Vintage Milk Glass Collection

Hi everyone, hope you are having a great week!

I know that many of you love milk glass as much as I do, so today I thought I'd share with you some of my collection, which I've displayed in my antique hutch in the living room.

I really love how the milk glass contrasts with the dark finish of the hutch.  Can you believe it, when I was growing up, I used to hate my mom's milk glass!  Now I adore it!  I've been hunting for more pieces lately, as my niece is getting married this fall, and is using an assortment of milk glass for her floral and candle arrangements.  Love that idea!  I think it'll be so much more interesting to have a nice mix of milk glass, rather than having everything all matchy matchy!

This adorable little pedestal, below, is one of my favorite recent thrift shop finds.  The pressed floral pattern is so pretty, I think!

I've really lucked out finding lovely vases and pedestals at garage sales and thrift shops, often as cheap as 

25 cents per piece!  Love the tulip shaped compote on the right (below).

While on our walk this morning, I picked some pretty white wildflowers, which I thought would be perfect for my vignette!

Isn't this hobnail vase sweet?

And I am in love with this pretty compote, which cost me all of 49 cents at the thrift store!

This vase makes me think of the bottle from "I dream of Jeannie".  Geez, I guess I'm dating myself here!!

I found this pretty scalloped edge compote last year at the thrift shop.  Love the diamond quilted pattern!

I thought my cream bird cage looked right at home with the milk glass!

Just for fun, I added a garland to the top of my hutch,which I created from flowers I made from vintage sheet music.

While they are quite time consuming, they are fun to make!  You can't tell from the photos, but I've added glitter to the flowers, because as you know, my motto is "you can never have too much glitter"!!!

Another pretty compote.

I love this sweet little milk glass dish I recently found for a mere quarter!  I've added a tiny faux birds nest, moss, and a petite glass cloche.

Just look at the gorgeous pattern on the underside of the dish!

The French sign was made from a large wooden vintage plaque, and one of my all time favorite graphics from the Graphics Fairy.

Ok, here is my hutch all decked out!

And another glimpse of my sheet music flower swag!

I'm linking up with Kathleen over at Faded Charm for White Wednesday. 

and Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday.

Be sure to visit!

Pretty in Pink!

Hi ladies, how is your weekend going?

After a super hot and dry summer, we've thankfully cooled off, and have gotten some much needed rain, yeah!  It actually feels more like a fall day than the middle of August, but that is fine with me!

While I love pink, for some reason I don't paint many of my creations that lovely hue.  But, while out shopping  last week, I happened to pick up some pretty pink paint on a whim. Well, a bit later that day while thrifting, I found a piece for my Etsy shop that I thought would be perfect in pink!

So here is a little tease...............

 What a pretty shade, don't you think?

 Ok, here is what I started out with!  A vintage Burwood framed oval mirror in white.  While I really did love the way she originally looked, you know me, I just have to paint everything in sight!

 I decided to make this mirror even more fun and versatile  but turning the back side into a chalkboard!  So, all that needs to be done is remove the screws & backing, flip the mirror over, and viola!  A mirror turned chalkboard!

 I really love the way the frame looks like pink hobnail milk glass!

 And here is her mirror side! Love it!
Linking up with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday. 
The Dedicated house Make it Pretty Monday

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

A Gaudy Old Clock Becomes A Glamorous New Mirror

Today I wanted to share with you one of my latest "gaudy to glam" transformations, that I'm so excited about!

Last week while out thrifting, I was super excited to find a vintage Burwood wall clock, and matching sconces. The set was in excellent condition, and I was surprised to see that the clock still worked perfectly.

But it was, well, let's just say not all that pretty!   I knew right away what I was going to do.

So, after removing the clock face and mechanism (which I'll save for a future project), and giving her a really good and much needed bath, I painted her my favorite creamy dreamy white!A bit of distressing, and she was almost there!

Then, in place of the clock face, I epoxied in a new round mirror, which just happened to fit perfectly!

What a difference, don't you think?!

Here is what she first looked like.  Pretty dated, and long overdue for a facelift!!

I am so happy with her now!  Just look at all of her amazing details, that just got lost in all of that boring brown and gaudy gold!

It's amazing what a little paint and tlc can do, don't you think?

And here are the matching sconces.  Love, love, love!

Which looked like this when I discovered them!  (ugh!)

I've put the mirror and sconces in my Etsy shop, if you'd like to take a peek!

Now go out and find something to transform!
I'm linking up with Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday.
And Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday.
Be sure to visit, for tons of amazing ideas!

Antique Dining Chairs

Hello everyone!

Hope you are having a good week!

I am super excited.  I've been searching high and low for a set of dining chairs, and was about to give up.  Then, I spotted a really unique set of four antique chairs on Craig's List, that we went and looked at over the weekend.  I was hoping and praying all the way there that I would love the chairs as much in person as I did in the photos!  Especially since they were an hour and a half drive away!

I loved them as soon as I spotted them!  They are solid oak, and have lots of really interesting details, such as the gorgeous hand carved backs.  Love!

 I'm currently in the process of painting them a creamy white.  I know, many would think it was downright sacrilegious to paint antique chairs, but I bought them for us to enjoy and use, not for their resale value.  Plus,  you know how much I love shabby chic anything!

 One of the things that really attracted me to the chairs was their interesting twisted legs.  I've never seen chairs like them before.  (Our furry girl Emily had to get into the shot below!)  The chairs had been recently upholstered in red, which I am going to change out.  I am not a red person, it's one of my least favorite colors!  The neat thing is, the chair inserts pop out, so I should be able to easily (hopefully!) recover them in a nice cream or light tan fabric.

 The couple that we bought them from really didn't know anything about the chairs. So, I did a bit of research on line, and learned that the legs are referred to as "barley twist", and that they most likely were made in England in the 1920's.  Oh, the best part?  The four chairs just set me back a grand total of $145!

Considering that I'd been eying Pottery Barn chairs that start at $200 each (and were totally out of my budget, I might add), I am beyond thrilled!

 I think my new (old) chairs will be a great compliment to my antique table that I showed you a few weeks ago.  Which I still need to paint!  I began painting the chairs yesterday, and they have proven to be more work than I imagined.  Alot more work!  Needless to say, it's a project that I will be oh so glad when it's done!

 Here is a sneak peek at one of the chairs!  It's not finished yet, I still am going to do a bit of distressing, and them poly coat. Then tackle the chair covers.  I'll be sure to show you when I'm done!

Apothecary Jar Find

Apothecary jars seem to be all the rage now days, and I am sure that I'm one of the last people here in blog land to catch on!  But no more!  Just look at what I discovered a few weeks ago at a garage sale!  I really love the pedestal, and the long handle at the top.  This beauty is substantial!  She stands a foot and a half tall!

 I'm in love!  Actually, I spotted it at the same sale that I found my antique dining table at, but wouldn't you know, I didn't buy it that day!  I was so mad at myself for not scooping it up and bringing it home!  Have you ever done that before? Anyway, I went to the sale again the next day, hoping that it was still there.  Thinking that surely some other lucky person had snatched it up!  I could hardly wait to get there and see! As luck would have it, she still was there, just waiting for me!  I could hardly contain my excitement!  $7 and she was mine!

 Right now I've got her on my dining table, filled with sea shells, coral, and sand.  I've placed her on my favorite vintage silver tray along with a couple of sand dollars.  Oh, love how the tray is developing the perfect patina!

 I'm so happy with the result!  I picked up a bag of decorative sand at Jo Ann fabrics the other day.  And the shells and coral were collected on beach vacations, so they hold lots of special memories!

 I wanted to add a little something extra, so I made this cute vintage looking card using a graphic from the Graphics Fairy.  Just look at this bathing beauty!  Can you imagine wearing so many clothes just to go swimming?  I sure can't!  And I imagine that her "suit" is of wool, how itchy that must have been!

Anyway, I cut her out with scalloped scissors, and mounted her to scrap booking paper with photo corners.  Of course I had to add lots of glitter while I was at it!

 I know that I'll be getting a ton of use from this jar!  Wouldn't it be gorgeous filled with vintage ornaments at Christmas time?  Or used as a terrarium, or even as a pretty punch bowl!

 I had so much fun putting this all together.  You can be sure that if I find another beauty like this at a sale I'll grab it as soon as possible!

 Here is one last look! 

What treasures have you found lately?

Hope you all have a good weekend!
I'm linking up with Karen over at the Graphics Fairy for Brag Monday.
Be sure to visit!

French Country Vintage Pedestal Bowl Redo

Do you love pedestal bowls as much as I do?

Well, for some reason, I'm just crazy about anything on a pedestal! So today I thought I'd share my latest creation with you, a vintage wooden pedestal bowl that I gave a Frenchy makeover to!

 But she didn't start out looking so magnifique!  Oh, no!  This is what she began life as!  I've got to thank hubby for finding this one for me!  (I think I need to send him out shopping more often!)

I knew right away when I saw her just what I wanted to do.

 So, I began by painting her my favorite creamy white, followed by what I like to refer to as "a generous dose of distressing", to give her that aged over time look.  Then, I went over to the Graphics Fairy (love!) for this gorgeous French label.  Don't you just love it?!

 I really love her curvy shape, by the way!

 As a special little surprise, I lined the inside with vintage sheet music, which is one another one of my favorite things to work with!

 I am so happy with the way she turned out!

 Here is one last look.  As much as I love her, I've added her to my Etsy shop, if you care to take a peek!

I'm linking up with Kathleen over at Faded Charm for White Wednesday. 
and Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday.
Do be sure to visit, for tons of inspiration!