Beauty of an old Book

Beauty of an Old Book.

The Weathered Binding-Rough edge Pages.

No matter how dirty & tattered-

Stacked they are just Beautiful

Or how you use them

The History is Obvious

 Just a Lovely Touch

Perfect piece of art -that is affordable-useful-

& brings that added touch to your room.

(all sources of Images on Gracefully Vintage Pinterest)

Vintage Linen Sofa

The Beautiful Lines of the Old Vintage/Antique Sofas

are just so captivating to me.

The detail of the carved wood-darling feet-curvature..

They take so much time & are quite Pricey to do-half way through, I wonder why i ever take them on & sware I won't do  another one.

After I Painted-Put a Finish on it-

I went with a Textured Linen-

For me I love the look of one solid cushion-

I used Vintage Tacking to trim it up-added some Coordinating Pillows.

And now that I'm done- I love -LOVE it-

Here it sits in Shoppe Front window.

The detail of the intricate wood work shows perfectly through the Beaten White paint.

And Now that this one is done-& sitting in window-

AND turned out just as I hoped.

I can't wait to work on next one:)

Either You Love it or you Don't...

Either you Love it or you Don't.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

The Chipped Door-with old lead based paint just falling off as you stare on..

The Thick detail & Carved Charchter of the Real Solid Old Door-

The Old Rusty-Beveled-Dingd & Damaged Door knobs with the Skeleton Key Entry-

Some Think it is ruined-garbage-junk-

BUT if You Love True One of Kind Pieces, then the more tattered-torn-worn & weathered the better.

Old Statuary Pieces-

Chipped-Stained & sometimes even leaning on one side-

All that much Better- The Imperfect Beauty...

If you Love anything Vintage-Antique-French-

You Appreciate the sculpture -

The Story Behind the Imperfection..

If You LOVE Rustic-You Marvel at the aged Copper-

The Barely there numbers of this Hanging old Scale...

If You Love the piece that has shown it's ware-

Shown someone has Loved it for quite some time-

You Love the Patina of orange rust on an Old Tin Pail more than anything...

If You Love what use to be-

You LOVE the aged old bannisters-

The apperance of what was once the owners style showing through-

The years of Color Change- The years of use...

If you Love Re-Purposing-

Using the Once Old Coca Cola Wood Crate for Something Entirely Different-

Embracing the Extremely Weathered Away Un-Even Wood-

If you Love History-

YOU absalutely Love the Story that may lie behind a Wonderful Statue-

Who chiseld away-Did someone pose for this-Who owned this-

The Wonder of What Was..

If you Love anything Old-and Appreciate someone from so long ago once used this-

You Love Pieces like this-

an Old Chippy Camera-leather falling off-bent at parts-

The idea of whose photo was taken with this-

Such mastique-

I Just LOVE these old broken-worn & weathered pieces that have such History-

To know there isn't another one like it-

To know it can't be made or manufactured-

To know it is a True One of Kind that peeks into History..

I Am One Who Just Loves It!!

How Old Are You?

 

How old is an item-or How do you determine the age of a piece?

When it comes to Antique-Vintage pieces, there are many ways I determine the age-or at least a Ball Park idea.

1. The Look- The wear & tear on the piece- an old piece should look old-there should be some wear -and the piece should show it's age.

2. The Condition- The quality of the materials, & How it is made-with Dovetail

3. Antiques are 100 years old or older- and Usually have softer-rounded edges.

There are many reproductions-so examining the piece, can lead to which you have.

Is it made with Square Nails- which were used before 1820's

Pulling out the drawers to see the craftsmanship

* Example of the Dovetail-

Large Dovetail is Early 18th Century

Smaller Dovetail began being used in the 19th Century and if they are more evenly spaced then they were made by machines and made during the Victorian Era.

An example of an Antique Chippendale Chair-

There should be some wear on the top edge- where it would/should get the most wear from grabbing over the years from hands that have natural oils in them.(should be darker in color)

There should be some dings on arms from bumping of table-walls or other items.

These re-production Chairs (Chippendale Style) from Pottery Barn are made to look a bit worn..

When working with Upholstery-Usually the more you dig into them and tear apart the layers-the history will show through.

Older pieces-are stuffed with horse hair-and definitely more fragile- some have hand made screws or square nails inside holding the lining together & again as seen here-you can see the discoloration of the wood from age & natural wear.

Whether you buy because you Love the style-detail-character of the piece or if your buying because you collect antiques-

Always good to know what your purchasing & the value of it.

The Rose Settee

Keeping with my Love of French Settee's.

I bought this Wonderful Piece from a friend of mine.

This Rose Settee.

The Detailed Carved Frame, The Lovely Curvature and Style are just Beautiful..

But not exactly in this fabric.

This was the First one I did mixing the textures-fabrics-style.

Using a Soft Neutral -Classy Darker Linen,

But leaving the original Burlap on for the back, I Did recover the back of the piece-so it has a more finished look.

Adding some Pillows ,and one with a burlap ruffle to tie in the burlap back.

They are just so sweet at the end of a bed-corner of a room-office or as an accent piece, Ive even recently seen one on a porch-How Darling would that be.

The French Settee

The French Settee.

The Beautiful Hand Carved Frame,

Cabriole Legs of this one from Bella Cottage.

The Fluted Legs on this one also From Bella Cottage.

The Small Stature-Detail Flower Work along Frame all are just exquisite.

The Wonderful Simple Elegance in Linen from this one at Layla Grace.

Or this one From Gracefully Vintage (I just Brought In)with the Two Differ. Fabrics- Original Burlap Back-with tacking-Mixed with the soft Neutral Textured Linen and Over Stuffed Linen Pillows.

For Now I'm loving the Mixing of Textures especially on these Ultra French Settees with Delicate Lines.

Holiday Lighting..

As I love Chandeliers, I Found some Beauties to share-

This one in Veranda -is just so stunning with all the draping of the Crystals-the Gilded Gold-Just Breath Taking.

How Darling is this one with pretty pink beads and whimsy ornaments dangling down..

So Fun, not so much a Chandelier but a pot rack-adorned by greenery-reds and shiny silver pots-pans-gives you the illusion of a Pretty Chandelier.. 

While this one isn't of a Chandelier -but Beautiful Sconces-

How they make the room & set the stage for Holiday Elegance 

And well this one is just plain fun.

Sometimes it isn't just lighting-but the Center Piece of your home.

Spruce up Your Wreath..

This Lil Wreath is from Michael's-

Cute-But a lil Plain-Small.

Went out in to our Front Yard- Cut some branches off our tree & as well as some from our Christmas Tree -So there was a variety of textures-

Clipped these ones off some bushes in our Yard as well

Bought this Artificial Bunch of Bright Greenery.

Clipped the pieces to smaller sizes-and just pieced together in the wreath- added more where needed- to give it an even look-going around and using the Branch's of the wreath that are made of wire-to some what hold together as well.

Adding the misc styles-shades-textures of greenery mixing real and artificial gives it a more realistic look and brings the smell of the tree inside as well.

I added a small simple ribbon to hang from my Hutch.

Small-Easy-Affordable way to bring Christmas to every room.