The Magic of Majolica

I knew nothing about the pottery pitcher shaped like a fish when I first spotted it 20 years ago at an antiques auction.
My husband and I had just purchased a dilapidated 1926 bungalow that we were renovating, and I was looking for some inexpensive antique fixtures to replace the modern ones installed by the previous owners. The ad for the auction promised a working 1920s Chambers stove and a claw-foot bathtub.
As I perused the goodies up for bid, the fish pitcher caught my eye and I was captivated by the pastel colors of the piece -- the pink, gray and turquoise hues -- as well as the detail of the design.
Judging from the crazing, the piece was old. I had no idea how old. I just fell in love with it and decided to bid, hoping it wouldn't go out of my price range.
It didn't. I won the pitcher for $15, knowing it would soon occupy a place of honor on my antique pine stepback cupboard.
Later, while glancing through a book on antiques, I spotted an identical fish pitcher and was surprised to learn I owned a piece of Victorian majolica pottery. That began a 20-year preoccupation with majolica and an extensive collection that's taken over my living room.
Potter Herbert Minton first introduced majolica at London's Crystal Palace Exhibition in 1851. Minton designed the pottery and chemist Leon Arnoux developed the glazing process.
The pottery was an instant hit with Victorians who were fascinated by nature and loved the subjects of the pottery -- leaves, seashells, fish, birds, flowers, fruit.
Majolica is a porous eathernware fired at a low temperature, giving it a light yellow color. The pottery is then painted with glazes made from tin or lead. Then it is re-fired.
The lustrous glaze and soft colors made the pottery especially appealing. Soon, potters throughout Europe and across the pond in the United States were following Minton's example and producing majolica pieces.
The potters were extremely creative in their designs, turning corn cobs into pitchers and cauliflower florets into teapots.
Some of the more rare examples and pieces by the more coveted makers, like Minton, fetch thousands of dollars today.
However, you still can purchase some beautiful majolica leaf plates for as little as $30 on ebay.
Just be careful. There are quite a few reproductions being made. It's easy to tell the real McCoy, however. The new majolica just hasn't been able to duplicate the richness of color of the original pieces.
That's not to say you shouldn't purchase reproductions. I bought a beautiful reproduction cheese keeper for a song, knowing I'd never be able to afford the real thing.
Don't pass up chipped pieces if they are reasonably priced, either. They can be professionally repaired, and majolica is one of the few antiques that aren't greatly devalued if repaired.

Make your own make-dos

Early Americans were the ultimate recyclers.
They didn't live in a world of conspicuous consumption like we do today. Instead, their belongings tended to be meager and they prized what little they owned.
Nevertheless, periodically a vase or candlestick would break. Rather than throw the item away, however, our ancestors would transform the unbroken base into useful items such as a pin cushion.
That's the origin of what antique dealers call "make-do." These cleverly recycled items are now coveted for their folk art appeal and sell for hundreds of dollars.
I began making my own make-dos after purchasing a homemade make-do on ebay. I decided to try replicating it using an old cutter quilt, the strawberry needle sharpener from an old tomato-shaped pin cushion, and assorted vintage buttons and bric-brac. I liked the result so much, I began making make-dos as gifts for family and friends. They don't take a lot of work. Just use your imagination, vintage fabric and any cast-offs you find laying around the house.

Old-World Walls

If you like the look of the Old-World, time-worn walls you see in English cottages and Italian villas, you'll love this trick.
It's easy and fun. And I just love the unplanned textures that result from this method.
Just purchase a bucket of spackling plaster, the kind you use to repair drywall. Take a trowel and spread the spackle over your walls in various directions. Don't be neat. You can leave streaks, air pockets and lumps to add character. You don't need to cover every bit of surface, either, just enough to give it a rough texture.
Next, choose a favorite paint color and either water it down or mix it with a glaze to dilute it. I've used both water and glaze, and, as far as I'm concerned, you can save your money on the glaze.
Then simply wipe the paint over the wall with an old rag. The paint will adhere to the plaster and give the wall varying colors and textures.
It takes just two days to complete a small room -- one day to spackle and the next day to wash with color. It's actually less tedious than painting with a brush where perfection is the preference. With this method, drips and "vacations" are perfectly acceptable. In fact, they add to that Old-World appearance.

Custom sewn is a cinch

While my mother was teaching my older sister how to sew, I was way too busy playing kickball with the boys in the neighborhood.
I realized my error years later. I coveted my relatives' ability to whip up a pillow, curtains or tablecloth on the sewing machine at a whim, and was determined to acquire the ability, even if I had to teach myself.
And I did. I purchased a used Brothers sewing machine and, after trial and error, figured out how to thread a spool and needle. I can now sew a straight hem. That's pretty much the limit to my sewing abilities but I've found you can do a lot if you can sew a hem. You can make pillows, curtains, cushions, tablecloths, napkins, even chair and sofa covers.
I've made curtains out of tablecloths, antique fabric remnants, sheets and lengths of leftover yardage on sale at the fabric store. With my little hand-me-down sewing machine, I've adorned them with trims, lace and funky chenille balls. I've made curtains to cover unsightly glass shower doors, to spruce up louvered closet doors and shade massive sliding-glass doors.
My upstairs guest bathroom curtain is actually half of a round tablecloth I purchased at Big Lots that coordinated with the shower curtain. I simply cut it in half, hemmed the trimmed edge and tacked it to the wall with decorative tacks. I used the leftover half of the tablecloth to create a cushion for the wrought-iron vanity chair in the bathroom.
My guest bedroom features a cacophony of vintage fabrics in a variety of colors. I truly have no color scheme in this room. I simply mix and match vintage fabrics of all hues and patterns. My guest bedroom curtain consists of a strip of vintage barkcloth, part of a long tattered curtain purchased at a yard sale. Forming a ruffle beneath it is a piece of red-and-white checked vintage tablecloth.
My guest bathroom louvered door is covered in a black toile fabric, purchased at Wal-Mart for $1.96 a yard, and a black-and-white checked napkin. I left the fringe on the napkin showing and simply attached the black toile beneath. Then I gathered the curtain on a simple pressure rod. You can push it aside to open the louvered door of the little-used storage closet.
For the master bedroom, I used strips of contrasting material to anchor and lift the curtain, giving it a pouffed look.
All of this was accomplished with just simple sewing basics anyone can teach herself.

Stainless steel transformation

Our house came with an old 1980s Frigidaire refrigerator and dishwasher in the ivory color so popular to the decade.
The look was very outdated. Unfortunately, Frigidaire made some hardy products. They still worked perfectly well and, with so many other home improvement needs, we couldn't justify the expense of buying new appliances.
I was perusing the goodies at the Home Depot one day when I spotted a stainless steel paint made especially for outdated appliances like mine. The instructions said I could transform my mundane appliances into gleaming stainless steel appliances with no more than a paintbrush, sandpaper and coat of polyurethane.
The paint kit wasn't cheap -- $25. But compared to the price of new appliances, it was a bargain. I decided to give it a try.
After thoroughly cleaning my appliances, I gave them a light sanding as instructed so the paint would adhere. The instructions suggested using a small roller to apply the oil based paint. I used a crafts paint brush to paint the handle and the tight spots in between the refrigerator door and the seal.
After the first coat had been applied, I was dismayed at the results. The paint didn't begin the cover the old ivory appliance. I re-read the instructions, which assured me it would take another coat to thoroughly cover the old refrigerator and dishwasher. Someone lied. It actually took three coats and an entire weekend of work because the oil-based paint needed to dry in between.
But once all three coats were on, followed by a coat of polyurethane to seal the paint, I had the look of stainless steel appliances. Just don't look too closely or you can tell they've been painted.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd rate the product about a 7 for ease of application and effectiveness. Frankly, I'd rather have the real stainless steel appliances.

Made in the shade

To me, there's nothing more boring than a plain lamp shade.
I view lamp shades as one more opportunity to emphasize the theme of a room, provide color and texture and add one more decorative element.
It's easy to "accessorize" a lamp shade with a ribbon rose, antique jewels or milliner's flowers, lace, ruffled trim, beads, decoupage, you name it. Let your imagination go wild.
Shades are fairly cheap, especially the way I buy them -- at yard sales and thrift shops. Don't be afraid to spruce up a shade with a coat of paint or some stencils. Even cloth shades can be painted.
My favorite technique is to cover a lampshade with a fabric remnant, usually purchased from the remnant bin at the fabric store.
Just paint the shade with a mixture of white glue and water, wrap the fabric around it and fold it over at the edge. Use a little glue to seal the edge. Then use scissors to trim excess fabric from the top and bottom of the shade. Camouflage the edges by gluing on ribbon, lace, ruffles, an antique beaded necklace, etc...
My husband's office has a hunting and fishing theme so I took an old metal bait bucket, set a lamp inside it and then decoupaged a lampshade with antique colored engravings of fish I'd copied from the Internet. I finished it off by displaying some of his antique lures on the shade.

Open the door to a whole new look in cabinets

As I discussed in my first post, one of the things I disliked about our home when we purchased it were the outdated 1980s European-style cabinets in the kitchen and three bathrooms.
You've seen the kind of cabinets I'm talking about. Mine were ivory laminate with a strip of inset oak wood at the top used to open the drawers and cabinets, instead of hardware. They just didn't fit in with the traditional look I was after. But, with a limited budget for home renovations, replacing or refacing the cabinetry wasn't an option in the near future. I either had to live with the outdated cabinets or try to disguise them.
My remedy proved to be an easy one, requiring only a few feet of decorative trim from Home Depot, some antique hardware purchased at a yard sale and a bit of paint.
For the master and upstairs bathrooms, which have a more formal look, I chose a decorative rope trim approximately the width of the oak trim. I used a hand saw to cut the trim the length of each cabinet door and drawer. I then attached the trim directly on top of the oak pulls, first with wood glue and then with finishing nails to secure the pieces. I then sanded the laminate and painted it and the trim with an ivory paint. To give it an aged appearance, I painted over the entire surface again with a dark brown watered-down paint that I then wiped off, leaving the dark paint in the grooves of the trim. Next, I measured and drilled holes in the cabinet drawers and doors for the antique hardware I'd purchased, and installed the new decorative pulls. With new "old-fashioned" faucets installed with the help of my husband, the result was even better than I expected. No one looking at the cabinetry could tell it camouflaged ugly European cabinets.
For the downstairs guest bathroom off the family room, which has a more casual decor, I chose to frame the cabinet doors and drawer with plain, flat 1-inch-wide wood pieces. And since the pieces were unadorned, I didn't even have to worry about cutting them at 45-degree angles.
Because the wood pieces were wider than the inset oak pulls, I couldn't nail them directly on top of the oak so I glued and nailed them just below the old oak pulls. I then disguised the old pulls by painted it the same ivory as the rest of the cabinet and antiquing it with a darker paint. You can still see the indentations of the oak pulls, but they're hardly noticeable.
I liked the look so much, I plan to do the same for my kitchen cabinets. It'll be a lot more work but the result and savings will be worth it.

Instant Masterpiece

Can't afford original paintings? Here's an easy trick I use to create instant masterpieces.
My father-in-law's neighbor gave him a bunch of Sotheby's and Christie's auction catalogs, which he promptly bestowed on me, knowing how much I love art.
I cut out photos of masterpieces I liked and then found frames at Goodwill to fit them. Next, I glued the prints onto the glass with a glue stick.
Here's where the creativity comes in. I added brush strokes to the prints, turning them into paintings, with the help of a small can of polyurethane. I've included some photos below.

In the 1800s, sailors often spent long, loney months on the seas searching for the big catch or hauling goods from one coast to the next. To pass the time, they'd create what are now a coveted antique collectible, sailors valentines. They'd use assorted decorative shells to decorate old cigar boxes or arrange them in frames in intricate patterns. The natives on the island of Barbados also made the shell items to sell to sailors as souvenirs for their loved ones.
I began collecting seashells on vacations to Sanibel Island, Fla., the seashell mecca of the world, and fell in love with the natural beauty and hues of these jewels of the sea. But it wasn't until I uncovered my first sailors' valentine at a yard sale in Seminole Heights, a Tampa neighborhood, that I realized how magnificent they were put together to form symmetrical patterns. The work involved in some of these valentines is absolutely incredible.
This led me to begin creating my own sailors' valentines as well as a popular 20th-century variation -- using seashells to create crucifixes and holy water fonts. I tried various types of glue, a glue gun, even clay and spackling to attach the shells. But, frankly, the best adhesive I've found is plain old Elmer's glue. Creating the decorative boxes and other items has become my therapy. In the tradition of the sailors, I now incorporate accessories, such as an antique velvet heart, an antique ceramic mermaid, faux pearls from an antique necklance with a broken clasp, a cameo pin with a broken clasp.
I find both the boxes and shells at yard sales and thrift stores, paying no more than $2. I was thrilled yesterday to discover a huge bag of shells for sale at the Lighthouse Ministry for the Blind thrift shop yesterday for just $2. I had a cigar box I'd purchased at a yard sale for 50 cents that was just begging for shells. I also buy old shell necklaces to use because the small similarly sized shells are ideal for making patterns on sailors' valentines or filling in between the larger shells. I once snagged a plant hanger made entirely of shells at a yard sale for 25 cents.
After seeing a similar project in a home-decorating magazine, I began my most ambitious shell project -- encrusting an old chandelier with shells. I had hung a metal chandelier (yes, purchased at a yard sale) in my master bathroom and decorated it with crystals and antique beads. But it still lacked a certain panache. So I decided to turn it into a shell project. I used the spackling I use to antique my walls to adhere the shells to the chandelier while it was still hanging. Once dried, I painted the entire chandelier with Elmer's glue and then sprayed it with polyurethane. I haven't lost a single shell, but if I did I'd simply spackle and glue it back on.
I completed the chandelier by recovering the shades in an old-fashioned barkcloth material to match new curtains and trimming them with a piece of antique lace. I sewed a cord cover for the chandelier chain and attached it with Velcro strips.
I was pretty pleased with the result, if I do say so myself.

Ugly European cabinets? No problem

We bought our house in 1996 because we loved its traditional two-story style, the fact that it backed up to a 200 acre conservation tract along the Alafia River and details like the oak staircase, balconied library, fireplaces in the family room and master bedroom and huge swimming pool.
Its attributes far outweighed its deficits like its outdated 1980s European cabinetry. I knew it was going to be awhile before we could afford to have the cabinets replaced or refaced but I didn't know how I was going to stand living with these modern cabinets in an otherwise traditional home.
A yard sale provided the answer. Someone was selling a length of rope wood trim for a couple of dollars. What the heck, I said to myself, and I purchased the trim. A couple of months later, at another yard sale, someone was selling some antique drawer pulls for a few bucks. They were gorgeous. I bought those as well. I was ready to begin my experiment with the guest bathroom.
I sanded the ivory laminate cabinets and then borrowed my husband's scroll saw to cut the wood trim the length of the two cabinet doors. I used wood glue to glue them just beneath the oak pull insets of the European cabinet pulls and then tacked them into place with nails. Next I painted the entire cabinet with an ivory paint and, when it was dry, wiped it with a watered-down black paint and wiped off the excess so just touches of the black paint remained in the grooves. I finished it off by drilling holed in the laminate for the antique cabinet pulls I'd painted black and then inserting them into the holes. It completely disguised the European cabinetry. Now, all I had to do was talk my husband into installing the black faucets I'd purchased on sale from Home Depot for $79 to complete the look.
But it still wasn't quite right. There was still that plain mirror hanging above the sink with the stainless steel trim. And, surely, I could do something with that brass light fixture hanging above the mirror.
I purchased an anondized black paint the same color as the faucet and painted the light fixture so it would match. I then decorated it with strings of antique pearl and black beads. Then, I actually found the same rope trim at Home Depot and cut it at a 45-degree angle to create a picture frame around the mirror, which I simple painted the same ivory and stained with black and then glued to the mirror with a heavy-duty glue. It's been up for two years and hasn't shown any signs of falling.
I decided I didn't like the louvered closet door in the bathroom so I sewed a curtain in a black checked and black toile material and hung it over the closet door with a pressure rod. I used the same materials for a shower curtain, window curtain and cushion for the vanity seat. With some leftover scraps, I decorated some white towels.
The walls were a happy accident. I had purchased a black toilet-tissue holder and towel rack at Marshall's. When I tore the existing ceramic tissue and towel holders out of the wall, they left gaping holes that had to be filled with spackle. I liked the rustic, Mediterranean look from spackling the holes and decided to try spackling the rest of the walls. I then painted them with a light gray wash, and the spackle caused variations in the paint that made the walls look ancient.
Accents, such as a couple of 1700s black and white engravings and a scientific study of pearls, purchased at yard sales, completed the look.

So, You've Got Taste But No Money

I'm in the same boat. A lot of people have boarded the S.S. Minusmoola since the recession hit. It doesn't mean you have to live in a state of abject poverty just because you lack the funds to buy the amenities you once enjoyed. It just means you have to get a little more creative.
I got the idea for this blog because people kept remarking on my ability to do so much with so little. I'm frugal but I like to dress well and have a home that's tasteful and well-decorated.
I'm a journalist by occupation but I'm a closet interior decorator, art collector, antiques lover, crafter, fashionista and gardener in my spare time.
I love perusing home-decorating magazines and my favorite television channels are HGTV and DYI.
But, come on, folks. How many people can really afford to spend $9,000 for the home wine cellar recently featured on the DYI network? And how many of us have an army of helpers ready to help us install our new bathroom like they do on the Home and Garden channel?
I recently repainted my entire living room, cathedral ceilings and all. And my poor, overworked husband didn't have time to help me move a stick of furniture.
I managed to paint the entire room with just one gallon of parchment-colored paint from the "oops" shelf at Wal-Mart purchased for a whopping $6.99. How? I turned it into a wash by watering it down, doubling the amount of paint and giving the walls an Old-World, weathered look that went perfectly with my slip-covered antique furniture, Chinese silk curtains I made myself from remnants and mounted to bamboo poles and 19th-century majolica pottery.
Most of the 19th-century majolica, by the way, was purchased at antique shops, yard sales and estate sales long before majolica became the popular collectible it is today. I started collecting it because I loved the turquoise, pink and green hues, and various animals and plant designs. I had no idea that the pieces I was paying $20 for would soon be worth $220.
In future blogs, I'll provide tips on how to identify antiques and collectibles at thrift stores, tag sales and garage sales.
I'll also show you how you can turn mundane bathroom and kitchen cabinets into fabulous showpieces without refacing or replacing; how to update a ho-hum chandelier; how to make a boring concrete patio look faux fabulous; how to antique walls, how to give your appliances a whole new look; how to update your outdated tile; and lots of other ideas for very little money.
Welcome aboard.