Ironstone Platters

I love vintage white ironstone.  Originally made as "the poor man's china," I think this utilitarian classic is the perfect accent to any decorating style.

 

Ironstone platters are, I think, my favorites. The main thing I love about platters--vintage or new--is their versatility.  Yes, you can serve food on them, but you can do so much more!

 

Use a platter to display a grouping of colored glass pieces for a beautiful centerpiece or tabletop vignette.

 

 

Pinterest

 

 

Have you ever found a vintage platter that's a bit too discolored in the middle for your taste?  How about decoupaging it? 

 

 

Nice and Easy Antiques

I absolutely love this idea of displaying a platter within an empty frame. The baby's breath is nice touch--lavender would be lovely too.

 

Pinterest

And this one using a window frame. (Also notice the display of silverware underneath!)

French Laundry Blog

Use a platter to corral a collection.

Country Living

 

Of course you can display your platters with your other ironstone pieces.

 

French Country Cottage

And ironstone platters make great wall hangings.

A Glimpse of my World

 

Mix them with other elements like these little posters.

Martha Stewart

 

And don't think they have to be hung in a dining room or kitchen only.  Miss Mustard Seed uses them as art in her bedroom.  Because of their simplicity, they work in any room in your house!

 

Miss Mustard Seed

 

 

If I've inspired you, you've decided you need some platters, and you're in the Northern Virginia area--I just got a few vintage platters in at Mr. P's Emporium!  Check out our Facebook page for location and hours.  I'd love it if you'd Like us too!

 

 

A Before & After, And a Peek at Mr. P's

Happy Monday! (groan)  I don't know about you, but the weekend went way too fast for me! We had beautiful weather here, and I spent a lot of time outdoors doing some garden clean-up.

 

Today I wanted to show you a quick makeover I did on a hutch I bought on Craigslist.

 

Here's the before -- or actually the in-progress.  I had already taken off the drawer pulls and filled the holes with wood putty.

 

 

 

This is the piece I was up 'til 2 a.m. finishing before we moved into Mr. P's new space the next day, so I didn't get  a chance to shoot an after photo before moving it.

 

Here it is in the booth.

 

 

 

I painted the outside in Annie Sloan chalk paint in Old White, and the back board of the hutch in Provence.

 

 

 

The inside of the cupboard doors are also painted in Provence, as are the shelves.

 

 

 

I painted the pulls in Provence, and wet-distressed them so the old brass shows through.  I'm actually going to change out the "Paris" knobs to some that I've ordered that match the Provence color as soon as they come in.

 

 

 

The piece was distressed with the wet sponge technique, and there you have it!

 

Before and after ...

 

 

 

Here are some shots of the rest of the booth, but I'll be changing things around this week as I bring in a couple of new pieces.

 

 

 

As you can see I'm right in the window, and I want to take better advantage of that in how I'm merchandising.

 

 

 

I'll also be adding a rug down the road to anchor the space.

 

 

 

But this is a start, and it's fun having so much more room to play around with than I had in my old space!

 

 

 

 

 

I sold three pieces the first day I was open, so I'm hoping that's a sign that this was a good move!

 

Wishing you all a great week,

 

Deborah

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Sitting Pretty

I thought I'd share this little chair makeover I did this week.  The chair had been my mother's. 

She picked it up at a garage sale years and years ago with the intention of refinishing it.  She never got around to it, and just used it as an occasional chair or if she needed extra seating around the dining room table.

I inherited it, and had the same intentions -- and with the same results!  I just haven't gotten around to doing anything with it, and never really use it.

It's a nice little chair though, with what I think is the original caning in great shape.  The spots mainly looked like water spots and wear and tear.

I decided it was time to give the sweet little chair a new life.  And since it seemed to me it was crying out to be pretty again, I chose a pretty Annie Sloan chalk paint called "Provence" to do the job. 

I hadn't used this color before and am now in love!  If a color can be yummy I think this one qualifies.

I didn't need to sand or anything -- this was a quick and easy redo.  After painting, I did a light distressing. 

I thought it was a tad bright, so I used a light touch of AS dark wax.  I let the chair sit for a couple of days while I was debating, but then I saw Susan from Uniquely Yours or Mine use dark wax on a frame she painted in the same color, and I was convinced.

I can't wait to try something else in this color!

And here's another redo I wanted to quickly share.  I never officially showed you the before and after of this hall/sofa table.

Here's the before -- I had just started sanding some areas where the finish was chipped.  The table is solid wood, but not vintage.  It was a Craigslist find.

I painted it in "Coco" and gave it a light distressing ...

then stenciled it with my Paris stencil.  I finished the top with a wipe-on poly finish for durability. It's the same treatment I used on this table, which was the first thing I sold at the Luckett's Spring Market this year. I was hoping to have the same luck at Mr. P's!

Here it is at Mr. P's Emporium's space.  The little chair is there as well now.

Speaking of Mr. P's, this weekend will be the start of our third week open.  We've sold a lot of "smalls," but no furniture yet.  I'm concerned it's not the right location for my style of furniture.  But I also have to remember we've only been open a little over two weeks ...  I've never been a particularly patient person about things like this! 

In the meantime I'm posting ads on Craigslist, and I just added some new home decor items.  If you'd like to see them I've posted photos on Mr. P's Facebook page.  And if you haven't liked Mr. P's page, I'd love it if you would!  :-)

Have a great weekend!

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Back in Business

If I worked for me I'd probably fire myself. 

First I lose an important piece of equipment (the camera), resulting in no blog photos for two weeks.  Plus I haven't updated my Etsy page in forever, and Mr. P's Emporium's Facebook page was in dire need of some new posts.

But I really have been working hard, and I bought a new camera.  Plus I work for cheap.  So I'm giving myself another chance.  :-)

Here are some photos of my new little space.  In fact, for a small space I may have gone a bit overboard in the photo department!  I'm just so excited to finally show you!

This is how the space looks today:

Like I said, I'm starting out small! It's half the size of a typical 10 x 10 booth, but it's all along a wall.

I can only come out 2.5' from the wall to allow for traffic access and the fire code -- so I'm pretty limited.  But I just didn't want to bite off more rent than I could chew.

I'm trying to make the most of the space I have though!  I have this great enamel top table ...

Topped with some retro kitchen and serving accessories, and the little corner table I painted and showed you here.

 

 



I have the dresser you all helped me with (the consensus of opinion was not to paint the medallion), with a basket of handcrafted lavender sachets in one of the drawers ...

And a decanter and some dressing table accessories on top.

To the right of that is a sofa table I painted in ASCP Coco ...

And stenciled to give it a little French flair.

More "smalls" are on top, including this adorable lattice porcelain basket and rose celery dish (perfect as a card holder for now!).

Above the table are shelves with more home accessories and decor, including the set of pink glasses that match the white ones I showed you in this post.

Under the table is the great American Standard Computing  Scale, which I just love, and some decorative pillows.

 

 

I have a set of doors in the space that match a set I have in my house, leading into my living room.  I love the original finish on these, and the great hardware.

 

The door pulls actually align -- I just didn't realize one was pulled up until

I got home and saw the photo

In front of the doors I have a set of mahogany end tables that I've painted white and distressed (ASCP old white), and a little coffee table painted in French Linen.

 

 

A couple of other recent finds include a cute gold leaf serving dish -- perfect for Fall get-togethers ... 

and this sweet gravy pitcher with blue birds on it.

And last, but not least -- some handmade shabby chic pumpkins!

Hope that wasn't photo overload! 

Have a great weekend!

(And please think positive thoughts that I make some sales -- or I may have to lay myself off after all!) 


Sharing at: Potpourri Friday