Old Architecture...Pieces From Our Past

My home is filled with architectural antiques.  I am fascinated with these items that once functioned as "something" in homes & buildings, now long forgotten, torn down, or God forbid "renovated". Their stories never to be told, but to leave me wondering "where did this come from?"; "where did this piece fit into the scheme of the decor?"; what function did this have?  So today, I will share my collection & hope that it inspires you too.

 

 I have a "thing" for old door knobs.  Can you tell?  When I have restored or built our homes, I always have the builder use vintage door knobs.  They open the doors to the past....

Old chippy, rusty metal objects "draw me in... hook, line, sinker!"  All of these items are displayed on my mantle in my great room.                         









Don't you love these old floor grates?                           

 Old locks & porcelain casters...

Flower frogs are found all over my home & people always ask "What is it?"

             Old stain glass windows give us a "glimpse into the past"....

 Lost objects...now found & new again...

This piece reminds me of part of the columns that once graced the front porch of my Grandma's home.  It now hangs in my breakfast room.

  This beauty once was the focal point for a coal burning fireplace. Now it serves as a screen for our fireplace in the great room.








 

                   What did these keys open?  Treasures to the past?!?

 Pieces of trim and molding "re-purposed".  Don't you just love the original                                                       color & patina?

 I think this was a piece of an old fence possibly from Louisiana!

Chippy banisters cut to be candle sticks on my mantle in the keeping room

One of my favorite finds is an old electrical meter from Philadelphia. Look at the awesome detail! It is definitely a conversation piece that sits on my coffee table.

So just remember when your are out scouring the lands for found objects...each one tells a story of the past & you can preserve that little bit of history by finding a place for it in the present.  The Queen Has Spoken!

Housework Makes You Ugly!

                                   
All of my friends & family consider me a "neat freak."  "Annal Annie" (my middle name being Anne) is a term my hubby often used in the earlier years of our marriage.  My brother-in-law has accused me of following he & his family around with a dust buster on their visits. Although, I have mellowed over the 22+ years that we have been married, I still like things tidy & somewhat orderly.   I am really not that bad, I just have the theory "that everything has its place & should be in it."  Hey, I have 2 chihuahuas, 1 poodle mix & a 16 yr.old teenager living in our home, I have "budged"...some....

So, I couldn't resist this picture when browsing vintage clip art to use for craft night.  I love laundry room decor anyway, so I was thrilled with the way this little bottle turned out.

 

                                              I started with an old chemical brown bottle.  Printed images from various clip art sites & an old dictionary.  Tore them to give a ragged edge, & aged them with distress ink.  Modge podged the art on the bottle.  Then added cheese cloth & little bits & bobs with glue. Added an old starch sprinkler to "top it off.

                                                                    

 I had to use this comical expressions "Housework Makes You Ugly!"  I smile every time I look at this little bottle perched on my laundry room window seal. Hey, whoever said "A Woman With A Clean House Was Boring"  did not know me, The Cranky Queen!  Happy Housekeeping.

Pose for the Camera...

"Say Cheese...Smile for the Camera...Tilt Your Head A Little to the Side..." Typical photo studio jargon. But today everything is so "techy" that film is no longer used & everything is stored on a disk or memory card.
What happen to the old cameras & snapshots from the past? Vintage cameras & photos have become new collectibles, & all the labor intensive equipment used to develop these images are beginning to be found & used in ways that you would never expect.
Today, I am bringing back the past by using vintage wooden plate film holders as the "focus" of my craft.

                            Don't Hate Me Because I Am A Snob!

This is the "comical" mixed media craft that I made using an old wood plate film holder.  I just adore the lady with her fur coat, gloves & hat.  She looked so fashionable for the era, but at the same time, a "little snobby". The quote fits her perfect.  I used modge podge to attach the torn photo & old post card image.  I glued the fur from a discarded coat's sleeve, old lace & a brooch at the bottom of the plate.  At the top, I chose an old plastic buckle, a mismatched earring, & lavender silk ribbon. The plate already had the wire hanger thingy. You can find wooden & glass film holder plates on Ebay.

                                      Who's Your Bunny?
My gal pal, Melanie, decided to get a "jump-start" on Easter by crafting an adorable plate using a vintage picture with 2 bunnies & a kitty.  She cut a small piece of muslin that she raveled & glued to the plate, followed by modge podge to the little photo.  A tuft of white rabbit fur, an old button, & cotton "ruler" ribbon finished out her project. Don't you love the saying?  She will use a little aisle to hold her new creation.

                 My craft partner and junkin' gal pal, Melanie.  Say Cheese!!!!

Love Is In the Air...The Queen's Valentines Decor

"To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven."  This quote takes my breath away every time I read it.  I think that Valentine's Day should be every day...You don't have to have all the hearts, chocolate, roses & hoopla to express your love...But I have to admit,  I enjoy decorating for the "Season Of Love"!
 So, I am going to share some of the Vintage Valentines that "grace the Queen's palace."  I hope it inspires you & gives you ideas for your own sweetheart home decor.

This chippy, peely drawer sits on a rustic red stool that I bought from Elizabeth Ann's at Consigning Interiors in Pelham, AL.  The drawer was found on the side of the road in a trash pile!  I filled the drawer with handmade hearts (by me) that were "grunged" & then adorned with lace, buttons, & bits or bobs. Old Valentine's Cards tell us that love has been around for along time...

This is a picture of my son Logan's first Valentine's Day.  Look at my "poodle hair."  Of course that was the style in 1995!  The vintage pixie elf  is one of my favorites, found at a yard sale.

                           More "grunged" heart in a wood dough bowl...

A collection of old Valentine cards displayed on a fence that my friend Lisa gave me! I love the aged writing scribbled on the backs noting love from a time long gone. Flower frogs make the best holders.

"Will You Be My Valentines?" A question whispered through the years & still holds meaning today...

                                               

I had "grunge fever" last year.  I made the hearts and the adorable bee. You can find easy instructions on the internet on recipes for grunging using coffee, cinnamon & vanilla.

The Postal Service states that their mail increases during Valentines due to an abundance of "letters of love" being sent to love-ones across the map.  This is a mail bag filled with old Valentine's postcards and dainty little gray mice.  My dear friend, Melanie, made this and gave it to me to add to my collection.  Isn't it adorable!

I made this little cutey from an idea that I saw on "The Rusty Rooster's'" Blog. I made it with a valentine's from Graphic Fairy, a heart-shaped tin mold & old pieces of fabric & buttons. Very EASY!  

                    

              A softer side of Valentines...The Cupid Doll was mine as a child.

 

Birds of a feather, flock together.  An adorable Valentine bottle that I made to sit in front of the bird cage that I purchased from "SassyTrash" at Lakewood 400 in Cummings, GA

  This is a piece of art that I painted at "Girls Night Out" at Studio T, a local studio, where you can book a party & paint with the talented owner & artist, Terri Ellis. Of course, I put some mixed media touches on it after I got home...I got the "high five" from both Cranky King & Prince, when I usually get "who painted that & what is it????"  HAHA...

                                           



        "You don't marry someone you can live with...You marry the person who you cannot live without."  Unknown      

I hope you have enjoyed my blog on Valentine's Decorating.  I would "love" for you to leave a comment!
This makes the Queen "not so cranky!"  I will leave you with this quote from Dr. Seuss "You know you're in love when you can fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams!"