This Week's Great Find

Hi everyone.

This week's great find is a Singer treadle sewing maching base I found for $25 at an antique mall in Allentown, PA. With a wire brush and can of flat black spray paint this will clean up very nicely. I plan to add a nice piece of stone or wood to make this into a table. Now I will be on the hunt for the table top.

I will share the finished product once I get it cleaned and painted and have added the table top.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely, Lynn

Happy Valentine's Day and American Heart Month

Good morning and Happy Valentine's Day!

This is a beautiful vintage Valentine postcard, though the light colors did not photograph as well as I had hoped.

A very pretty lavendar heart wreath.

The heart wreath I made for my front door.

A beautiful red heart I received in my Christmas stocking!

February is also American Heart Month, sponsored by the American Heart Association. Please be sure to get your annual check-up, including checks of your heart beat, blood pressure and cholesterol. If you are a MacKerell near 50, ask your doctor about a stress test. Women very seldom exhibit the same symptoms as men. As many of you know, I had a triple bypass a year and a half ago at 54 years old. Heart disease runs in our family, but I had no symptoms. My blockages were only caught because I went for a check up and the doctor heard an extra beat in my heart and sent me for further testing. This heart shaped pillow was a gift from St. Mary's Hospital after my bypass surgery to wear in the car under the seat belt to protect the surgical site. It was donated by a women's organization.

Here's to a healthy heart for Valentine's Day!

Sincerely, Lynn

Vintage and More Valentine Decor

Hi everyone.

It is shaping up to be a beautiful day outside. I can't wait for spring!

For this Valentine's Day, I created a little vignette on the top of my china closet.

Valentine colors, for me, are all about red and white, with perhaps some pastels like peach, lavendar or pink. The vintage jar on the left is from Christmas, recycled to be used again. The jar on the right is all red and white.......ribbons, beads, shells, feathers, hearts, flowers, whatever you like will work.

Candles, of course.

This white ironstone pitcher is the same one I used for Christmas, with the same red bow, but red flowers instead of greens.

The table top scene is all set too.

A bird's nest, long since vacated by the birds, serves as a bowl for heart shaped, foil-wrapped chocolates!

Instead of a centerpiece, this vintage carrier is used to hold wine, glasses, napkins and flowers.

All it takes is a little imagination to use vintage items in unique ways in your home.

What did you do for your Valentine decor this year? Please comment to share your idease too.

Please tell your friends about my blog as well.

Sincerely,

Lynn

Refurbishing Vintage Ladies Desk and Chair -- Before

Hi.

I picked up this cute vintage ladies desk with one drawer and chair recently with the intention of refurbishing them. After researching the possibilities of removing paint from caning, I decided to just scrape, sand and repaint them. Removing paint from the caned chair seat is apparently not feasible since the stripping chemicals will dilute the paint but not remove it from the caning.

I think I will be using a cream color paint, perhaps with some brown accent paint. What color do you think would be best for resale? Vote by commenting!

In a future post, I will show you the AFTER refrubishing photos. Stay tuned.

Sincerely, Lynn

Vintage Carriers are Easily Repurposed

Hi.

It's a bright sunny day for a change!

I wanted to share a couple of vintage carry boxes that I found recently. One is smaller with four compartments.

This carrier can easily be repurposed. I was thinking it would be a great centerpiece container for the dining room table. Someone I met at the shop where I bought it was thinking it would be a great wine rack on a counter or table. Use your own imagination as to how you could use a carrier such as this!

The other carrier I found is larger, with two compartments and an attached stand. This is only the second carrier I have seen with a stand. It was definitely hand made, though the stand appears newer to me than does the box itself. I thought this could be a great stand for small plants by a window, or a great table next to a chair, to collect remotes, books, or sewing projects.


Please comment to share your ideas on how these carriers might be used for today's lifestyle.

Sincerely,

Lynn

Two Hearts

Good morning.




I found, not just one, but two heart cookie cutters while antiquing recently. I thought a "couple" of heart cookie cutters would make a great decoration for Valentine's Day. Pun intended, ha ha. For those of you outside of the MacKerell family, this is an example of "MacKerell" humor!

Doesn't this couple look cute?

What vintage decorations have you come up with for Valentine's Day? Please comment to share your ideas too.

Sincerely, Lynn

February Window Display Designer: Me

Hi everyone.

I'm happy it is warm inside today - there is a very thick sheet of ice over everything outside.

I was fortunate to be selected to create one of the February window displays for Rosebush Antiques, where I have my antique booth. It was fun to put it together yesterday. Now I wait to see if it has any impact on business this month, with people wanting to buy what is in the window and more traffic inside.

Here are a few photos of the window display.

I hope you have a great day today! Please comment on this post and share my blog with your friends who love antiques too.

Sincerely, Lynn