Family heirlooms

I'm one of those people who feels a strong tie to the past. I love to see old pictures of my ancestors - hear stories about their lives - anything that gives me a clearer sense of the past.

I have a dining room table, chairs, and buffet that belonged to my great-grandparents. No, it's not fancy - and it's certainly not worth anything to anyone other than me - but I treasure it. My great-grandfather worked in the coal mines in Athens County, Ohio back in the late 1920's - early 1930's. Back then, the miners were paid in script, which they then used to buy whatever they needed from the company store. That is where the furniture was purchased around 80 years ago.

As I said, they're not fancy - but they are well-made. The table has two leaves - each one attached at opposite ends of the table - and they can be hidden under the table or popped up and locked into place to make the table larger. Pretty clever.

My great-grandfather refinished the entire set every few years - so over 80 years, that's a lot of refinishing. LOL! The style is more of what you'd see in a small eat-in kitchen or in the dining room of a smaller house or apartment. But we decided to put it in our dining room, since the room is on the small size and we rarely eat in there.

Gus and Buddy worked for what must have seemed like forever to them - they removed the old finish and sanded each piece until it was smooth - no easy task.

I had a really difficult time choosing the upholstery fabric. The carpet in our dining room is sort of a mulberry/rose color. Ick. It was there when we bought the house. Trust me, I would never have chosen that color. It's custom wall-to-wall carpet with a rose carved into the center. Yeah, that's right. A rose. WTF?? The draperies in that room were also there when we moved in. They're $400 (for two panels!) drapes from Pottery Barn - and they're dark olive green. Just goes to show you - it doesn't matter how expensive things are - if you don't like them, you don't like them. Eventually, we'll change the carpet and drapes, but for now, we decided to work with what we had...

We painted the walls with Behr Cliff Rock - love that color! It's amazing, but I was able to find some upholstery fabric at Jo-Ann's that coordinated with the walls, carpet, and drapes. So I stained the furniture and recovered the chair seats & backs. I didn't want a shiny finish on the furniture, so I finished it with two coats of Tung oil.

So it's not fancy, but it looks nice and there is a lot of history in that room. It's pretty cool to think that my great-grandparents used this furniture - and that my Grammy ate at it when she was a little girl. Hopefully, one of my kids will inherit my love of the past and want to keep the furniture in the family.

Hobbies...

Collecting Italian pottery is one of my hobbies. I especially love miniature pitchers, but I also buy larger pitchers and vases. My favorite style is sgraffito - there's just something about the texture that appeals to me. If you're not familiar with sgraffito, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as "a technique of ornamentation in which a surface layer of paint, plaster, slip, etc., is incised to reveal a ground of contrasting color".

The taller vase in the center was purchased on Etsy; the other pieces were purchased on eBay. I don't think I've ever paid more than $20 for any pottery - and that includes shipping. So the prices are quite reasonable if you're willing to wait until the right piece comes along.

 some of my Italian sgraffito pottery

 

you can see the details a little better in this photo

 

more detail here

 

and also here

Another favorite piece that I purchased off eBay is this unusual vase. It isn't etched quite as deeply as the other pieces, but the colors are gorgeous. I keep this one on my living room mantel.

 

  

There is just something about these pieces that make me smile - and that's what a hobby/collection should do! My husband laughs at me - I'm not sure if it's because I'm buying things that someone else wants out of their house or if it's because I get so excited when I find a new piece. To me, Etsy & eBay are like worldwide yard sales. What's odd is that I abhor yard/garage sales! It's not snobbery that makes me feel that way - it's childhood trauma from my mother being the Yard Sale Queen. I think she still holds the title. We joke that if you need anything, ask Mom before you buy it - chances are she has one packed in her "to sell" stuff or she just bought one at a yard sale yesterday. The woman could seriously open a general store. So Etsy & eBay are my dirty little secrets - and I can shop there because I can shop "anonymously".

What do you collect that makes you smile?