Old Cupboard

One of the first things I learned about antiques was by doing it the hard way.  Each and every time I have to strip and refinish a piece, I say never again.  On this old step back cupboard, I learned they often used different types of wood on furniture pieces and thus, they had to be painted.

I don't know my woods very well, but this cupboard was oak and other woods and weighs a ton.  So, after stripping it, I had to paint it to cover it up since the woods didn't match.  I decided to try a trompe l'oile with a speckled blue graniteware top, then painted tea towels on the side.  

Painted the inside black and the front of the cabinets too.

Nesting doves.

Some hanging herbs and the metal farm set I got at a Paris flea market.  Have always loved them, but wonder about that purchase now.  Anyway.

Basket of apples on the other door.

But my favorite part was this note tacked on the side of the cupboard.  I got a kick out of it back when I painted it, but now, it might not be so funny anymore. 

This went well at the farm, but does not go in the city house.  My son says he wants it someday, but evidently not in the near future.  It is now in the guest room and I wonder how long it will remain?  Forever is my guess.

Collecting

Whether gathering dust in an attic (or barn in my case) or lovingly placed front and center over the mantle, collectibles and antiques have been just as volatile as the stock market in recent years. The true worth of an antique/collectible is basically whatever you can get someone to pay for it. It's true. Many small dealers have been priced out of the market (moi included). They lament Antiques Roadshow as the major cause - made everyone think that their Mona Lisa print was worth as much as the original - the consensus was because it's old it must be valuable. Tip - remember age isn't the number one criteria in pricing. Condition and rarity are usually paramount and sometimes a red hot market for an item. I bought and sold antiques for about fifteen years before finally getting priced out of the market. Antique malls, flea markets (my personal fav) and even garage sale prices kept creeping up until finally it was no longer profitable to buy and sell. Even the large venues like Round Top and Marburger Farm (where I used to set up) became so pricey I could no longer haul a truck and trailer load down to Texas and still make it worth the cost of inventory, overhead and profit margin. Nevertheless, it is still a huge kick to go to the fleas and shows. I could literally do it every day. So remember, another tip, buy what you love cause you may still be holding onto it many moon's down the

road. And really, it's just stuff.

Part of the many chocolate and ice cream molds I have.

Notice my columnar bottle posts at the front of my barn aka my art studio. Also known as poor man's stained glass.

This is an old stepback hutch I painted in trompe l'oeil.