a Short {and not so exciting} Tale of 2 Tables ...

I have long loved antiques … retro furnishings … anything old that has a story. And earlier in the summer I saw these tables at an antique store in Monroe. I didn't get them then (they were $40 for the pair), but I continued to see them in my mind, painted and flanking either end of my sofa. They had great potential. Then we went hunting at that same place for these chairs and I saw the tables again. This time they were marked to $25 for the pair and I brought them home.  They sat in my garage for weeks and weeks. And the paint sat beside them. But now they are in their final home … beside my sofa, and I ♥ them!

I apologize in advance for the terrible pix! It was rainy when I took the before photos in my garage (great lighting!) and it was dark when I took the afters in my house. Oh, and I wanted to get them done, so I didn't bother to switch out my lens from the 50mm. Yeah … I was in a hurry. Sorry. But I think you'll get the picture … :)

Before:

Sanding …

During:

Lovely gray primer … but I do adore Painter's Touch by Rustoleum!

After:

They've been painted "Popcorn" and distressed by hand. The paint job isn't excellent, but that's for a reason. I wanted them to look like they have been through a lot and loved :)

I like the details on these tables. They go in the living room perfectly. Now I need an old phone for that empty one on the left, don't you think? Ahhh … more antique hunting in my future! Twist my arm ;)

Why Typewriters?

I just ordered Lydia a ribbon for her typewriter from mytypewriter.com. Now she can actually use it!

You can see more pix of her typewriter here. I ♥ it. As I was reading about cleaning it I came across these FAQs. I saw this last one and it made me smile:


13. Why write on a typewriter when you can write on a computer?

Why take a country road when you can take the Interstate?
Why ride a bike when you can drive a car?
Why shop at the corner store when you can shop at Wal-Mart?
Why cook from scratch when you can eat fast food?
Why draw a picture when you can shoot a video?

Why indeed?! Read typewriter tributes here ♥

Just 'Cause

I collect antique Pyrex bowls … just 'cause.  Just 'cause they make me smile when I see them in my cupboards and when I use them to make batters and such.

I found these on Saturday (along with the chairs):

 A matching set ♥

 And I've been wanting a butter dish … and it matches the above set :)

And how cute is this to use this winter?

♥

Who Has Rested In These Chairs?

I was determined that we were going to find some chairs for our whatever-you-call-it room on Saturday, even if it killed me.  So we ventured out to Monroe, GA … to Warehouse Antiques.  It's one of my favorite places … large, in an old cotton mill and filled with all sorts of treasures with good prices.  We brought the girls along.  They've begun to learn how to enjoy antiquing.  Good for them :)

I didn't shop like I normally do in there this time, searching every nook and cranny of every booth.  No, I was on a mission.  As we perused up and down the aisles we saw a few chairs here and there, but nothing that really caught my eye.  And then finally … on the LAST aisle Brandon saw them.

We both sat in them and they were VERY comfy.  Brandon and I discussed them and I told him I thought they were good shape if they were indeed from the 1930s as the tag implied.  As I said that a lady that was shopping walked by and said, "Those are from the 1930s …"  Apparently she used to be a decorator and is retired now.  She was just there shopping and had seen those same chairs.  She them proceeded to tell us her experience with this type of chair and that they were in good shape and that they were authentic.

So we bought them.  For a steal really.  And there were other purchases too, but I wanted to share these with you first.  ♥ them!  Now, I must say that these are not at all what I was thinking in my brain that I wanted.  They are actually very similar to our living room furniture.  But I like them.  And I wonder … who has rested in them over the years?

And that white table there in the middle?  Yeah … doesn't go, does it?

Some details … wrinkles in the cusions.

The arms

One of the chairs.  And yes, the walls of that room really are that yellow.  And yes, I do plan on painting them now that I have the chairs.  I can't wait to get rid of that yellow!

And another look at them.  I plan on spending some time in them today relaxing … resting … reading,  just as I'm sure they were used originally in the 1930s.

A Hidden Treasure

Isn't it fabulous when you find a hidden treasure that makes your heart happy?  It's always the little things that make me smile.  And yesterday as I walked with Gracie through an antiques store searching for just the right chairs for our sitting room keeping room once-a-dining-room-and-now-I-don't-know-what-to-call-it room I found this:

We've been enjoying it all morning while we clean.  It's one of my favorite things ;)

Before and After: Lamp Table Lamp

I knew I wanted one of those … what do you call them … Lamp Table? Table Lamp? Lamp Table Lamp?? I don't know … it's a table and lamp all in one. An antique one, not one of those, that, well you know what you're thinking. No. A wooden antique one.

And I found one when we went on our little anniversary trip. And no, I did not find it in Blue Ridge, I found it in Ellijay :)

It was so ugly … I think my mom thought I was losing my mind when I came home with this:

So I promptly ran to Home Depot and bought these:

And with a little of the above and a little sanding I now have this:

It turned out perfectly!!  I wanted to make it look like it had been through a lot, and still have all it's quirky charm.  So it has a layer of white, then a layer of blue, then another layer of white paint.

Oh, be still my ♥ I just ♥ making over vintage stuff!  Now to make the lamp shade as cute as the lamp :)

Retro Stereo

Raise your hand if you grew up with a console stereo in your living room. {raising my hand} Yeah, me too. And I LOVED it. My brother and I would play records and my Dad and I would dance (although I remember dancing with my Dad to the reel-to-reel we also had, but that's another story). When my parents decided to put our console stereo away I convinced them to hang on to it for me. I would take it off their hands one day. And I meant it.  I really loved that thing:

There it is over to the left.  That's me on my bike (that, yes, I still own) at 2 years old.  

And here it is again in the back at my 7th birthday party (and that's my brother standing there with his favorite Farrah Fawcett t-shirt).

Isn't it cool?  So back to our story.  My parents were holding on to it for me and it was stashed away in the basement.  As a teenager I loved it and longed for the day that it would be mine (even as CDs had become the newest thing).  But it was not to be so.  One night it rained heavily and flooded our basement.  The console was veneer and was damaged beyond repair (at least we thought so … now I know better!).  So my parents got rid of it and I grieved the day.

Fast forward to today.  Two thousand and ten.  The time of electronic music files and "perfect" sound.  And what do I want?  An old console stereo to play vinyl.  Brandon and I have been searching antique stores and sales and thrift stores and Craigslist.  And we finally found one this weekend.  Everything works and it's a lovely retro piece of furniture.  I ♥ its imperfections.  It's a tube radio (♥)  and needs some tweaking.  But the turntable spins and the needle works and we listened to the Police and the Beatles yesterday afternoon.  And you know what?  Vinyl doesn't sound as bad as I remember.  I think I must have fallen victim to the latest and greatest advertisements in the 80s and 90s.  It actually sounds really really good!

That last one is my favorite … it makes me :)

Much like the Polaroids (and I just bought another {new} one by the way) some people think I am a bit odd that I ♥ this thing.  And they would be right.  I am a bit odd.  But I like what I like.  I won't apologize for that.  It's perfectly imperfect, just like me :)