Vintage Vanity Makeover

I recently found a vanity in a store that was going out of business.  It was in pieces.  I knew that was not going to be a problem since my husband, who is the furniture restorer in our household, would take it apart anyway to secure and redo it. 

The mirrors were off and the shelf in the middle was very insecure.  I debated either restoring it back to a stain or painting it.  I thought about painting it a bright color or in pastels.  Trying to imagine how it could be used, I finally said "It has to be white with some rubbed off edges to show it had some wear over time".

                           One of the reasons I loved this piece of furniture is the fact that it had
                                              folded mirrors that looked like angel wings.

Also, the back of the mirror said 1929 which was probably the year it was manufactured.

 

We had to replace the hinges with new ones but was able to keep the original one on top.

I can only imagine what a lady would hide away in this cute box......

........gloves, trinkets, love notes ???........

 

After much debate, we decided to paint the original knobs instead of replacing them with reproduction or other vintage knobs.   See the detail on the outside legs.  Love that added touch.

 I was happy with the way this makeover turned out.  How about you?

This vanity is for sale in my "Victorian At Heart" space #4749  at

Mill Creek Antique Mall,  Bakersfield, CA

Have fun finding treasures !

Mill Creek Antique Mall

I wanted to Welcome you to 2013 by 

inviting you to my new space at 

Mill Creek Antique Mall

805  19th Street

Bakersfield, CA 93301
661-324-1900

http://www.millcreekantiquemall.com/

 

You will find me (Vendor #4749)
 in the back of the mall up the stairs
 and to your right in the far corner.

If you get a chance, stop by for a visit.   
If you are interested in anything you see in the photos,
 please contact me and I will be happy
 to give you better photos and descriptions 
and ship it to you.

Where To Find "Victorian at Heart" Vintage Finds

 

This is my great niece cowgirl, Taylor, with the saddle.

You might say that I'm back in the saddle again.  

I, "Victorian at Heart" joined my friend, Sally, with "FrenchWhite" at the Five and Dime Antique Mall in downtown Bakersfield, California.  I have been a vendor there before and I knew it was time to saddle up again.  This antique mall has two stories of treasures awaiting you when you visit the old Five and Dime Store at 1400 19th Street.  Plan to stop by the 1950's Luncheonette in this building for a nostalgic themed lunch.

I'm saddling up to be a vendor on  
"Antique Alley" at the"Old Time Peddler's Faire"
Saturday, 9am - 5pm, October 13 and 
Sunday October 14, 2012, 9am - 3:30pm 
at the Kern County Museum in Bakersfield, California.  This is a beautiful setting of 50 historic buildings on 8 tree-lined acres with over 200 vendors. There will be Antiques, Food, and Music 
so bring the whole family and enjoy a stroll.  

If you would like more information visit 

Old Time Peddler's Faire Website.  

It only happens once a year so plan on attending.

See  You  There  !!!

A Valentine Soiree

Unfortunately about a month ago, I had the flu but the day I was recouping from my suffering time the Valentine issue of the Romantic Homes magazine arrived in the mail, so I had to rest and read my magazine from cover to cover. Under the shopkeeping section, there is an article called "A Romance with France" which was about a French inspired antique shop in San Diego California called Vignettes . They announced their Valentine soiree theme "Queen for a Day".  Since my friend, Sally, and I have enjoyed shopping there in the past, I asked if she would be interested in a Valentine soiree..... of course the answer was ....yes!  We began researching the possibility of attending this soiree and found out that Queen Marie Antoinette would be the inspiration for the soiree.  This is a queen who wore her finest ballgowns to stroll amongst her gardens and said “The least I can do for my gardens is to dress in my finest, for after all, look how they have dressed up in their finest for me”. Also,   Meryl Schoenbaum, Executive Editor of Romantic Homes Magazine   would be the guest for the day and autograph Romantic Home magazines.

Since I was still recouping from the flu, I downloaded from Netflix the movie "Marie Antionette" to recall the story.  In my opinion, the story wasn't  that great but the fashions, grounds, and furnishings were lovely.  If you would like to see some photos go to Sony pictures, Marie Antoinette.

As time went on, life started to get in the way of us attending the soiree but around 9 pm the night before the lavish party was to take place, we decided to make the trip.  It is around a 3-hour drive.  So the next morning around 6 am we were on our way to a royal-inspired road trip.  Following is what greeted us.

 I'm trying to wait patiently for the door to open so Sally took a picture of me and......

 I took a picture of her.

Since my husband knows how I love to shop, he gave me an early Valentine gift of extra spending cash for the trip.  Following I will show you what I came home with.

The first item that caught my eye was this French Boudoir Sweetheart chair.

 

See the red velvet cover buttons and the detailed wood.

 

The sweetheart chair found its new home next to my Victorian gown.

Ooh La La 

 

This Valentine's Day painted sign was perfect to put in my entry vignette.

I purchased a few other items that I didn't take pictures of 

such as a book titled "Cupid's Understudy" and 

some very cute Valentine tags.

 

Wishing you a very special Valentine's Day

Reminscing about the 2009 Indiana Trip

Since my one year Blogaversary giveaway is over at midnight on Sunday, October 31, 2010, I thought it might be fun to show one of my first posts when I was shopping at The Red Barn Antique Mall in Indiana.  It was so beautifully Autumn with all the mums and plants outside the barn.  I'm sharing with Sunday Favorites with Happy to Design since this blog party is designed to share a past post.

  When traveling through Indiana, I picked up a brochure about an antique mall in Corydon. Since it was called The Red Barn, I thought it would be fun to check it out. The mums and fall decor drew me in from the beginning. I always love it when the booths are displayed cute and it is clean....well, clean as a barn can be. I brought home several treasures from this stop.

 Reading this past post makes me want to take a road trip but this Fall Trip we will be flying so I won't get to bring too many treasures back with me but I will be bringing back memories with our son and daughter-n-law.

Enjoy the Autumn time with Friends and Family.

Rockabilly Adventure

In a previous post, A Lazy Summer's Day, Sally and I decided we would take an adventure to Southern California to go to the Urban Barn's Grand Opening.  We both had read about it online and knew this was something we would love to check out and we were not disappointed.

This vintage trailer greeted us.  I was in love.  When my husband and I were first married we had a trailer just like this one that we got from my parents so we could go camping with them.  I wish I had it back.

  Look how cute it was decorated on the inside.

The bed was all decked out in white bedclothes with burlap pillows and some prissy netting.

The kitchen was perfect for a vignette of lemons and rusty vintage accessories.

A closer look at the vintage flatware.

The lemonade looked wonderful especially because it was over 100 degrees that day.

Sally wanted to stay awhile.  How cute is that chandelier and those shabby corbels?  I might be tempted to camp if I had my old trailer fixed up like this.

This rockabilly outfit just set the mood.  She was already sold.
We saw it in its new shop later on that day.

 I did purchase this slip, those are the original colors.

This is my version of a rockabilly outfit I made to use in my guest room.
A momento of my Rock-a-billy Adventure.

Another cute slip at Urban Barn.

These vintage slips are very fashionable.

I purchased one of these aqua umbrellas and also the book, "The Well-Dressed Home" by Annette Tatum.
It is inspiring to read how your fashion design inspires your decorating style.

.  On the right is Urban Barn Owner, Linda.  Thank you Linda for working so hard on your Grand Opening.  It was so much fun.  She is such a nice person and I will definitely be going back for a visit.  On the left is Erika, one of the owners from The Tattered House in Sacramento California that I love to visit when going through that area. Whether going through Northern or Southern California, there are amazing places to shop.

There were vendors outside as well as inside the shop.  This is a tea kettle that came home with me.  That plant is very hardy.  It will have to be to live at my house. lol

This love seat found a new home at Sally's house.

I was going to wait to show you this typewriter but I couldn't resist giving you a sneak peek. I have several typewriters but this one has a pink key on the right and some pink writing on the margin.  Even though I don't use much pink in my home's decor anymore, I knew it could fit in anyway.  There are just some things you can't leave behind.

I thought this Paris map would be so cute with the typewriter.  What do you think?

Great cover on this umbrella.

Urns are so versatile and can easily be changed with the seasons.

Feminine beauties were everywhere.

I think I will let you browse and take it all in.

Congratulations for a successful grand opening. The Urban Barn  is amazing. I not only found so many fun items while shopping, I also found new friends. Thank you Linda for making me feel so welcomed. I love the purchases I made and look forward to coming back to shop. If you would like to contact Linda at the Urban Barn in Escondido California, you can go to her blog by clicking here.  

Please let her know you saw her on Victorian at Heart blog.

Happy Adventures