring to really light up a room once more.

So I removed all the old, questionable wiring and added some new. Then I tackled the off-color fake golds of the lamp fixtures. First I painted the golds out with a vintage moss green. Then when dry, I rubbed various area of the painted metal pieces with a candle. Then I painted over the whole thing with wicker white. When dry, it was easy to rub off the candle wax and reveal bits of the green underneath. I recovered the felt base with some vintage color-coordinated fabric, and topped the whole thing off with a little Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic shade. And there ya go!

The final part of the package was to include just a few vintage hankies I discovered from an antique mall.

It was a fun project to put together, and so nice to shop for someone else’s collections. But the most interesting thing about the experience, many of the participants agreed (myself included), is that we felt we got a chance to break down the “fourth wall” by sending tangible items into the homes of our online friends. It was just a little bit surreal to know something you chose is in someone else’s house. And best of all it’s been a wholly different way of getting to know each other.

Just one more wonder of the Internet!

Small but Mighty: A Look at Decorative Cherub Rights

Look at almost any vintage lamp, candelabra or soap dish and it's undeniable: cherubs work hard. You see them, alone or in pairs, hoisting up at least four times their weight-- reliably, endlessly, without so much as a whimper. They're like tiny, celluline-ridden Atlases, really. And you've gotta give them credit: they put in the time and effort. And they get absolutely zip for their trouble.

I suspect they're not protected under child labor laws, either. So I've been wondering what would happen if they unionized. With a union behind them, they could negotiate for shorter hours, greater respect and increased awareness of their indentured servitude. Of course, if they organize, they're going to need a name.

I suggest: The Freedom and Liberation Association of Putty (F.L.A.P.)


Can you imagine coming home and finding the soap dish flat on the counter-- its pedestal figure complete AWOL? Or the lamp toppled to the table, its shade bent, bulb broken, and the harp askew?

Oh, I know they'd be sticking it to the Man (er, Woman, in this case). I'd have to prop my lamp up some other way. I'd have to find some other place to rest my guest soaps. But I suppose that would be the price I'd pay for my years of ignorance and neglect. And I think we could work it out, F.L.A.P and I. They could cut back to 40-hour weeks, with maybe overtime when I had guests. Reasonable coverage is all I ask.

I just hope they wouldn't hit me up for healthcare. Small wings, fat bodies: I see a lot of Worker's Comp wing sprains in the future.