Some new projects + my new friend Patricia

I have my hands on a few more pieces to work some magic on! But what makes these items extra special is the story thats behind how they became mine...


I'll introduce you to them first and I'll tell the story afterwards!


First in my new batch of rescued furniture is this 1950s kidney bean shaped dressing table:

 

                         

Next, we've got this 1930s well-loved chest of drawers:

Followed by this little 1950s kitchen chair which is authentically 'Shabby Chic'!!

So now for their story and how they became mine...

One sunny April morning, I was on the train, on my way to work in Aberdeen for the day. It was just a few days before I had to pitch my business idea for Ziggy Sawdust to the Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust so I took the oppertunity to use my travel time to scribble down all my ideas for the pitch and prepare myself for any questions that I might get asked.

The man across from me was curious about what I was writing and he asked me if I was writing a story... I told him that yes, I was writing a story of sorts... a story about how I came up with my business idea and how I hope it's story will continue.

We got chatting all about Ziggy Sawdust, about photography, about family, about art-deco architecture...! We chatted the whole way up to Aberdeen!

The man's name was David and he told me about his sister Patricia, who was due to get her bedroom re-decorated and had a few pieces of furniture that she wanted to get rid off... and it turns out she lives just around the corner from me! He told me how the pieces of furniture had sentimental value and had been passed down from relatives, but Patricia just didn't have the room for them anymore... David was very interested in my ideas for Ziggy Sawdust so he took down my name and number and promised that he would pass on my details to his sister.

A few weeks later my telephone rang and it was Patricia! We both had a laugh at how surreal the situation was... I met her brother on a train and now she might be giving me some furniture! I was delighted to hear from her, the pieces of furniture sounded really lovely.

I went along to Patricia's house a few days later to take a look at the furniture and David happened to be visiting, so he was there too. It was lovely to see him again and I was so grateful that he organised the whole thing. It's amazing where a chat on a train can lead!! 

The kidney bean dresser belonged to David and Patricia's mother and it has lots of nostalgia attached to it.

At the moment is has got a frilly curtain around it and a glass top:

It is a little dated but it has got lots of potential!

I am looking forward to playing with colour and fabric to help bring this piece up to date... 

I love how much history this piece has... I really want to do Patricia proud with it's make-over!

She was also sad to see her chest of drawers go... Their deep drawers are a perfect size and it has been a fixture in her home for many years. 

I love them, but sadly the are not in a resellable condition...

The back panel is missing, top surface is quite badly chipped, the drawers are pretty stiff and one of it's feet fell of in transit! It is definitely not a hopeless case (it's been around for 80 years after all!!) but it the restoration would be a huge project in its self and I would worry that it wouldn't last for years to come.

So, I have instead decided that I will work with the drawers individually. They have lots of character... I love their little lock details!

You may be wondering what on earth I am going to do with loose drawers (...no pun intended!!) but just trust me, I'm a furniture doctor! They will not be drawers once I am finished with them... they will be pieces of furniture in their own right!

I've already started to have a play with them and have popped in some Anthropologie drawer handles to get a feel for how they can be spruced up...

I absolutely love Anthropologie drawer handles and have a bag full of them (30 to be exact!)... 

Only the best for Ziggy Sawdust!!

And my ideas for this little chair? It almost looks as though it has been made to look aged and well loved... but it really has been well loved for years and years! I've got a few ideas up my sleeve to transform this into a lovely chair to accompany the dresser.

I still can't believe that these all ended up in my hands after speaking to a friendly gentleman on a train. I am still in touch with Patricia and she is such a lovely lady- she even came along to the Funk Fair to see my stall! It's amazing where a little conversation can lead... you never know whats around the corner!

My Weekend Treasure Hunt

I spent last weekend in a log cabin in the middle of the Scottish countryside, with my family.


We were staying near a lovely little town called Dunkeld and I just could not resist going for a rummage (and spending a small fortune!) in the unusual shops that the town had to offer.


Here's me braving the coldest May in history, discovering an Antique shop!

I came across another shop called The Little Curio Shop on Dunkeld High Street... and I fell in love with it! The shop was full of unusual pieces from 1950s picnic sets to antique dressers to vintage cake stands. But this really caught my eye:

She's a little lamp stand from the 1920s/1930s...

I'm reading The Great Gatsby at the moment and I can just picture something like this on Miss Daisy's side table!

I'd love to incorporate this pretty lamp stand into a Ziggy Sawdust creation... I'm thinking of keeping her as she is but play with the lamp + shade colours + designs... 

How about mixing colours like these with her pretty rose pink??

image found here

But the shopping didn't stop there!

I rumaged and raked in piles of old records and came out with this lot to transform into retro record clocks:

I found everything from Simple Minds to Elvis, from Michael Jackson to Tears for Fears.

My Favourite discs have to be Wham!'s Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go with it's lilac sticker:

And Roxy Music's Fifth Album Siren which has Jerry Hall as a mermaid on the sticker!

I better get making... soon I'll have more retro record clocks than you can shake a stick at!

Fun at the Funk Fair!

Oh what a lovely day I had on Saturday at Funk Fair in Edinburgh!


It was so nice to get out and about, showcasing what I've been creating + chatting to lovely people!


Here's my little stall:

Ziggy Sawdust at the Funk Fair 12/5/12

Along with my furniture, I was selling redesigned Brick-a-Brack + some colourful Record Clocks.

Watch this space- I'm already planning my future creations!!

Bringing Back... Brick-a-Brack!

Along with my newly redesigned furniture, I'll also be selling some redesigned Brick-a-Brack!

I've got a thing for kitchy-clutter and can't go to a fair, flea market or charity shop without picking up some form of figurine or trinket box!

Here's the latest addition to my personal collection:

Brian + George

But china dogs aren't really Ziggy's thing (even though Diamond Dogs + China Girls are..!)

Instead, I've had some fun sourcing some dusty, vintage home accessories with hidden potential!

Here's the before shot of a few pieces:

And, Do-do-do-dooo! Here's they are in the after shots... fresh + fabulous!

Block coloured to match the furniture (as we can see from them being shown on top of 'Audrey'- the 1950s table!) they are now much more desirable and oh so retro chic!

They'll be up for grabs on Saturday at the Funk Fair at Holy Corner in Edinburgh. Come along!

'Debbie'- 1970s Fur Topped Ottoman

And here's 'Debbie'!... She's definitely got a bit of a wild streak in her!

I decided to go all out and not hold back on the redesign of this 1970s ottoman- white faux-fur, golf leaf + exposed wood triangles and reworked retro legs make this piece sing loud + proud!

Here's the before shot:

I fell in love with the faux-fur top as soon as I set my eyes on it and originally thought that it was in good enough condition to keep it on... but on closer inspection, I realised that it was actually very grubby!

And when I went out and sourced some new fluffy fur, the contrast between the new and the original was quite revolting!!

new vs old... 

So rest assured, 'Debbie' has been fully re-upholstered!

Check out her super glamorous high heels:

 Chalky violet interior:

 and exposed wood + gold leaf triangles!:

And here's a few things which inspired the ottoman's redesign:

pinned here

pinned here

And of course the one and only, Miss Deborah Harry!

With her peroxide top and high-heels, I think the connection is pretty obvious!

'The Supremes'- Set of Vintage Nesting Tables

A lot of love and labour has gone into these but my, was it worth it!!

When I rescued this set of tables, they were in good condition but were coated heavily in layers of varnish... and because of the the shapely, spindly legs on them, I had to sand them by hand!

Here's what they looked like before:

They were very dated and just crying out to be given a second chance in life! And now they shine like the stars they were born to be!!

-colour blocked sides

-stripped, sanded and waxed wood tops

-pretty original engraving

And these were heavily inspired by this image of a fifties inspired interior in Homes + Antiques magazine:

pinned here

and this vintage radio advert from 1958:

pinned here

And seeing as there's three of them, I couldn't resist naming them after retro stars The Supremes!

'Audrey'- 1950s Table

Oh how I love 'Audrey's delicate frame!

She is heavily inspired by her 1950s roots... the fabulous fifties are a big trend in interior design at the moment!

Here's how she looked when I first got a hold of her:

She was pretty but tired, wobbly and not very funky... but she's as good as new and as fresh as a daisy now!!

Looking at vintage adverts:

pinned here

 And 1950s retro interiors inspired my block colour choices:

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And, of course, there is one particular Audrey who became my muse!

pinned here

(This lovely table was actually donated to me by my Aunty Audrey, so there was a bit of name inspiration from her too!)