Vintage Archives – Page 2 of 8 – Strength Of The Small

DIY: Footstool Reupholstered

By JM PerezFebruary 7, 20142 min read923 views

Last month, while visiting my favorite Vintage Shops here in the High Desert, I decided to make a quick stop at the Estate Liquidators. I have found so many beautiful vintage choice pieces here and I purchased a small vintage footstool that same day. What I love the most about this little beauty is its primitive feel.

*Reupholstered 4-Legged Vintage Footstool.*

Today I gave it a makeover with a new coat of paint and a pink Toile de Jouy fabric.

Small Vintage Footstool. — *4-Legged Vintage Footstool.*

I started by carefully removing the staples that were holding the fabric in place and took off the old upholstery fabric. I found some light cracks here and there, which I patched up with wood glue (which also helped fill out the gaps and secure the pieces), letting it dry. I then proceeded to sand and clean the stool to get it ready for the painting.

4-Leg Vintage Footstool. — *4-Legged Vintage Footstool.*

Materials Needed:

Staples and Heavy Duty Stapler
Foam
Batting (to cover your Foam)
Spray Adhesive (to keep your Foam in place)
Choice Fabric for Bow
Scissors (to trim the excess Fabric)
Flat-head Screwdriver and Pliers (to lift up the staples and pull them out).

Optional:

Button Cover Kit
Drill and Drill Bits (to drill holes in your Foam and Wood)
Upholstery Thread
Sharpie (to mark holes on the wood)
Decorator Needles

Step by step:

Mark your hole on the wood where you want your button to go and drill a hole using your drill and drill bit.
Cut your foam to the size and shape of the wood.
Spray adhesive on the wood to keep the foam in place.
Use your batting to secure the foam to your wood with a staple gun.
Place and attach your fabric over the foam and start stapling.
Cover your button with the same fabric.
Run some thread through the button and push the threaded needle up through the pre-drilled hole (once satisfied, staple the thread at the bottom of the wood to secure and hold it in place).

I love how it turned out and my daughter now has a new reupholstered footstool for her dolls.

Linking up to Beverly’s Pink Saturday.

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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 Repurposing Shabby Chic Vintage

Some Things Shabby

By JM PerezDecember 26, 20131 min read984 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.

As I sit here, enjoying the moment in my garden, I wish you all a wonderful day.

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By JM Perez

Christmas Vintage Gratitude People

Vintage Christmas Decorations

By JM PerezDecember 2, 20132 min read1.6K views

In June we received a nicely wrapped gift bag from our oldest neighbor across the street, who stopped by to help us cut down the Pine Tree in our backyard. We had so much going on at the time that I grabbed the bag and set it somewhere in the garage. A couple of weeks later I opened it to see its contents and found a gorgeous set of Vintage Snoring Santa and a matching Vintage Santa Door Hanger, both battery operated (uses three “AA”). Also in the gift bag was a Water Globe Box with interchangeable top.

The first is the Santa Claus Wall/Door Hanger and plays ‘Jingle Bells’ when the sensor detects a presence and wishes a Merry Christmas to the Guest at the end of the song. It has a loop on the back for hanging and requires two “AA” batteries to operate.

Vintage Santa Door Hanger. — *Vintage Musical Santa Face Door Hanger.*

The second is Santa sound asleep in his bed. He snores and his belly moved up and down for approximately 20 seconds.

The third is the Kirkland Signature Water Globe Box. I love its interchangeable top which allows me to pick one of the two options. You can choose to either display Santa in the Globe or the Bird by the Chimney Flue.

Mrs. Santa Claus is made of felt with styrofoam head, plastic boots, felt clothing and cloth apron.

A couple of weeks ago I found the gorgeous Vintage Jewelbrite Star Angel Unbreakable Christmas Tree Topper at the Estate Liquidators. It will look lovely at the top of our White Christmas Tree.

Happy Christmas Decorating everyone!

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By JM Perez

Collectible Coastal and Nautical Destinations Vintage

Downtown Pomona Finds

By JM PerezOctober 4, 20131 min read908 views

After picking up my Son from school this afternoon, we drove straight to Downtown Pomona, which is one of our favorite places to shop for Vintage and Antique pieces. After shopping and prior to leaving, my kids asked to play around the water fountains. We spent more time around the Mosaic Goddess and while they were busy running around, I admired the great work of art of Millard Sheets. You can read about the painter here.

Millard Sheets, Mosaic Goddess Over a Fountain.
Pomona Downtown Mall, 1962.

Like with any other visit, we started by visiting one of our favorite shops, the Pomona Antique Mart. My children love this shop because of its three levels and going up and down on the stairs is always a thrill for them and a chore for us. We left the shop with two items we found at the basement. The first item is a Shabby Chic/Cottage Chic Stool with Wrought Iron Legs and the second is a Gulf Shrimp Nautical Sign.

*Shabby Chic/Cottage Chic Stool with Wrought Iron Legs.*

I love the beautiful little stool. I will reupholster in new fabric down the road once I find one that I like.

Sadly for us, Cheryl’s Antiques was closed for the day along with a few other shops. We visited Olde Towne Pomona Antique Mall, where my husband bought a few Vintage Micro Machines and a Vintage Wooden Suitcase with Plastic Handle (possibly a tool box or a filer).