Newel Post Fern Stand

I remember finding this post at the market in Mount Dora.

You have to buy things early if you want the good stuff.

I had the seller hang on to it until the end of the day.

It would have been a bear to lug around all day.

Rose showed us her post and it was then that I realized that what I thought was the mark from and old number 8 was really where the hand rail had been attached. You can see it on her post.

That was a palm smack to the forehead moment for me.

Ever have those?

It looked like this when I bought it and stayed that way for a long time.

They are great to add a little architectural interest to a rather nondescript space.

But it was a bit dark in this house so I decided to lighten it up.

Martha Stewart’s Heavy Cream to the rescue.

  

It has these great little details on the corners.

I shined up the champagne bucket while I was at it.

I like the mix of the shiny silver with the old wood.

I’m not sure if the fern will stay but I picked it up the other day and it fit right in there.
I'm picturing a big pumpkin or some tall wheat for Fall.

The post fits into this little corner that is part of my foyer.
And it doesn't take up much space.

I have a very little foyer. I can’t really even call it that.

But I guess I just did.

Linking up with:
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday

Photography of the Past

When we made our trip to Atlanta last month I managed to hit a couple of stores for myself.

In between all of the craziness of getting son #2 a bed that is.

One place was The Classy Flea. It a great little antique mall just past the big chicken.

The big chicken is a landmark in Marietta.

Everything is either near the big chicken… 

north of the big chicken…

south of the big chicken…

When you see it you’ll know why.

 

Anyway, it was a rushed trip but I managed to find some of these neat old photo processing frames.

The other one was slightly different as it had pieces that pulled out on the side.

This one has these metal latch things on the back.

You turn them and you can open just part of the back.

I’m guessing so that you can check on the development without exposing the whole print.

Actually son #1 suggested it and it sounded right to me.

I wish I had taken a picture of the other one before I gave it to my son.

It had a loose piece and he said he would fix it.

He better have. I will hound him about that.

Where was I?

Oh yes, it really need a cleaning.  

I use this this stuff called Kramer’s Best.

It’s good stuff.

 

It cleans really well and then brings the wood back to life.

I love the way they are put together.

See how dry it was?

It would really amaze you on a larger piece of furniture.

No stripping or anything.  It just enhances the wood.

 

I had a hard time with the glare.

It looks a little darker in the photos then it really is.

I think it makes a wonderful frame of my father in his Italian Air Force uniform.

I’ll be on the lookout for more of these.

Old Wooden Tool Caddy

Exams are done for #3 son. Yay for sleeping in tomorrow. I have been so sleepy all day. Not sure what it is. Just don’t have any energy.

I want to show you my recent find at an estate sale. It was a good drive away so I couldn’t leave empty handed. All the pieces I went to see had that ugly SOLD sticker on it. Ugh. But out in the yard I found this old tool caddy.

I have been wanting one for awhile. It was longer then I had envisioned. Almost 3 feet long. And it was pretty dirty as you can see.

I couldn’t decide what to do with it. My first thought was to keep it outside and fill it with geraniums.  But I thought I’d clean it up a bit first and see what it looked like. The veneer peeled off the ends like paper. So they are looking a little newer then the rest of it.

I washed it well and then I took the sander to it. Mostly inside because it had a heavy coating of black gunk. You can see it in that first shot.

Then I waxed it well with some clear wax. If I keep it in the house I may try some brown wax on the ends. They’re bugging me.

It was originally painted white as you can tell from the inside and bits of the outside. I wish more white would have remained on the outside. I thought of dry brushing more on but thought I’d try the wax first.

I’m not sure why it has the hole at each end right under the handle. I love the rusty metal strip that goes all around the ends and the warm patina of the wood.

I’m not loving it on the table. Sort of too big. I just filled it with a few things for the pics. Now if I had a nice long farm table, would that look great? If I can’t find a spot for it then I think it would look just as cute outside. I couldn’t buy a pot for 5 dollars so it was a steal. It would make a cute window box wouldn't it? Maybe I'll put up some brackets on the fence and put it up there. Any other ideas?

Linking up with:
Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

see ya,

Peeling Mirror Redo

Thanks to everyone for all of the great suggestions on what to do with this mirror. I thought I’d give it a go and try backing it with something.

I took it apart yesterday and it wasn’t too bad. I put on some gloves even though I don’t think it was old enough to have any issues with the backing. I used a plastic scraper and just got off all the loose stuff. Cleaned layers of dirt off the front of it.

 

Here is the before:

Here is the after:

I just took some leftover paint from my dining room and lightly brushed it on. I wanted the dark gold to still be in the nooks and crannies. Then I just topped it with a bit of white glaze.

I had some sheet music from my friend Maureen. The lyrics happened to be about the sea. I thought that was appropriate. I just glued the sheets to a piece of cardboard so I could slip it in or change it out to something else down the road.

 

 

See what is peaking out?  ….will sail today…

So what do you think? Do you like the color or should I have left it alone? It’s only paint, I can always sand it back or paint it another color.

Linking up with:

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia: Tuesday’s Treasures

Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Domestically Speaking: Power of Paint 
Savvy Southern Style: Wow Us Weds.

see ya,

The Simple Blue Jar

It is amazing that what started out as something so utilitarian could be so pretty. The simple canning jar. It could be that beautiful aqua color. Though I do love the clear ones too. It could be the thought that years ago it was most likely used to preserve something delicious. Strawberry jam or fresh peaches perhaps. Maybe some summer tomatoes. 

Ball or Atlas. Clear or colored. I’m not fussy. Though I do lean toward the blue shades. The old crusty zinc tops with their porcelain liners. I do have project in mind for those clear jars that are sadly stashed in the garage. Other then cleaning my paint brushes in them. I have it pinned in my Pinterest.

You can fill them up with anything and it makes it that much better. Like sea glass, that I wish I could say I picked up at the beach. Is it horrible that I picked them up at Target instead? Some coastal girl I am. I’m a fraud I know.

I think my favorite thing to do is fill them with flowers. A little or a lot, it doesn’t matter. Those 3 dollar bouquets from the grocery story and some blue jars and you have a centerpiece.

 

Even when you don’t have flowers you can find something around the yard to fill them up. Some twigs, some pine cones, a little white paint… another centerpiece. 

The old rusty wire bales never seem to fall apart. They might not always have their glass lids but then if you are filling them up with flowers they really aren’t needed now are they?

 

Take a look through some and see what you can find to do with them. 

Do you have any jars that you use or display? I have seen a few of the purple ones online but have never run across any. I will keep my eyes peeled for sure. 

ps. If you want to know more about collecting Ball jars. You can go here for a wealth of information.

Linking up with:

Funky Junk Interiors SNS: Mason Jars

see ya,

Auction Finds Revealed

The sun came out today. For about 30 minutes.  As soon as it did I ran for my camera to get some pictures of the things I got at the auction. I had a few shots but wasn’t happy with them so I’ve been waiting for the sun to appear again.
          


Everyone guessed the first two pretty easily. The pitcher and the platter were actually together in one lot that hubby started bidding on. I was a bit nervous because it wasn’t something we had previewed.



While they will both be up for sale soon, they are not something I mind hanging around for awhile.



Luckily there were no chips or cracks anywhere on them. They are both really gorgeous pieces with a lot of detail. I just love old ironstone pieces.



I know the last one was not something anyone would guess. I spotted it in the preview the day before the auction. I love the colors in it. The needlework is really well done.




I loved the frame and the cute little feet it has on it. Sorry about the glare that I was catching off the glass. Can you tell now what it is?

 
It’s an old fire screen. Oh I love it. The little feet can be turned flat with the frame so really you could hang it on the wall if you wanted to.



Here’s a little word of warning about auctions. If you are with someone else make sure both of you have your eyes up on the auctioneer. Hubby was doing the bidding on this piece, I was not having luck. We had a price set that we wouldn’t go over. I was looking to my left answering hubby and nodding to him. Only the auctioneer was taking my nods to mean bids. So we were surprised to realize we had won. A bit higher then we wanted to but that’s just part of the learning process. Keep your eye on the man with the gavel!

Hope everyone is staying warm and dry.

I'll be linking up here:

see ya,