Early toll sign

Click photo to enlarge. 

My reproduction of a circa 1800 Turnpike Fare sign. Thin-planed wide pine boards with applied mouldings.        H41" x W25" x D2".     Sold.    

High-back drysink

sold

A high backed drysink that I built out of new pine and painted a distressed and grubby white.  Approximately 48" high x 48"wide x 22"deep. Hand-dovetailed drawer, 2 raised-panel doors with H-hinges and 2 interior shelves. Email for more photos.

Forladt



Forladt

 Something about this painting keeps calling me back today. I hadn't seen it in years, and had never paid it much mind. But this morning I stumbled across it while visiting The Inimitable Phillips and it grabbed me. Sure, I'm immediately drawn to the genre, the lighting, textures, clothing...and of course the technical skill of the artist. Yes, it's a mournful subject, but it's also just crazy-beautiful.

"Forladt" (Abandoned), by Danish painter/illustrator Frants Henningsen 1850-1908

Custom server

sold

A large custom server or cupboard in pine, done to the client's size, style and color specs.  Heavily distressed ivory over light blue paint.  Click to enlarge.

18thC. Italian cupboard...

in poplar, from Axel Vervoordt.

Morning muse

images via appleyhoare and thepapermulberry

What better way to get the creative juices flowing than a morning visit to Appley Hoare?

Blue/gray stepback

Sold

My reproduction of a simple primitive-form pine stepback in heavily distressed and layered blue/gray paint.

Labels

Just a few of the reproduction labels I make now and then. The "Old London Dock" rum label is actually one I made for our own bottle of rum...so you can't have it! The "Mead" label is on a large wavy glass bottle, about 16" tall x 4" diameter, and is $27.

All the bottles in the lower picture have sold, but I will be doing more.  As always, click to enlarge.
Update: To see some of my newer labels, click here .

Bryany Thomasson

Rummaging through a box of old magazine tear-outs, we came across parts of an old article on Bryany Thomasson. Not sure what magazine they were from, or from how long ago, but since she died over 10 years ago we may never know. (Anyone out there know?) At any rate, thought we'd share...sorry for the lousy scans. Click to enlarge.

Industrial Decay

Industrial Decay. Really, what's the point in writing anything about this blog? I used to love visiting there and moaning over all the pictures...for someone like me, honestly, it's almost too much to take in. And for a while I left it alone and almost tried to avoid going there. It's something that I can get lost in for hours, and hours....I'm someone who loves anything that's being 'reclaimed' by the Earth, anything showing the effects of weather, age, and especially when it's something like big, beautiful industrial machinery and spaces. It's everything, the textures, the lighting, the photography. I really recommend visiting there , but make a big pot of coffee first, you may be there a while. I tried to choose a few pictures to give you an idea of what you're in for, but I had to stop myself. It just goes on, and on, and......

Birdcages

After finishing the eggbasket in the last post, I'm thinking that some birdcages may be the next project. Just saw these great pictures from Amanda's blog and now I'm inspired. Check out her blog here.

Wire Egg basket

One of my jobs when I was a kid was 'picking' the eggs. I know, most people call it gathering---we called it picking. My brothers and I would play catch with the eggs on the way back to the house, swing the pail over our heads, throw them as high as we could and try to catch them without breaking them. It's pretty amazing that any of them ever made it back to the house, but I guess we probably knew that the fewer eggs we brought in, the fewer we would have to wash.
Now I really miss having chickens around, and my eye is always drawn to old chicken feeders, coops, egg baskets...so when I saw an old egg basket I decided to try making one. I'm happy enough with the way it turned out, but since it took me the better part of a day to make, I'm not likely to go into full-time production. Just wanted to show how it turned out.

(via)

A picture from Skona Hem, showing a similar basket in Mark & Sally Bailey's Whitecross Farm in England.

Franken-cupboard

sold

This cupboard - or dish dresser- doesn't really have a particular vernacular, since I made it up of parts from several different pieces from different cupboards that I have seen. Part Irish, American, Scottish, and French Canadian and some parts from my head. Though I liked the look of a bank of small spice drawers (typically a Scottish feature) I also know that small drawers can have limited use. For that reason, it is actually 3 drawers, with false fronts to make it appear as if it has 6 smaller ones.
(The paint is actually faded black, but because I had to photograph it outside, the reflected light in the photo makes it appear greenish.) Pine, Hand beaded back boards, raised panel mortise&tenon door, aged H-hinges and square nails, 2 interior shelves in lower case.

ISPhotography





Irene Suchocki

The Face of Earth - Irene Suchocki

via french by design

Screened piesafe

I first saw the original of this screened piesafe at an antiques show as it was being sold. I loved the simple form, size and grubby, worn ivory colour, and since I was too late to buy it decided to do a reproduction.
In hindsight, it should have been photographed with contents inside to show the transparency of the screen panels. Like the original, the sides extend below the case to form the legs, with bootjack cut-outs at the feet. Three interior shelves in alignment with the rails (horizontals) of the door panels. Dark aged, stained and waxed interior. Screen in panels is old, dark and rusty but clean.
Please email for detail photos. H62.75" x W38.25" x D13.25". Click photo to enlarge.  SOLD

...und die Dinge des Lebens...Things of Life

Just enjoyed a lengthy visit to southwest France and Germany, via Karin Jansky's blog La Pouyette. It was time well spent, but don't just take my word for it...see for yourself, here.

Blue Heron

sold

One of Nicole's Blue Heron's, made of muted blue/green linen with primitive 'patched' wings, aged muslin face and button eyes. Stuffed and freestanding on wrapped wire legs, approx 27"tall x 23"long x 6.5"wide.
$60 Cdn. (email for detail pictures.)