We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.
Moina Michael
Photo: C.Steinberg
Thought I’d share a couple of my recent vintage finds. I haven’t done that in a while, probably because nothing has been overly noteworthy. These are exceptions…..
I found this really cool organically-shaped floral display bowl, made by Los Angeles Potteries.
Pink interior edges, with a dark plum exterior. I personally wouldn’t want to hide the interior with a floral arrangement. I think the frilly shape is reminiscent of sea life, so I thought a few seashells would do nicely.
With a generous size of 11-1/2” long, it could hold lots of things like floating flowers, shells, soaps, or even hors d’oeuvres.
My next treasure caught my attention for 2 reasons. The first being that I just love the Old World look of an armillary. The second being that the brass plate in front has the Roman numerals for my birth year, 1962.
It wasn’t till I got it home (in front of a magnifying glass) that I could read the inscription on the top brass plate. It reads “Rakna de lyckliga stunderna blott…” which is Swedish for “Count only the happy moments”, or something close to that. Since that was a movie and song from 1944, I can only assume that this may have been a stage or song award, but can’t find anything in my research.
Doesn't it look great, grouped with other Old World objects?
I’ve listed them in my Etsy shop.
Hope you had good luck in your treasure-hunting this weekend!
Linking To:
Okay, so I could’ve spray-painted these blasé brown and gold Syroco candle sconces…….
But can spray paint do this?
I think not.
If you’re not familiar with Syroco, the oldest pieces were made out of a heavy wood composite, and the more contemporary ones like these (dated 1966), were made of a hard plastic resin.
These sconces were aching for a makeover, with the arms losing much of their gold finish, as well as needing to be tightened to the body. So I replaced a couple screws, and got started with the chalk paint.
Many layers later (you know Me), of Black, Rust, Teal/Turquoise, Emerald Green, Metallic Gold paint (with a big dose of Gold pigment powder added to mimic gold leaf), clear and dark wax, and of course, sanding.
While I get why most people just spray paint them, for easy and instant gratification, the extra effort in layering, distressing, gilding, and waxing gives these an Old World opulence that no spray paint can achieve.
I realize these sconces aren’t precious heirlooms that required preservation, but when the bones are good, I can’t resist a new opportunity to transform something with chalk paint…..especially when they turn into gorgeous gems like these……..
Linking To:
JENNIFER RIZZO
