Even in this Extreme Heat the Hunt Still Goes On!!

One of my favorite finds...ever.



They're Italian.

One's 10" tall and the other is 12" long.

Old brass.

Very tarnished, with a wonderful patina.

They were just lying in a corner and no one else saw them.

Then there was this lamp.

Industrial and vintage.

I can't get a decent picture because it has to be screwed to the table or wall.

It works and I think it might be a nice addition to my studio.
I found another lamp.
Definitely not industrial, but it was very vintage.

The lamp part was downright ugly, pink shade and all.

However, the Cockatoos are gorgeous and in perfect condition.

No chips or cracks, just some crazing which is to be expected.

I think one of the best deals I've gotten in a long time were in the "Free" pile of a local yard sale.

There was a cardboard box with a round piece of wood at the top.

This is a picture from the web, but my freebie is the same.

It's 5 or 6 feet long and the shells are probably 2-2 1/2" across.

It'll be finding its way to my Etsy Shop.

I also got 2 framed vintage Japanese prints on tiles.

They are just like this one being sold on Etsy!

They found a new home at Taylor's.

There's nothing like a good bargain to get your mind off the heat.

It was 110 degrees here yesterday and its 106 right now.

ann marie

Stencil Wall Transformation-TaDa!!

Remember my kitchen update project??

Well, we kind of did a trial run.

We Guinea Pigged it.

On Taylor's hallway wall.

Started out like this.

Yeah, I know, not too spectacular.

So we began experimenting in our own peculiar way.

Taylor wanted this wall to make a statement.

The first bit of color, our mantra...it's only paint!

I say we, but by this point my fingers are pretty much stuck together.

As I sit here typing this post, my fingers are sticking to the keys!

Anyway, Taylor has a puppy, Noble, who obviously wanted nothing to do with this whole project.

That was fine with me, the last thing I wanted was to pet a shedding dog with sticky hands!

We used regular wall paint and had a wee bit of seepage, Taylor thought it just looked more like an Ikat pattern and who was I to argue with that logic/rationalization.

This cottage is under 1000 square feet, so you have to get creative in how you use space.

This is Taylor's makeup table.

She uses a jewelry box that her Memere gave her years ago

to keep her makeup in.

So, the question is...

mirror, centered or off center???

In real time it took about two hours and we had some great mother/daughter time.

ann marie



Artwork Finds...

I found a couple of special pieces,

at least they are to me.

I'll get to enjoy them for awhile.

The first one is colorful and vintage.

They're all vintage.

Must bring back childhood memories or something.

This is hand painted on silk, I think it's signed and has stamps on it also. It's sandwiched between two pieces of glass in the frame.

The colors are so clear.

       Peonies and birds, it doesn't get much better than that.

 It puts a smile on my face.

I think the next one is a lithograph.

It's by George Hitchcock,

Girl with Flowers.

It also has old wavy, seeded glass.

It could be the original glass it was framed with.

I've hung her with my Grandmother's Madonna picture.

I think she likes it there.

And my last one is a tapestry.

It was done by the La France Art Company.

It so reminds me of the villages we visited when we were in Europe a few years ago.

And the detail of the stitching amazes me.

The frame has a faux tortoise shell finish and what seems to be a little gilding.

I love it.

I'll enjoy looking at it until it finds another home.

I can't keep everything, and I can't stand to think wonderful things may get trashed because others don't appreciate them.

So, some things will end up in my Etsy Shop.

Some things I'll keep, at least for awhile.

ann marie

Kitchen Tease

I'm going to attempt a Kitchen update.

Here's my inspiration.

Here's my kitchen.

Here's what's involved.

 

White paint too.

And this little do-dad.

A wall stencil.

Wish me luck!

ann marie

And Time Moves On...

I have a special place in my heart for clocks.

Small timepieces too.

Some of my earliest memories involve a clock.

It hung in our kitchen, I was no more than 5 or 6 years old.

There was a picture tucked into the glass of the door.

Me and my brother sitting on Santa's lap.

I still have the picture.

After my Mom passed away, it seemed the clock wouldn't work properly.

When we drove home a few years ago, my Dad said I could have it if I wanted.

It now hangs in my home.

It's been working since the moment I hung it up.

I also have my Grandmother's watch.

It hangs from a filigree pin with her monogram on it.
EA
Eva Auger

She wore it as a young woman.

She was born in 1895.

We have Marc's Grandfather's pocket watch also.

A couple of years ago, we went to Germany for my oldest Daughter's wedding.

We came back with another member for our clock family.

A Cuckoo clock from the Black Forest.

We once again went to a few Estate sales today.

I picked this little Cuckoo Clock up for only $5, they said it didn't work.

It still had the instructions attached to it.

The instructions are dated from the early 70's.

It won't work if you don't take the clips off the bellows.

It works just fine now, except I need the weights to be a little heavier.

I'm still working on that.

Finally, we walked into a very unassuming little home, to find it full of wonderful artwork, furniture and clocks.

This poor guy was only $35, and then they took another 25% off , because it wouldn't work.

I brought it home and started playing with it.

It works just fine, and after putting a little pressure to bend the chimes, it sounds wonderful.

It chimes every 15 minutes, Westminster, and gongs the hour.
The sound is amazing.
It's so soothing and it makes me very happy to hear it.

I'm not sure what style of clock this is,

but it is also a German clock.

Yeah, I guess you could say I like clocks.

There's something very comforting about them.

ann marie

Adjustable Wall Sconces??

Have you run across a wall sconce like this before?

It's a sconce that is adjustable.

It's 15 1/2" tall and can extend to 19".

It will hold a rather flat item, maybe like a mirror.

It won't hold a plate.

I wish they would.

A pair of Marc's grandmother's plates look great in/on them.

I wish I had a pair of older mirrors for them.

I tried this charger, it'll do for now.

There's a tiny brass screw that tightens on the side to lock it at the position you want it at.

It has pony/horse heads and oak leaves and acorns.

A rather interesting combo.

Let me know if you've seen these before and what they're supposed to hold.

Thanks.

ann marie