Multiples Party and a Giveaway!

So glad you came to the Multiples Party.  First things first, we all know what this is, right?  It is a way for us to show off what we have multiples of...okay, okay, I guess we can use the word collect.  I think sometimes that word has such a negative connotation... like you have 30 cats or something.  Not that there is anything wrong with that *wink*  Most of you probably know one of my weaknesses is anything with  letters and numbers on it.  And, I love me some vintage mirrors.  But here are few more:

Part of my collection of ironstone, oh I love it so!!

I really like plates and platters with staining on them.

 I love the maker's mark on the bottom of the pieces almost as much as I like the pieces themselves.

I love my big ironstone bowls.   They are great for so many things.  I plan on putting some pumpkins in these very soon.

I even use ironstone in our bathroom to hold swabs, cotton balls and tooth brushes (it is one of my favorite pieces.)

Now, some of the best things I have ever come across are my Dundee Marmalade jars.  They line my bar in my kitchen.  And I have a few others scattered here and there.

Aren't they great?  I think I have 14 now... one of them is a large one!

And, a fairly pricy habit is my mercury glass.  The real, vintage mercury glass is very elusive (and expensive.)  I have a few real vintage pieces.  I kind of have a rule for my finds.... I will only buy the new stuff if it looks new... not too distressed.  I think they try too hard distressing it.  But, I will buy the old stuff in any condition that I can afford.

The matching vases in the back are from 1897 and have lost almost all of the silvering.

Here are some photos of my table that I have filled with my mercury glass.  Part of me wants to burn the candles all the way down so that the wax is dripping all over everything.  And, the tidy part keeps me from doing that.

And, also in my dining room, I have a small stash of vintage bottles.  I really like the ones that are frosty blue.

And, here is a sampling of my milk glass

And, I can never come home without a vintage frame... they are all over the place.  In our living room, I painted them all black.

And, the last thing that I can think that I have multiples of is hand mirrors.  I actually don't pick these up anymore... I am satisfied with the way the arrangement looks.

Okay, now before you rush off to see the fabulous blogs that are joining in with their multiples, please sign up for my little giveaway.

It is a milk glass pedestal bowl.  I have one that I love to fill with soaps, but it also looks adorable with lemons and limes.

You know the drill...become a follower of Vintage Junky, then leave me a comment.  If you are already a follower, just leave me a comment so I know you would like to win.  If you want to blog or tweet, just let me know and I will throw your name in twice.  I will draw a winner on Thursday to be announced Friday.

Okay, now it is time to party....

If you'd like to join in.....

....here is how this works:

1. Write a post showing us your multiples. In the post, link back to this party post so that everyone reading your blog can see what everyone else has brought to the party. Click on the title of this post and copy the address bar to link back here.
   
2. Come to Vintage Junky and add your name and permalink to your multiples post to the list at the bottom of this post. To get the permalink, click on the title of your post for this party and copy the address in the address bar. The link you add should NOT be your blog's address ( ex: www.anyblog@blogspot.com) It will be much longer, like this ex: www.anyblog@blogspot.com/2009/09/title-post.html
3. Make sure your link works. If you come back and your link has been deleted, just try again and make sure you are linking back to this Party Post and you leave the link for your Party Post. You can always email me or comment and I will help get you joined in!

Now, sit back and enjoy all the wonderful posts from the partygoers!

Reminder and a Giveaway!

Just wanted to remind everyone of the multiples party!  Hope all of you are ready to show what you can't get enough of!  And, I will have a small giveaway during the party, so even if you aren't going to join the party, still come by tomorrow and Wednesday to register to win.  I will put the post up Tuesday night by 7pm Central time through 11 pm Wednesday.  Hope you can make it!

Make Your Monday- Touch of Grey

I am joining Kim at Twice Remembered for her weekly Make Your Monday Party.  I have  a few small projects that I worked on this weekend.  In my excitement to get them completed, I forgot to take before photos!   So here is the first little project completed:

I found my new favorite color of spray paint... stone grey.  So, I had some fun painting some different things lately.  This was a cheap gold metal frame before I spray painted it.  Then, I covered some cork tile (that slid perfectly in the slot in the back of the frame) in some grey wool fabric.  Then I took some of these really cool vintage letters that are push pins (I think they may have been used to make small marquee signs.)  I used "mi amor" (spanish for "my love") because that is what my father called my mother.  I looked for a wedding photo of them, but I couldn't find one, so I used one of my grandparents.

Here is the before of the next project I completed:

This is the not same one, but this cuckoo clock is very similar to the one that I transformed.

Here is what it looks like now:

 

I painted it with a coat of Ralph Lauren's Dove Coat.  I added chandelier crystals on place of the pine cones that are usually present.  And then for the final touch:

 

I added this pewter heart from a vintage necklace.  And, look closely and you will see a tiny thumb tack with the number 7 on it!  Now the cuckoo doesn't actually work.  I am planning on putting a clock mechanism in it, but I have to spray paint the hands black.

Okay, here is the last little project, and you are probably going to think it is silly!

I spray painted this old metal paint by number tray that Mr. Hughes brought home one day.  No one ever even finished the painting but, I have always liked the shape... so I sprayed it stone grey.  Then I got Mr. Hughes to print out my logo.  I attached it to magnet paper and covered it with contact paper so it wouldn't ruin if it got wet. I threaded some ribbon through the handy little hanger already present on back of the tray.  Then I put the whole tray on my flea market cart!  I didn't complete this one until after we came home from the flea market.  Can you believe we went twice this weekend?  I will show you my treasures that followed me home later this week.

Please remember

to come join me on Wednesday for my multiples party...

it will be lots of fun seeing what everyone buys lots of!

Okay...I am off to see what everyone else has made this week!

Coming soon...

I was looking around my house the other day and I noticed that I have a lot of the same things...some grouped together, some spread out, some exactly the same, some slightly different.  Now, some may say that I am a collector.  But, I disagree.  I am not a collector.  I just acquire multiples of certain choice items.  So, I want to throw a blog party and I want to see YOUR multiples.  I want to see how you display or arrange them.  Most importantly, do you use them or are they merely lovelies? I know that you have them, so come back here on the last day of September and we will have a little get together.  Tell your friends, the more the merrier!

Evolution of an Entry

It is Thursday, so that means I am joining Gina for her weekly party at The Shabby Chic Cottage.  This week I reworked an area that I was pretty pleased with already.  But I when I found a great little table at Carter's Creek Station that I had to take home, I just had to rearrange this area that I had just done a post about.  So here is the first before:

And, here is the next before:

And, I was really happy with it at this point.  But, I have been trying to find a space for some vintage mirrors that I have picked up along the past couple of years.  And, that cute little table.  Plus, the bright colors were not as fallish as I would have liked so here is the evolved entry.

Mr Hughes actually liked the idea and he happily hung my mirrors for me.  I know of 2 other small mirrors that I may pick up this weekend to add to it.  Eventually, I would love to paint the entry a slightly darker white, but it will be this color for a while longer (did I mention it is 2 stories?  Mr. Hughes isn't going to let me rent scaffolding anytime soon!)  I found a home for the painting with the red poppies that he painted and it looks great!  And, I just swapped the chairs.  The table didn't need much work.  Miss Linda had stripped the veneer off the top. And it looked great just as it was.  I just added a coat of Dark Brown Briwax and buffed.

I added my birdcage and some other little treasures.

So, I guess the third time really is a charm.  I think I'll find a couple of grey and white pumpkins to fall this area up a little.

Now, I am off so I can see the other wonderful transformations of the partygoers.

Last Weekend Lovelies

The Hughes clan went out to a few places this weekend as usual.  I actually have a little video of a cute new little antique store in Nolensville called the Roost.  It is next door to Three French Hens... also a place with wonderful finds.  I HAD to go back there last Friday to pick up Baby Hughes' sippy cup.  And, they were kind enough to hold that finial that I have lost sleep over. Remember?

So perfect!  Well, here it is in its new spot!

 

I put it on Mr. Hughes' armoire in our bedroom.  I have been working on projects here and there for our bedroom.  And, it is really starting to shape up...  I just really want hardwood upstairs too.  Our carpet is just the builder's grade and it is amazing how fast it wears out. YUCK!  But, that is in the future (distant!)  

Okay... back to the lovelies!

On Saturday, we went out to Carter's Creek Station.... one of my favorites.  Miss Linda owns it and she is a hoot!  So sweet and always has the best things.  Truthfully, I try to keep her a secret so I get all the best of the best!  Case in point, I have been lusting after this beautiful small armoire that had the best price and a finish that I wouldn't change (that is saying a lot... I paint everything!)  I was talking about it, drooling over it, imagining scenarios that it would work in our house.  And, wouldn't you know it, a lady came and bought it right there!!  I know she heard me lusting after it and it made her want it even more!  I hope she didn't paint it... want to see it?

Did I mention the price? $95!!  And the inside was in such good condition.... oh I wish it was here with me... just didn't have the space.  Wouldn't it be lovely in a nursery?  Oh, can you see the reflection of my little partner in crime?

Here is another lovely there that I am lusting over...

Sparkly huh?  I can't think of anywhere it would go... maybe the laundry room?  *wink*

Okay, one more

I love these simple brass chandeliers... we have a larger in this style that we painted white and is in our dining room.

I came home with one more little something that has had me busy moving and tweaking.  I can't wait to have it finished and take some photos of  it.

Heirloom Party

I am joining my wonderful friend Marie at Emma Calls Me Mama for her Heirloom Party.  Now Mr. Hughes and I don't have too many heirlooms.  Most of my family's heirlooms are held by my mother and her brothers and sisters.  But, I will show you a few of the ones that I have.

This blue bowl once was my grandmother's.  We were very close.  I remember her using it every year to mix cookie dough.  I always told her how much I loved this blue bowl and that I would love to have it one day.  I came for a visit a few years before she passed away and she gave me an option.  She told me that she had gone out to buy a new blue bowl that looked just like it, but it was much larger.  She told me that I could either have that one or the REAL blue bowl.  I chose the real one, of course.  She made me wrap it up in a towel and take it to my car immediately so that no one could see.  She then put the fake blue bowl in its place.  I guess she was worried that someone would get upset that she had given it to me.  I don't think anyone else had the desire to have it.  After she passed away, I also inherited the fake blue bowl.

This little Santa belongs to Mr. Hughes.  It was his father's when he was little.  Most all the paint has worn off, but we like it that way.  Mr. Hughes adores this little guy.

Here is another thing that I had to have of my grandmother's.  These giant fork and spoon always hung on the wall in her kitchen.  I always thought they were so `neat.  I never realized many, many people had these in their kitchen.  After I received these, I painted them black and now they hang in my kitchen.

And this is probably the heirloom that I am most fond of.  This is  my grandmother's rosary.  My mother actually has it now.  My grandmother carried it at her wedding, along with my mother at hers, and then I carried it at mine.  I don't have a color photo of it... it is silver with these pretty periwinkle blue beads.  One day, my mother will pass it on to me.

Well, now I am off to see what everyone else has brought.  Thanks so much for hosting, Marie.

Small, Inexpensive Transformation

Today I am joining sweet Gina at the Shabby Chic Cottage for her weekly blog party.  I am sliding in at the last minute.  This past weekend while lugging my treasures to the car, I saw these old cabinet doors literally laying on the ground.

  Two of them had plastic fake flowers melted to them  But they looked like they were in okay shape other than that, so I rushed inside to see how much the owner would take for them.  There were 3 large and 1 small.  And she said $20 for all.  SOLD!!    I took them out today and cleaned them and got all of that nasty plastic flower residue off of them.  Then I stapled burlap that I had left over from Baby Hughes' birthday decorations.  On the first , I was trying to be neat and tidy and hide the staples.  Well, on that that one the staples went through.  So, on the other two, I wasn't as neat and I stapled the burlap to the thicker part of the wood.  Perfect!  I remembered I had these little clips leftover from some drapery rings.  So, I looped them through the open weave of the burlap.  Then I found some photos and vintage prayer cards and clipped them right up.  So here is what they look like now:

I love the way that they look in front of the window, but, Baby Hughes will most likely knock them off. So, I will probably hang them up in our bedroom. Or I may find a window in a room that Baby Hughes is never in.  I am still undecided.  Well, I am off to see what I have missed at the party so far!

What Followed Me Home

 

This is my excuse from now on.  This stuff follows me home.  How could I turn it away or leave it outside?  I wouldn't refuse a cute puppy, so how can I refuse a wonderful, large ironstone bowl with patina AND a crack?  It would be heartless, so I brought it all home.  I made it home with a rusty birdcage that now holds a plant (hope it lives!)  And that wonderful bowl and the plate that is so, so perfect with the others on my plate rack in the kitchen.  That perfect oval frame that used to hold bubble glass.  Some folding cabinet frames (they are in the corner, my photo didn't turn out... it has been so rainy.)  And do you see those two little blocks on the plate... do you need a closer look?  okay!

How cute are my little silhouette printer blocks?  A little girl and a little boy!  I got them at Scarlett's.  I forgot to mention that we went there on the way home from Nolensville. If you are ever in the area, you should check it out.  And, please tell her that we sent you!  Mr. Hughes does design work here and there for her, and on one trip back from her store, he brought me a little boy block.  So, I decided that I must see if there was a little girl there.  And, there was!  Of course I couldn't leave the second little boy there, I mean c'mon!! And, here comes my major find.  Something I have been searching for....(no, not that medical cabinet.......)

 

It is a 10 gallon crown crock!!!! Aren't you excited?  Isn't it wonderful?  I'll admit, it is much larger than what I originally had in mind, but the price was right!  Here's a close up....

Now, the only problem is deciding if it stays in the entry where it will hold umbrellas.  Or, will I beg Mr. Hughes to lug it upstairs to the Studio where it will hold rolls of fabric....hmmmm....tough choice.  Well, I am off.  I hope to post a project involving those folding cabinet frames really soon!