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Enter Midnight at the Grove ... if you dare!

NEW USES FOR VINTAGE SILVER PLATE - UNIQUE & PRACTICAL HOME DECOR

7/26/2022

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A polished silver plated sugar bowl beautifully displays jewellery in the romantic or shabby chic bedroom

Hide the Silver!

Silver cutlery and dishes were once coveted and included in the home for their beauty, usefulness and of course, as a status symbol. But they also represented a practical investment.

Cutlery and dishes were a needed item, and silver was durable, long-lasting, could be traded, pawned, handed down to the next generation; and at the end of the day ... sold to be melted down and re-used. Hence the saying "Hide the silver!" when someone was expected to visit the household with whom you weren't acquainted; or had reason to be suspicious of their poor character. It is also why many buffets and china cabinets had locks. Real silver is often very heavy and is hallmarked with various numbers and symbols which are helpful in tracing their age, place of origin and value.

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Use a vintage silver plate creamer and sugar  in the washroom for a practical accent

Wonderful for holding cotton balls and Q-tips. Elegant, unique, eclectic and, unlike their ceramic counterparts ... these won't break if they fall or get knocked over. A real bonus in the bathroom!

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Affordable Silver Plate

Silver plate became popular as a cost-effective alternative to silver and made it more widely available for the common public to attain. It is physically lighter than solid silver (though can be heavy if it has an encased lead plug for weight and stability). Silver plate items range from unmarked to marked with country of origin, a declaration of lead mounts/plug and can also be hallmarked or include the company name. I am not an expert, but to the best of my knowledge the lead content is not considered dangerous as it is not exposed at all. The lead is a contained "plug" fully encased within the item (usually within copper with the silver plate over top).

I have found multiples uses for vintage silver plate other than serving food anyway. A few are shown here ... and I keep finding more inspiration with each piece I add! You can polish away the tarnish, which looks nice in the shabby chic, romantic home ... or leave the patina for the more eclectic, bohemian, dark or magically witchy home.
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For the boho deck or porch; use any silver plated dish for a collection of natural items such as pine cones, small rocks, seashells or nuts
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Dried rose petals add subtle fragrance
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Use a tarnished vintage silver plate creamer to grow succulents and create a darker look
Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan, 2022
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Shabby Chic to Edwardian Charm - A Vintage Rescue

8/26/2019

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Summer is flying by and we can already feel Fall in the air!

But last month was hot and dry and my husband decided to take advantage of the weather and finally apply varnish to an old vintage plant stand ... that he had been diligently sanding and preparing for the better part of the year! 

By far the largest part of the job was painstakingly removing the white paint from all the little crevices -- and all without damaging the detailed woodwork.  Lots of delicate sanding was involved but the Grumpy Old Gnome in the Grove stuck with the task.

Here's the backstory ...


Shabby Chic Planter
BEFORE - Vintage plant stand outdoors with last year's tomatoes
This fantastically funky plant stand was gifted to us by my sister-in-law.  It had a great distressed look as someone had once painted it white; with much of the paint flaking off, giving it this awesome distressed look.  The paint was falling off in big chunks so using this piece of furniture inside was not an option.  Instead, we had it first outside on our little covered deck, and then moved it to the top of our front stairs ... last year saw tomatoes growing in it!
Restored Furniture
AFTER - Vintage plant stand completely refurbished and ready for its new indoor life
While I liked the "shabby chic" look of the planter before (and being able to use it outside without guilt) - I think it looks just beautiful as a restored piece and will make a wonderful addition to our front living room!

The next task is to build, or have built, a glass atrium for the top ... so that maybe we can transplant many of our little succulents into it.  I know it would be perfect for growing some kitchen herbs too ... but we have far too many of those in the Grove already!!

Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2019
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Chapter 7:  Creepy Cinderella ... Gets a Facial !

4/28/2019

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Vintage Doll
Creepy or cute?

Does anyone remember Creepy Cinderella?  She's a vintage doll that my daughter found at a thrift store - in a terrible, neglected condition.  

I spent a fair bit of time cleaning her, but unfortunately got busy on other things (like you do) and never got back to the job.  The hardest part remains - her face and hair.  Since each of these is a really big task ... I think I'll just embrace the face!​

The eyes - BEFORE
The eyes - AFTER

She was so filthy!  The rubber on her face is discoloured, but that can't be helped; however, dirt can be removed .... with hot water, soap and a nail brush! 
Her eyelids are now a lovely clear pink and a little bit of the fog was removed from the glass eyes. 

Vintage Doll
The fine line between clean and dirty! The cheek is clean whereas the chin and neck are still dirty.
The face - BEFORE
The face - AFTER
Now scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed some more, we present a nice clean face!  The water turned black as I scrubbed her face, ears, nose and neck - but the result is so worth it.  What struck me most was how the oily, sticky, shiny appearance of her face disappeared upon washing - caused by deteriorating rubber I guess ?  Not sure.  But the result is a lot less creepy! I think her lipstick needs a little touch-up now though ... my daughter has offered to paint her lips; colour - ruby red maybe?

Interested in Cinderella's transformation story?  You can read the first 6 chapters here which follow her Arrival at the Grove until now:

Chapter 1:
creepy-cinderella-creepydolls-collectordolls-vintagedolls.html
​
Chapter 2:

creepy-cinderella-creepydolls-collectordolls-vintagedolls7928443.html
Chapter 3:
chapter-3-creepy-cinderella-cinderellas-cleaning-commences.html
Chapter 4:
chapter-4-creepy-cinderella-gets-a-shoe-shine-cinderella-creepydolls-vintagerestoration-vintagedolls.html
​
Chapter 5:
chapter-5-creepy-cinderella-saving-a-lost-soul.html
Chapter 6:
​chapter-6-creepy-cinderella-the-dark-side-of-the-year.html
Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2019
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Chapter 6:  Creepy Cinderella ... The Dark Side of the Year

11/22/2017

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It's the dark time of the year, growing darker each night until Christmas, when, if we can raise enough good cheer, it will start to roll back towards the light.

In the meantime, the cats have figured out that those dark rainy afternoons are purr-fect catnap times!  The efforts to restore Creepy Cinderella must be working, as she seems to have found a new friend, who thinks she makes a very cozy companion.  I often find these two curled up together!

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Before - down & dirty
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After - Wow!
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Before - dirty fingernails
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Before - dirty creases
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After - cleaner cuticles now!

Isn't it amazing what a little soap and water can do!!      
                                                                        

Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2017 ​ 
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Chapter 5:  Creepy Cinderella ... Saving a Lost Soul

11/9/2017

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It's been a while since I've had a chance to work on restoring Cinderella.  But it seems that on this day in early November, with the rain absolutely bucketing outside and the incense burning for All Souls Day; it might just be an appropriate time to get back to work on rescuing this very old soul!

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Right Leg Before
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Right Leg After
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Left Leg Before
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Left Leg After

It sure was tough going.  I only managed to finish her sturdy legs and wee feet today.  Lots of warm water, soap and scrubbing with an old toothbrush.  I could almost hear her giggling when I ran the toothbrush over those little toes - I rolled her over and one of those "sleepy eyes" gave me a wink.  But we didn't have any real success until we broke out the loofah!  I think the results are pretty decent though ... upper body next week!

Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2017 
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Chapter 4:  Creepy Cinderella ... Gets a Shoe Shine

9/15/2017

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Poor Creepy Cinderella - Her shoes are so, so incredibly dirty from the long, lonely years of storage.  They appear to be made of rubber and are so sticky; they must be disintegrating.  First, I carefully removed the yellowed laces and placed them in a cool water soak with gentle Avon Soft Pink Bubble Bath.  Then, with cotton swabs, and a minimal amount of the bubble bath mixture, I gently rubbed the bottom of Cinderella's Slippers.  Nothing.  Used an old toothbrush - it just smeared the grime around a bit.  But, when the toothbrush was rubbed into a bar of soap (coincidentally Avon's Aloe Vera Soap) ... Voila!  It worked wonders and white was almost immediately revealed.  Actually, the shoes are a soft plastic - vinyl?  After lots of scrubbing with the toothbrush, and only one daring dip in the water to rinse ... just look at the difference!

Cinderella's Shoes Before ...
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... and After; the difference speaks for itself!
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Now our Creepy Cinderella can truly put her best foot forward!
Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2017 / edited 2019
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Chapter 3:  Creepy Cinderella ... Cinderella's Cleaning Commences

9/2/2017

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Of course, in all the fairy tale versions of Cinderella; the most important item in her transformation was a new dress from her Fairy Godmother.  So we decided to start the whole cleaning process with the clothes.  The dress is actually in good condition.  Pink and white lace overlay with buttons and bows (all in good condition) over an attached pink slip.  Hook and eye closure at the back are okay.  Hair band solid and elastic still has a bit of stretch, but seriously discoloured ... and the smell!  Okay, so atrocious - I can't even begin to describe it, but worse than the smell was the feel of these clothes.  They felt stiff, sticky and "crunchy" if that's possible to imagine.  So, so much dirt.  So into the tub they go!

Here is the whole shebang in cool, sudsy water.  We used "Avon Bubble Bath - Soft Pink" for an extremely gentle clean.
The water turned black almost instantly.  These pictures don't really show just how much dirt literally came out in the wash!
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After two or three rinses, the water finally ran perfectly clear - here we are drying in the sun!  The clothes turned out pretty good actually - still discoloured (especially the socks and hair band) but the contrast is considerably more subtle now.  Best of all they feel soft and smell sweet!

Tune in next week when we'll try our hand at cleaning those dreadful shoes!

Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2017 ​

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Chapter 2:  Creepy Cinderella ... She's a Dirty Girl!

8/14/2017

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Okay, I admit it, that's a pretty provocative title - but essentially accurate.  I mean look at this gal.  She is filthy!  I don't know how she was stored, in a basement, attic, under the stairs, closet, garage ... but wherever it was, she was allowed to accumulate years and years of dust and grime.  She was exposed to sunlight, damp, cobwebs and smoke - you name it - this poor little girl has suffered it.

It was difficult to take pictures that show just how extensive the damage is and the depth of the dirt.  But here are a few snaps.  Some of the poses are just not lady-like - but necessary to show the terrible condition of this dolly!

Shoes - filthy, sticky & disintegrating. Socks - rotted.
Hair is sticky & smelly.
What was she sitting in? Yuck!
Eyes - cloudy. Sockets - filthy.
Dirt!
Rubber face, arms & legs discoloured.
More dirt to wash off.
Dress is grey & stiff with dirt & dust.
I don't think Cinderella saw a soul for years and years.  Because anyone with any kind of heart (or sense of cleanliness!) would have witnessed the deterioration occurring and stored her differently.  Poor Cinderella - she needs a Fairy Godmother for this job!  The littlest fairy in the Grove is going to help me and we'll see what we can do for this girl - while respecting all her original charm of course.  Stay tuned next week when Cinderella's Cleaning Commences!

Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2017  
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Creepy Cinderella's Arrival at The Grove

8/4/2017

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Picture Creepy DollCreepy Cinderella
Chapter 1:  Creepy Cinderella's Arrival at The Grove

This dirty dolly entered the Grove recently.  Dirty, deteriorating, sticky, smelly -- she seemed perfect for our yearly Hallowe'en display.  I had not intended to alter her charms at all - except maybe, a bit of red splattering on her dress.  I mean, really, she has changed colour and is literally disintegrating; if she had been stored properly, the story would be different ... and you have to have some fun, right?  But as the littlest fairy in the Grove carried her 'round and 'round the thrift store, some magic must have happened.

I looked back to see her holding the doll close to her chest.  "Mom!  She's Made in England!"  Well, that's gold.  "Really?"  I said.  I flipped up her sticky hair and there it was on the back of dolly's neck.  A bit more looking around and I kept reiterating - she can't live in the house, she is just too far gone - she must live with the Hallowe'en decorations and only come out once a year.  But eventually I glanced down to see a loving gaze at the doll and heard the words, "I love her Momma". 

So the challenge is on to restore Cinderella, so named for her brand of shoes, "No. 3 Medium Cinderella".  This and the following information, is all I have on her so far:


  • Made in England - on the back of the neck
  • 15 on her torso
  • No. 3 Medium Cinderella on her shoes
  • She has a rubber head, arms and legs.  Body is solid plastic.
  • It does seem to me that she is wearing her original clothes & shoes.

If anyone knows of good sites to research this dolly - I would love to hear from you.  The amount of information on vintage/antique dolls is absolutely overwhelming!  Next week we will start to clean Cinderella - a change for this fairy tale character, who usually has to do all the cleaning herself!

GIF Doll Knife Halloween

Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2017                                                                                          (gif courtesty of animated images.org) ​
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Disclaimer: Many of the items sold are vintage or pre-loved. Quality of vintage items vary with the manufacturing methods available at the time of production. They are not made to current standards of manufacturing ... and in my opinion, that is usually a good thing! They tend to be higher quality, last longer and include more attention to detail than today's products. However, safety standards do change over time, items do deteriorate with age, and it is up to the customer to decide how they will use each product.
All rights reserved. No part of this website, including but not limited to written articles, photographs, graphics, videos or animations, may be reproduced, in any form, written or digital, without the express and prior written permission of the author: V. Buchanan of Meadow Sweet Grove. Requests for said permission may be directed to: meadowsweetgrove@hotmail.com. (GIFs graciously provided by: animatedimages.org & R. Buchanan)
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