ClaraE's Profile

Cynthia, you added value and beauty.

Definitely not antique in this or any other generation. The only way to mask a cheap reproduction is with paint, and she did a great job.

This is a fantastic piece. Don't paint it: you'll destroy the patina and character. Instead, try changing the knobs to something that emphasizes the straight lines of the piece, like these:

http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1278231&navCount=1

Finally, purchase a block of marble or granite in black or brown or a color that pulls in both the dark brown of the new knobs and the colors in your dining room. Have it polished and cut to size to top the surface. This will offer a more modern take on a very cool sideboard. Then send us the finished picture! Can't wait to see it. (Keep the old knobs: you never know.)

I have discovered that soaking anything in a bucket of 1 scoop Oxiclean dissolved in hot (boiling water) will get myriad stains out. This worked on my great-grandmother's damask napkins that had been stuffed in a non-climate controlled closet for 30 years. They started out brown and splotchy. After 6 hours of soaking (stirring occasionally with wooden spoon) they were ecru again.

If it's a berry stain, just plain boiling water poured over the spot works wonders.

Massage oil: pour some cornstarch on it and let it sit. You might try turning the item inside out over a paper towel or other absorbent surface and lightly steaming it with your iron to encourage oil transfer. My mom also had good luck with a product called Orange-Glo on greasy stains.

Good luck!

I think you should look for a deep, dark green that is nearly black but not quite . . . something with a lot of depth and gloss. This would work with your roof and existing siding color, but also enhance what you have going in terms of shrubbery.

Another idea for dealing with something that is not your style but prompts too many memories: keep a part of the whole. (i.e. keep a piece of china, but not the whole set). If you use that one item as a vase or catchall in a place where it will be seen, you'll end up remembering and enjoying it much more than you will if it's tucked away in a box as part of a set you'll never use. I liked the idea above of making pillows out of hand towels.
If you take pictures of something that prompts a memory with the goal of getting rid of it, take a few minutes and write a note of why it was special to go with the picture. This will mean much more to you and your family members in the years to come than an item that is kept, but the importance of it never discussed. These stories will tell much more about the person who is gone than the "thing" that is kept.

I love the toile. And I think the fish can be worked with.

When I was about 4, the wallpaper in our bathroom was brown and green and yellow on sort of an ivory color. The really interesting part was that it had line drawings of naked people doing various bathroom-related activities on it. It was semi-scandalous. My mother was horrified by it, especially when my great-grandmother came to visit. She, to her 80 year old credit, thought it was quite funny! I have never forgotten that wallpaper. Therefore, I say keep it for the character it adds.

Tip from a professional organizer:
Make a dedicated space to sort mail each day, incorporating elements of all of the routines mentioned above. I think a mail sorting center should include a recycling bin, a trash can/shredder, an "inbox" for items to deal with, and that person's filing system all in one place. Many people reveal that their number one organizational struggle is dealing with paper, so dealing with it simply during the sorting stage saves decision-making exhaustion later and helps circumvent the paper shuffle (which wastes time, too!)

It is gorgeous. Your post that it is newly refinished makes a big difference in what you should do...I would bet that it will darken naturally with time. I think you have two choices, really. Polish it with tinted wax as above or let it darken and develop its own natural patina with age.

Love the piece! You're lucky!

I love cream of zucchini soup! It's the best. We had it for dinner tonight, actually. My mom recently tried some zucchini bread...it's remarkably like banana bread.

Funny you should post on this...Garrison Keillor said that zucchini were the scourge of country living or something like this.