Tuesday, August 31, 2010

A Curio Cabinet for Curious Things

The hydrangea arrangement that I recently made has dried and now sits atop the cabinet.
This old curio cabinet belonged to my sweet, sweet Granny.  It was in her living room for as long as I can remember.  It belonged to her mother, so I assume that it was made in the late 1800's.  It was in relatively good shape.  I love the bead board in the back.
Because I have so many dark pieces of furniture in my house, I decided to fill the cabinet with some white bowls and platters and other curious objects.  The huge shell holds a nest that we found while building a tree house.  It was abandoned, so we made some felt eggs for it. 

We used 4 tablespoons of natural dish liquid with 6 cups of hot water.  My daughter dipped a small section of wool roving into the water and formed a ball.  It takes about eight minutes for the fibers to bond tightly, while rolling it around in your hand.  We were making balls for a felt Christmas garland, when we realized that we could use the blue wool to make some pretty eggs.  We then set the balls or eggs aside to dry and harden. 
This cabinet sat in a shed for about five years, so it was very dusty.  I cleaned it and rubbed on some oil for antiques, wiped it with a dry cloth, cleaned the glass, and added a small support bracket to the back of the cabinet.  It now has its home in our foyer.  I will have fond memories of my Granny and of childhood every time I pass it! 

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21 comments :

Emily @ Finding My Aloha said...

This is absolutely gorgeous! So timeless. I lobe that it's a family heirloom... Lucky girl!

Noble Vintage said...

gorgeous! I love how you dressed it.

Hydrangeas are one of my favorites too. You will have to share where you can find wool roving- I have been dying to make those felt ball garlands for our tree too! Love the eggs :)

Anonymous said...

Well,it's been said - gorgeous! How lovely this is! Gorgeous! :)
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

Beautiful cabinet and glad it is being used.

Andrea said...

Love the cabinet! I recently did a post about a corner cabinet I got from my grandmother, and I placed a basket of hydrangeas on top too =)

Christie said...

The wool roving came from Hobby Lobby! I would love to find some robin's egg blue wool!

The Decorative Dreamer said...

Very nice cabinet! I love the contrast of the white against the wood. I especially love those adorable eggs. Thank you so much for showing us how to make them too!

Unknown said...

I love that you left the wood alone. I think that it looks really beautiful that way.

http:froufrugal.blogspot.com

Vanessa said...

The little felt eggs are sweet. I love curio cabinets, wish I had one as a hand-me-down.

I Love Pretty Little Things said...

So Special and Pretty!
And, I love the felt eggs. thanks for the instructions!
Joyce

Terrell said...

Totally loving this!!! Those eggs are precious as well! Thank you oh so much for linking up this sweet creation at the FABULOUS FRIDAY FINDS party today!! I hope your weekend is wonderful!
Hugs,
~Terrell @ Frou Frou Decor~

Susan said...

I love that you did not paint the cabinet. It is so pretty.

Kimberlee, The Spunky Diva said...

I love the cabinet! And those eggs are super cute!
~Kimberlee
www.TheSpunkyDiva.blogspot.com

KimMalk said...

Those eggs are the coolest. I love that you used the big shell for the nest, too.

Sarah said...

Wonderful cabinet and the fact that it has such a long history in your family makes this a super special piece. Great idea to bring in the white objects to lighten the dark wood look. This all looks really nice.
Hope you have a fun holiday weekend. ~ sarah

Cristie said...

How sweet. they look so real. I liked the shell nest, thanks for sharing.

{northern cottage} said...

What a neat mixture of seashell and nest - new combo!! The curio is to be treasured...so nice to be passed along and anything with beadboard is good in my book!

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

I'm so glad that you got your grandmother's curio. It's beautiful, and of course, your treasures inside are so pretty. What a smart idea to make those eggs. Thank you for linking to Favorite Things Sat. laurie

My Dream Canvas said...

This is beautiful!! I m hosting a 50 dollar CSN Giveaway and would love for you to sop by. Thanks Anu!

Lindy said...

I love the nest in the shell with the sweet little eggs. Clever. I've been visiting you for a while....now a follower!

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...

Your cabinet and the treasures inside are beautiful. The little eggs are adorable, I may have to borrow this idea.
xoxo, Sherry

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