Antiques Archives – Strength Of The Small

Snowfall Antiques Winter Repurposing Yard Sculptures Holidays Garden Decor Nature High Desert

End of Year Beauty

By JM PerezDecember 26, 20191 min read1.2K views

This will be one holiday season to remember.

The weather has been at its best all year long and I am very thankful for it all. Christmas was wonderful at our home yesterday and this morning, we have been blessed with more snow fall. We woke up to a sublime sight as everything was covered in white (our second snowfall of the year).

Early in the morning after breakfast, I excitedly walked around the backyard with my phone, taking photos of this beautiful winter scenery. Personally, I am quite content with this amount of snow and I am really hoping that we wouldn’t get more of it.

My daughter pointed out the palm tree on the picture below, stating that the weight of the snow on some of the fans has transformed the tree into a fancy dress. Can you see it?

I love the view from my backyard, which is still a work in progress. I love how snow makes pretty much everything look beautiful, fresh, dreamy and magical.

With one or two days of sunshine, the snow will be completely gone, revealing all the lovely green. Before that, we should be able to build a snowman this time around.

I hope everyone is staying warm and having a wonderful time this holiday season.

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By JM Perez

Antiques Shabby Chic Garden Decor Vintage Home Decor High Desert

Downtown Oro Grande, CA

By JM PerezSeptember 26, 20151 min read733 views

Today we drove to the Historic Downtown of Oro Grande, CA (our favorite spot in the High Desert). It is the one place on our California Historic Route 66 where some of us Antique and Vintage Collectors can find with a little luck, cherished treasures from the past.

On our way to Linda Marie’s Enchanted Treasures, we spotted what looked like a huge warehouse with lots of beautiful metal pieces outside. We stopped, looked around and loved it.

Weathered & Treasured

Tim & LeAnn Sluder
LeighAnne Callaway

Address: 18980 National Trails Hwy, Oro Grande, CA 92368
Phone: (760) 241-3600
Email: WeatheredTreasured@gmail.com
Facebook Page: Weathered and Treasured

We proceeded to visit more shops at the Oro Grande Junction:

Linda Marie’s Enchanted Treasures
Shelley’s Shop Around the Corner
Annie’s Transformed Treasures
Salvaged & Tattered
Serendipity Antiques Collectibles
Silver Trails
Sugar Shack

Shelley's Shop Around the Corner. — *Shelley’s Shop Around the Corner.*

What a wonderful way to end our evening!

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By JM Perez

Antiques Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

A Happy Morning

By JM PerezFebruary 4, 20141 min read456 views

I woke up to a gloomy morning and within a few hours, the skies brightened up and gave way to a beautiful sight from my backyard. There is a formation of thick low clouds around the snowy mountains and it’s still very cold out there. I, for one, am grateful to be able to spend time with Nature.

Some of the Daffodils ‘Thalia Sun’ and Ice King Double Daffodils, which have now fully emerged from the soil are covered in buds and thankfully, none are opening yet.

*Ice King Double Daffodil Bulbs emerging.*

My Amaryllis Belladonna bulbs have finally emerged after two consecutive years of dying back from frost. The shoots are going strong and I am hoping to see some gorgeous flowers by August. Foliage emerges in Spring (sometimes as early as mid Winter). The foliage will die back by mid Summer shortly after which leafless stems will produce elegant, aromatic, pink flowers.

The Sweet Almond Tree is almost completely covered in bloom. I placed my set of Antique Cast Iron Bench and Arm Chair next to the Tree and it has become one of my favorite spots in the front yard as I occasionally lounge next to the Tree, reading the Newspaper or an Inspirational Book. Although we hardly harvest any Nuts from the Tree (as the Squirrels beat us to it), it accents the house and provides shade.

I am looking forward to warmer days as it’s time to move on with my gardening plans and materialize my design.

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By JM Perez

Antiques Repurposing Vintage DIY: Projects

DIY: Restore Cast Iron Furniture

By JM PerezDecember 27, 20131 min read2.8K views

I recently found an Antique Cast Iron Chair and a matching Vintage Cast Aluminum Side Table with adjustable legs. What I love about this tiny set is the fact that it has a Grapevine pattern similar to an Antique Victorian Cast Iron set I own (read about it here). The set was weathered, the paint was flaking and chipping. As expected, there was some mild surface rust and wear especially on the chair.

The side table has three legs with the pattern of a Phoenix head at the top and claw foot at the base.

Though time consuming, the restoring process is simple.

We started by removing the rusted and flaking areas with a wire brush. Once that was done, we washed the set with soap and water to rid it of any debris and to ensure that the paint sticks to it. We let it dry and applied spray primer to seal the metal surface and prevent future rusting and finally, we spray painted it.

Vintage Cast Iron Chair. — *Antique Cast Iron Chair.*

Now restored, the set will make a great addition to the rest of the collection. It was an exciting finishing project we all were eager to get our hands on.

Vintage Cast Iron Chair and Cast Aluminum Side Table. — *Antique Cast Iron Chair and Vintage Cast Aluminum Side Table.*

This was a fun project and we are looking forward to the next one.

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By JM Perez

Antiques Shabby Chic Repurposing Vintage

Some Things Shabby

By JM PerezDecember 26, 20131 min read979 views

It’s the day after Christmas and the Sun is shining bright. It feels good to step outside, take a moment to breathe in and count my blessings. There’s no place like Home and as I sit here surrounded by so many lovelies; I realize that I have, not just a fondness for Victorian Cast Iron garden furniture, but a weakness as well.

The Patio Set below is an old Singer Sewing Machine Base with a half an inch Polypropylene tabletop (a Craigslist purchase). The chairs are Shabby Chic and the Table is Antique. The cross-piece on the Sewing Machine base has a patent date which reads Patented Jan. 4, 1887. All the wheels on the base still function as they should. I had the option to use it either as a Console Table or as a Desk, but I decided to use it as an outdoor table.

Shabby Chic Patio Set. — *Shabby Chic Patio Chairs with Antique Singer Sewing Machine Base.*

I have bought gorgeous Garden Sets over the years and the ones I cherish the most is this set of Antique Victorian Cast Iron Grapevine pattern matching Bench and Arm Chair.

*Antique Cast Iron Bench and Arm Chair.*

I also have a lovely American Harvest Cast Aluminum Bistro Set which I have owned for a couple of years now and which I absolutely adore. This set sits pretty in my front yard, next to my Raywood Ash tree.