Handmade Desk Tidy

Just a little something I found at the market, took home, cleaned up, waxed, and put back on the stall for sale.  It's a sweet little handmade desk tidy that looks great sitting on top of the striped desk.  It was in good shape when I found it but the wood was watermarked and dirty, so a quick clean down with some lightly soaped water and fine steel wool was all it needed.  Once cleaned, I just popped a coat of 'Fiddes Light' wax on it and buffed to a sheen.  

All the best,

Wendy  x...

Recently Acquired...

I've been slowly building up a small collection of black and white line drawings and prints.  A theme of sorts has been emerging {scenes from the late 18 or early 19c, mainly of street towns or rural landscapes} but this little print caught my eye on a visit to 'Aberdeen Antiques Centre'.    My first visit, and a thoroughly enjoyable one.  Incidentally, you'll see that the centre is housed in a railway arch.  The sound of trains passing over the arch is pretty enjoyable, and, if like me, it's a sound you enjoy...it make's for a pretty relaxing browsing experience!

Back to the print...It's a handsome little print which sit's very well with the others I've collected.  Aside from this, it was gloriously priced!  The wee framer's sticker on the back was charming:  'H. R. Wiseman, The Handcraft Shop, Dufftown'...and the print itself by an artist called Joan Hassall.  All in all, a great little find for me, and really enjoyable researching the artist beyond the Wiki page!

Have a great day...and happy hunting!

Wendy  x...

Victorian Tilt Top Table...

So, last weekend at the market I stumbled across this table {Actually, I literally almost fell over it on the way in...seriously!} and couldn't pass it up on account of the stunning legs on it. It looked pretty much like solid mahogany but looked pretty horrific in its current state, and it was clear something wasn't quite right with the top fixings. However, I scooped it up anyway. 

So having done some research on the piece, I discovered the base was, as suspected, solid mahogany...the castors {although rusted and badly worn} porcelain, and the top itself, at one point would have been mahogany veneer. All that remains of the veneer are a couple of strips on the underside. Sadly, whoever had it last, must have opted to peel of the veneer {perhaps it was damaged} and do a d.i.y fix with some gloopy varnish stain of some sort...yuk!

The piece is really a Victorian Mahogany Tilt Top. They were mostly used in entrance hallway's and the whole top could be unclipped and folded to the side for ease of storage...though sadly, this mechanism has also been lost....So, what to do with it now is the question I'm pondering but I think it's definitely a restoration rather than a paint project!

Enjoy your day....

Wendy  x...

Finally Finished....

And finally, some photo's of "what I call" the 'two over three' chest {though not strictly correct!}. When I get some space it'll be making it's way to the market. Plenty of storage in that 'bad boy'! I'll be switching out the little black tassle for a wine coloured one {or 'cassis', as the suppliers call it}.  Sadly, I don't think my photographic skills show the colours in their best light or the sheen from the wax but in the flesh, the contrast between the two different grays and the texture of the sanded chalk paint looks fab.  If you're nearby pop in and take a look.

Have a fantastic day,

Wendy  x...