Curiosities we must bring back.

As I sit here watching the snow fall in Southeastern Kentucky I am reminded of a favorite snow time activity. Children old and young see snow as an opportunity to grab a sled, or even a piece of tin roofing or a garbage can lid, and set sail down one of the many rolling hills we are blessed with in the Appalachia's. I can even remember once using a small plastic kiddie pool to speed down the rather steep hill behind my neighbor's home. This weather always makes me long for something I have never experienced, yet always wanted to. It's something I have seen in movies, and read in books, but I've never actually had the pleasure of experiencing a sleigh ride in a horse drawn sleigh. I know some larger cities offer the service in winter and for weddings, but not here in good ol' Southeastern Kentucky. Maybe it's offered in the Lexington area, where they are famous for horses, but not here. It just seems to me there would be little danger in getting to your destination in a horse drawn sleigh -- which is very unlike the machines we call automobiles. Yes, I wouldn't mind getting out and traveling in the snow, but only if one of these were provided with a very gentle horse to guide me.

I don't pretend to be a connoisseur of antiques and it's not my life's ambition to become one, but I have a fondness for anything old... anything that may tell a story or makes me wonder how other families may have enjoyed its presence in the home. In the last year I have been to a handful of estate sale auctions and road side yard sales in search of the perfect little find. Unfortunately most of the things I covet most have been well out of my price range. Sure, my boyfriend and I have gotten a few treasures, including a piano from the early 1900's for 20.00, but the items I have wanted most have slipped by me as the auctioneer recited prices higher than I had to spend. Two of the estate sales I attended were for members of the family. Both of them were my great great aunts. At one auction I desperately wanted my aunt's hall tree and secretary desk, but I was happy to walk away with a couple antique mirrors and a kerosene lamp. My other aunt, whom I was very close to as a child, had a carnival glass set I wanted, but again the price was out of my reach. From that auction I left with a handcrafted baby bed my great great uncle had made and a small side table I gave to my mom. 

My aunt had a secretary desk very similar to this one. Can't you see why I would loved to have had it? Imagine the stories this wonderful old desk could tell. The many letters that were written on that small flip front desk. The papers and envelopes that were stored to the left. The whatnot the lady of the house may have sat on the little shelf under the mirror. So many imaginable stories. I hope to one day have one because I still believe in the art of a handwritten letter or card. Ask my friends... they will tell you I still send greetings by snail mail.

This is a hall tree. This definitely is not what the associates at Pier One are trying to sell you as a hall tree. This is a thing of beauty and artisan craftsmanship. This is where the man of the house should hang his hat and sit to remove his worn out work boots. My aunt had two hall trees, both were smaller than this, but just as beautiful.

Another day, another blog, and I will share with readers (when I happen to gain any) the cat turd hunting treasures I have gotten, and of course, explain a little more in detail just what cat turd hunting means.

Today I'd like to focus on antiques I'd love to have, but currently don't have the money to buy. :) I'm not a fan of most mass produced objects. Sure those particle board book shelves from walmart come in handy when you're running out of room, but where's the craftsmanship? Where's the ornate designs to make it one of a kind? In a word, they are boring. Sure at 30.00 bucks you can't beat the price, but they are cheap, fall apart within a few years, and honestly don't look very good. Do I have them? Oh yes I do and as I said they come in handy. I have them, and they work, but that doesn't mean I have to love them.

Take baby furniture for example. I understand safety precautions and updating items for the safety of a child, but does everything need to be plastic with Winnie the Pooh stamped on the side? When I think of plastic I think of all the uneven little surfaces that can catch germs and food. In some ways I am a germaphobe and while I don't have any children yet I still think about how I'd like to decorate my child's room... you know... just in case. Let's a take a look at what lovely child's furniture looks like.

 Are these beautiful strollers very practical? Not really, but could you imagine being the mother who lived in town and took their child to the mercantile in one of these? They are very lovely, but I'm quite sure they aren't going to fold down and fit into the back of a minivan. Still, I would prefer one of these over the plastic monstrosity with cartoon characters plastered all over.

I love baby cradles and these are two of the prettiest I have seen in my short research this morning. They don't look very dangerous to me, and although they would need closer inspection, from the photos themselves I see no reason why I wouldn't allow my baby, again if I had one, to rest in either of these antique cradles. Even a far more primitive design I found largely outweighs the current plastic models in overall style.

High chairs. I  vaguely remember the high chair I had as a baby and it was wooden. The same could be said for my red outdoor porch swing. They were not plastic, they were wooden, and they were lovely. I wish more of my baby furniture had been saved, but I also understand the concept of not keeping things one no longer needs. I still have several of my baby dresses and my rocking chair, which I love, but no longer do I have my crib or high chair. Again, in a house full of people I understand having to let go of things that are no longer needed and not having these items will give me the opportunity to perhaps someday shop for the antique variety. Please understand that pinched fingers are gonna happen with any kind of high chair that has a removable table top. I just happen to prefer mine in a oak, cedar, or maple.

Waterfall bedroom sets. My mamaw had a later model waterfall bedroom set, probably 50's or 60's, but my favorite waterfall sets are more ornate, older. I think it's becoming obvious that I really enjoy the more Victorian style of furniture that is unfortunately really rare. There's just something regal about the waterfall sets. The dresser could double as a woman's vanity. Reproductions cost almost as much as the antiques so if they can mass produce boring dressers why couldn't they reproduce one of the waterfall variety? Just saying...

 

You know what would go perfectly with the waterfall bedroom set? A lovely chifferobe. Before the time of cookie cutter houses, and unimaginable walk-in closets, families relied on furniture for storage. You had a chest of drawers for clothing, chifferobes for undergarments and maybe bed linens, and a dresser for smaller treasures. You didn't have very much clothing so you didn't need a walk-in closet. It was a far more simple time and women didn't need 50 pairs of shoes. Think how desensitized we have become to material belongings. Sometimes I wish that I lived in another era where technology and material things didn't matter so much. To heck with the Kindle... I prefer holding onto a good sturdy book. Would I take a Kindle if it were given to me? Of course, but that Kindle would not stop me from buying real books either. Moving on... here's a very nice chifferobe.

One of the many things that are readily available at most estate sales are steamer trunks. Before mass production of the automobile, or the invention of the airplane, people traveled quite rarely because it took so long to make even the shortest of trips. Think back to when people had to travel to Europe only by ship. The trip would take weeks so when you traveled you had to literally take most of your belongings with you. Even with the invention of the steam engine trips were not taken frequently. Todd and I use a steamer trunk his mom and dad have lent us as our coffee table. It still has some of the original travel stickers on the sides. The inside is dingy and musty, but I absolutely adore it and wouldn't sell it for any amount of money. So even though I have a steamer trunk in use I would love to find one that has all the individual compartments inside. They are much more rare and so very interesting to me. This one was lovingly decorated by the lady that once owned it. Can you just imagine the places she could have seen with this trunk in tow?

Last, but certainly not least, I'd like to introduce two kitchen items that I have always adored. The first is the icebox. Not very practical in today's time with the invention of refrigeration, but they make very lovely accent pieces which can be used for storage. The other is something that only the privileged likely had in their home... the tea cart. I love antique tea pots so it's safe to say that I would like the tea cart to go with them. Imagine the spoiled, silly women eating petit fours and having tea from the cart during their weekly tea luncheons. Perhaps I'm overly romantic because of all the period piece movies I enjoy and the Victorian Literature I was forced to read in college, and then loved despite myself, but I love the idea of girl friends gathering for tea instead of overly cooked food at the local grill. Now tell me that these two items aren't beautiful?

I hope to someday have the means to fill my home with some beautiful finds reminiscent of the items I showcased today. Unfortunately, my style is quite expensive whether I would have to buy the items antique or as a reproduction. Right now I can barely afford the 30.00 particle board bookshelf at walmart, but there's always the lottery. I suppose I should need to buy tickets to win. Now where is that horse drawn sleigh to whisk me off to the convenience store?