Thursday, June 28, 2012

Vintage roadside find...

We interrupt the continuous hen broadcasts to bring you:
the fish-tail mirror on the right, found this morning in a damp plastic bag next to the glass recycling bins at our supermarket! It's battered and chipped, and the silvering was already going bare in places, so I took advantage of this freebie to try out a bit of upcycling I'd seen in Homes and Antiques last year. To be honest I rather prefer it in this original photo, to what I've done with it since:
Oh dear, have I ruined it? The thing is, it was already ruined, and sitting on the pavement next to a recycling bin. So why am I just a tad traumatised by what I've done to it? Eeek!

9 comments:

polkadotpeticoat said...

I love your find....I had to laugh because I once sprayed some old trays with a cleaner and when I went to wipe them off I had stripped them straight down to the bare metal, I cried...... but I think your distressing looks wonderful!

Floss said...

Really? Oh, the trauma...

I've put a sheet of my lovely birthday wrapping paper behind it, and it shows through so prettily from some angles, but at others it just looks like I've ruined a mirror with sand paper. Which is what I have done.

Thanks for your encouragement, though!

Serenata said...

Not quite sure what you ahve done with it Floss, but what do they say? Nothing ventured nothing gained!

Lx @ Twelve said...

Oh dear, it's a case of distressing, distressing.....
Keep it for a while & see how it feels.

Lx

Between Me and You said...

Puts a new spin on 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' but in this case, it was broke though not quite sure whether it's been fixed!What have you done to it exactly? Can't quite make it out.

Pom Pom said...

Eeeeek! No, it looks great and we're much braver about altering things than our mothers were. That's good!

Maria said...

Hi floss,
I like it, as you have given it now a new life..
Change is good!
Thank you for popping in on me as I found it so interesting that you did your teacher training up north!I have also been to Penrith on many occasions...
Love the up dates with the Girls (hens) too!
Mariax

Angela said...

I am SURE that this mirror will find the right location eventually - hang on to it for a while until it occurs to you!
And it is not as if you have wasted a fortune on expensive materials, is it?
blessings xx

The Custards said...

I think the mirror is wonderful - what a great shape. I have ruined umpteen things over the years - worst disaster was the huge mirror that now lives in our dining room. I cost me five pounds and dates from the late 1800s - had original gilding and an extraordinarily heavy mirror. I spent weeks sandpapering off the original gilding and gesso.....we live and learn.....