Reinventing Through Marriage

Reinventing through Marriage

*Today's post is a rerun ... remember summer reruns from your childhood?  Well this is one of my most populate posts, so if you are not a long time reader, its likely new to you, so enjoy.

In the antiques business we often refer to furniture that has been pieced together from parts of other furniture as a marriage. Of course married pieces don't have the same value as original and intact antique furniture, but they often have a charm all of their own.

This is the story of a marriage. The back splash that was eventually wed to this turn of the century chest of drawers was a find at an auction, an orphan, if you will. It was probably off of a large English dry sink or wash stand, as the English used marble this way. The dresser is one that I found, and purchased at the end of the day, at my own flea market. The other dealer didn't want to drag it home, and hardwood furniture, this one is mahogany, is a lot to drag. When I gave into the reverse haggling, I got a great deal and a project!

This is the completed piece of furniture. It sold this week at Treasures Antiques for $179.99 and has a new home. A happy ending for an unwanted chest and its orphan companion, wouldn't you say?

In this picture you can see the lines of the chest and the splash. They both have curvy lines, but are void of other decoration. Besides the fact that the size was right, this is the main reason I put them together. The orphan splash waited at least five years for the right base to come along.

This is the chest of drawers as I purchased it. My husband had to cut a new top because the veneer had issues. The fact that it was painted didn't matter, since married pieces need to be united, usually, by paint.

Here is a close up of the splash in its original condition.

I love being able to salvage items that are essentially useless in their current condition. I like to use oil base paint on the reinventions, because it has a harder look, like old paint you see on vintage furniture, which was usually oil base. Oil base paint IS messy, and I have learned to just throw out my brushes after using them (which is OK because the little natural bristle brushes I like best are cheap) but the resulting finish is so much more durable.

Broadstone Tour: Part Four

Well, our Wednesday's Wanderings wandered over to Thursday this week.  This is the final bit of my Broadstone tour, and we find ourselves in the library.

 Having come from a family of avid readers, of course, my dream house would have a library with floor to ceiling bookcases.  I have been collecting favorite books since before my marriage, and with such a handy husband, you may not be surprised to know that the first piece of furniture he built for me after our marriage was a  bookcase.

Many years later, after buying our dream house in 1997, one of the first projects we did, after the 'have to' stuff, like furnaces, plumbing and repairing walls, was to build this library.

 It houses thousands of books, as well as my collection of brown transferware in aesthetic patterns from the 1880's, shown below above the large window in the room which allows soft northern light into the room. perfect for the preservation of spine color in books.

I commissioned this original portrait of my husband in clothing dating to the 1890's when my house was built soon after we purchased the home.  The fireplace was practically a gift from my sister Julie who sold it to me for a song.  The original house had just one fireplace as it was built with a passive 'furnace' system.  This is one of three mantels we have since added, it is a working gas fireplace, and makes it especially cosy to snuggle in with a good book when it is snowing outside ...

Book shelves, cover all of one wall and parts of two other walls.  This room is a sanctuary and one of my favorite places in the house.

Thanks for coming along on the final installment of the Broadstone Tours.  I had intended to show you the Room of Requirement as well, but it is still evolving.  I look forward to the time I may share it as well.

Sewing Caddy

Yep, here I am back in my craft room, or should I say my Room of Requirement.  Trying to find a home for everything, so everything will have a place.  I wound several factory spools with loose lace and ribbon, which was very functional, but where to put them?  I had this, not so old, metal flower pot with chickens on it, sort of French Country, but not the look I am going for here.

I did like the form, and the cute feet, so I spray painted it white and found a couple of graphics related to sewing on Graphics Fairy and did the reverse decoupage method of application.  After stamping 'sew fun' on it, and sealing it, it was ready to hold my spools of lace and ribbon... and now it has the look of my craft room, don't you think?

Thanks for stopping by!