This is such an interesting quote. I have been reading and thinking about it for a while now trying to wrap my head around it.
I have finally concluded that it is very accurate, and I should take heed when I tell myself that I am going to get the barn ready for a sale!
Please share your thoughts!
Have an awesome day!
Nancie, Winston & Ziggy
Do you have any of your old toys from when you were a kid? I don’t, but I do have some of the kids.
What are some of your favorites? There are some of my favorite when I was a kid!
Here are a few of my favorites that we have in the store.
If you’re a toy collector, or looking for something for the kids, we have a nice selection of collectible toys, and everyday toys for the kids to play with – books, matchbox cars, doll house furniture, tea party sets, and so much more!
Until next time. Have an awesome week!
Nancie, Winston & Ziggy
Hello friends! Hope your week is going good. It is super hot here in Colorado!
Have an awesome week!
Nancie, Winston & Ziggy
When I first started working here at Lafayette Antiques, I used to ask Nancie at least three times a shift, “What does this do?” She had some answers that really surprised me. It is rare that we get an item in that she cannot identify. I thought that this week I would test your knowledge. See if you can identify the following items (you will have to wait until next week for answers):
Have fun trying to figure out what these items are and what they do! We want to wish everyone a very safe and Happy Fourth of July!
Carolyn hanging out with Nancie, Winston and Ziggy
We have all heard the adage “don’t judge a book by its cover.” We generally think of people when we use it and that’s a perfect time to apply it! I taught that to my students for the 21 years that I worked in the classroom. Now, as someone who spends her days surrounded by antiques, I have found a whole new use for the saying!
Antiques are often found in their worst possible shape, rusty, broken, missing pieces, and they are overlooked as unusable. For instance, we had this old blue metal doll crib. It was rusty and wobbly. As I carried it outside for people to see as they passed by, I kept thinking that it had a purpose and could shine again, so I bought it and took it home.
Here is the crib before and after:
I spray painted the crib with copper paint. Then I added an old wood drawer. I spray painted it a bright turquoise and added vintage hardware. I added a container of flowers and a chicken waiting for a place to roost, and I turned a rusty crib into a flower container. I could also see it in my house holding books or toys for my future grandchildren! (Just a side note, all of the items in the “after” picture came from the store except for the flowers.)
Another item that we often see that is definitely not usable as it was originally intended is the wood ladder. We see them in many sizes! I decided to use mine as an outdoor display unit. I didn’t change the ladder at all but I do change what goes on the ladder by season (or whim!). Here are two examples:
You can decorate with a theme like red, white and blue or birdhouses or things you love to collect – for me, it’s small animal figurines made of stone or iron.
There is a great deal of satisfaction in taking the rusty and broken antique and turning it into a treasure that brightens up your home, inside or out!
As always, we want to see what you have done with the items you buy here in the store. Send us pictures! We would love to feature your “don’t judge a book by its cover” projects! Don’t forget to take before and after pictures! I sometimes get so excited by my project, I forget the “befores”!!!
We’ll see you when you stop in to say hi!
Carolyn, hanging out with Nancie, Winston, and Ziggy
The staff at Lafayette Antiques and Home Decor would like to congratulate all of the graduating classes of 2019! Whether you are graduating from Kindergarten or college, it’s such an exciting time of life! Best wishes to all!
Happy Monday! With the warmer weather, I started hanging some bird feeders I bought for my new yard. I can’t wait to see them filled with birds and most likely I’ll get a jay or two! I thought about bringing out some of my antique bird cages to hang in the trees but then decided they were safer in the house!
What do you do with your antique and decorative bird cages? Do you hang them up with a plant in them? Do you put a decorative faux bird and possibly a nest in them? I’ll admit, that has been the extent of my creativity, until now!
Adding something you collect is a wonderful way to get a 360 degree view of that special collection. There are no rules! If it matters to you, display it!
Adding candles can give a room a subtle glow to create a calm and relaxing atmosphere. You can also add a small lamp and make your antique bird cage a light source.
What do you think about the idea of putting a collection of like-colored items or like-themed items together? We have so many great little pieces in the store that would fit into this idea!
Finally, there is this practical idea which I really like! My little miner’s cottage doesn’t have a lot of storage so an idea like this makes practical very cute! You can also stack towels, place makeup supplies in decorative containers, or add Mason jars filled with cotton balls, etc.
Remember, whatever you choose to do with your bird cages, please come by to share the results. In the meantime, enjoy the spring weather, the sounds of the birds chirping and all of the new fresh flowers that keep popping up in unexpected places!
Carolyn, hanging out with Nancie, Winston, and Ziggy
“As cute as a button” can be about anything absolutely adorable, including buttons! How many of you have loose buttons on top of your washer or dryer, in the bottom of a drawer (or two or three), collecting in a jar, and that’s all they do…collect…and collect some more with each new loose button or extra button on a new shirt. I put mine in a jar now! They look adorable, some might say “as cute as a button!”
We have lots of buttons in the store and it made me wonder (I do that a lot!) what I could do with buttons… Well, there are so many incredible ideas that I thought I would share some here!
You can display them in a salt shaker with a pretty ribbon or a button flower bouquet!
There are button flowers to display in a jar
and button pictures galore!
I really love this last idea because I have an antique Bingo cage and cards and this would be a great way to show one or two of the cards!
No matter what you choose to do with your buttons, you know that we always want to see the finished project!
Please stop in, introduce yourselves if we haven’t met yet and then head off to find buttons, frames, shaker jars, and whatever else you might need to complete your project. Can’t wait to see you!
Carolyn, hanging out with Nancie, Winston, and Ziggy
