"I do not claim that I can tell a story as it ought to be told. I only claim to know how a story ought to be told." -Mark Twain









7.23.2014

Heave-Ho-the-Hutch!

 Remember when I told you last week about the new piece of furniture I unexpectedly got? I replaced an old buffet that I had for over 30 years with this piece. It is all wood, already painted white and already distressed. Clearly there was (an invisible) neon sign with an arrow and the blinking word "Lori" by this monstrous piece when it was sitting forlornly in the store! 
I'm not even sure what it is called. I think it qualifies as a sideboard, a step-back and a hutch. It is so perfect for my wall that I'll just call it dreamy! 

 People have asked, and yes, I do plan to change the dishes per season. And yes, I cannot wait! And as my son suggested, it is perfect for holding lots of food for family gatherings. It will be put to good use. In the meantime I put part of my trusty classic blue and white dish collection up to bat first. I figured it was a good summer style, and blue and white is always a winner. 
 As is my style, there is no style!  I like to mix and match and randomly display. I like it best that way. 

 I used a bunch of the various sizes, kinds and colors of blue and white....with a spout. Sometimes they are teapots, sometimes gravy boats, sometimes creamers and sometimes small pitchers. But they had in common their spouts/ladles and their colors. If you'll notice I sat the Blue Willow teapot on an upended cheapola glass candlestick base to give it some heighth separate from the gravy boat. In real life, you cannot even see the candle holder. Notice the little pic to the left? That is a picture I took a couple of years ago, I then ran it through my Waterlogue app and had it printed on cardstock. I need to frame it now. 
 Of course, I need to do a lot of things. Time is ticking and school will be starting very soon! But finding this piece, definitely made it a happy summer for me.

 The top and the bottom are actually two different pieces. When I went to pick it up, I was alone since my husband and all my sons were at work. Also, we don't own a pickup, so I had to try and fit it into my small SUVish type car. I keep a measuring tape in my purse, so I measured the two parts of the hutch the night we found it. 

 At seven feet long, I knew it was going to take up every inch of the space in the back of my car. I actually got another piece of furniture that night as well (which I will show you later this week). So when I went to pick up the pieces, I told the store manager that I had to start with the lightest piece and work my way to the heaviest piece, since I was going to be unloading these ALL BY MYSELF!!  Not only that, but I had to make three trips to get the furniture! One for the piece you haven't seen and two trips (one for the top and one for the bottom) of the big sideboard! Crazzzzzy!!!
 Not only that, but the store was not in the town in which I live, so I had to drive to the other town to get all three pieces! So I ended up making three round trips to pick it all up. And yes, it was one of our 100 degree Oklahoma days. (It was NOT during the cool weather from last week). Also, since these pieces were from a department store, and they had used them as display pieces, there was not really anyone there for "loading" purposes. So the store manager, a very skinny skinny young man (think Don Knotts/Barney Fife) and myself loaded the first two pieces up. I took the piece you haven't seen first. When I got home, I backed up into our driveway, and unloaded the piece under our carport. It really wasn't too bad. Less than 100 pounds I would say. I then took things out of the garage and stacked in front of my furniture prize (so no one would drive by and load-er-up!!). I then got back in the car and headed out for piece #2. 
 Next the manager and I (and the dweepy little man) (said in my nice voice), loaded up the bottom part of the hutch. We had to put the front two seats COMPLETELY forward, so that the piece would fit. Ummmm, I am 5'11.  That was a TOUGH ride home, let me tell you!!  Then I had to wrestle the base of this piece out and put it on the driveway, under the carport, with the other piece. Then I had to "cover it up" with other obstacles too.(I was sweating by now.) I then put my seat back in regular position and went back for piece #3!  When I got back, I found out the store manager had gone to lunch. Oh my gosh. That meant that Dweepy Man and I had to load the heaviest piece (the top) by myself. (I chose to take the heaviest last, that way I could just leave it in the car until my Hubs and sons could help.  
Well, where there is a will, there is a way. I recruited a couple of women sales ladies to help me and the Dweepster heave-ho it into the back of my car. I was going to get it in my car no matter what!  It was wedged in and was not going anywhere. I then wedged myself into the front seat and headed for home with the last load. (All the time I was worried that some unknown person would take my other furniture from the back of my carport....and hidden behind everything I could find!!)  Finally, to make a long story longer, a couple of my sons and the Hubs got it all in the house for me that night. I could finally sleep easy! Ha! And that my friends, is how the Sideboard-stepback-cupboard-hutch-dreamy came to live at my house!  

P.S. You are lucky I left out the part about circling the parking lot of the store over and over again, just waiting to get a front row parking spot so that we didn't have to carry the furniture as far!!
Linking to:
Metamorphosis Monday
The Scoop

7.14.2014

Pillow Talk

 A couple of days before the 4th of July I decided I needed a new pillow. I have talked before about how little I sleep per night. This summer, for some reason, has been worse than usual. My 4 hour per night sleep routine has been even less. I blamed it on my pillow. So the Hubs and I were in OKC to eat. We were getting ready to head back home and Hubs said we should stop for my new pillow. I had not even thought of it, but thank goodness he did. We stopped at a small department type store that was close to where we were and I headed towards the "home" section to get my new pillow. But then I saw the huge sideboard/stepback cupboard and it stopped me in my tracks. 

 I looked around at the other furniture the store had for sale and spotted the price tag on most pieces. I could not find a price tag on the sideboard. Then upon closer examination, I started to think that the piece was actually a display model.....That was sitting right smack dab in the middle of the other furniture. A nice young salesman asked me if I needed any help. I told him I needed to know the price on the sideboard. He said it wasn't for sale, but was indeed a display piece. I had already thought, "Hmmmm...This store has about a million and a half dishes. Why would they NOT be using this piece to display some of them?"  So, I asked the nice young salesman to go and ask his manager how much the piece was. The nice young man (very polite I might add) assured me it was not for sale. I convinced him that if he wanted me to quit bugging him that he really should go and ask his manager. 
 While the polite young man was finding the manager, I pulled out my handy-dandy tape measure from my purse and began measuring the piece. It was 7 feet long. It was solid wood (NO MDF!!). It was already painted antique white and distressed. It came apart in two pieces, so it would be easier to move.  It was perfect!!  
 The nice young man came back to me and told me that I was right and it was indeed for sale. (I heard the angels singing.) I was ecstatic. I asked him how much. He had not thought to ask that question (!!!!?????!!!!!). So he went off again to find the manager (which I would later find out was actually the assistant manager). He came back and told me that it was either $330 or $350. The manager was gone and the assistant could not remember the price. I had already told myself that I would not go higher than $1200.00 Hahahahaha!!!  (Like I could afford that!!).  I told the polite young man that it was now officially SOLD, and that I would be glad to pay the full $350 and call it even. 
 The polite young man left and this time he just brought the assistant manager back with him! (He was catching on!!) I told her that without a doubt I wanted the piece and I would be glad to pay the entire $350.00 right then and there. About this time, my Hubs finally found me in the store. I told him I had just purchased the giant sideboard. He looked me in the eye and said, "Good".  Really. "Good".  Then "okay".  Really, just "Okay".  I said to him, "I was prepared to chain myself to this piece if you had said no. What made you say yes so easily?"  And his simple answer was, "It looks just like you. It looks like something you would love."  Ohhhhh emmmmm geeeeee!!!  See what being married for years does for a couple????  Then AFTER he had said "Good" and "okay" I told him the price. He too was astounded. Then the assistant manager told us the bad news. We could only buy it when the real manager was there. And he was off the next day. I was going to have to wait 36 hours before I could pay for, and take the piece home. 
I about croaked!! I made her write out two big signs that said SOLD with my name on them and tape them to the piece.  I asked her to go and call the manager at home and tell him I had bought it, but she would not do that! She did make sure the signs were taped down well and she assured me the piece would be fine. She pointed out that it had sat there for several days and no one else had even realized it was for sale. So I begrudgingly left hoping and praying it would still be there 36 hours later, waiting for me to come back! I finally did find the pillow section and got several new pillows too!! (And they have NOT helped my sleep yet, by the way!!) In the meantime, on the way home I was talking a mile a minute. Literally. I decided I would take out the buffet we had had for 30 years (and it was old when we got it!) and put the sideboard in its place. (The buffet is pictured in the second picture above from an old photo. Look how much more room the sideboard takes up!)  So, I have been playing around with the massive piece. Yes, it was still there 36 hours later when I showed up first thing that morning.  I have no doubt I will rearrange it a million times, but for now I have it styled for summer. Those pictures I will share later this week. The above picture is however a sneak peek. And that my friends is the story of how a person goes in to buy a bed pillow and comes out with a 7 foot long sideboard!!  

7.06.2014

Venerate Vintage

Last week I was trying to use a patriotic quote each day on my IG account and FB account. I would put the quote with some picture I had previously taken. I found the quote you see below and knew instantly it would go well with a flag picture. Then while looking through my files for a flag picture, I came across my fireplace mantel from last year and knew one of those pictures would work. 


All that hullabaloo leads me to the point of the post: This long vintage piece of patriotic fabric I was gifted some 20 years ago. In our Kansas home, the front foyer was decorated in reds and blues and vintage flags and campaign buttons. One of my daughters had a best friend whose mother owned a cute little shop. 


 One day my daughter's friend brought me the long piece of fabric from her mother's stash. She assured me it was okay with her mother that I have it. I loved the piece, which I knew was old when I got it 20 years ago. I found out years later that the girls mother probably did not okay the gift I was given, but also probably never knew it was gone. I have loved it for 20 years. In our home in Kansas it was draped above the stairway window. (To which I cannot find a picture.) At our home here, I have used it several different ways.
 A few years ago, I used it to drape my mannequin-body 'Lola', dressing her up for the summer with the garland. I pinned it using an antique broach. 
 Lola sat in the upstairs hallway in front of a collage of patriotic pictures. It was a perfect place for Lola and her vintage banner. 
 Last year I used it to drape our 6 foot long mantel. I twisted and draped it until it looked natural like one might find on an old gazebo or podium. 

 The fabric, some type of vintage cotton, is a mix between a rough linen and a fine burlap. It is rather stiff and that makes it easy to drape. I have actually washed the piece before. (!!!!)


 It washed up just fine. Just like many old things, it is hardy and ready to serve for many more years. 

 There are some faded spots in it, but they were there when the fabric became mine and I think it just adds to the beauty of the piece. 


See how the piece wrinkles easily like a linen would? It makes it perfect for draping. 


 This year the vintage fabric served yet another purpose. One of my sons is engaged and his wedding date is the 4th of July...2015.  We set out to take some engagement pictures around our little town. I knew there was a place downtown that had an antique fence with a rock wall in front of it for sitting. I knew the vintage banner would be perfect to be subtly seen behind the 4th of July couple. And it was. 

The purpose of this long-winded story about a vintage piece of fabric? Chances are if you are reading this, you too are a lover of all things vintage. Use them. Use them in many ways. Use them all the time. It is not doing you any good boxed up and put away. Enjoy the vintage that is in your life.  
What do you have that you need to put to good use? 

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