Mercury Glass

Pottery Barn c/o www.kimberly-crawford.blogspot.com

I’ve been noticing a lot of mercury glass items over the last couple of weeks.  I’m loving the sparkly antique look of these lovelies, so thought I’d do a little research on this beautiful glass.

c/o www.johnnyinadress.com

Mercury glass, or “silvered glass” originated in Bohemia around 1840, and was also produced in England starting in 1849 and is considered one of the first true “art glass’ products.  It is basically free-blown double-walled glass that is silvered in between the two walls and sealed.  Although it is called “mercury” glass, the silvering is produced by coating the interior with with a solution containing silver-nitrate and grape sugar.  Once coated the glass was heated and then sealed in various ways, ranging from cork to metal discs.

Crate and Barrel Jolie lamp

The first pieces I noticed were at Chapters, in their home gifts section….

And ever since then I’ve been seeing the glass everywhere.  I love the variation in colour on this pendant – a very aged silver.

c/o www.sherrisreadingjubilee.blogspot.com

The following beauties were found on Pinterest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this last one is actually a DIY mercury glass.  Check out the tutorial here: www.takethesidestreet.com/2010/11/faux-mercury-glass-tutorial.html.  Hmmm, I may just give this a try if I can find Krylon Looking Glass spray paint in Canada.

The other night, I even picked a couple of pretty little mercury glass birds for our Christmas decorating.  No pics yet, but once I get to decorating, I’ll share.

Have you included any mercury glass pieces in your decorating – Christmas or otherwise?  If so, let us know….

Friday Find–November 25 {Thanks!}

To all my American friends and family… Happy Thanksgiving!

Source: thebottomoftheironingbasket.blogspot.com via PhotoPuddle on Pinterest

Friday Find–November 18 {new discoveries}

Have you found The Foundary?  I was snooping around on the web the other day and came across this really neat site. 

It’s a collection of really cool products that are offered up for a limited time online sale. I’ve come across several of these over the last few years, but there’s something about the products offered on The Foundary that appeals to me.   To quote the website:

Every once in a while, a product emerges from the stagnant mainstream to capture the imagination of our buyers. These folks see a lot of ordinary in their day-to-day, so when they spot something transformative, they have a cultivated ability to recognize it. And then something funny happens. Like a flipped switch from daydream to wakefulness, there's a moment of inspiration. They're compelled not just to buy, but to share.

That's why we built the Foundary. To create a space where we can share our passion for products of substance. We share this passion with Foundary members through daily emails, which announce new, limited-time sales events, each filled with surprises, delights, and a satisfying dose of indulgence.

Here’s some of some the cool stuff you’ll find:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(This one is for my hubby’s garage, which we lovingly call “The Lounge”)

If you haven’t already – check out The Foundary!

Sew …. what’s new???

Hey readers, I’ve got something brewing in my garage.  No…. it’s not hubby’s still (I can’t say that too loud, he’s McGyver inclined and may just try it out --- LOL).

Nope, it something better than alcohol, well better than Grain alcohol anyway, never better than red wine you understand – NOTHING is better than red wine.

But I digress, back out to the garage.

A couple of weeks ago my friend and fellow blogger Kelly of Jax does design gave me one of several old sewing tables (including the machine) of her grandmothers.  I was beyond thrilled.  You see I have a small obsession with previously loved furniture. (See my last makeover here).  I think it’s partly because of the secrets they hold.  Where have they been, who have they known?  And in this particular case, how many garments have been lovingly created or repaired by this machine?  That’s part of it, but the main reason is the draw of giving these pieces a new lease on life.

So, after I brought my new friend home, I was “alotted” a small space in the garage for my latest find.  Then the fun began.  What did this new treasure hold ….

In the original picture Kelly showed me I wasn’t sure if the top was one or two pieces.  I used to have a sewing table that had a split hinged top.  With this in mind, I was thinking I would replace the top with a nice piece of granite or marble.  But … looks like I won’t have to, since this sewing table has a solid one piece top that lifts off – sahweet!

Now, what secrets is this solid one piece top hiding …

The machine is a Franklin, made by Sears Roebuck Co. in the early 1900’s.  Here are some close-ups:

So, what started off as a cool new furniture makeover, morphed somewhat into a Google research project to find out as much as we could about Franklin sewing machines.  Here’s what we found:

The whole story can be found at http://www.ismacs.net/sears/sears.html, where you’ll hear all about the exciting world of sewing machines :)!  The machine isn’t worth very much at this point, but it certainly has some decorative value if you were going to display it somewhere. 

Next week, I’ll share my ideas and inspiration for re-finishing this gorgeous piece … stay tuned

Friday Find–November 11 {Remember}

                                                                                                     Source: sheseesthestars.tumblr.com via Sue on Pinterest

Friday Find – November 4 {Pinteresting}

While scrolling through Pinterest this week, here’s what a loved….

This looks like such a nice cozy place to relax and sip a cuppa … ahhhhhh

Isn’t this a great idea?  I hate crawling into my corner cupboard to get things – sometimes I have to pack a lunch I’m in there so long :)

And last but not least – House Rules!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

All images c/o www.pinterest.com