One day this week, I had a blast filling my dear friend Linda's newly-painted cabinet with ironstone. I had lunch with Linda a couple of weeks ago, and she gave me a budget to work with along with a vision of what she wanted. Wouldn't you know! The picture she picked to show me was from my favorite blogger, Miss Mustard Seed.
She also mentioned she wanted to intersperse it with some silver.
I was so excited for this wonderful privilege to do the treasure hunting for her.
I always say the hunt is what I enjoy the most. I really don't get too attached to the things I discover.
After a couple of weeks, this is what I had collected for her. I priced it just as if she were buying these pieces at the Vintage Sale I'll be having at my house in a couple of weeks.
You can read about it HERE.
Linda is nearly finished redecorating her dining room, so I had a clean slate to work with. The cabinet was still missing its hardware. I'm hoping it will have glass knobs to show off its beauty when it's all said and done.
I put the collection of ironstone and silver out on a table for her to see. It was a delight to watch as she fussed over the beauty of each piece. It was like Christmas in June!
I added a couple of pieces she already owned, like the silver piece above.
This piece had lived on top of her kitchen cabinet.
Her mom had given her the small pitcher in the middle--the one with the yellow flowers in it--so we added it the display, too. It looked perfect. That little pitcher next to it didn't get to stay, though.
I love the molding on top of this cabinet!
This soup tureen was the first piece I bought for her. She already had the silver plate.
I found that giant ironstone pitcher on the way to her house.
I will have another one (or two) at my sale.
I already want to call her and tell her how I'd rearrange a couple of pieces, but I'm guessing she doesn't have the same OCD as I do.
She left the inside of the cupboard its natural color to match the table.
So here is where you get to give your advice; do you like the cabinet with the doors...?
Or only with the two outside doors...?
Or with no doors?
I have to tell you about my connection with Linda. Her Amish mother, sitting in the center of the above picture, was our neighbor many years ago. We became very close friends. I played many a game of marbles with this dear, spunky woman.
I loved my Em Mommy. She made strong coffee, and you never knew what words were going to come out of her mouth. A woman after my own heart!
As I spent the day with her daughters talking about memories, I felt her spirit come alive.
Back to the project!
This was a picture of the cabinet and room before the makeover.
This is it now. The project isn't complete yet, but after twisting Linda's arm, she let me post this. She's getting a new chandelier and waiting on the curtains and knobs along with other little details.
Next, we were off to do some relaxing in a local coffee shop with her sister.
We enjoyed a leisurely two-hour lunch in the late afternoon, losing track of time and responsibilities. As we were leaving, we walked by a man on his computer and another reading the paper. But these two were fully focused on the most intense chess game I've ever seen. I loved it so much that, after leaving, I went back inside and asked if I could take their picture. It looked like a scene straight out of a movie. Without even glancing up, they said, "Yeah, sure." The other men in the background scattered like fugitives.
It totally made my day.
If you have a cabinet you want me to fill with a special Lena treasure-hunt, just let me know. Or, even better, visit my sale on June 20 and 21, 2014. Hope to see you there!
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