A Little About Me: preserving pieces of the past.

Lately, I have been thinking about painting.  Why I enjoy it so much.  Where this passion came from.  How I got...here: having a blog, with an Etsy store, and a house full of treasures.

It's simple: I love vintage.  I truly believe that the best pieces of furniture are old.  The designs, the craftsmanship, the real wood, the sheer weight of the pieces - they are still intact today because of the superior way in which they were made.  I love that.  I want to have a part of preserving that.

I know a lot of people who shop for their things at Ikea, have several neighbors whose houses could be featured in a Pottery Barn catalog, and others who have never perfected their own personal style.  It's all fine, it all works, but it's just not me.

I like different.

I like unique.

I don't want my house to look like everyone else's.

I want my house to reflect me.

I think my love of vintage furniture and old pieces began when my dad died.  I wanted to hold on to him, but all that was left were things that bore his memory, so I wanted to keep them.  This nostalgia expanded when my grandmother passed away.  I loved my grandmother, and loved her house.  When she passed away, I bought her bedroom set.  I even dug out of the trash, the piece of the foot board that my grandfather sawed off because she hurt her knuckles on it when she made the bed.  That piece has been reattached, but the line where it was sawed off it still clearly visible - and thus, the story is still clearly visible, so many years after she is not.

My grandmother's memory is a part of my house.

Since I do not have the type of family that hands down furniture (I had to buy anything I wanted - another story for another time), my love of heirlooms was passed on to other old pieces that I would stumble across in antique stores.  I love to shop, and antiquing became a regular part of my life.

Then, I discovered chalk paint and all the pieces came together: old furniture, love of shopping, nostalgia, and decorating my home.  With chalk paint, the old furniture that I loved could become modern, finished pieces that would fit right into my new home.

If you saw my house, you would either be disgusted or outright impressed.  It is full of history, full of memories, full of cans of paint, work stations, and inventory.  It is full of possibility, and I so enjoy bringing out the best in all of these old pieces.  Love finding that cobwebbed, tossed aside treasure that needs simply a deep cleaning, paint, and wax.  Love preserving pieces of the past, that will last for several more decades - heck, even centuries!

Wednesday #beforeandafter

This before and after is part of my recent push to expand my photography.  I am not a professional photographer.  I never will be.  However, photography is a compelling art and I have spent the past few weeks playing with light, angle, and setting for my pictures.  Want to see some examples??

Here is a picture of a mirror.  Taking pictures of something that offers a reflection is difficult, and too many times I see people who photograph themselves into the mirror.  Tip:  Angle the mirror, when possible.  If it is not possible to angle the mirror, angle yourself.  Here is the first before and after:

In the first picture, the window was in the way, the lighting was horrible off, and the picture of the piece became irrelevant.  NOW, I have changed locations, lighting, and angle.  There is no reflection in the mirror itself (which I may play around with in the future), and the piece stands out rather than being merely a reflection.

My second lesson with photography has been the appropriate use of props.  I have just began playing with this concept, and so I began with using some old books - since they are plentiful at my house!

Again, quite sure I do not qualify for any photography awards, but what a difference a backdrop, lighting, and a few well placed props can do for a photo!  Any #beforeandafter photos you are proud of this Wednesday?