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My passion is decorating with vintage and antique finds on a budget. There was a time when I wouldn't have dreamed of going into a goodwill. That day has passed. :) My second love is scrapbooking all those special family moments for posterity, and I recently set up my very own scrapbooking room. I have three beautiful children, two sons and a daughter as well as a sweet (albeit full blooded Yankee) daughter-in-law and two grandgirls. I also enjoy gardening, meeting new friends and relaxing on my patio in the evenings with a glass of fine wine. During the summer of 2001, I spent two glorious weeks at Kennedy Space Center. I've been somewhat of a space geek ever since....
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Sunday, February 20, 2011

A Before and After

I have this huge empty expanse of wall in my family room behind the sofa.  At one time, I had mirrors of all sorts of shapes and sizes covering it.  After a while, I grew tired of that look and took them all down when I changed the paint color on the walls.  I've looked at prints but just couldn't find anything that seemed large enough for that wall.  And since I like to position my sofa away from the wall, a really large picture would need a piece of furniture below to ground it.

Here's the before:

While shopping at Kirkland's for those bathroom mirrors, a very large iron piece caught my eye.  I had no idea if I could afford it so I asked an employee to take it down for me.  The $129.99 original price had been marked down twice, from $99.00 to $79.00!  That was all it took for me to snap it up.  It was too large to fit in my car so Johnny picked it up in his surburban and brought it out.  I want to find some type of buffet with an open shelf to put beneath it but for the time being, I'm improvising with an antique sewing machine cabinet while I continue to search craigslist for the perfect piece......  I'm thinking I'm going to take the plunge and try to paint and distress whatever I find.  All the painted furniture I've been seeing on the blogs has really made an impression.  Here's the after:

And all of a sudden, that huge piece seems quite small......  I love the way it brings the eye up to emphasize the ten foot ceiling............

Here's a little table that I brought home from my mom's house.  I'm not sure if it's an English or American antique or what its purpose was.  Is this what is called a spindle table?  It's a little high to use as an end table so I'll have to look around and decide where to use it.  There were some watermarks on the top so I used some Old English on it.  Other than that, it's in fairly pristine condition. 


Well, it's off to bed for me........






6 comments:

  1. Love the new iron piece! I have a sewing table just like that that I recieved from my grandma, it sits in my entryway. The legs on the table from your mom are great, so unique!

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  2. Love your new iron piece...and you can use it sideways too if you want! LOVE IT! I have a table almost exactly like yours from my mother. She always called it a spool table...my shelf is at the very bottom though instead of part way up on the legs. Top is identical! What fun! xxoo Diana

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  3. The iron piece is perfect and looks great! Your accent table with the spindle legs is really cute! So classic!

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  4. Thank you for visiting me and leaving such a sweet comment....I appreciate you. Let me tell you about a product that I have used a lot in my little booth in an antique mall. It is called Howard's Restorafinish....it comes in all of the wood tones. Apply it with a #OOOO steek wool which is very smooth actually, and do only a small area at one time. Immediately, wipe off with a clean dry cloth. It will clean the wood and cover any scratches and water marks. Honestly, it is the BEST product and a lot of dealers who carry furniture use it. After going over the entire piece, apply the Howard's Honey Beeswax and allow to set into the wood for a couple of days to replenish the oils in the wood. Then wipe away with a clean dry cloth again. You will be amazed at how the piece looks, and it will NOT harm the existing finish.

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  5. Hi Terri,

    I really like your new wall decor. Somehow it manages to look both sturdy & bold and light & airy. The little table is great -- I know you'll find just the right spot for it.

    Thank you for the sweet comment you left for me the other day. Sorry I'm just now getting by for a visit. You asked if I'm trained in art/design. It's mostly trial and error for me, but I did have private art lessons as a child and, in recent years, have taken painting classes and workshops with talented artists/instructors.

    I think composition and design are all based on similar principles, whether it's painting, page layout, garden design, table setting, etc. etc.

    What about you? Did you study art and/or interior design?

    Hope you have a great weekend!
    Bill

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  6. That is a great piece! Looks perfect there, I am having a "can't stand the way anything looks" kind of month, want to change somethings but don't have the umph or the money or the mental energy to be creative.
    I also love the framed copper piece on the other wall.

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