Back to school vintage style!

Why not go back to school in vintage style or spruce up your home office ?

We have some beautiful Italian leather desk accessories at Mrs. Nicholson Home this week!

We’re featuring a few letter holders and a lovely desk set which includes a beautiful letter opener with a tortoiseshell blade, two glass inkwells and a calendar.

The two darling pieces meant for cigarettes and  matches could easily hold paper clips and tacks – or treasures.

And a delightful frame for a picture of your adored one you can dream over when the workload gets too heavy !

Vintage Italian leather desk accessories: Picture frame: $95, tray with glass bottles and letter opener $125), blotter ($45), notepad ($30). This whole matching set together ($250) Cigarette and matching matches set ($40), gilded letter holder and blotter set ($100), fleur de lys card box ($35),  little round box with watered silk lining ($25) Column lamps ($175/pair)  Silver pencil set ($175) Mont Blanc pen with ink ($150) Florentine letter holder ($35)

Vintage Italian leather desk accessories:
Picture frame: $95, tray with glass bottles and letter opener $125), blotter ($45), notepad ($30).
This whole matching set together ($250)
Cigarette and matching matches set ($40), gilded letter holder and blotter set ($100), fleur de lys card box ($35),
little round box with watered silk lining ($25)
Column lamps (SOLD)
Silver pencil set ($175)
Mont Blanc pen with ink ($150)
Florentine letter holder ($35)

Cochrane camp lamp and candlesticks

Did you make this ?

Home made camp lamp with candleholders ($145).

Home made camp lamp with candleholders SOLD.

Jane and I would love to find the siblings who made this lamp for “Mum and Mike”.

Isn’t it fabulous ?

On the back is written in black ink:

Made by Calvin, Marion and Gerald Cochrane. March 8/78. For Mum and Mike.

The fireplace lights up and the little fireplace tools are too cute. These three did a great job.

Jane and I have made up a whole story about this lamp! They must have used the panelling from the basement rec. room renovation. And I would say that Mike is the stepfather, though Jane thinks perhaps a younger sibling.

Wouldn’t we love for Marion, Calvin or Gerald to come in the store and tell us the real story!

Flower arranging with Lorraine Beswick

An appreciative group of people turned out on this sunny Thursday morning to watch and learn from Lorraine Beswick as she made our weekly bouquet for the store.

Attentive listeners learned about form, movement, colour and use of unexpected plant materials (among other things) to make an outstanding bouquet.

Lorraine giving her talk on flower arranging.

Lorraine giving her talk on flower arranging.

The finished bouquet

The finished bouquet

 

 

Arts Unleashed: upcoming events at MNH!

Jane gave her talk on vintage fabric this afternoon to a small but interested group of people.

Tomorrow, our wonderful florist, Lorraine Beswick, will be here at 11:30 to give a demonstration on flower arranging.

And on Friday the 23rd, I will give a demonstration on needlepoint techniques at 2 pm and you can come down and try some stitches.

Below is Jane during her talk this afternoon.

Hope to see you down at MNH here in Annapolis Royal.

 

Jane talking about 1950s atomic barkcloth.

Jane talking about 1950s atomic barkcloth.

Explaining vintage fabric design!

Tomorrow, Wednesday August 21st at 2pm at Mrs. Nicholson Home, I will be giving a free talk about vintage fabric, discussing how architecture, technology, isolationism and the movies influenced North American fabric design.

The emphasis will be on barkcloth – my favourite fabric!

Here I am holding a piece of 1930s “columnar” barkcloth (the mauve fabric) and a piece of 1950s “Oriental” barkcloth (the green). In between, on the screen, is a  1940s “tropical” pattern in vibrant yellow and red on a grey background.

Hope to see you!

 

Holding up some vintage barkcloth pieces in front of a three-panelled screen with vintage barkcloth as well.

Holding up some vintage barkcloth pieces in front of a three-panelled screen with vintage barkcloth as well.

 

 

Paint the Town and Arts Unleashed!

WOW! If you only come to Annapolis Royal one weekend this year, this is the one!

This weekend kicks off an eight-day arts festival called “Arts Unleashed!” from August 17-25.

It begins with our famous Paint the Town weekend. Artists from all over come and paint our town. Runners pick up their finished paintings and set them up at the Legion where you can bid – until 5 pm – on your favourite piece. And it all begins again on the Sunday.

From then on, every day till the 25th,  there are events.

Here at Mrs. Nicholson Home we are putting on three!

On Wednesday the 21st at 2 pm, Jane will give a talk on vintage fabric design showcasing some barkcloth pieces and tablecloths and explaining how economics impacted fabric design.

On Thursday the 22nd at 11:30, our florist, Lorraine Beswick, will demonstrate how she puts together a bouquet.

On Friday the 23rd at 2 pm, I will give a demonstration of needlepoint techniques and you can try your hand at a few stitches. We have quite a few lovely vintage needlepoints in the store and needlepoint is still a wonderful, relaxing hobby.

The festival ends with an amazing show at King’s Theatre called “Dancing in the Third Act” which features 12 seniors and a celebrated choreographer, Randy Glynn. This show will be at King’s on the 23rd, 24th and 25th.

The weather is going to be perfect and the Town is ready to host you!

For more information, check out : artsunleashed.wordpress.com

See you here!

Welcome to Paint Town

Welcome to Paint Town!

Vanity chair transformation

Our second transformation this week was with a vanity chair.

It came to us like this:

Vanity chair as it came to us.

Vanity chair as it came to us.

So, first step: to clean the chrome and then spray-paint it.

Here I am ready to paint – at least for the second coat. I hadn’t realized how windy it was outside and when I put on the first coat, I ended up with green paint in my white hair ! Not a good look. So for the second coat, I was better prepared.

Christine geard up for the second coat of green paint.

Christine geard up for the second coat of green paint.

The choice of fabric was made. A beautiful piece of barkcloth called “Saison Happily Married Fabrics” from the 40s or 50s with a great bird of paradise sitting on big tropical leaves and lovely red flowers.

Jane remade the cushion and here is the transformed little vanity chair !

Now so sweet to perch on.

The finished vanity chair ($65)

The finished vanity chair ($65)

 

Glo-Hill “gourmates”

Today, I’m fascinated by the Canadian story of the Glo-Hill Corporation.

The three Globus brothers (of Belgian origin), along with their brother-in-law Harry Hill, together became  the Glo-Hill Corporation in Montreal in 1946. The Globus brothers originally made beautiful carving sets and cutlery but they became very well known for their exquisite designs of chrome holloware home entertaining pieces.

They imported bakelite and glass from down the Eastern Seaboard to adorn their many serving pieces. The company ceased to exist in the 1970s.

Glo-Hill pieces: butter dish ($35), sugar and creamer ($35, two-tiered server ($40), covered vegetable dish with divided glass insert ($45).

Glo-Hill pieces: butter dish SOLD, sugar and creamer (SOLD),
two-tiered server (SOLD), covered vegetable dish with divided glass insert SOLD).

Transforming the “Cinderella” bits

My sister Jane is fabulous at transformation.

One of the reasons she really wanted to have this store was to save the “Cinderella” bits – as she calls them – and to make them beautiful again.

A great example is the pair of twig tables we bought for the store.

They were in great shape but dirty and had very worn fabric-covered tops.

Twig table before transformation.

Twig table before transformation.

The tables were first cleaned and then Jane chiseled off (really !) the worn fabric.

She chose a lovely vintage barkcloth piece to complement the wood, added some vintage trim and…. voila!

Twig table after cleaning and new vintage barkcloth top with vintage trim.

Twig table after cleaning and new vintage barkcloth top with vintage trim.

We have two of these and we paired them with fabulous chalk-ware lamps.

What a difference.

Cinderella can dance again!

Pair of Mi'kmaq twig tables with "new" vintage barkcloth tops ($275 - pair). Lovely pair of vintage chalk ware lamps with new shades. Original wiring ($225 - pair).

Pair of Mi’kmaq twig tables with “new” vintage barkcloth tops ($275 – pair).
Lovely pair of vintage chalk ware lamps with new shades. Original wiring ($225 – pair).