Finding rusty old junk is fun! Nevertheless, I have found that no matter how much "stuff" I find and collect, only God can fully satisfy my heart. Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Everything's Coming Up Roses

You love the roses - so do I. I wish
The sky would rain down roses, as they rain
From off the shaken bush. Why will it not?
Then all the valley would be pink and white
And soft to tread on. They would fall as light
As feathers, smelling sweet; and it would be
Like sleeping and like waking, all at once! ~
George Elliot


  Roses are simply a part of life for the lover of gardening and antiques, Shabby Chic, vintage and romantic styles. Both of my grandmothers grew exquisite roses and I loved smelling the different varieties in their gardens. I absolutely love roses but our property is mostly heavily shaded which makes growing them a challenge. I was lucky enough to inherit an old- fashioned variety from the previous owner which gets just enough sun to survive. It had been neglected for years, but I have been able to nurse it back to vitality with careful pruning. 
After a heavy rain I went out to take some cuttings. The bumblebee is back to enjoy the roses too!
 Our rose bush blooms in large clusters of small flowers which look so pretty in all kinds of containers. I love them in this blue Ball canning jar with some antique lace loosely tied around the rim. Simple vintage beauty.



I couldn't pass up this old basket because I loved the robin's egg blue paint just swiped here and there. It was just $5 and I can use it  for lots of different things, such as sorting socks. Nah!

I  found these vintage rose trays 3 for .25 at a yard sale.




I played around with the display when taking pictures. First I added this sweet little garden book.

 I bought the book at a yard sale last year for a quarter. It has wonderful vintage botanical graphics inside.




Next I used my favorite antique English tea cups that I borrowed from my updated summer mantel display which is shown in the picture below.


Summer mantel using second hand treasures



$5.00 for all of this gorgeous antique Steubenville Ivory china which is now in the center of my mantel where my large ironstone pitcher was displayed. Those tiny roses are so elegant.


I love combining mismatched sets with similar colors and themes. It keeps things interesting.


I don't know much about these tea cups except that they are stamped "Made In England." What I do know is that I only paid a quarter for them, and I love them!


The handles are especially dainty.


I moved my large ironstone pitcher from the mantel to the ledge in the dining area along with the rest of my pitchers and creamers.


Ah, ironstone and roses...



And while I'm on a rose kick I want to show off some beautiful rosey jewelry. This lovely vintage-inspired ring and earrings set was made by Amanda Clark of Ruby's Pocket. Check out her etsy shop on my side bar for gorgeous hand made jewelry and vintage jewelry upcycles.


I found this amazing pendant at the flea market for $1.00. I have a simple upcycle idea for it already.


Aged to perfection with Instagram.


More rose motif beauties for sale in my antiques booth


My porch is about the only spot I have that is sunny, so I was so happy to find these little miniature roses at the garden center. I even had this wonderful rose planter at home waiting to be filled.







Of course roses are magnificent dried as well and always look romantic.

Thanks Rachel Ashwell for giving a name to the second-hand decorating style so many of us had already been using for years and giving us lots of  "Shabby Chic" inspiration. Speaking of inspiration, its almost time for all the weekend linky partys. See you there!

Everyone have a safe and Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Partying with:

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Lovely Ladies

I bought this set of 4 vintage "lovely ladies" pictures at the flea market last weekend. I was hesitant about selling them because they were so beautiful, but nevertheless I had bought them to sell so I took them straight to my booth before I got too attached. They sold in less than 24 hours! I had a feeling they wouldn't last long so I was glad I had taken some pictures of them so I could "keep" them on my blog to enjoy and share with you.



The pictures were absolutely gorgeous, but I also loved the frames and I knew they were worth what I paid for them. I would love to find out who the artist was and a little more about them now. I sold the set for a considerable profit but I still have a feeling they were very special and I may have priced them lower than I should have. Oh well, now they have a new owner who appreciates their beauty. I love finding things to put in my booth that make other people's hearts sing too.

*Update: Thanks to Sheila at One Charming Thing for the information on the artist, Huldah. Find out more about her here: http://www.anne-french.com/Huldah.htm
Amazing detail on the frames
I decided to give each of the lovely ladies names. I used my Grandmothers' and Great Grandmothers' names, and then I imagined a little bit about them from the pictures.


So shabby French!



This is Ella. She is obviously in love with that dreamy gaze. When her beau arrives to meet her in the park she is sure to give him that hanky as a token of her affection.


Ella


Here is Polly and little Miss Lula. Polly is Miss Lula's tutor. Polly is taking Miss Lula  into town to buy a fine dress for her birthday party.
Polly
Miss Lula


 I adore their accessories: hats, gloves, umbrellas, scarves, lace and jewelry...everything I love to collect for my booth!


This is Cora. She is intellectual and reserved, and as kind
as she is beautiful.

Cora


Here is Chloe. Her greatest love is flowers. She visits the markets each week to buy
fresh flowers for her vanity.

Cora


So as I complete this post I do have a little bit of seller's remorse, but it just fuels my fire for the next round of treasure hunting this weekend.


 Thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to stop and take the time to smell the flowers this week!

Linking up with:
http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com/
http://knickoftimeinteriors.blogspot.com/2012/05/knick-of-time-tuesday-35-vintage-style.html
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/2012/05/time-travel-thursday-98-talented-time.html
http://verymerryvintagestyle.blogspot.com/search/label/Share%20the%20Love%20Wednesday%20Link%20Party
www.myromantichome.blogspot.com
http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/2012/05/vintage-inspiration-89-french-laundry.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: blogspot/bCGJMl (Common Ground)

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Who's The Fairest?


She's the fairest of them all...mirrors that is!

Last week I featured this beautiful mirror in my "Flea Market Finds" post. As I was working in my booth over the weekend, I decided the mirror deserved a little more attention and would be nice for White Wednesday and for the upcoming weekend blog parties. Isn't it amazing?


  This art-deco style mirror is very unique and old, probably from the 1930's-40's.  As a result the mirror is perfectly shabby, showing its age just as we vintage junkies prefer. It was hard to get a good picture due to lighting and reflections but I think you can tell that it is quite a wonderful piece. "She" is now gracefully displayed and for sale in my antiques booth awaiting her new home. The more I blog about this mirror, the more I think I am crazy to sell her! The statement, "to sell or not to sell, that is the question..." seems to be becoming a theme with all my recent blog posts about my junking finds!

I enjoyed creating this glitzy-retro display using gorgeous beaded shoes, white roses, pearls, beads, long leather gloves and vintage handbags along with the mirror. Its just a beautiful mix of whites, ivory, cream and silver.


019-3
She reminds me of a Hollywood star of the silver screen...


At some point in time someone decided to frame the mirror in a silver frame as you can see in this picture. Originally it probably had no frame and was a flat mount mirror with the little clear mirror brackets. I spoke with another antiques dealer who specializes in framing and she felt that the framing was done later, possibly in the 60's or 70's. It was definitely a professional framing job, as the company's name and location is stamped on the back. The framing was done in Brooklyn, New York. If I decide to keep the mirror, I will probably have it reframed in one of my antique wooden mirrors painted white.



I worked with the lighting on my photo editor and I was able to isolate the outline of the figure to make it appear as if she is suspended in air. So graceful!

021-5
This mirror was so much fun to photo edit. I love the border I found on photobucket.
 While working on this post I can't help but sing Madonna's Vogue  "...they had style, they had grace...Beauty is where you find it..."

Don't you think this mirror would be perfect in a boutique store, formal dress shop or a little powder room? Oh, wait ---I know the perfect place---just above the dresser in my new shabby-romantic-inspired bedroom!

Have a beautiful week Darling!



Partying with:
http://knickoftimeinteriors.blogspot.com/
http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com/
http://micheleravendesigns.blogspot.com/
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/
http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/2012/05/feathered-nest-friday_10.html

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/