Inspiration

We have been on the hunt for a vintage chalkboard for the kitchen. We found the perfect one at Brimfield, and then left it for too long and someone else bought it. (I know, I know totally amateur move. And I used to be in the antiques business…When you see something you love, get it before someone else does). Luckily we found a small reproduction slate at Sturbridge Village the next day. These slates were used by school children to practice lessons before schools had paper to hand out to everyone. We use the chalkboard to keep a running grocery list and then take a picture of it on the phone before running out to the store.

Ironstone

16 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by jeannerondeau in Likes, Shop, Vintage

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

old house, Brimfield, antiques, ironstone, ironstone soap dish, hotelware, porcelain sink, farm sink, antique sink, decorating, soap dishes, bathroom sinks, worth the wait, double basin

One of our Brimfield scores was an addition to our ironstone soap dishes. These heavy utilitarian dishes are my favorite for the bathroom sinks. They were often made for hotels and are sturdy and useful. I love that they are each aged to a different mellow white. Now we just need to find the perfect sinks to go with them: I am dreaming of a heavy porcelain double basin farm sink for the kitchen, a pedestal for one bath and aged marble for another. Slowly, slowly this home will be found in pieces and assembled to our liking. Some days it is hard to be patient, but I know it will be worth the wait. We are enjoying the hunt for the perfect treasures and trying to listen to what house has to tell us about our plans.

Brimfield for Mother’s Day

10 Thursday May 2012

Posted by jeannerondeau in Likes, Shop, Vintage

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

antiques, best Mother's Day, Brimfield, mother s day gifts, Mother's Day gifts, peonies, travel, vacation, vintage

Oh Brimfield, how I love you. You never know what you will find there in the mix of strange and beautiful things and wandering around looking at antiques for hours is my idea of Heaven. I get such inspiration from the design and quirky ingenuity of objects from the past. The materials are often more beautiful and sturdy after 50 years than things for sale in stores today. Thanks to my in-laws, I got an early Mother’s Day gift: an entire day wandering the rows and rows and fields and fields of antiques with Chris and without children. Despite the rain, and only a few small purchases, it was a wonderful day.

My List of Favorite Mother’s Day gifts so far (in no particular order):

*Unexpected flowers at my desk at work when I was first pregnant with Ada.

*Big bunches of cut peonies, lilac, lilies and iris – delivered by Ada in her pjs. Chris got her up early, went to the market, and then left me alone to put them all in vases as he and Ada cooked pancakes.

*Brimfield with my love, who walked around for hours in the rain and pretended to be as excited as I was about all of the treasures.

What is on your list of best gotten or given gifts?

Here are some photos from the day: