September Button swap Partner, ARod!

Wow, i cant believe a whole month has gone by without me doing a post. We have been so busy, we just dealt with our entire roof being redone, Francine may do a post about it, but it was hectic. Our entire attic had to be cleared out, so things were quite cluttered around here but its all slowly getting back to normal. So i digress. 

My button swap partner for this month is ARod, from Makin My Apt A Home. Here is a collage of her and her cute pooch, Coco. 

 She has a knack for reviving old pieces. This is an excellent dresser redo. This is the before.

And this is the after. Very creative. 

I like this coffee table redo. The checker board pattern is unique, not your typical design. 

Here is a picture of it in her living room. Definitely an interesting focal point.

This is a cool stencil treatment she did to her wall. Its hard to tell from this picture but its more of a shiny silver and adds character to a plain wall.

She has many other posts about furniture she has revamped. Make sure you go check her out!

Button Swap partner, Must Love Junk!

I have to say, i was super excited to receive Susan from Must Love Junk as my swap partner this month. Why you ask? Because most of the stuff she has in her home, i want for myself, haha. Its true, every new post she puts up reveals some fascinating item that makes me think i gotta get me one of those.  Let me introduce you to her and some of the incredible finds she has acquired.

This is Susan and her husband Keith, they have been married for over 13 years. She owns a home decor shop with her mother. I find that really neat, its been the dream of Francine and I to start our own antique shop. She has an Etsy shop too that you all should check out. She is a self proclaimed decorating addict of everything vintage, farmhouse, rustic, etc. etc. No worries Susan, you are in good company here.

Now let me show you some of the amazing treasures that adorn her home. I LOVE the old industrial cart as a coffee table, i have wanted one for so long. I like the typewriter too.

This collection displayed on this wooden rack in her hallway is breathtaking, (p.s she has a good story that goes along with the rack). I love the feedsacks on the bottom and the old photos and frames above and everything in between. 

If you have been on her blog you have probably lingered enviously over this stack of suitcases. I dont know how she found so many when we had such trouble finding the three we have now. Whats your secret Susan?? 

This cabinet with the white ironstone is great. I especially like the vintage green seltzer bottles, alas i only have one myself and its blue, i still love it though.  Combined with the vintage box and column create a beautiful corner.  

                             

Old camera's! I have a few myself, though they arent displayed together like this, and in such a cool cabinet. My favorite is the Brownie camera in the bottom right corner. I especially like old ones like that. 

I could literally go on and on. She has just about one of everything. Old letter racks, bird cages, bowling pins, antlers, she has got it all. Its dizzying really, you should all set aside a decent block of your day to check it out as i am sure once you see what i mean, you will be thrilled. 

But dont forget about little ol me either! I have yet to post about the day Francine and I had, she already posted about it on Ethereal plus what i love, entitled "Our Crazy Day". We both thought it would be nice for me to write my own version though, so check back for when i finally finish it. Thanks everyone!

Hidden Treasures

Hello everyone, i apologize for not posting in so long. I kind of feel like i'm letting people down or being lazy when i go for such a length of time without a new post. But alas i am here and i once again thank you for your patience and all your comments. 

Apparently i had been hiding some items given to me by my family that were actually pretty cool. They were all squirreled away in a box in our attic. Isn't it great to rediscover cool stuff you have? Its not that i didn't like it all, i just didn't appreciate it all as much as i do now. As i have matured so has my passion for things vintage and antique. 

This is an old Mallardtone Crow Call. It still retains the old box and original advertising pamphlet that came with it. I'm eager to try it outside and see if i can summon a murder of crows or something (though in actuality that would probably be pretty scary, haha).  

One of my favorite discoveries was this colorful tin bird windup toy. The key goes into the bottom of him and once it is wound up, he starts pecking up and down really fast and bouncing around. Its amusing to see, though our bird, Barlow, didnt find it quite so delightful. He promptly ran away from it...though we do sometimes call him a scaredy-bird cause he is frightened of just about anything.

You might recognize this from our Ethereal plus what i love blog. Its an antler i picked up with my grandfather when i was young. I think ive had it for 10-15 years, i cant remember exactly but its been awhile. Its now proudly displayed in this lovely vignette with a ceramic bird, old soda crate, rusty railroad spikes, and a few other things.  

This piece is probably the most sentimental to me. Its an old pocket watch passed down through my family. It was given to me from my grandparents, hanging in a domed glass case. I took it out to get a better picture. It belonged to, i believe, my great great grandfather, the man in the picture next to the watch. He purchased it around 1900, so its been around awhile. Its such a cool display piece, i love the old chain and pocket knife at the end. I definitely intend to keep it, there is enormous personal history attached and i couldnt give it up.

This last item is one Francine kind of claimed as her own she liked it so much. Its an old postal box, actually just the door to one. There is a thin copper shell attached to it to make a tiny box, another present from my grandparents. Its resting on her nightstand with an old compass, a crystal bird dish that holds her jewelry and a couple camera film containers.

Im glad i scrounged them up, it would have been a crime to keep them hidden. Hope everyone enjoys them, and check back soon, i have alot of catching up to do post-wise. Guess ill be pretty busy. Thanks for looking!

   

  

  

More Awesome Vintage Finds

Sorry i haven't posted in a week, so much stuff to do! I first want to thank everyone who has commented, viewed, friend-ed, and featured me so far, its such an honor to know people enjoyed what i posted. I hope your all ready to feast your eye on more of our collection. I have three more exquisite finds to show you all. The first couple we have had for awhile, the last is a more recent acquisition.

The first is this absolutely stunning National cash register from the 1920's. It is so masterfully crafted and ornate. Just look at all the brass and fleur de lis.  There is usually an "Amount Purchased" sign on top but this was unfortunately missing that piece. That's ok though, the rest makes up for it. Its still fully functioning, all the keys move and open the drawer with a sharp ding. The lid opens and shows a counter for the number of customers and the amount of money.  Its funny to note how the keys only go up to 1 dollar! This took two people to move since it weights probably close to 100 pounds, a testament to its sturdy and timeless construction. 

The second is a much smaller object. Its a pair of Ofuna opera glasses. I'm guessing it is from the late 1940's since it says "Made in Occupied Japan" Its got its original case and is a cool post ww2 find. Though it doesn't magnify things a great deal, we still use it for bird and small animal spotting around our house. 

The last antique you may recognize from my banner. Its an old Royal brand typewriter. It was a gift from Francine and i was positively thrilled with it. The original ribbon is still on it and the keys work and everything. Although the ribbon is dried it still manages to type some faded letters. I still smile when i look at it. Francine wrapped this banner around the sides with twine that says dream. Just yesterday we bought that big ol light bulb you see siting on it and placed it there. Looks like it just got an idea, haha.

I hope you enjoyed looking at them as much as we do. Thanks for looking!

  

Rehoboth Beach Finds

If you read our main blog, Ethereal Plus what I Love, then you know me and Francine are crazy for Rehoboth beach. Its our tradition to go down there every year. There are many wonderful shops to visit, although sadly this year two of our favorites were closed. Coco and Company and the Pelican Loft, both which contained beautiful antiques, were both gone! We were sorely disappointed. Luckily one new shop we happen to stumble upon last year was open, its called the Old Crow. I was able to return with a few wonderful finds. 

The first is this elegant heron sculpture. These pictures do not do it justice. It caught my eye and i couldn't resist. He is all hand painted and hand sculpted, i can only imagine the hours of work it probably took to make him. Here he is displayed along with some vintage postcards, a nice framed sketch, and some pear sculptures. 

 You cant tell from the pictures but he was supposed to have feathers sticking out from his head, but they were broken off when i bought him. No problem though, cause we used a little putty and a couple of white crest feathers that fell off of our cockatiel, Barlow, to replace them. Good as new!

 The second find is this pair of antlers. I was told they are from a species of european deer, not sure what kind exactly. They are split down the middle with two huge bolts connecting them to the mount. We have them hanging in our bedroom with a collage of other antiques. I may post another picture showing the whole wall and all the other goodies displayed on it.

 Lastly is this very unique seltzer bottle. The glass is heavy and thick and i love the blue hue it carries. I also love the writing on it. It says Home Beverage, and under it HM Distributors. The bottle itself was actually made in Czechoslovakia, which makes it even cooler.

 Its displayed in our kitchen, next to a vintage toolbox full of old stuff, like feed sacks and a rolling pin and an old wind up tape measurer. You can see some of the stuff in this picture.

These are just a few of the finds we truly cherish, there are many more. Keep checking back cause there will be lots more to come.