So readers…did you guess what I purchased at the junk sale?? If you don’t know what I’m talking about, last night in the blog post I showed pictures of the junk sale I went to and encouraged you all to guess what I bought. I bought five things but four of them were shown in pictures that I took.
You can go back and read THIS POST if you missed that.
Before I do the big reveal I’ll reshow two pictures… You can confirm your guess or you can make a new guess. I told you in the other post that I immediately bought two things and took them home with me. One thing is in each picture.
I you guessed the picture/platter on the couch, you are right. I plan to put a cross-stitch piece in the bottom of the tray someday. It was only $3 and worth the risk.
In the picture on the left if you guessed the wooden “box” think on the floor next to the dresser, you are right. I’m not sure where it will go or what I’m storing in it. I told you previously that I just collect things that I like and then one day put them all together…this is a piece I liked and it’s in my someday pile.
There were also two things I measured. Here are your clues…
I took pictures with my phone of the tape measure on the pieces so I could go home and see if they would fit where I hoped.
The item on the left is in this picture…
It’s the little marble-topped dresser. I had to call for help to move it because the marble top is HEAV-Y. Also, I’m not supposed to be lifting much anymore.
This is to go in my bedroom. My other bedroom furniture is similar.
With the tape measure on the right…
The washstand. It was the right kind of wood for my house.
I was hoping to use it as a nightstand next to my bed.
So…you know what that all meant…right? A bedroom redo. That’s why I didn’t get much sewing done last week. I was working in my bedroom. I still have more to do. I’d like to go through my closet and clean out under my bed but for now, I can see I like the furniture and am content with my choices.
The bedroom redo…$110. The washstand was $45 and the marble-topped dresser was $65.
So how do they look in my bedroom? Let me show you.
But first, let me say, my bedroom is a big work in progress. I need new curtains…I’m thinking about blinds. I want a new rug but I’m terrible at making a decision to pick things out. Also…I ran out of time to really clean everything up but wanted to get this blog post written so bear with the mess.
My husband and I started buying our bedroom furniture over 10 years ago. It was bought piece by piece as we found it. We had so much fun searching to find the pieces we really wanted. Our bed we got from an auction…the dresser and wardrobe from antique stores.
I also need to apologize for the lighting. It’s bad. The bed is a very pretty tall headboard antique. We paid $350 for it at an auction.
My husband and kids commissioned this church painting for me. It’s the church my husband and I were married at. His fire hat and memorabilia are on his side of the bed. I actually sleep in the middle nowadays…
This is an antique wardrobe we bought at an antique store. The picture is my father-in-law’s baby picture. The quilt rack is from my friend Gloria. THANKS, Gloria!!
This is my antique dresser. It looks so good with our bed. One would think they were bought as a set but they weren’t. I need to clean it off. but a bunch of stuff landed there when I was moving stuff around. I’ll get to it over the weekend.
I bought the old glider rocker at the thrift store and had it reupholstered. I bought the ottoman at the junk sale for $10.
I put the chair and the ottoman together and gave them a try after I had been cleaning and organizing. They work great together.
I’m not sure but I think somewhere I have more of the chair fabric. I’ll have to try to hunt that down. If I find it, I’ll redo the ottoman.
I added the new small dresser over in this corner. Above it are the pictures of my Johnson grandparents. Elsa my grandma and Iver my grandpa. Sadly I never met them. The door goes into a small wall in closet. The mirror/medicine cabinet is a built-in that was here when we bought the house.
I’m happy with the little marble-topped dresser.
I like the little washstand too. It might not be here for forever but for now, maybe even for forever, I’m happy with it and MUCH happier than I was with the piece that was here. Long term being the other furniture is more formal, I’d like a more formal piece but I have been told, they really didn’t have nightstands in the time period of my furniture.
I am also in the market for a new lamp by bed. I currently have a broken wall lamp. I’d like a new wall lamp and have been contemplating one. It’s hard to find stuff that looks old.
So those are the little steps I’ve been making in my bedroom. I still have a long way to go.
I like is much better than it was and that makes me really happy. I do want to find a better basket for the washstand. This one is just something that I had that fit there. I want to keep things I look at before bed in the basket. That will keep my room looking much neater.
I’d love some suggestions on what you would do for window treatments…any suggestions?
Did anyone guess the items I bought?
I share your taste in nice old wood furniture, thanks for keeping us updated on your buys.
I guessed the marble top dresser. I have one that belonged to my husband’s mother. I also have a marble topped table that belonged to my grandmother. Regarding your window treatments, we have wood molding around our windows like yours. The “original” part of the house had this type of molding so when we added on, we matched it. I stripped all the paint off the molding in the original part and hubby stained it. In the den and our bedroom, we purchased wood blinds that are almost the same color as the stain. I really like them much better than curtains. I put a valance over the blinds in the bedroom. Very clean look.
Window treatment… sheers & installated/blackout panels, ( to pull on cold nites or to keep out sunlite), in a cream colour. As a decorator I think the overall feeling in your room is cozy comfort. Blinds will add too much wood look & detract from your amazing furniture. The rug could be a soft geometric look. Or! Oriental look, very in keeping with the ‘cozy/comfortable look you live with throughout your home. You honor those who went you & the homes they may have lived in. Keep that going, you will always be settled in your inviorment.
You picked some very nice items. I didn’t really guess, but I did admire the little wash stand. I really like your house and all the beautiful things you have done with it and your furniture choices. Kramer did beautiful refinishing work.
I thought you would buy the marble top piece but had no idea what else you would buy. Funny thing, I have a tray/picture very similar to the one you bought. My paternal grandparents got it as a wedding present in 1929 and I have it hanging in my bedroom. And I have a washstand from my maternal grandparents that look very similar to the one you now have.
Have you considered old fashioned shutters? You could have shutters on the top half and curtains on the lower half or vice versa. They can be painted or stained. I do love your new treasures. Good choices. Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic haul. Looks great.
I guessed two of the four but what is the fifth? Is it the piece that needs redone?
yes what was the 5th ?
The foot stool
I didn’t guess, but I really liked the ceramic Christmas tree
Did you buy the basket of blocks? I Love Old everything. I’m so against modern and my husband always wants to just get rid of the furniture but I manage to convince him it’s too expensive to replace…lol… I was born in the wrong time period. I wish we still had our old 1890 house. All your choices look great together. Hope you continue to enjoy your bargain hunting.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Tried to read your blog last night but it wouldn’t let me. Tried to write you and it returned the mail. Just letting you know incase others have problems.
I love your bedroom and furniture! I have blinds on my bedroom window and sheers over those. I really like how they look. Hugs,
I didn’t guess any of the items correctly, but I was in two minds about the wash stand – I should have gone with my instinct! The marble top dresser looks great in your bedroom. I agree with the others, blinds would look good.
Your bedroom looks beautiful and I love all the choices you made at the vintage sale. The quilt rack looks fabulous in your bedroom – I’m so glad you like it. I found it at a garage sale in WI last summer and couldn’t leave it because it was so pretty. And when I realized that this is something you would love, I bought it.
As a retired interior designer I would probably suggest wide wood blinds to match the trim and then put some side hang draperies on a wood pole out of a red/white check. That is just me as I love draperies. And you could make those.
Windows: I have Mom’s beautiful sheer with amazing flower lace lowers, panels she brought from the Netherlands. No one wants them and they aren’t my style. She hung them inside the window frame about 12″ down from the top for privacy but no blocking of light.
I’d be happy to ship you a few if you are interested in those.
For curtains, I found a wonderful fabric. It is at fabric-store.com and it is a double weave linen. No lining required as it is part of the fabric itself. I used it for both patio doors and my bedroom. Their prices are amazing and their fabric is wonderful. You can buy a swatch. For mine, I just used a header to stiffen the top and hemmed all the way around and then inserted grommets. Clean, neat, no fuss, no muss. I make regular draperies w/full lining, etc. just didn’t need that for patio doors and bedroom. My only bedroom antiques now are my iron bed and my ex’s grandmother’s cedar chest. I had a matching pair and gave the other one to our daughter.
Wood toned blinds for privacy and insulation, with a sheer glass curtain or lace, to lighten and soften the look. With blinds up, lightly filtered light in the day is nice. Or maybe wooden shutters that can swing open and away from window.
I guessed the box on the floor but had no clue on the other.
All my guesses were wrong. I think I have a wooden tray similar to the one you bought. I never thought to stitch something to put in it. Is the little marble top dresser really a dresser or was it used to hold the commode? I have one (not as fancy as yours) and that’s what it was used for. I was so sure you’d buy the tall cabinet that you had your eye on.
It might have been a commode.
Happy Thanksgiving Jo! I can only imagine how much fun your holiday will be! I love the house Kramer and you bought and made into your home. I would go with shutters or blinds in your bedroom (although I love lace curtains too.) I guessed the tray, small table and washstand. I really love the “rag” rugs hanging over the sofa (my grandmother made them on a loom in her dining room!!) I used to sit next to her for hrs and watch her work on them. I wish we lived closer and I would pick you up and we’d go all over your part of Iowa! We love antiques and many of ours came from Iowa, on our way home to WI to see family. Take care of yourself Jo-you are so loved by many. Arlene
Thanks so much for your kind words. I appreciate it.
What lovely pieces you purchased! Everything in your bedroom has lots of character and are obviously items you love, and it shows. I so love antiques, too. Re: the curtains — you get REALLY cold weather there. I’d consider heavier drapes for winter that are double lined (think blackout). I have some in my bedroom that were hung from the ceiling and they reach the floor, and nearly the entire wall, so well beyond each side of the window. It adds a bit of color to the room, and muffles any street noise as well as keeping out drafts. The drapes have grommets which means they are easy to open and close – and underneath I have some champagne colored linen sheers on a smaller rod that are simply gathered. Most of our area rugs are washable – sure beats the old wall to wall carpet that came with our house! Hope this helps.
This has to do with the post on Ramen Noodles. When I try to access the “read more” I get a message saying the link does not exist and the link is faulty.
M. Allen
It will come in a couple weeks. I hit the wrong button and it published for about one minute. UGH. It’s coming..I promise.