Inspiring ideas for the handmade home.
I’m starting to look at things differently. A $35 eBay find. Rewired. Didn’t have a shade on hand. I think I like it just the way it is. I’ll set on it a while. Maybe I’ll change my mind, maybe I won’t. We’ll see.
I hope you find some inspiration.
All the best~
C.
I am not sure if I have a low threshold for impression or take great appreciation in the smallest of things. Hmmm….I’ll go with the latter.
It occurred to me one day as I was mindlessly closing a door that there is a certain solid and substantial click of old cast iron surface mounted door locks as it is being latched. Something you just can’t find or replicate with modern door knobs.
Then I started to notice all the old latches, knobs and hardware throughout my house and I realized that I don’t have a single new piece of hardware.
I scoured eBay, craigslist, salvage shops and antique stores to find all the hardware for my home during the renovation. Not in sets, mind you, but piece by piece. It’s all mismatched, but more importantly it’s all old. And I love it.
I grew up in an old town in the Northeast by the name of Doylestown, PA. There was a rather well known poster that was a collection of old doors from many of the old houses in the area. It was called the Doors of Doylestown. I always loved that poster.
Here is my homage to that poster.
I hope you find some inspiration.
All the best~
Cindy
xoxo
You can see the original green paint through the old glass knob.
Found on eBay, hardware from an old chicken coop.
Old brass.
Layers of paint on the latch from this circa 1750’s hutch
Lovely large glass knobs.
Original to the house, both door and knob are as lovely (and useful) as they were on their first day.
An old pie safe with a glass knob. I keep this pie safe in my kitchen and it holds baking items, such as extract. I keep them in vintage apothecary jars that you barely get a hint of behind the screening.
An old jelly cupboard with layers and layers of paint on the hardware.
An old side table with a lovely, worn and patina’d brass knob.
A surface mounted lock with a mis-sized rim keeper, installed upside down so as to take advantage of the previous hardware holes installed decades ago on this century old farmhouse door.
Original paint finish and hardware on an old step back cupboard.
An English armoire with a very simple, traditional knob and latch.
I have been working on the details. But I find myself resisting the otherwise natural urge to make a statement at every turn, starting with the lighting. Strangely, I want the lighting to feel more organic. Lighting that is functional, of course but really looks like it is of the cottage as it would have been 80 years ago.
There is one exception, of course:
Found and restored, this is a family piece that will have a place of honor in this old home.
The one statement fixture in the house will be a chandelier (pictured above) that has been at every house my family has lived in as long as I can remember. I asked my mother if I could have it for the renovation, giving it a place of honor in the house. It will be hung over the lovely nine foot, antique, French bistro table in the front room. It will be one of the first things you see when you walk in the house and I can’t wait to hang it.
My Uncle Jack found this chandelier many, many, many moons ago. He recently told me the story on Facebook, of how he found and restored it:
“OMG , do I remember it ? I’m so glad you are using it . You will appreciate the history of how it was saved from the dumpster . A friend at work told me of an elderly aunt ( 86 ) that had died and the family had scavenged everything they wanted from her ten room home . He offered to humor my reputation as a junk collector and take me to see if there was anything I wanted . Yes …I’ll take that old player grand piano, the 1500s leather bound prayer book , and lots more . Now , I was eyeing that chandelier in the dining room but there were lots of prisms missing . In the entry was another smaller one in the same condition . I took both down , counted the prisms ,and was still a few short to complete this one . Rooting through boxes , drawers , and such ,I found prisms from the basement to the attic . Just enough ! I took them all off , soaked the 100 years of grime in bleach water , and scrubbed each one . It has survived many years with your Mom , now you can enjoy it for many more . I’m so happy for you.”
So thanks to Uncle Jack and his dogged determination and mom for letting me hang it in the house, I have a wonderful statement piece to hang in what will be a lovely home.
Here are some pictures of the chandelier and other fixtures that I will be using throughout the house.
I hope you find some inspiration.
Always,
Cindy
Ceiling fixture with simple silk shade.
Adjustable arm wall sconce in antique brass finish.
Clear shade with antique brass fixture.
An vintage gooseneck lamp with a Victorian crystal bead bulb cover with an accordion closure. These bulb covers with the accordion closure are very hard to find, but I found two.
They don’t make things like this anymore. The bulb cover has great weight to it because the beads are glass. The accordion closure is what makes the pair I found a rare and unique find.
Simple pendant lamps for the kitchen. Exposed twisted cord, antique brass finish and a beautiful Sheffield milk glass shade. Just lovely.
I’m not quite ready to start the countdown clock for the Round Top Antiques Show; it’s too soon. But I supposed there is no harm in posting pictures from my last trip there.
Round Top is a small (very small, population 93 on a normal day) town in the Hill Country of Texas. A coveted place to live, acreage is quite pricey. I am told by my sister that Governor Perry is building a home in Round Top.
In the spring, the fields along the highways and byways are saturated with the color from the wild flowers, the blue of the bluebonnet or the poppy color from indian paint. Long Horn’s gracefully graze as if it’s summer and the architecture of the old farm houses remind you of the German influence that settled in much of the Hill Country.
Twice a year, this sleepy little town completely transforms into an antique mecca. Dealers from all over the world, with price points that range from reasonable to ridiculous attract over 3 million people. My sister and I go and make a weekend of it. We stay in Belleville which is about 20 minutes away. All the more coveted B & B’s have legacy bookings, with the same people booking every show, so it’s difficult to get something closer to Round Top unless blind luck steps in.
Here are a few shots. Trust me when I tell you it doesn’t even begin to capture the sheer volume one can expect to see at each show, in the spring and fall.
I’ll be posting some updates for the renovation next week. We’ll have some major framing completed this week, so the pictures can show the progress.
I hope you find some inspiration.
Always,
Cindy
xoxo
Kitchenalia is my latest passion. I recently scored a lovely French herb chopper and an antique garlic or potato masher. Sometimes, however, the real thing is a tad expensive. I was mining the web and found two sites that offer reproductions at a much reduced price over its antique counter part and I thought I would share them with you.
Original English butter slabs can run anywhere from $1200 to $2500. Or you can find a reproduction English Butter Platter from Joanne Hudson for much, much less (click on the picture to go directly to the product/site):
Reproduction of an English Butter Slab. Other styles are available.
Original French wire ware cooling racks can cost upwards of $150 or so, if you can find one. However, a reproduction of an old wire cookie rack from Donna Hay is very reasonable (click on the picture to go directly to the product/site):
Reproduction of an old French cookie rack. It comes in two sizes.
I get tremendous joy (and use) out of both of these items and look forward to having them a part of my renovated kitchen.
I hope you find some inspiration.
Always,
Cindy
-- Download Outside, Inside as PDF --
Farm table loaded with treasures.
Part of my renovation includes editing my furniture and collections. Replacing old pieces with different ones that will fit the space better and not having quite as many antique small wares.
To that end, I had a tag sale. As usual, I tapped my good friend Vince Maggio, merchandiser extraordinaire, on the shoulder to help me sell my goods.
What struck me when he was finished merchandising everything is a) he made them look better on my lawn then they ever did inside my house and b) the outside looked better than the inside.
I think if I pay attention to how he does it, I can learn how to arrange things better in my home, when the renovation is completed.
Bravo, Vince…thank you for your hard work and efforts, it helped make the day a smashing success and everything went gone, gone, gone.
I hope you find some inspiration.
Always,
Cindy
Some great lanterns headed for a good home.
The art of arranging is re-arranging. When something goes, everything gets refreshed.
Simply framed; stunning when grouped together.
-- Download Utter Simplicity as PDF --
Plant stand, turned upside down shows old wear and tear.
Hello Old Friends,
It has been a while! I have moved out of my house for the renovation and am firmly ensconced in my new digs, although I am not fully settled in. More about that in another post.
For now, I am posting something I should have posted this summer but didn’t have the time. Some of you will remember an upside down plant stand for a vintage ice bucket champagne holder. I walked by it one day and thought “wash stand with vintage towel” so I grabbed some cotton twill and fashioned a towel holder and used a lovely old mirror and voila.
I hope you find some inspiration in the simple things.
Always,
Cindy
Stunning on it’s own, as is.
An old ironstone pitcher, basin and vintage towel casually slung with a towel bar fashioned out of make do cotton twill.
Using things I had, around the house just as I found them.
I have become quite keen on a new cooking show on Food Network, Farmhouse Rules. Basically, anything with the word Farmhouse always catches my attention. In one episode, they made cocktails using a mason jar cocktail shaker. I was hooked…I had to have it. A little mining the internet and voila. I found the website: http://www.masonshaker.com/
With this new gadget, I am looking forward to experimenting with simple syrups and flavor components to create really great cocktails.
I hope in the New Year, you find some inspiration.
Always,
Cindy
Savory and refreshing.
Mason Cocktail Shaker.
Not all of my inspiration comes from antiques and vintage items. My eye is always scanning the store aisles to see if something catches my eye. I have found a few market items that helped me create some vignettes for my holiday home. I don’t start the lion share of my holiday decorating until this weekend. But these little groupings are helping me get in the mood, along with a backdrop of the usual Christmas music.
Here are four projects that took less than five minutes to create using market items and some vintage.
I hope you find some inspiration.
Always,
Cindy
xoxo
Easy Christmas Holiday Project #1 – Topiary with ornament embellishment.
A lovely Eugenia topiary from Walmart ($11.98) in an antique urn.
Against the worn surface of the urn, small acorn mercury glass ornaments from Targets ($4 for three). Simple rustic twine will do for hanging.
Easy Christmas Holiday Project #2 – Scandinavian Christmas Candles.
Zinc cache pots ($12.99) from Targets Smith and Hawken collection with a scalloped edge design and factory made patina.
For a lower priced alternative zinc pot, click here.
The Scandinavian Christmas table. Simple and elegant.
Lovely cream antique china and mismatched silverware and napkin rings. The market item in this photo is an inexpensive kitchen towel used as a napkin from IKEA for .79 cents.
Easy Christmas Holiday Project #3 – Vintage vase cozy with market item embellishment.
A vintage paper vase cover for a holiday touch with a market item burlap flower embellishment from Michael’s ($2.50)
I found a holiday pick with this burlap flower. I just took the flower off the pick and pushed the stem in one of the holes in the vintage paper vase cozy. It stays in place via pressure fit.
Pretty little table side touch of Christmas with little effort.
You can see the age and simple accordion pattern of the vintage vase cozy.
Easy Christmas Holiday Project #4 – Hemp Twine Tassel with embellishment.
Simple Project #2. Twine Tassel for antique armoire. Done simply by wrapping twine over and over around a piece of cardboard, cut one end and tie off a third of the way down with another piece of twine. Add an embellishment if you choose. Extra thick twine to make a statement, found at Joann’s.
Old houses have many armoires for storage. Simple white adorned with wreaths and a hand-made twine tassel with holiday embellishment.
Two pieces, one a towel and the other a table runner. I see feather filled pillows in their future.
I just can’t restrain my enthusiasm for the Round Top Antique Show held twice a year in the Hill Country of Texas.
The sights and sounds give me true joy. Endless tents of treasures. The seasons transitioning from one to the next. Walking through fields softened with a layer of hay.
I would trade ten exotic vacations for just one trip to Round Top. My Shangri-La indeed.
My treasure hunt started out with one list, but I came home with an entirely different set of finds: vintage glass, ironstone, vintage textiles, Christmas Stockings, European Sinks and wall fountains.
It was a happy trip indeed.
I hope you find some inspiration.
Always,
Cindy
xoxo
Found these from a lovely dealer who hailed from Bucks County Pennsylvania. Since that is where I grew up…it was only right that I buy them.
Again…not sure what I am going to do with this, but at $15…I’ll figure out something.
Right now, holding my candles…but they will be filled with guest soaps and sea sponges in the new cottage bathroom as part of my renovation.
Maybe a home for my vintage ornaments?
Not sure what I will use this for, but I will figure out something. Most likely a table centerpiece.
A lovely footed bowl, it has a great profile.
A rare find a few months ago was an ironstone punch bowl. I was in the market for a companion ladle and found a lovely one at Marburger Farms.
A full twelve came with the set which only cost 32.50.
I am on the hunt for another plastic ladle (this came from another vintage punch bowl that I have) but the hunt is half the fun!
At just over 6 inches tall, the diminutive size of this gem is what I was attracted to.
Another vintage kitchen helper, I am using it to hold my vintage spreaders.
One of my surprise finds, love the vintage pattern.
Lovely for the upcoming Holiday.
One is cast iron, the other is porcelain. Not sure what I am going to do with them…but the price was so good, I couldn’t pass them up.
Wash stand with an ironstone bowl for my new cottage bathroom
Wooden Christmas Stars from Leftovers in Brenham.
