Banana Nana Foe Fanna, Fee Fi Fo Fanna, Banana!

I just had to share this super cool and unusual piece with you today!  My friend, Mr. Tracy, brought this piece into the store a few weeks ago to sell in his space.  I have never seen a banana box like this, have you?  The only ones I have laid my peepers on are the cardboard ones in the produce section of the grocery store.

Just look at the old worn wood, the super fantabulous metal handle, and distressed yellow paint!  Old goodness to the maximus!

 It is marked to sell under $80.00.  If you are at all interested, it is for sale at The Antique Warehouse – here’s the address and blog, too.

Bits and Bobs On a Butter Pat

One of my favorite way of displaying like objects is to group them all together in a jar, bowl, box, tray, etc.   A small collection of old keys, a scrabble tile with our initial, an old gym locker tag, old military button and a very faded portrait of a girl on metal is simply displayed on an English ironstone butter pat.   Objects of the past that have come together from different parts of the world to be cared for under my roof, on a little shelf, in a simple display.  Who is the little girl that found her way to my home?  Who is RMH?  What jacket did the button come from?  And what did the keys open?  Questions often pop in my head about the old things that seem to find their way to my little home.  Unlike new and shining decor, these little treasures are sweet and aged to perfection – the way I like it. 

Till next time……

Old Oils

One of my favorite collections are my antique oil paintings of flowers.  I purchased the antique oil painting of roses (shown above and below) in March and wasn’t quite sure where I would end up putting it.  When I brought it home, I leaned it against an old window on top of a cabinet.  It was ok there, but it just didn’t seem to flow with some of the brighter colors in the room.

 

I removed two antique sheep pictures that were hanging on the wall and replaced them with the roses.  I think it looks best on the wall in the dining room.  The colors of the painting actually are similar to the chandelier,

which is one of my favorite finds of all time.  Sometimes it just takes awhile to find that right spot for newly purchased things.  My poor walls, they have been patched so many times because I am always moving things around.  But that is ok, that is what keeps things fresh.

Till next time….

Becky

Altered Antique Ink Bottles

 

Howdy do!  As I shared in my last posts, I was working playing with some old Victorian ads and ink bottles a few weeks back.  It was a really fun project and quite easy, too.  I had bits of old lace, an old paper tape measure, some brown and creamy white hem tape, a few scrabble tiles and old buttons to use along with the old ads.

From the beginning…

..to the end results.

Just add some fresh flowers to the bottles to make them into small flower vases or use them to hold pencils, Q-tips, toothbrushes – or leave as is for a sweet display.

 

My favorite one is this bottle that says “write” and has a typewriter image on the side that is not visible.  I thought it to be appropriate for an ink bottle.

My second favorite is this one with the old National Typewriter ad.  Oh, there is the typewriter on the back side of the “write” one.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Till next time…..


PS:  I am so excited to share that the antique store that I sell at has a blog now!  If you have a chance, stop by theantiquewarehouse.blogspot.com




It is still be worked on, but at least it is up and running.

Victorian Advertisements for Altered Art Projects

Antique journals are wonderful finds to use for altered art projects!  Awhile back I purchased several at an estate sale and wasn’t quite sure just exactly what I was going to use them for. 



The advertisements in the back of the journals are the best part.  Lovely black and white illustrations with the most humorous quips describing the item being advertised for sale.  Check out the Anheuser – Bush ad below:  “To give your baby full supply of healthy milk, let your wife drink the finest bottle beer brewed by…”  Now I can take this two ways:

1.  If your wife drinks beer and not milk, then there will be more milk for the baby to drink.

or…

2.  Lactating mothers should drink beer so that their milk will be better for the baby.

What do you think?


I must get me some of that Parker’s Hair Balsam! (see the ad above).  It “cleanses and beautifies the hair.  Promotes a luxuriant growth.  Never fails to restore gray hair to its youthful color.  Cures scalp disease and hair failing.”  Not that I have any disease of the hair, but it sure could help wash the gray out of my hair!

 

The journal doesn’t have any photos in it that were taken with a camera.   The pictures back then were either drawings or engravings.  I cannot even begin to imagine the time went into producing just one issue.

I found this illustration to be pretty silly.  I love the woman’s expression in her eyes and I wonder what she was mumbling behind her fan.

 I love the picture of the ladies playing cards.  Pretty fancy attire to wear to a card game!

And then there is this picture.  Makes me wonder where such a place would have been to be able to ride bikes inside.  It would seem rather risky and a bit odd.





I will share with you on the next post what I made.  A little clue is that I used these antique ink bottles.  I bought them at the same estate as the Victorian Journals. 

Till next time….

Becky