Friday, October 29, 2010

Pink Saturday October 29th, 2010 Pink Vases and other stuff.

Hello Chickies!!!
I have been busy with life in general. After being off work on LTD for 32 months and having two shoulder surgeries I am finally returning to work as an RN in a busy Cardiac Sciences Unit at a local hospital. I have spent some time tidying the house and getting ready for orientation and getting back into the swing of things. PLUS!!!!! Tomorrow, our 22 year old daughter is flying/fleeing the nest!!! She is sharing an apartment with two friends of hers and will be only a ten minute walk from her work.  (NO more driving her to and from work!!!)  WHOOOT!!! WHOOOTT!!!!
I will be turning her bedroom into a sewing room and guest room. I have spent the last week washing, sanding and painting three pieces of 1960's French Provincial furniture and will post about them and the room transformation later in November.
Now, let's get on with the show!!!
Thank you to sweet Beverly at
for hosting this weekly party.

I have to admit that I feel some-what guilty about not posting for more than 22 days. So this post is going to be picture heavy. I hope you enjoy it, though!
Last summer I picked up this tiny little treasure of a vase at a yard sale up the road from us. I paid a mere dollar for it. It is exquiste porcelain; very thin and delicate and is only about three inches in height. It is not marked. Could it be R.S. Prussia? Or French procelain? Whatever it is I love it. The pink and peachy colours along with the greens makes it look kind of autumny in nature. Next spring I will fill it with a big bunch of Lily-of-the-Valley. Oh...I can't wait!!!!  But...I will have to endure this coming winter.





This next vase I purchased from my friend Wendy, who sells on Ebay. It is Nippon and has a beautiful rose on the front of it. (That's my Aunt Ida in the background)


Can you tell that I love rose vases? Actually, I love just about anything with a rose on it!!!
Do you see the foot dangling in the upper right corner?
It belongs to......
Miss Bear.
 I have a story to tell.
Many years ago my mother picked up an old blonde Persian lamb coat with a mink collar. A friend of hers asked her if she knew anyone who would like it and she exclaimed, "Laura would love it!". And she was so correct!! I held onto it for years. My daughter wore it for Hallowe'en in 1994. It hung in my closet for more years after that. One day in the fall of 2006, I was shopping at Value Village and started talking with a woman about silk scarves. She said that she bought them to spiffy up the bears that she made. I asked her what she made them from and she said, "Sometimes I use mohair and sometimes I use old fur coats". Bazingga!!! I asked her if she would be intersted in a blonde Persian lamb coat and she said, "Yes!" So I got her address and phone number and a few days later I took her the coat.  She made me a coffee and showed me some more of her projects. She was a retired court reporter and had lots of time for crafty things. She said to me, "I'll call you when I get your bear made". I was so excited! I did not expect anything in return for the coat and here she was saying that she was going to make a bear for me!!!!
About six weeks later, Joan called to say that the bear was finished. I invited her over for coffee and she brought "Miss Bear" with her.

Here she is! She is wearing a strand of pearls and a mink collar lined with a silk scarf!!! She is currently sitting on a turquoise dyed fox collar that was attached to a suit my mom wore in 1967. Someday I will think of something to do with it.

I bought this made in Italy basket at my friend, Dee's, store. It is gorgeous!!! Next summer I will fill it with roses from my rose garden.

Now I am justing including some pics of my Teds. I pick up teddies that are fully jointed. I am going to sew some pretty frocks for them. My friend, Lynn, from Teacup Stitches inspired me to collect them. She collects vintage Stieff bears.

I made this stocking in the fall of 2006. It has Mary Rose fabrics, vintage crochet and lace and bits and pieces of vintage jewellry and Swarovski crystals. It will be a family heirloom. Some day I hope to give it to a future grand-girlie!!


Last, but definately not least are two exquisite cushions which I purchased from Lynn of Teacup Stitches. I love them. She is a seamstress extraordinaire!!!! 


I have other blogging friends who make exquisite pillows/cushions and stockings. They are Rebecca at




http://rebecca-gatheryeroses.blogspot.com/. Her shop is



http://gatheryeroses.com/categoryView.php?cat=home#top.



Brenda is another blogging friend. You can find her at



http://www.shabbycatsandroses.blogspot.com/



Brenda sells on Etsy and you can get there by visiting her blog.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit today.
I am on my way now to pick up my daughter after her shift. Tonight is the last night that I will be doing this, because tomorrow she will be moving into her new "pad"!!!   Whoot!!! Whooot!!!!  We are all excited for her!!!
   Happy Pink  Saturday to everyone. I will be up early Saturday morning to visit as many Pink Saturday participants as possible.
   Take care!!!! Love and warm hugs, Laura

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Cookbook Bookcase and a new lamp!

Good morning my friends!!  I have been busy working on furniture lately, hence the silence on my blog.  I mentioned a while ago that I was working on a bookcase. I picked "her" up more than a year ago at an auction. I thought she would be the perfect size to hold my cookbooks in the kitchen.

  
I believe she is from around the 1890-1920 time period. I thought she was made from oak. Someone had started to strip the paint off her, but never finished the job.


She still has the original sellers label. You can click on the pic and then zoom in for a closer look.

This is a side view....partially stripped. You can see what looks like a nice oak grain.

Heirloom brand chemical stripper doing its job!!

After I had been tediously slathering on stripper, leaving it to work for about 10-15 minutes and then scraping off the gunk, I discovered that the wood was actually Ash that had been "grained" to look like oak.  In the process also, the glue for the appliques dissolved, so I was able to very, very carefully remove the appliques to clean them up better.


The grained over stain was black and I had to use more stripper and "elbow grease" to get it all off.

I also ended up removing the back so I could really get at "her" to clean her up more.

Here she is stripped bare!!!



After sanding by hand with 120 grit sandpaper.

I absolutely loved how the grain "popped" out when I applied a coat of Minwax brand "English Chestnut" stain.

Better pic below.

Applique back on and stained.



The weather has been cool here for the last week, so I left her to dry for a few days in the garage.

Then I applied three coats of semi-gloss urethane, sanding between each coat.
I brought her into the kitchen this morning (after I applied felt stickies to her feet, so she glides across the tile floor)


And replaced my cookbooks!!
How does she look?
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I know that she would look very pretty with a new "white dress" on, but after spending so much time stripping off the old paint, I wanted to enjoy her natural grain look. Who knows.......maybe in twenty years I will want to paint her white!!
She actaully matches the table and chairs now.  They need refinishing, too. I was going to paint them, but after seeing the results of this bookcase, I am pretty sure that I'll strip the table and chairs and stain and urethane them also. BUT.....I'll be doing that next spring!!!


I took my daughter into town yesterday and dropped into the St Vincent de Paul Store and scored anew floorlamp.

I think you would call it  "Florentine" style. The lamp, shade AND bulb are all in great shape. Cost me all of $7.00!!  It has even been rewired!! All I had to do was plug it in!

I love the detail.

I may paint her white, but for now I am just going to enjoy her slightly,chippy, giltness!!!

I hope you all have an exquisite day!

Warm hugs and crisp apples, Laura