Tole Tray Display!

Walls. We all have at least four of 'em. We can paint them and wallpaper them but sometimes they just need a touch of something extra -something that will provide depth and charm, visual interest and intrigue. 

I love displaying collections on my walls - from silver tray arrangements (click here to see my post "Silver Tray Array") to a grouping of mismatched plates to a gallery wall that displays a myriad of pictures and memorabilia. Displaying our collections is a great way to express who we are.

So here's a new idea to spruce up the space between your four corners - a collection of tole trays displayed as wall art!  

It's so fun scouring markets and antique shows for tole trays. Traditional trays were made from thin metal (typically tin) covered in a black coating (originally a mixture of asphalt and shellac) to keep the trays from rusting. Today, you can still find these beauties in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes.

What makes these trays so spectacular, however, are the colorful designs they feature. Most designs were influenced by folk art and depict floral displays or fruit arrangements in perfect pastels, muted hues and everything in between. Some people collect only fruit designs while others collect only trays with pastel coloring. But most people, however, collect the trays that speak to their heart. 


So have fun scouring, then put your trays on display for all to enjoy. 

Happy collecting!

Silver Tray Array!

Hi Friends:

Ok... So before I get started I should come clean about something: I absolutely, positively love silver in all shapes and forms.

From silver candelabras and candlestick holders shined to perfection to gleaming vintage ice and champagne buckets, gorgeous antique cutlery, bud vases and more. I mean how can you pass up a flea market tent or antique show booth that overflows with silver? Well I for one can't.  And needless to say, my home has quite a silver collection. Sterling or plated, I have bits and pieces of it all.



While many people prefer perfectly polished silver, I have a not-so-secret love for the tarnished variety as well. Especially when it comes to trays that many people call ruined. I call them fabulous. I mean just look at this collection of trays that I picked up from markets!

The tarnish! The patina! The character! 

You may be thinking, this girl has gone crazy. But, before you succumb to that thought and click the red "X" in the top left corner (yes, I am a PC user as well), first check out what I did with these beauties.

I live in a modern loft with high ceilings and WAY too much empty wall space. So to quell the overwhelming light gray that surrounds me, I arranged the trays into wall art and hung them near my dining room table.

Hanging the trays was a snap, literally. I used 3M Fasteners with Dual Lock technology. You can find these at any local office supply store; Walgreens and CVS stores tend to have them as well. These fasteners made hanging the trays a breeze and the strips won't harm walls.

So here's the finished array, what do you think? 

Friday Finds!

Welcome to "Georgia's Friday Finds" where we will share with you a few things that have inspired and delighted us during the past week. At Georgia's, we believe in celebrating life by fully living in the moment and, on Fridays, we'll share some of the sights, sounds, tastes and, of course, one-of-a-kind finds that thrill us!

We love this vintage Hungarian server found at the Texas Antiques Week show. The original butter yellow paint is so warm and charming, isn't it?      

This time of year brings us fabulous fall foliage. How about this gorgeous Sugar Maple!

We love our sweet dogs! Meet Ally, a rescue from Paws Chicago. Ally's happy-go-lucky personality brings Nikki and Mark joy every day. This pupster loves to cuddle! 

Johnny, also a rescue, is a lovey, too! He is quite timid, afraid of thunderstorms and loves coffee and tea. There's nothing like the unconditional love that dogs give.

What inspired you this week? Tell us in the comments!

Rack 'em up!

I don't know about you, but I quite literally despise towel racks that are made from chintzy metal.  You know the ones I'm talking about, they are in almost all hardware stores, new construction homes, even old construction homes! Boring. Blah. Not cute!

While I recognize the job of holding up a wet towel is not exactly glamorous, that doesn't mean the rack can't be. Below are two re-purposing ideas for creating unique towel racks with  charm. 

1. Find some old cast iron hooks.
 

I love hooks! Check out this great set that I have hanging in my master bathroom. Not only do they look great, they are so functional.  Forget hanging one wet towel, I can hang eight if I really wanted to (but I don't). Typically I hang two wet towels; but with these hooks, I have room to hang miscellaneous clothing items too! I love it when style meets function.

2. Hang up some old spindles.

You heard me. Old spindles. In my spare bathroom I took a set of old spindles that I found at a local salvage warehouse.  These beauties used to support what I imagine was a beautiful staircase railing. Now they are re-purposed to hold my...say it with me...wet towel. I actually have two types of spindle towel racks in my guest bathroom:  a single and double version.  The single rack hangs next to my sink and holds an embroidered "welcome" hand towel.  The double version holds a guest bath towel and a monogrammed hand towel. To be honest, this option is more style than function.  Though not ideal for long term storage of wet towels, short term hangs should be perfectly fine.

Happy Showering!

One Door’s Past, Present & Future

As many of you know, I am newly married and I used my wedding day as an opportunity to combine my love of all things vintage with my love of repurposing. The culmination was a day I will never forget, and a ton of great repurposing ideas I can share with all of you! 

It’s hard to say what my favorite repurposed item was. But, for the sake of this blog post, I am going with the 100 year quarter sawn oak door that I found at a local salvage warehouse. Man, did that door have character and I fell in love with it immediately. 

After thorough investigation, we determined this relic needed a good cleaning and a little TLC to take care of some light water damage. Georgia’s Crew was up to the task!

We used Formby’s Furniture Refinisher, a fantastic product that allowed our team to easily redistribute the original stain without affecting the patina. After a coat of tung oil we had our result - a fabulous vintage door ready for repurposing.

To me, doors are symbolic. On our special day, we positioned the door front and center as guests entered our wedding ceremony and reception venue. Adorned with a large moss “B” (for Bechtold, my married name), the door welcomed our guests and symbolized the entrance to our future.



Photo Credit: Carasco Photography 

But that’s not the end of the story for this great piece. After our wedding, we brought the door back to our new home: a modern loft with bright white doors, 12 foot ceilings and expansive hardwood floors (except for white carpet in the bedroom - something I would like to change, but that's a topic for another blog). We immediately tore down our white, boring master bedroom door and replaced it with our 100 year old vintage one. The transformation to our condo was immediate. To this day, the new door is not only a great conversation starter, it warms up our condo and brings me such joy when I enter my bedroom each night. We'll take this door with us every place we move because it is something we truly treasure.

Decorative Accessories at Georgia's

Vintage cobalt blue console table 

Georgia's loves mixing the old with the new and blending vintage pieces with modern home furnishings and accessories. To that end, we are continuing to add found, one-of-a-kind items to our inventory and will be making them available to you very soon. In the meantime, take a gander at a few of our favorite finds! I don't know how we are going to part with them!

Silver plate trays ready for repurposing

Vintage hand mirrors - so beautiful hung together

Vintage Sears tool caddy great for the garden

Nikki and I are so excited to share our vision and our finds with you! Tell us how you accessorize and repurpose pieces to create comfort and charm.