VINTAGE HAND-PAINTED TILES

If you know me well you know that I'm a collector.  Of course my children label me a hoarder.  Let's just say that I have a few collections.  Sometimes I actively look for something and sometimes the collectible finds me.    I guess the vintage hand-painted tiles found me.  

Years ago I was obsessed with transferware.  I was always on the hunt for that one pattern I didn't have, but also for patterns to complete a set.  My favorite is brown or green transferware, but I could be talked into blue, lavender or red.  While "shopping" I saw this transferware trivet.  I never knew there could be trivets too.  Of course I bought it.

RED TRANSFERWARE TRIVET ON MY VINTAGE BREADBOARD

In this next photo you can see the round "feet" that support it.

FOOTED ENGLISH TRANSFERWARE TRIVET

Many times the pieces are marked.  There's a link at the end of this post if you'd like to date a piece you have.  This piece was made by Copeland in England.  The person who sold it to me had researched and dated it already.

REGISTRY MARK AND MANUFACTURER ON UNDERSIDE OF THE TRANSFERWARE

I never came across another footed trivet, but I did purchase several hand-painted tiles.  I use them as trivets too.  They're a fun way to protect my table top from hot foods.  If it's a large casserole, I put two underneath.  I don't think any of these tiles were ever on a wall.  They're all different and all lovely.  This first one is my favorite.  I think it's the way the leaves and vines almost seem to be swirling around the flowers.  It's not marked.

FLORAL HAND-PAINTED TILE

Here's another one in my trivet collection.  The pattern is a very English design.

HAND-PAINTED ENGLISH TILE

I think the yellow in this tile makes it really unique.

ENGLISH TILE

They're both marked ENGLAND on the underside.  There are no registry marks to research.  I do know that if a piece is marked England, it's made before 1920.  Those pieces after 1920 are marked MADE IN ENGLAND.  So I do know that these are older tiles.

UNDERSIDE OF TILES

I'm pretty sure this is French.  It's not marked.

FRENCH TILE

This last tile has special meaning to me.  My husband found it while on a business trip to Holland.  He had some free time and went to a local flea market.  I like that it has fruit instead of flowers.  It's not marked, but I'm guessing it was made in the Netherlands.  Or, maybe not.  Things do travel.

What do you collect?

To learn the basics of transferware pottery, go here.

To see a guide to English registry marks, go here.

Europalooza

Europalooza, yep, that's what we're calling our next sale.

Two of our co-op partners went on a ten-day buying trip to England.  Their finds at markets inspired the partners who were left behind to get on the Euro band wagon and fill our spaces with all things from across the pond and beyond.  We'll have demijohns, grain sacks, pottery, french tables, Belgian dressers, baskets in all shapes and sizes, cupboards, dough bowls, and so much more.

I was surprised by how much I could pull together.

Peek Into My Space This Month

Italian Foyer Table

French Enamelware Canister Set

Hand-made Antique Dresser From Belgium

Farm Table, Yelloware, Dough Bowl, Corner Cupboard, Down-Filled Euro Pillows

London Calling

I'll have transferware in red, blue, green and some white ironstone pieces too.

Red and White English Transferware

When I reupholstered this vintage chair I added a grain sack to the back.

Vintage Wing Back Chair with Grain Sack

What's more English than a 19c. Staffordshire chimney figurine?  The name "chimney" figure refers to its flat back.  This made it possible for the figurine to fit on the mantel or into a niche above the mantel.

19c. Staffordshire Chimney Figure

Another Staffordshire Chimney Figure

Leather Book and Architectural Fragment Candleholder

European Cutting Boards

It's hard to tell from the picture but this demijohn is huge.

Demijohn on Top of Wine Cupboard

Large European Gathering Basket

Large Stick Spatter Bowl from Holland

I Went Gray for the October Barn Sale

Well, I've officially gone shades of gray this month. 

You can see all the gray in this first image looking into my booth.

I have a pair of these chests with lined drawers.  They could be night stands and would make perfect jewelry cases.  The swan is hand carved from blocks of wood and signed by the artist.  The chandelier is vintage chinoiserie.  The vanity chair is newly upholstered.  The mirror is vintage and I painted it a soft gray.

Here's a closer look at the vanity chair.  I wish I had taken a before.  It was a mess with tattered fabric and a sinking seat.  Quite a transformation.

I gave the farm table top a soft gray wash before I sealed it with polyurethane. 

 It has very nicely turned legs.

This is the matching chest.  I topped it with an acrylic lamp and a stenciled shade.

I found this fabulous Widdicomb furniture cabinet with brass accents and a drawer.  On top are two new chalkboards made from vintage frames and some of the new jewelry I'm carrying.  Suspended above is the pendant light I created from a wire cloche.

I love this great tufted vintage foot stool.  It could double as a coffee table.

With Fall and Thanksgiving coming I included some brown transferware. 

 It's the perfect color for Fall decor.  Some plates and serving pieces are in my china cabinet. The upper shelf is English china and the lower shelf plates in the plate grooves are French.   The china cabinet is also a soft gray but the inside is a robin's egg blue.

Here's a detail from the single-door china with a deep drawer for linens and great chunky legs.

This English platter is perfect for a holiday family dinner.  Note the factory mark from the back.

This lid has a beautiful design.  You could incorporate it into a wall grouping with plates or artwork.

Alongside the lid is a pair of Mid Century Modern horse head book ends.

I have a set of eight of these Mid Century Modern high ball glasses.  They're signed too.

I always mix new in with old.  These owls are actually Christmas ornaments but I decided they could also be Fall decor.  So cute peeking out of the old metal drawers.  FYI, the drawers are on a nightstand that I painted citrine.  I just had to rebel and add a pop of color in this sea of gray.

The other new items are these felt flower pins, change purses, and bags.

I took this next picture before I loaded it into the car to go to the store.  I wish I had taken a before of this wrought iron stool.  Before I covered it with some houndstooth fabric and added cording it had some vinyl fabric in bad condition.

I hope to see you at our next sale.  I have even more than I photographed.
 Come check me and the other vendors out.

Kathy

Stylish Patina Barn Sale

Sale Dates

October 19,20,21

10am to 5pm


  4051 Stanford Ct, Frederick MD
- We are right off Rt. 15 {coming from Leesburg it's a right / coming from 270 it's a left} turn on to Mountville Rd.
- 1st left onto Winchester Blvd.
- Wind through the industrial park
- Turn right into the horse farm at Stanford Ct!  You'll see our sign at the end of the road.
*** Stanford Ct is a new road so most GPS's don't find it so use a phone mapping system or print directions from Google before you leave.

Styling Bookcases Part 2

I just re-did a pair of bookcases in my family room.  I purchased them from a consignment shop and had to sand, prime, and paint them.  The color I used was Benjamin Moore Pittsfield Buff.  

Here's the before ( after painting)

Notice that they were missing their backs.  I think that's because they were originally built-ins.
I decided that I would add some fabric to the back rather than adding some bead board.  

I basically cut the fabric a little larger than the opening.  I used a cardboard upholstery tack strip across the top to make sure the top was straight.  I used my electric staple gun to hold it in place. ( You must invest in an electric staple gun.  So much easier on your wrists.)
You can purchase the tack strip  here.  I purchased the roll for $3.99 for 500 feet.  If you're not going to do more upholstery though,  I've found it before at fabric stores being sold by the yard.
I included the link so you'd see what it looks like.
I use it all the time when I'm attaching cording to chair seats.  It keeps the cording straight so you don't have to use so many staples.
Here's how I used it to attach the top of the fabric to the back of the bookcase .

And just FYI, here's how I use it when adding cording to the bottom of a chair seat.  Totally unrelated, I know, but good info.

Once you attach the fabric to the top with your staple gun, staple once in the bottom center, then in the center of each of the side pieces.  Continue stapling around the remaining three sides.  Make sure that the fabric is pulled very tightly.  You could add a piece of foam core on the back on top of the fabric for extra support if you want.   I just counted on the wall for support.

Here's the after with the fabric.

Next, the styled version.  Please view my previous post, here, if you want some tips about item selection, balance, placement, and symmetry.

This is the left bookcase after styling.

This is the right bookcase after styling.

If you've read my previous post you know that I love to use books and architectural fragments when styling a bookcase.  To this mix I decided to add birds, nests, emu and ostrich eggs, tortoise shells--real and faux--and even a piece of coral resting on a book.  I called these nature-inspired shelves my Cabinets of Curiosities.
The bird prints on easels are vintage.  The largest bottle in the grouping of apothecary jars holds feathers.  Mirrors serve as backdrops for the tortoise shell and the ostrich egg.
You know how I love cloches.  I found one that not only fit perfectly on a mirrored dresser tray, but which had the word Nest etched onto it.  The emu egg on a stand fits perfectly within.
My pops of color come from the green in the transferware plates with birds, the mirror with a velvet frame,  the vintage English tile, the deep green egg, and the gold on the book spines.  
Completing the space between the bookcases is a sunburst mirror.   Surprise!   Framed architectural reference book plates and an iron bird are reflected in it.

I added a pair of slip covered slipper chairs in the foreground, and a vintage deco table with a lamp. A smaller bird print in a burled frame is on the table too.
I had the chairs covered in a neutral fabric-- something that I never do-- but I wanted them to match anywhere I put them.   I ended up hating how bland they were, even with a  pillow, so I added the strip of Robert Allen Ikat fabric and some awning stripe pillows to make them more appealing.   What do you think?
I don't know if you can make out the top of the table.  It's a mirrored top with a mirror bullseye in the center.

I want to share one more image.  It's an area rug  I found  at Tuesday Morning.  If you watched my segment on The Nate Berkus Show
you know that I received a gift certificate from Nate to Tuesday Morning.  I was very excited when I found this rug.  I knew it would work in the family room.  What a great find AND what a great price.  Thanks Nate.

Be sure to let me know how your bookcase styling turns out.
What do you think about using fabric as a backing?