Thursday, June 07, 2007

Awnings and bird nests are right at home inside

Discarded porch awnings, bird nests, bedding plants, we must be working outside - right? Not so fast.....these make fabulous decor accents in any room.



We brought the outdoors inside in this display during the last Canton show. I purchased the scalloped awning from my close friend and fellow Canton vendor, Debbie Pongetti, aka Funky Junk. This great piece came from an old farmhouse and I laid claim to it the moment she unloaded it. Aaahh......the perks of set-up day!! (Btw, Debbie and I are next door neighbors in the Arbors.) This unique find has been resting in storage for the past few months awaiting a summer show, so I was excited to finally drag it out. It’s a funny thing….when we hung this awning in the booth, I had a price tag on it. But, after gazing at it for a couple hours during set up, I casually yanked the tag because I couldn’t part with it!! A frequent occurrence for me in this biz!! Whoever coined the phrase “Don’t get emotional about business”, certainly never dealt in antiques or junk!!

I put cup hooks inside of the awning and dropped 5 chrome pendant lights at alternating heights. It’s always fun to mix old farmhouse items with something that has a young edge to it like the shiny chrome lights. Once that was completed, I snagged an old iron army cot from storage and covered it with an antique crocheted bed coverlet. The result was a great vintage look that had a lot of fun energy.

An old white farmhouse table complete with square nails was the resting place for a garden themed table setting. Old silverware is neatly divided in mason jars in a handled toolbox and tall apothecary jars played host to leftover bedding plants – they make great terrariums! In the center of the table is a white ironstone tulip vase – one of the most unique items we’ve had the pleasure to sell. This vase can take a simple $4.88 bunch of daisies from Wal-Mart and make them look amazing!! Flower arranging made simple for anyone!

7 comments:

PAT said...

I love it!! It's wonderful the way you've mixed things up with the chrome lights. This is just beautiful!

Pat
Back Porch Musings

Rosemary said...

Hi,
I love your pictures. So cute, and what a great idea.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
I love yours.
Rosemary

Southern Heart said...

What a wonderful idea! Very creative repurposing with a lovely result!

I really do like your blog...love that dollhouse! I am adding you to my list so that I can visit often!

Fondly,

Andrea

Anonymous said...

Yes, that whole setup excited me to no end...it was spectacular! I'm glad you have posted a photo so I can see it now any time...did you notice that I used a green cloth under my crocheted tablecloth like you did? I need an awning!! lol!

Anonymous said...

Just wonderful! You are very inspiring!!
xo,
Kim

Garden Antqs Vintage said...

I am so glad you showed the awning; after I saw it I walked away thinking what a great find you had. It's definately a keeper and yes in this business we do get attached to things, but the neat this is, once you tire of it you can then allow someone else to enjoy it. Hint: please put my name on it once you're ready to part with *Smile*

Retroboutiques said...

I just love that idea with the awning...I have seen them sooo many times, now that I can think of a use for it, I will probably never see another!