Not Ready for Prime Time

My husband was adopted by his grandparents as a baby.  He never thought of them as anything other than his parents.  They were loving and kind and made him the man that he is today: loyal, loving, strong (and strong-willed!), and just a good, good man.  One thing that his parents never had was money.  They were very simple people of simple means.  Everything they had as far as furniture was handed down from family or gifts from neighbors and friends.

My husband's mother ran a large daycare from her home from the 1950's until the early '70's.  She even kept two generations from some families.  She used a dry sink as her changing table.  I can't even imagine how many babies were changed on this piece, but we love knowing it's history.  The piece is very worn on the top, but the rest of the piece is very rough finished and I can't keep the dust from embedding itself to the finish.  So, time for an overhaul.  I hope to have it's reveal ready very soon.  We are keeping it black and I have bought some lovely bronze hardware for it.  I wish we could have salvaged the original pulls because they were ornate, but delicate and had torn and some pieces were completely broken off.

UPDATE:  She's all painted, see below!  Love it!  Will love it more if the hubby finds hinges to fit it, otherwise we will have to spray paint what we already have.  He's adamant, though, about finding some.  In the meantime, I will have to adore her without her doors on.  Still looks good and glad we painted the inside!

Check the well-worn top. It was sooooo loved by many a babies bottom!

Lots of scratches on the doors from Nana's chihuahuas.

Pieces parts.

Some extra love with Gorilla Glue and a brace.

So rustic.

Baaaabaaabaaabaaaaaa!

Taaa Daaa!

Still Rustic.  Would have been sad if it wasn't.  Maybe some folks
want their antiques to look new, but I want their life to show.

The second piece that is waiting for its overhaul was in our attic for years.  Honestly, when I first saw it, I thought it was ugly, yet funky.  I didn't see it's beauty, 'cause I was stoooopid.  How could I have missed its potential? It was also inherited from my husband's family.  Honestly, there was so little that they owned that we kept anything that wasn't broken.  Luckily I at least had enough sense not to sit it out by the road for someone else to snatch up!  I am trying to find some info on it, but I have been unable to so far.  Look at that French style footboard.  CRAZY beautiful.  I have a feeling it is going to take a while to get this girl ready to be painted, but I am fine with that.  Just wish my husband would let me go with pale pink or the palest aqua, but I believe we will stick with standard off-white, but put a nice warm glaze on it to bring out the details, especially those medallions.  They are just unbelievable.  Thank goodness my husband remembered it was up in the back scary part of our attic!

Look at her beautiful curved French style footboard.  Ooooh LaLa!

Check out this SWEET cameo medallion!  Four of them on the bed!

 I am linking this up to:

Time for a Change

I recently changed out my mantle to incorporate some summer touches.  Normally my mantle is covered in pottery. The pieces have been up there for years.  Perfectly balanced.  I also have a dresser that is placed in my living room just as you enter from the front door.  It holds a lamp, two candlesticks and a dozen or so silver-framed family photographs.  They, too, have been there since we have owned our home (9 years!)  Crazy that I never thought to change any of that until now. 

The dresser got a different lamp, some summer touches in apothecary jars, a wooden stand with a glass cloque, wire baskets, a green vase and a small vintage bottle.  I love the makeover. 

I am all about having things in my home that I love and are personal to me.  I don't have a lot of collections because we have a 1,060 square foot bungalow with very limited storage.  Limited display areas, as well and I don't want my home to look bogged down with "stuff".  In these two display areas I have incorporated seashells from various trips to the beach, with the most interesting coming from Sanibel Island, FL.  If you have never been.....GO.  Like right now.  It was one of the best trips of my life and the seashells are unlike anything we have gotten anywhere else.  The beach glass was collected by my mom who passed away four years ago.  I love using it because I know her hands touched every single piece.  The white finger starfish were purchased.  I have seen them all over blogland, though never in real life, so I ordered some from a website and they are indeed as beautiful as I hoped.  Ordering smaller ones soon for a project I have in mind....

Hydrangeas from my yard in a Willow House Vase

Jute wrapped styrofoam balls

Shells from Sanibel

The mantle lost all but two pieces of the previous displayed pottery.  I added two apothecary jars with more beach glass and seashells, a wooden bowl from a visit to Belize with some more shells, a starfish and a plaster decorative ball from Michaels. The theme was set by the painting that holds the place of honor over our mantle.  It was painted by my brother and hung in my mother's home until her death.  She loved that painting. My mom was a lighthouse fanatic.  I love lighthouses, but I love that bright blue background even more.  Looks so great on our taupe-ish walls.

Gotta work on my need for perfect balance!

North Carolina Pottery

Our Belizian wooden bowl.

BOTTOM LINE:

Apothecary jars:  $21.00

Glass Cloque:  $12.99

Starfish: $8.00

Plaster decorative ball:  $2.99

Vintage jar:  $1.00

Lamp:  $3.99

TOTAL:  $49.97

I am currently obsessed with apothecary jars.  I found one of the apothecary jars and the glass cloque at Home Goods.  I purchased another apothecary jar from Marshall's.  The lamp, vintage bottle and two other apothecary jars came from thrift stores.  Everything else I already had.  The approximate cost for the displays of $49+ is a little steep for me, but everything can be used over and over.  The starfish, and shells will go elsewhere in the fall, but I love them so much they will definitely be back when the weather gets warm again next year!

Keep an eye out on this dresser in a future post.  It  was originally my husband's grandparents and he almost left it behind when we cleaned out the house!  He stripped it and now it is just awaiting it's makeover.  Sadly, it's so hot here that we have to wait for some cool mornings to get working on it outside!

I am linking  up to: