To Restore or Renovate – That is the question
Why did you choose to live in your current home? What was there about the house that made you realize that this was the right place for you? Beyond its […]
The Parlour
The Evolution of a Room Is the parlour just another Victorian room that is totally irrelevant to today’s homes? To understand how this room evolved into today’s living room and […]
Arts and Crafts Furniture- A Great Compromise
There are many reasons for partners, married or not, to disagree, but what kind of furniture to have in one’s home doesn’t have to be one of them. Since I […]
Why the Huge Difference in Values between Two Teacups?
A reader recently contacted me with a photograph of a gorgeous tea cup that she owns. (Unfortunately I did not save her photo because I hadn’t planned on writing a […]
Furniture Grime versus Patina
What exactly is patina? This is a question I get asked fairly often when I do talks about antiques. I have to answer honestly and tell the person that patina […]
10 Things You Should Know about Selling your Antiques on Consignment
There comes a time in every one’s life that it is necessary to sell belongings – your own or someone else’s. Garage sales are one way but what if your […]
Historic Magrath Mansion Open House
There are so many events going on over the next few weeks that celebrate our country’s 150th birthday that it’s very hard to fit even a small number of them […]
5 Steps to Cleaning Grimy Antique Furniture
Years ago a client of mine purchased a dining room suite at an auction. It had seen better days to be sure and she was understandably concerned about the high […]
An Unexpected Find – Nazi Memorabilia 1/2
It should be no surprise that selling certain types of Nazi memorabilia is banned in many European countries. White supremacists and their ilk have made such items desirable yet they are seldom the buyers of high level Nazi objects. In this blog I feature two very special books that were popular during the Third Reich.
Vases
In the Middle Ages (when flowers actually smelled like flowers), small bouquets, also called tussies, were worn on one’s clothing, close to the face. This combination of flowers and herbs […]
The Dark Beginnings of Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day, also known as St. Valentine’s Day, on February 14th, is a day dedicated to love and romance and, after Christmas, is the most popular (and expensive) holiday in […]
When is a Marriage not made in Heaven?
Seeing as I deal with antiques, and have never had experience as a marriage counsellor, what I’m talking about today is what is called, in the antiques trade, a “marriage.” […]
Memories of Christmas in an Old House
Time marches on and at some point in one’s life the decision to downsize comes up. This is what we did two Decembers ago and although it was a good […]
An Unusual, Slightly Creepy, Antique
One of the most exciting things about what I do for a part time living is that I never really know what I’m going to find when I go somewhere […]
