Silverware Chest to Art Box

    Last spring, when I was just starting to pick pieces to revamp and resale, I found this silverware chest.  You see them all the time at garage sales and estate sales.  The reason is sadly, that the silver prices are up, and people turn in the silver for cash.  Anyhow, I thought this might make a good jewelery box.  Well it's been sitting next to my computer all summer while I tried to get some inspiration.  The problem was that it is too big for a jewelery box.  So finally, one sleepless night I had an epiphany!

Getting Ready for Winter

 Last week I wrote about "The Other Side of Picking".  I was really moved by the estate sale that I helped set up and run this last weekend, and wanted to remind all of us that shop these sales, that our "picks" were once somebody's treasures or memories.

The Other Side of Picking

I think most of my readers are like me.  We go to estate sales, yard sales, and thrift stores scoping out furniture to revamp, or smalls to sell or decorate our homes.  Many of us have probably had a garage or yard sale and groaned over how much work it is.  This week Jeff, the owner of Paris Flea Market where I share a space with my sister, offered me the chance to work on an estate sale.  He runs a few of these a year in addition to running two antique stores and the best coffee bar in town (OK, maybe I'm a little prejudiced).  When his wife Tracy called and asked if I wanted to help out I was thrilled.  I thought it would be fun going through stuff to set up and maybe piecing together a little bit of this person's life.

  When I first walked in I was awed by all the great stuff.  The lady had passed away a few years ago but nothing much had been touched since then.  She had great taste in antiques and collectables, I thought wow this is going to be fun.  Then we started in.  The executor of this estate wants everything gone, and I mean everything, so she can sell the house.  This means going through not only the great stuff in these pictures (and this is only the tip of the iceberg), but also all the personal things this lady left behind.  I feel like I've gotten to know this women a little through her things; vacations taken or planned, what businesses she was in, some family history.  This has really humbled me, and will make me stop and think in the future when I am at other sales or thrift stores - someone sat at this desk and wrote out their bills, or how many dinners were enjoyed at this table, what little girl played with this antique doll.  So the next time you see that gorgeous sideboard, remember it contains memories we can only imagine.

I usually only link up to a couple sites a week, but I want to link this post to as many as possible to remind us all to respect the pieces we buy and the people we buy them from.

Sharing At:

 boogieboardcottage

funkyjunkinteriors 

my1929charmer 
projectqueen
knick of time interiors
coastal charm
a diamond in the stuff 
diy by design
savvy southern style
the shabby creek cottage
beyond the picket fence 
french country cottage
the shabby nest
common ground
miss mustard seed

Cocktails Anyone?

My taste in furniture runs to anything 1920's, 30's, or 40's.  I love Eastlake, art deco, and Hollywood Glam.  So when I saw this mid-century Danish modern coffee table, did I think simple pale wood?  No of course not, I saw Hollywood revival.  This is how it started out.