Circa 1857 Art and Architecture

I was in Baton Rouge a couple weeks ago for my little sister’s graduation and we spent the day after shopping around town.  We found this great little antique/architectural salvage store.

Plenty of photos ahead of the fabulous treasures to be found….

All of the architectural pieces were outside or on the porch.  Stacks of old windows, doors, spindles and tin ceiling panels.

Inside, different booths were set up with both new and old merchandise.  Everything from antique light fixtures to handmade soaps and local art, including these vintage seltzer bottles:

Looks like burlap is still in style, I love these pillows.

Check out this lamp adorned with oyster shells:

Just about every style of doorknob you could want!

I came away empty-handed, but it was still fun to look!  I definitely recommend checking it out if you are ever in the area.

Weekly Treasures

It’s too hot to do much garage sale-ing right now, but I did manage to swing by one on my way around town this weekend.  That plus a visit to Goodwill and some goodies from mom’s made for a pretty good haul this week!

This glass hurricane votive holder was 25 cents! I’ve got a cute transformation planned for it….think Halloween!

I found all of these great vintage earrings at Goodwill! Y’all know I’m a big fan of using vintage pieces on my frames and candle embellishments.  I can’t wait to use these. 

Mom brought these over saying she wasn’t going to use them anymore.  Given my fleur de lis obsession, I claimed them right away! I’m thinking of using them for some new chunky candle embellishments.  The estate sales around town have been pretty hit or miss for me lately (mostly miss), so I was glad to get all these goodies.  I’ll be linking up this post to the following parties:

Favorite Vendor in Canton: Laurie Anna’s Vintage Home

One of my favorite vendors in Canton was discovered by happy accident.  We were all done shopping the regular grounds and were headed back to the interstate when we spotted a little store right along the highway.  A quick U-turn found us at Laurie Anna’s Vintage Home.  It was a shabby chic heaven full of mercury glass, burlap, and vintage-inspired linens, dining, and garden items!  Laurie Anne truly has a unique talent not only for selecting beautiful merchandise, but for displaying it in an interesting and pleasing way.

I thought I would share some of my favorite things from her shop.  Click on the photos for more info.

I had to buy one of these mercury glass eggs for my Easter decor:

 

Laurie Anna also has a booth located in the Arbors area of the Canton Trade Grounds, but we must have missed it because it was so crowded in that area.  Lucky for us we found her actual store! For more fabulous shabbiness, check out Laurie Anna’s online shop and her inspiring blog.  Don’t miss her tutorial for burlap chair covers:Apparently, she’s pretty big in blog-land, although I’m just now discovering her! 

 

Recycled Post: Jewelry Box Make-over

Originally posted 7/22/09

For some reason I am drawn to these vintage jewelry boxes, perhaps they remind me of the hours I spent playing with my grandmother’s vintage jewelry, which she kept in a similar jewelry box. I picked up these two at separate estate sales for $1 and 50 cents each.

These babies needed a facelift, don’t ya think? Enter the spray paint:

Much better! I spray painted the larger one silver and the smaller one lavender. They were still kinda plain, so I decided to keep on going by adding my initial and some bling.

I added the border to highlight the slightly raised detail border that still showed through a little.

I just used silver craft paint to paint the border and initial, then outlined them using a paint pen. I printed out an initial and used carbon paper to transfer it to the top of the box. Since I am an impatient crafter, I didn’t even tape off for a clean line, but it still turned out okay. If you wanted to do a real professional job I would recommend taping off.

Now they’re right at home in my guest bedroom, but I keep moving them around. Tell me which spot you like best.

In the vanity:

Under the vanity:

In the corner (I’m leaning toward this spot):

I’m linking up with Transformation Thursday, The Power of Paint Party, and other linky parties seen HERE.

DIY Day: Shadow Box Memories

Today’s DIY project is one I did several years ago.  While unpacking from our move, I got inspired to display some of those mementoes that had previously been packed away.

Mardi Gras has always been an important part of Louisiana culture, and it’s always fun for me to look back on photos and trinkets to remember the fun times I’ve had at Mardi Gras.  I created this shadow box to display some of the vintage doubloons and glass beads that my mother saved from the parades she went to in the sixties and seventies. 

Today the majority of the beads and trinkets thrown in parades are plastic ones from China, so this was a good way to preserve a piece of history.

Some of these beautiful glass beads that they used to throw could still be worn with today’s fashions!

I hung the shadow box in the hallway along with a Mardi Gras photo collage and fleur de lis mirror.   Using a shadow box is a great way to display small treasures that would have otherwise been lost in a drawer or box.  I did the same thing with some of my husband’s military coins:

All that’s needed to do this kind of project is, of course, a shadow box (I usually purchase mine at Michael’s when they are on sale or I have a coupon), some hook & loop tape (velcro) and/or straight pins, and the items you want to display.  Simply arrange the items on the provided background mount and add velcro to the backs or use straight pins to secure them.  On both of the shadow boxes I used, the background already had a fabric that the “hook” side of the velcro could adhere to.

A quick and simple project that will make you smile and reminisce every time you walk by!