If the Furniture Could Talk

I have always loved old things. Give me a battered up old table that has many a tale to tell over a brand new factory model any day. As a kid, when my mom asked me one year what I wanted for my birthday, I told her 'an antique dresser'.

Then as a teenager I started refinishing old furniture. Yes I know, pretty lame. But hey, I lived on a farm miles away from any of my friends, I had a mom who didn't drive and a dad who worked 16 hour days and so I didn't have the heart to ask him to drive me anywhere. So...I had to make my own fun. And to me, refinishing furniture was fun.

All this is a roundabout way of telling you that some family furniture arrived today that I had shipped from N.S. Some of it needs a lot of work, but some can be put to use right away.

Here's my grammie's commode - one of the first pieces of furniture I ever refinished. You can see I didn't do a perfect job, and I cringe now at my choice of brass drawer handle (that I will replace as soon as I can find something more authentic) but still, not a bad job for a teen. This commode was part of a set that included a dresser and bed. The bed I couldn't have shipped, but the dresser - seen below - I've had for many years. It's another piece I refinished. It was coated with thick black varnish and was a bugger to strip. As a child I was fascinated by that little drawer and what might be hidden in there.

The next piece is my birthday present dresser. It cost my mom 90 dollars, which I know was a lot for her. I know the price because for years the tag was stuck inside the top drawer. I'm not sure who removed it, but it's no longer there. The white dress, by the way, is my christening gown.

I also had five diningroom chairs with caned seats shipped and a huge dresser that is coated in ugly white paint. They're still in the crates so I can't show you.

My favourite piece, though, is one I've had for several years. It's the cradle that my dad slept in when he was a baby. It's seen here with quilts made by my mom and grammie, and a 1942 doll I bought at a garage sale (the date is in her shoe). Didn't I tell you I was a sucker for old things?