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Home Decorating

My foyer shelf is done - pic's

cliff_and_joann

12 years ago

We finished our shelf...I got a good match with the brackets to the copper Rail Road hat rack.

I used a combination of copper paint, gold leaf paint,

and hammered brown spray paint. We also painted a gold

bead in the wood to kick it up a notch.

The wood is all reclaimed from my son's church and the mahogny wood that we picket up curbside.

Thanks for the advise on the shelf you've given me.

Les, we tried putting the shelf right up to the mirror

but it looked better with the space.

I'm not sure about the vintage purse? I was thinking about a plant in a nice pot (maybe a copper pot?)

Critiques welcomed...

First a close-up of the hat rack

then the old ugly shelf and clunky brackets.

new shelf and brackets...

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Comments (34)

hlove
12 years ago
Ooh, I love it! I think you did a great job...it reads as one lovely piece, now.
schoolhouse_gw
12 years ago
Very pretty.
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pricklypearcactus
12 years ago
Beautiful! The new shelf looks perfect with the gorgeous vintage hat rack.
Jodi_SoCal
12 years ago
Wow! Love it!

Jodi-
blfenton
12 years ago
All I can say is WOW! It looks amazing.
ghostlyvision
12 years ago
That is just fabulous!
User
12 years ago
Much more appropriate! You two have a great ability to make things more interesting and beautiful.... I believe you could furnish a whole house from thrift stores and have it turn out houzz-worthy!
User
12 years ago
That is REALLY nicely done. I would keep the purse (it's in kepping with the hat rack, mirror and shelf) and replace the candle with something taller. Well done.
maddielee
12 years ago
Looks great! But I had no doubt you would so a wonderful job.

ML
mustangs81
12 years ago
Really works well with the other components of the grouping. Nice job!
Irish2
12 years ago
Looks great! I always enjoy seeing all your projects...TFS
upa_lazy_river
12 years ago
perfect!
PRO
Diane Smith at Walter E. Smithe Furniture
12 years ago
Even the view in the mirror is beautiful!
Sujafr
12 years ago
Your attention to the details is amazing, and the results really make it all look so well-done. It's heartwarming to see such rich craftmanship.
catkin
12 years ago
Very nice! Love the patina on the metal!
nancybee_2010
12 years ago
That is so nice! I think the purse is just perfect there. I always love seeing pics of your home.
loribee
12 years ago
Beautiful...great details! The purse is just perfect by itself. :)
Oakley
12 years ago
The purse is perfect there. It's actually in a proper place for it. lol.

I showed my DH the picture and we're going to try to do something similar in our entryway. We just need to find the perfect rack.

Good job as always!
cliff_and_joann
Original Author
12 years ago
Gee ladies, thanks so much with the nice compliments.
I did worry that the brackets would look skimpy.
But, even my head woodworker (who was dubious about the iron brackets) gave me a kiss, and said
that I was right -- the brackets look good and tie in nicely with the RR rack.

Oakey, The RR hat rack had been in my Dad's garage for ages (since I was a little kid) and that's a long time ago.

The beveled mirror I bought at a yard sale for 10.00
about 25 years ago. It was blue in the center and the outside wood was stained dark. I was lucky that it fit so snugly inside the RR rack.I painted the inside of the mirror blue,
and bronzed the dark stained wood.

Javachick, I took your advise and put my little drangon fly
pot on the shelf and it looks so nice. I took a pic
but Photobucket is having some issues today, maybe I'll get to post it later.

Thank you all again, I'm delighted with the look, it's
bright, crisp and clean. :) Joann
deeinohio
12 years ago
It is absolutely beautiful. I have a beautiful vintage gold chain purse I used to have on a table, and I added a pair of long dress gloves next to it. You might try something like that, or maybe even a pair of opera glasses, if you could find them at a yard sale.

But, as usual, your projects are creative and gorgeous.
Dee
cliff_and_joann
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks Dee, I added our skeleten key that used to open
the door of our summer place, It has sentimental value
to us.
I bought two vintage purses on ebay, one for me and one for our daughter, she picked the one with the man pushing
a woman on a swing and I kept the dancing pair (which I like better :)
I asked her where she put hers, and she said in her drawer
(she really uses her purse, as she goes to many black tie affairs, and always wears black, and it's the only dress purse that fits a cell phone and other stuff.

here is the photo I took this morning with the dragon
fly pot and eucalyptus...should I cut down the euchalyptus
a little? ...and do you like it better than the candle?
deeinohio
12 years ago
Love the pottery. Not so much the eucalyptus, but then, I've never been a fan of eucalyptus, particularly variegated. I think it detracts from the beauty of the purse. Maybe some snake grass or lavender?
ladeeda
12 years ago
Love the new shelf. It looks likes one piece. Great job! By the way, I have a purse like yours - I need to get it out and check the scene again - it may be the swing one. Lovely displayed with the key...Marann
enduring
12 years ago
Beautiful job. You're going to have so much fun making all those decisions on what should go on that cute shelf...how tall, how wide, what color...?
les917
12 years ago
Nicely done! It looks like it was always meant to be one piece.

I think the purse and key are charming, evocative of another era. I like the idea of a taller floral piece there, but the eucalyptus in the dragonfly vase, while charming, feels very contemporary. IMO, you need something more floral and romantic to go with everything else. Creamy white roses and some soft tall pieces of grass in a pretty cut glass vase would be romantic enough to go with the purse and key, and the scrolling metals.
User
12 years ago
I love it, but then I knew I would. You two are amazing!
tinker_2006
12 years ago
Love it, it looks GREAT!!!!!!!
cliff_and_joann
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks ladies, You've all been so helpful. I tend to overdo
things, and also know that I have too many little things on display.
You were right about the
dragonfly pot Les, of course I didn't 'see' it until you pointed it out.

Ok, so I went into my stash of stuff in my curios and came
up with this...(the flowers are from other arrangements)
Both these things are memoribilia, antiques
that belonged to my Mother-in-law...a three stem vase,
and a copper topped glass antique ring box.
I think the ring holder looks nice with the purse and key,
keeping in the era, but, did I break the rules having
four things on display?
All you Ladies have been great, thanks for all the imput
and advise...
I have a few lennox vases if you think this one is too much?
msrose
12 years ago
Joann - Can you tell me what kind of camera you have? Your pictures are always so pretty (although it may just be that the subject matter is always so pretty).

Laurie
cliff_and_joann
Original Author
12 years ago
Laurie - I have an olympus 720 - 10 x optical zoom.
I loved this camera so much that I upgraded to an
olympus 750 - 18 x optical zoom.
I like the 720 so much better than the 750, as it takes much nicer photos, sharp and clear.
Unfortunately, the 720 is no longer made :(
nancybee_2010
12 years ago
joann, I don't think you should criticize yourself for having too many things! Your look is layered and it's every bit as nice as decor with less things.

Everything you do looks so pretty and you are such a sweetie.
anele_gw
12 years ago
I love it, as always. Very inspiring!
busybee3
12 years ago
love the hatrack, mirror and shelf and how they look together! well done!
(what do you mean when you say you painted the inside of the mirror blue?)
i am not crazy about either of the floral arrangements on the shelf---keep trying, because i think the 'right' one would look great! (i do think tall and slender in a simple, elegant lenox vase would be nice! the white vase reminds me of a tooth and it's roots...lol!)
gsciencechick
12 years ago
Just gorgeous! I really like the three-legged vase with it.

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