Remnants of the Past June 1, 2013

I was so happy to be at Remnants of the Past this past weekend. This is such a great show, unlike any other I've been to, and I've been to plenty of antique shows. The dealers out did themselves in their creative ways they display.

            Judy Watkins, the promoter, and I with the

 crown created in memory of her mother.       

 

The line was about 1200 people 

long right before 9:00 am.

I love this green file box piece!

                      There were lots of architectural and garden pieces

 One of my fav chairs at the show 

Another one. There were so many great European grain and cotton mill sacks used to cover furniture. The convex glass looks great with a stenciled burlap.

Fresh hydrangeas graced the show!

Rust, rust and more rust!

  

 

I love Trish's (Cottage by Design) pillows! She's so creative with her slipcovers and her fabulous linen designs.

Below are a couple of things I purchased:

I love this mail bag tote! Thanks to Darlah Mulloy of Le Muse, who had this wonderful bag in her booth.

I bought this fabulous grain sack covered footstool from Supply and Demand, the first inside booth I came to.

My girlfriends and I had a blast at this show! We're ready for the next one!

  

An unexpected event - the Monterey Pop Festival

Being in Carmel this past New Year's, reminded me of when my twin sister and I attended the Monterey Pop Festival during the "Summer of Love" during the summer 1967. Over 200,000 people descended upon the fairgrounds for the three-day concert. The song San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in your Hair), written by John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas and sung by Scott McKenzie, was initially designed to promote the Monterey Pop Festival.

Our grandmother's friend drove my sister Cathy, me and heir daughter, who was our age, and dropped  us off at the Monterey County Fairgrounds. Little did we know, this concert was a ground breaking event, a very calm pre-cursor to Woodstock. There were three dozen singers and bands, some well-known, others new on the scene, like Jimi Hendrix. It was huge who was there: Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, the Who, the Byrds, Hugh Masekela, Joe and the Fish, Canned Heat, Steve Miller and Ravi Shankar. The Animals,  Jefferson Airplane and The Association were also there. The groups I remember being excited to see were Simon and Garfunkel, the Association and the Mamas and Papas.

The three of us had no idea how truly awesome the concert was and how significant it would become. It was definitely fun -  nothing out of the ordinary happened there, just great music in beautiful surroundings.

Luminarias to Glow on Christmas Eve in Point Loma

Elaboraborately decorated houses and grand Christmas trees are definitely staples of the holiday season, but there's something to be said for the understated simplicity of the luminaria.

A luminaria, or farolito "“ the Spanish word for "little lantern" "“ is a brown paper bag weighed down with sand and illuminated from within by a lit candle during the holiday season. Luminarias originated in New Mexico and were traditionally displayed on Christmas eve to guide the spirit of baby Christ to one's home and heart.

In the Point Loma neighborhood of Loma Portal, particularly Plumosa Park, this tradition has been going on for years and is known as the Plumosa Park Festival of Lights. It's been going on for over 50 years. If a resident is out of town then their neighbors will make sure the luminarias get placed in front of their house.

I, for one, am attempting to do my part in carrying out the tradition a little further into Loma Portal.

This is last year's photo of our house with the luminaries out front. We live on a corner so we have quite a bit more luminaries to put out, but that's okay. I'm looking forward to this tradition.

Honoring and Remembering

 Honoring and remembering . . .

My father in law, Bennie Mendoza (far right), who was drafted into the Navy, leaving Bob's mom at home with his two sisters and him, who were very young children at the time. 

We're thankful to him and to all those who have served and are currently serving for our country. 

Cordelia

Corner Cupboard Painted and Redecorated!

I finally have been able to finish my cupboard project. As posted earlier on my blog, I was going to sell my collection of flow blue, which I've just about completely sold on eBay. There are still a couple of pieces on eBay, but most of it has sold.The corner cupboard is a creamy white, which I like but I was so over the bright yellow interior. It was painted yellow when I got it. It looked great with my Flow Blue collection, but it was time for a change. I gathered up some of my white ironstone and Staffordshire pieces and put some of them in this cupboard.

Last weekend, I cleaned the interior of the cabinet and started painting over the yellow. The color is a very pale mocha or an oatmeal color. I don't know the name of the color, but I like it!

I painted the mullions on around the window panes on the door, and started on the interior. My husband offered to finish the job for me, while I gathered my white Staffordshire to put into the cabinet.

I love the new look - it turned out great. Very simple, subtle and soft. I love white on white or shades of cream and natural colors.

My Flow Blue Collection

Over the years I've collected many things. I'm also one for changing things. I have had a flow blue collection for quite a while. Since I'm gradually changing the look of our living room, I've decided to sell my flow blue collection. This is not a particularly large collection, but is a nice mix of the beautiful blue and white English flow blue. It has looked lovely for years in this 1920s corner cabinet. There's nothing quite like flow blue, very appealing, but I'm decors and going in another direction. 

This cupboard came out of a Victorian home in Redlands, CA. It was in the kitchen. I have it in the corner of our living room. I didn't change the paint, it's as we found it, but I'm going to paint the inside of it, I just haven't decided on what color. I'll be posting photos as I make the changes. I thought you'd like to see the cupboard before it's transformed into another look. I'll be painting and decorating it throughout this month. 

Stay tuned for updated photos!

Happy New Year to you all,

Cordelia

Our Simple Christmas Tree

I went very simple this year on decorating our tree. Whatever ornaments I had that are silver, gold, white or clear. I love the way it came out. I still have a few more touches to put on, including a mock-up tree skirt - I'm using burlap I have and wrapping it around the base of the tree.  I didn't get any new ornaments this year, don't want to buy anything that isn't made in the U.S. and, honestly, I don't want to spend money on ornaments. I'd rather our decorations be simple and elegant this year .. ¸¸.•*¨*• 

Happy Holidays, everyone!

~ Cordelia

Preparing for Remnants of the Past

I'm gathering items for my booth at Remnants of the Past Vintage Show coming up October 19-21.  This is going to be so much fun. I'll be posting more photos as we get closer to the show.

My friend, Martha Stauderman (Martha Lae on Etsy) is creating some fabulous pumpkins out of muslin and vintage chenille. She's so talented and I can't wait to showcase them at Remnants. The fall show is so fun!

Stay tuned - there will be more photos coming!

Celebrate Labor Day

Labor Day was creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. Today it signifies no work on Labor Day and the end of summer, with families and friends flocking to the beach and parks for picnics and barbecues. Have fun! 

My husband Bob and I will be celebrating in Coronado, riding our bikes all over the island, enjoying the beach and the beautiful weather.

Ahhhh, Old Shutters!

There is nothing quite like a wonderful pair of antique shutters, and these are perfectly aged!

Antique Trends . . . repurposing is taking a whole new direction

Trends in antiques are no different than fashion trends, and the antique business has always been geared by trends. So much affects the antique business, the economy, home decor and furniture styles. Today, repurposing is taking a bit of a turn. Things are being repurposed more than ever, and consumers and dealers alike are looking at antiques with a new eye, finding innovative ways to use them iin home interiors.

Mixing industrial with traditional, modern and vintage with no rules other than the basics, can work beautifully. Even when furniture, accessories or textiles are damaged and worn, almost to the point of no return, they are given a new life, dusted off and treated with respect.

Bringing tattered wares back to life is also very satisfying. In years past, things would have been tossed out or put in a shed. Not today, when things are "aged to perfection", as I like to say, it's better than if they're in excellent condition. Time worn elegance, that's what it's all about. There is a character added to a home's decor by salvaging something that would have been tossed out. And what could be a better way to conserve and recycle? There's a comfortable elegance with today's look. My opinion is it's smart and it's wise to furnish our homes in this fashion.

Creative artisans are using old book pages and sheet music to create wreaths, paper flowers, picture frames, jewelry, you name it, their are endless items that can be created. Vintage broken jewelry fragments are used to form new forms of jewelry, and the fobs could not be more popular.

At Remnants of the Past Antique Show in San Luis Obispo last month, this trend couldn't have been more evident. 

Debra Hall Lifestyle

The awning below was made out of cardboard. 

I had to get really close to it to believe it. 

Beyond clever.

Using antique European grain sacks for fabric - for pillows, upholstering chairs, ottomans, sofas. This type of furniture is extremely popular. 3 Fine Grains is an example of how it should be done. 

Kymberley Fraser has an eye for how to do it right, and does she ever! 

From Victoria Stoehr Designs

These Martha Lae tags are made from the cardboard separators in boxes of wine, that Martha gathers from wine stores. Old costume jewelry, is taken apart and used as embellishments along with antique sheet music and string. 

This is a very fun time in the antiques business, at least for me. I'm loving the worn, scrub top, chippy (for real, not forced), finishes with just the right amount of rust.

I bought this shelf last week and can't wait to display merchandise on it for the Remnants of the Past Antique Show coming up in October. I hope to see you there!


Cordelia