snowy day

Posted bySarah Blank 20 Comments on snowy day

Today is snowed and snowed. Despite the inclement weather (all the pretty fall leaves are now frostbitten!) I spent the afternoon painting a field of wildflowers amongst other things (painting update very soon!). Snow in October!

Anyway, I picked up an antique dresser set yesterday for a song! It’s beautiful and inspiring (I think its from the 30’s but not sure) and it came in an old tattered yellow box with the original fluffy pink cotton to keep it safe. I was thinking about pretty dressing tables and my mother’s stood out as the best I’ve seen. She is such a lovely decorator. Her vanity: (and me trying to move out of the way of the camera!)

Now I’m on the hunt for a vanity to display all my yummy vintage things. I am imaging something 20’s, 30’s or 40’s.

I have been collecting antique picture frames for my paintings. Managed to stockpile a bunch. They make some neat repros but I really want to stick to antique frames, from victorian to the 40’s. It’s a real treasure hunt and I feel that I’m recycling while finding unique frames. I have to admit I have some 60’s frames that are pretty neat though (I think they are the 60’s version of the victorian repro). In the past couple of weeks I found some Victorian frames all under 10 dollars but the plaster filagree adornments (covered in gold) were broken off in sections. Does anyone know if there is a remedy for this? It was sad to leave them at the store but I felt that fixing them was a hopeless cause.

Currently I am absolutely coveting frames such as these for my paintings: (sorry I can’t remember where I found them but it was an antique shop and the first and last one was around $100) These were found online, I didn’t actually buy them, but I am wishing…

Try to ignore the images in the last two. I’d pop them out and put little intricate paintings inside!

A heads up, there will be a giveaway very soon!

xoxo sarah

20 replies on “snowy day”

  1. Oh what a beautiful vanity! Im on the hunt for beautiful *things* too. Out with the old college crapola furniture, in with the big girl vintagey stuff. These frames are gorgeous too. You must know all the good thrifty places~

  3. Lovely! Hope the giveaway includes the images you remove 🙂

    I’ve been doing the same — my husband’s wal-mart college junk is leaving, and my church’s resale shop is providing all sorts of lovely old things. (But buying a new sofa, as he doesn’t believe an old one will be conducive to the active nature of his football-watching!)

    1. I wish that I owned these to remove them! But I do own some other old frames with prints that I removed to make space for my own…A very good idea Marguerite!

      I do believe in a new sofa too! Old ones gross me out (unless they are reupholstered)

  4. Yes, we noticed this about our early snowy day,too….alas…most of the leaves were pulled from the trees by the winds and chill. But such fun it was!! ; )

    I am in love with your new dressing table!! So pretty! And those frames are dreamy, indeed!! I kept thinking of so many different images to fill them with! They would look perfectly at home encasing your lovely work!!

  5. Your mother certainly does appear to be a good decorator! The vanity is beautiful but I’m also admiring the four poster bed with the wreath hung over it 🙂

    I like your idea of using antique frames for your images. Looking forward to seeing them!

    have a great day

  6. If I had a frame that had little pieces missing, I would simply glue something over it like a leaf or a flower or _________ (whatever you can think of). I can’t restore the fancy work on frames, so that is what I’d have to do (nor can I afford to pay someone else to fix them!) Also, in some cases, and it just depends and only you’ll know if it looks right or not, you could just leave the imperfection on there for a “chippy” “shabby” look.

    Hope I’ve helped!

    God bless and Happy Creating!

    Beth

    1. Thats a good idea, to cover the chip with something else. I might do that next time…probably not for my art but maybe for a photo or something.
      I thought about maybe trying to build up the filagree work again with some clay or something.
      Thanks for your idea Beth!

    1. Yes, I love her work! You should look in thrift shops, for old repros. You could repaint them (a lot of them have that cheesy, distressed golden 70’s finish)
      I think your work would look so lovely framed in practically anything, though!

  10. 🙂

    Yay, found you!
    When I studied restoration, we would restore old frames all the time. You need to do it via a gesso mixture (plaster of Paris + animal glue.. sorry have forgotten the proportions! but I am sure you can find some online) then remold the areas, copying the pattern.

    It takes some skill but nothing an artist can’t handle 🙂

    Then, either paint it in gold – (but this is not the ‘proper’ way) or cover the blank areas with a wash and a system of colour-patching that restorers use, called tratteggio (you can look it up online)

    But since this isn’t a musem pieces, I’d just patch the areas up with gold paint 🙂

    1. I’m glad we found each other again too Lisa! Thanks so much for the info, I think I’ll try it and remold the frame I have with the recipe. Its so pretty but the spots w/o the design are so noticeable that I can’t use the frame! Thanks again!

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