Framed! A transformation

When I ran across these little swinging vintage frames this week at Goodwill, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them.   I've been wanting to start a paint project on a small scale and work my way up to painting some furniture.  I paid $1.99 each for these little beauties.

These are vintage swinging frames.  One had glass for a picture and the other has a small oval mirror.  They were in excellent condition, but not very attractive because of their finish.  The photo frame one was an odd brown/green paint and the mirror was brown and gold.

Since I'm doing this on a budget, there was no way I was going to go out and buy paint so I started foraging in my closet under the stairway where I keep leftover paint from house / room painting.  Great!  A can of white semi-gloss exterior paint with about a quart left in the gallon can.  I shook it around a bit and took the lid off.  The can was a little rusty, but the paint inside was fine. 

After I disassembled both frames, I just started painting.  I wasn't very prepared, only having a small artist paintbrush.  It took a little more time with the small brush, but after 3 coats of paint - drying between coats - I was ready to distress for a shabby chic look.  After putting the frame back into it's "swing" and putting the screws back in, I was very pleased with the new look.  I scrambled around finding a 5 x 7 photo to put behind the glass.  I found a precious one of my granddaughter when she was four years old wearing her Easter dress.  After playing around with some vignette ideas, here's some photos of the transformation:  You can hold down the Control button and hit the + button, or you can click on each picture to make the photos larger.

Now, do I dare to tackle the nightstand in our bedroom - or better yet, my small kitchen entryway chest that my granddaughter is standing in front of in the photo?  I've been wanting to tackle that one for some time now - it's big, ugly and brown, but it's the only thing I've found that will fit in that little nook.  Hmm - not sure I'm ready for that big of a project...but what can it do but approve the appearance.  I suppose I have nothing to lose.

White just looks so bright and cheery - not dull and drab like the browns of the "before" photos.
What do you think?



Linking to Metamorphosis Monday,  The Thrifty Groove's TFF, Vintage Thingy Thursday, Knick of Time,  Thursday Favorite Things, Sunday's Flea Market Finds, Treasure Hunt Thursday,  Vintage Inspiration Friday. Nifty Thrifty Sunday.

Vintage Boy & Girl Hummel-like Readers

I took a trip to our local Goodwill today and as usual was not disappointed.  I found some wonderful stemware and can't wait to set a pretty table with it.  I haven't had time to make photos yet, so that will be for another post.  

Meanwhile, I've been featured!  The Thrifty Groove has featured my post that I linked last week to her Thrifty Things Friday blog hop.  Go over and join the fun and see all the wonderful thrifty finds. 

Summer is here and I have a stack of books that I've put aside to read.  It seems as if I've been so busy reading all my favorite blogs lately and haven't found time to start any books, but I do love those summer days of lounging on the beach with a good book in hand.

My love of reading prompted me to pick up this vintage pair of readers a couple of years back at an estate sale.  I only paid $3 for the pair.   They have the look of Hummel figurines, but they are marked on the bottom "Goldcastle - Made in Japan".    They fit perfectly on my library shelf and they pass their time by reading some good books.  See how the little girl is pointing to a picture in the book.  I just love these little guys, don't you?  And see all those books?  They came from yard sales, GW, or flea markets.  I never buy new books - there's too many good used ones out there if you take the time to look.

 Look at those chubby little cheeks!

And I love how their clothing is just as detailed at the back as it is in the front.  It's fun having them sit on my shelf reading all day long.  They definitely belong on my list of "my favorite things". I imagine they're getting a little bored though - they've done nothing but read since the 1940's.  If they could only get up and stretch.....

Linking to The Thrifty Groove  Vintage Thingy Thursday
 Thursday Favorite Things, 
Knick of Time

What in the World is it?

We're vacationing at our place at the beach this week, and several times I've picked up this small object that I found at a local flea market here last year.  The man I bought it from said that it had belonged to his grandfather, but he had no idea what it was used for.  To his knowledge it had always sat on a shelf - only being pulled out occasionally as a conversation starter.

I love the rich patina of the old wood and the pretty little porcelain knob on the handle.  The handle makes the little wood bars go back and forth within the block of wood.  There's nothing productive that takes place while rotating the handle, but it's one of those things you can do mindlessly.   I think it is an antique stress reducer, what do you think?  I seem to be less stressful already....but wait, maybe it's the vacation.

Time Travel - Favorite Things

Although you can get these items from flea market and yard sale adventures from time to time, this is not where I got my two Victorian couple figurines. When I see these sitting in my built in bookcase in my library, I feel that I'm traveling back in time.  It's a bittersweet story.

I came from a large farm family of seven children.  We were not even what you would consider middle class income folks back then - but it was a rural area full of farm families and we didn't know we were poor.  We thought we were so much better off than those families from the city who had to live in houses fifteen feet from their neighbors.  There was certainly no envy - we would have never traded places even though their father's worked in better paying jobs than the average farmer.  In our minds, we were wealthy - we had just as much as the person on the next farm (which wasn't much at all).

As the youngest child, I ended up being the last one left at home when my last sister married and moved out when I was thirteen.  It was the year of 1961.   She had bought the bedroom suit that was in the room we shared when she started working upon graduating from high school.  And of course, she took it with her when she moved.  By this time, our widower grandfather was living with us and had been given the bedroom suit that my sister and I had once used.  I'll never forget how bare my little bedroom looked when mom and dad moved a small cot in there for me to sleep on until they could find some second-hand bedroom furniture.  It would be soon, they assured me, but I can't really remember being bothered by the fact that I was sleeping on a cot.  And finding a place for my clothes was not a problem since the few things I had (one dress for every day of the week) fit fine in my closet.

After a couple of months went by, my brother's wife came down one Saturday morning with paintbrush in hand and furniture and boxes in the back of her father's truck.  They had no children to spend their money on and she was always doing little things for me.  She sent me off to play outdoors and I could not come back in until she had things ready and in place.  I don't how she did it - she was a petite young woman and I didn't think she even knew how to use a paint brush, let alone a hammer, but when I came back in that night, my room was painted the most beautiful shade of green.  She had built cornices for the windows and painted those.  With Dad's help she had hauled in the furniture which was a second-hand, but beautiful dresser, chest, vanity and bed.  There was a new bedspread with pink and green flowers, new curtains, and knick knacks to sit around on my new furniture.  It looked like the room of a princess - a room that in my wildest dreams I would have never expected to have.

A year later, my brother left his beautiful, childless wife and in her grief and pain, she cut off all ties to our family.  My grief was strong too because I loved her like a sister.  Many, many years later, we reconnected and were good friends again but it took me a long time to forgive my brother for taking Johnnie out of our lives.

The two Victorian couple figurines below and a few photos are all I have left of my sweet sister-in-law Johnnie.  And the memories of what a dear, sweet person she was to orchestrate the dramatic change of my bedroom.   I wrote her a letter later in her life to tell her what that one act of kindness meant to me.  I think that's where my love of decorating started...and my love for Johnnie has never ended.

The man on the right is missing an arm, but I always pretended he was a gallant soldier and had lost it in a battle.  These are marked "Made in Occupied Japan" on the bottom.

Do you have little pieces of your childhood you would never part with?  I would love to hear about them.


Linking to Very Merry Vintage Style  Vintage Thingy Thursday
 Thursday Favorite Things

Knick of Time

To Dine on a Dime

Years ago if someone had told me I would be obsessed with dishes, I would have thought they were crazy.  As long as we had one set of everyday plates and a halfway decent set of plates to set a table for guests, I was totally happy.  Keep it simple, right?  Well, not anymore.  This didn't happen gradually - it sort of snuck up on me.  Yes, I know snuck is not a word, but it's what we Southerners say instead of sneaked.   We have our own language down here, ya' know.

Now when I go to garage sales,  I zero in on sets of dishes.  A couple of weeks ago I found a beautiful service for eight called Napa Style by Michael Chiarello.  When I hear the word Napa, I automatically think...Italy - grapes - wine - romantic - castles, don't you?  And the best thing about this set of dishes was the price -  $10 for all 32 pieces.  Now I'm a very amateur tablescaper...  and I need lessons in photography,  but I do like to show people that you can set a pretty table on a very low budget.

I love the pottery feel of it - and I think the raised design must be grape vines.

This is some vintage Community silverplate flatware that I've had stored in plastic bags - a flea market find.

 The yellow placemats are actually large napkins.  The little flowers are a Michael's $1 clearance purchase a few months ago that I knew I would find a use for one day.  I posted about the yellow napkins and the white napkins here.  I think you'll agree it was a great price.

 The goblets with gold and white are some I found at the flea market back in January for $6 for 6 goblets.  I used them in another table setting here.   The wine / champagne stems are vintage.

 That old terra cotta flower pot looks like it has the perfectly aged, mossy patina, doesn't it?  That's because it does.  Came straight out of my flower garden today to do a stand-in for fresh cut flowers.  I think it looks "old Italy", don't you?  The Gerber Daisy's have just the touch of color I was looking for.  Yellow, with a splash of red for a little pop of color.  The plate below that they're sitting on is red Fiesta.

 My knock-out roses are brightening up the buffet where we'll serve dessert and coffee with the mugs that are part of the Napa Style dinnerware.  And some chocolates are teasing me from the little clear candy dish.

I took the shot below with the chairs framing the centerpiece. The black and gold candle sticks have the look of columns from an old Italian castle.

 This butter dish is the Metlox Poppy Trail pattern but looks like it belongs to the dinnerware.  It stands ready to butter up some crusty loaves straight from an Italian kitchen oven.

 Even the print I have hanging over my linen chest is of an Italian Villa.

 The last photo is a mirrored image taken of my old oak china cabinet. 

Hope you enjoyed how you can Dine on a Dime (or at least dine on a ten dollar bill).  Such a small amount of money went into the table setting, but I don't think anyone would complain if served a meaty Italian dinner on it, do you?  Like maybe Veal Scaloppini with Saffron Cream Sauce  - with a nice, crusty Italian loaf.  Now, that's making me hungry.

Linking up this week to: S- Fleamarket Finds  M- Apron Thrift Girl  Tu-  Coastal Charm, Frugal Treasures Tuesday T- Vintage Thingie Thursday, Treasure Hunt Thursday, Blue Eyed Owl, The Haps F- The Thrifty Groove, Vintage Inspiration Friday S- Penny Worthy Project

Also to:  Katherine's Corner's Thursday's Favorite Things Bloghop party.  Also, Knick of Time Tuesday,  Wow us Wednesday  Tablescape Thursday and Thrifty Things Friday.

Roseville - My Island of Misfit Pottery Pieces

The Roseville Pottery Company was an American pottery manufacturer in the 19th and 20th centuries. Though originally simple household pieces, the design of the pottery was popular with the American Arts and Crafts movement and pieces are now sought after by collectors.  They started in business in 1890 and their last production was in 1953.

I have picked up many pieces of Roseville over the years at yard sales, flea markets, etc., but not with the intention of keeping them.  At first, I wouldn't buy any pieces that were chipped or cracked because those pieces don't sell well.  Then I realized I could have my own collection of imperfect Roseville and give them a home where they would be loved.  After all, aren't we all flawed in some way?  And even despite our flaws, we are loved by friends and family.  

When you're collecting Roseville Pottery, you have to be careful about reproductions.  During the late 1990's, there were many import reproductions finding their way into the market.  Even some antique stores were fooled.  If you really know the feel and look of the pottery, you will easily spot the differences.  They have a good imitated signature on the bottom, but there are differences, especially in the "R" and the way the "S" slants.  The painting is also a little sloppy - bleeding outside it's boundaries.  Genuine Roseville is not hastily painted - even though they have some imperfections, they're usually very finely painted.  The glaze is also a big giveaway.  Genuine Roseville has a smooth, clean feel to it - it makes you want to caress it in your hands....if you are a pottery lover, you'll understand.   The fake pieces have more of a matte, rough finish.

I also have many, many pieces of Hall pottery - some of them have chips and cracks too.  All of my pottery is pretty enough to display, with the minor flows carefully placed where it doesn't show.   My home is sort of like the  "Island of Misfit Toys Pottery" in the Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer story.  Each piece feels quite at home here.  Here is a photo of my Roseville pieces.  They're tucked into a corner of a bookshelf in my library.  The piece front left is not Roseville, but the colors are similar so I grouped them together.

 I'll feature my Hall Pottery pieces at another time.  Do you have a pottery collection?  Do you mind if they're somewhat flawed or are you a collector who wants only perfect pieces? 



Linking today to Katherine's Corner's Thursday's Favorite Things Bloghop party.  Also, Knick of Time Tuesday,  Wow us Wednesday  and Vintage Thingies Thursday and Thrifty Things Friday.  Click the links and join the fun.

Glass and Brass - Vintage Finds

My Saturday morning treasure hunt led me into some new hunting grounds.  Sometimes you get into a routine of places to shop and then you're disappointed when nothing new turns up.  We were on one of our beach weekends and I love browsing through some of the consignment stores and thrift shops there.  The Fancy Flea in Shallotte, NC is one of my favorite places to browse when we're at Holden Beach.  It's large and well organized with nice large spaces for the consignors.  You'll find vintage, rustic as well as new items there with a big emphasis on trendy home decor right now.  And of course since it's in such close proximity to the beach, lots of beachy themed things.  The only problem is there haven't been lots of tourists yet, so the inventory hasn't turned around much over the last few months, so I'm finding myself looking at the same things over and over again.  That will change as the tourists start rolling in this weekend.

Friday, I picked up a newspaper and started charting out some yard sales to hit.  It's much easier to do these days now that most of us have a GPS system to rely on.  I just punch in all the addresses the night before, and I'm up and off in a flash when the alarm goes off.   First stop - no luck.  I hate it when things are priced too high at yard sales!  The second stop - Bingo!  Everything was priced to move!  I'm a sucker when it comes to Christmas items.  I have an attic full of Christmas stuff and I even cleaned out the attic this past January and made up a couple of Christmas boxes to have my own yard sale next Fall.  Needless to say, I came out with three large plastic bags filled full for $5.  I haven't had time to sort through it yet, but I spotted some really good stuff.  I'll post on that another time.  This same person had some nice crystal serving pieces which were hidden away under some table linens.  I asked the prices and was shocked.  I had to ask "Are you sure that's all you want for it?"  Now, I've never done that before!
Here's what I got:  This bowl (next three photos) is a nice heavy bowl and I loved it the minute I laid eyes on it.  I haven't researched it yet, but will try to find out the pattern name.  It is beautiful and she asked $1 for it!  It went right home with me...

 This next piece is a wonderful old two piece punch bowl.  $2.  Yes, that's right - two dollars!  Now, wasn't this my lucky day?

 The little set of 6 vintage amber bamboo glasses were just $1 with the odd painted amber glass thrown in for free.

I spent $9 at that yard sale - including all the Christmas ornaments...

Now on to the next one.  It was over on the island.  They had advertised some chairs and I needed to do a little update on my sun room at the beach.   There were two custom upholstered small chairs and they were just perfect - even getting matching custom drapes.  One of the chairs is pictured below.

Last but not least, in the final place I stopped, I found this little lonely brass and glass door knob.  I pick these up any time I see them - someday I'm going to figure out what I want to do with them.  Uh oh,  I feel a project coming on...

Thank you for stopping by to visit.


Linking today with the following blogs.  Take a look and see all the neat things you'll find at these links:  Thursday's Favorite Things,  Wow us Wednesday, Vintage Thingies Thursdays, Thrifty Things Friday.