Thursday, July 16, 2009

~SWEET VINTAGE MIRROR with Roses of Pink...REFLECTIONS OF ROMANCE~

HAND PAINTED GENTLEMAN'S MIRROR
(Circa 1951...Dated on Back)

Good morning my sweet pink lovin' peeps! I've finally completed some new projects and just couldn't wait to show one of them to you!

I found this charming vintage mirror at a local antique mall earlier this summer! I'm soooo mad at myself because I lost my head and totally forgot to take "before" pics of the thing! So...you'll just have to use your imagination about how it looked prior to painting~ THINK SCRUFFY MAPLE WOOD and you're spot on...

Now...mirrors like this one are a rare find and to be honest with you I'm not sure why. They were very popular many years ago and usually sat on top of old dressers. They could hold a variety of things...most generally a man's shaving junque, etc.

Can you even imagine? What did they do with all the soapy foam and um, beard stuff? :(

SOFTLY PAINTED A PALE SUGARY PINK
(Accented with Hand Painted Pink Roses)

Almost five years ago, after about three years of selling on eBay, I found one of these at a local estate sale (originally from Sears) and offered it for sale in a 10 day auction (see 2004 picture below). It sold right away and about three years later I found a similar one in Guthrie, Oklahoma at another little antique shoppe (see 2007 picture below). This one was manufactured by Ethan Allen and it brought some happy dollars! :) I did have to strip off the garish orangey-yellow paint first, which proved to be a huge mess...
CHARMING DRAWER FRONT
(They aren't nearly as sweet without one!)

I had my hubby remove the mirror before painting this latest one and on the back there was a date of March 1951. That makes this wonderful old find almost 60 years old. All three of the sweet old Mirrors I've found have had drawers...but, some I've seen on-line do not. A similar one to this one is currently being offered (unpainted) on eBay for over $275...ouch!

PRECIOUS LITTLE CUBBY
(Great for holding your favorite soaps or powders)

Why don't furniture manufacturers make wonderful things like this mirror any longer? Even cheaply made new ones could be transformed into something fabulous if ONLY they would do it... I honestly haven't bought new in over a decade. Just love the old stuff too much I guess!


OLD SEARS SHAVING MIRROR
Sold in 2004
(Didn't do much artwork on them then)

As you can see these last two mirrors were very similar. Only the knobs were different even though they were made in a similar fashion. I painted them both a crisp white, but for the life of me I can't remember who it was that bought them. I keep better records now!

OLD ETHAN ALLEN MIRROR FROM
Sold in 2007
(This one was very sweet~once my fav!)

Because the pink mirror, the first one shown, has a generous header (crown) I was able to include a pretty spray of hand painted roses at the top as well. I'm lovin' that!

OK girly- girls. Hope you had fun stopping by today! Tomorrow I'll have another sweet post showcasing another charming hand painted vintage find...

Blessings to you as you outwardly reflect your innermost joy...Rebecca

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

As always I think your refurbishings are so inspiring!! My elderly Aunt & Uncle have a vintage bedroom set in their guest room. There is a tall gents dresser with it & on top is this mirror & drawers!! It is in a very dark wood & lovely!! I ogle it everytime I see it.
Don't be shocked that something manufactured in 1951 is almost 60 years old..... I was manufactured in 1951!! Gad-Zooks!!! LOL!!
Love,
Marilyn
xxoo

Anonymous said...

Oh, my! Such pretty work, Rebecca!! Even if it was just the little drawer, I'd be in love but to add a mirror to it... They are wonderful! I've never seen or heard of such a thing. Thanks for enlightening me!

Yeah, how did they keep such a shaving area clean? Oh I know! Sweet wifey came behind with her little dish cloth! ☺ ♥

Sharon's Cottage Quilts said...

These are just beautiful Rebecca! Absolutely Pinkalicious!!! Well done friend.
Blessings~Sharon

Tanza said...

Ooohhh ~r~,
This is simply "cottagey sweet ".. Something about these old vintage pieces.. The makeover is just delightful..And, it's PINK... what could even be better.. You sure got that magical touch my friend.. Always transforming into beautiful !! Have a happy, carefree day my sweet friend..
huggers ~tea~xo

Sue @ Not the Good Scissors! said...

These pieces are some of my favorites. You are right, why don't they make things like this anymore? They really are very functional and practical. I bet your little heart skipped a beat when you came across these. I am now going to have keep an eye open when I am treasure hunting. You did a beautiful job transforming. I love them all!
xxoo, Susan

Unknown said...

Hi Sweetie!!!

You know, in all the years I have been thrifting and painting, I don't know if I have ever seen one of these sweet Mirrors. They really are so Romantically soft!

Your sweet embelishments are just right! Of course!!!

Blessings...Lorena

June said...

Hi Rebecca,
I love your art. You are so gifted, and I love to be able to see how you can take something from drab to fab by the work of your hands. I can't wait to see what more you have.
Hugs,
June

A Southern Rose said...

I love this mirror. I don't know if I've ever seen one before. Your touch made it even more beautiful!
Hugs,
Lee Laurie

Tara said...

They are so feminine and pretty! I'm sure the ladies would have loved to have something like this of their very own back in the 1950's. I'm also sure many ladies today would love to have it too! Have a wonderful day!

Sandra said...

Wow, Rebecca. You paint beautifully! I used to draw roses years and years back. I love it. You did a great job!
Blessings,
Sandra

Anonymous said...

Oh Rebecca~~~So pretty!!!Love every inch of it!
You are so right about the way furniture is made today~~unless it is handmade...
Please stop by my blog today, I have a little surprise for you!

Hugs,
Lynn♥

Deanna said...

Very pretty!

Blessings,
~D~

Anonymous said...

Oh R, I must confess, I'm in love the white one on the bottom. Though I love your pink, the white seems to be more versatile for me. I see these now and again in my local jaunt but they are still quite high in price. Once in a blue moon at a good flea market but again, still fetching. I think maybe, maybe people are catching onto the whole, "don't see it as it is, see it as what it can be" phase. Makes our trying to grab things up that much harder... :(

Lovely as always!

Anonymous said...

My how you have beautified this piece! I have a piece like this but did not know what it was called. I bought it for $12.00 a few years ago and it had an old men's shaver in the drawer! It does need alittle work and it will never look as gorgeous as yours for my artistry is wanting -

All these projects I am dying to get at if I could just get the ok from the DR to get on my foot again. It's been almost 3 weeks since I was bit by a rattlesnake and I am getting a bit stircrazy!!

blessings
mary

Rebecca Nelson said...

To Mary Ellen...That was a fabulous deal on the mirror you found...work needed or not. I haven't found ONE under $100 in years and years and even those lead much to be desired. Take a look even on eBay...they are sooooo expensive. The cheapest one was $70 and it was a real mess! The next one was about $150 and it was newer...not even really vintage! You got a real find!

GET WELL my friend. A rattlesnake bite? You've got to be kidding me....Say it isn't so!

Thinking of you~

Rebecca

Anonymous said...

Evening, Dear Rebecca! Oh, I love your mirrors! You do such a beautiful job of transforming them. And your paintings of the roses are wonderful!
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Ginny said...

Hi, and thank you for visiting my blog. I am a NaNa also! I have three, ages 5,3, and 21mos.
I really like your work. The best I can do is paint furniture that I get tired of looking at! So far I have painted a cupboard, a jelly cupboard, a microwave table, a bathroom washstand, a wooden chair, and a few others. I admire anyone who can make an oldie but goodie look beautiful. I will be checking out more of your blog. Blessings, ginny

Unknown said...

Hi Rebecca! Thanks for coming by to visit me and entering my give away.
It is so fun to meet new ladies. Your blog is adorable!

~Liz

blushing rose said...

G'eve, Rebecca ~ What a lovely transformations of these beautiful pieces. You will never cease to amaze with the talent you have been blessed with. Have a lovely eve.
TTFN ~Marydon

joanne said...

Rebecca,
you have certainly been blessed with a lovely gift, a passion, the eye to see what other can't and then create something beautiful...these mirrors are outstanding. I will be looking for this type of mirror when I'm out and about and thinking of you...;p

Amy said...

Hi Rebecca~
It has been SOOO long ... TOOO long.
I was checking out your blog, which
is lovely by the way, and there it
was ... MY MIRROR!! I bought the one
in 2004. However, at the time, you
said in the listing you thought IT
was an Ethan Allen. :) Anyway, just
had to let you know the first one
found it's way to Georgia.

Still the sweetest handpainted roses
ever!

XOX~Amy (punkin2500)

Rebecca Nelson said...

To Amy...OMGOSH Girl...HOw are you? You are RIGHT! The first one was Ethan Allen and the second one was from Sears...

You must write and tell me how you are!!!! Too long is RIGHT!

Thought of you just today. Thanks for the compliments!

oxRebecca

{Bellamere Cottage} said...

Oh Sweet Rebecca....

I've been here for quite some time....supposed to be cleaning my house so I can have tomorrow "off"....but I've so enjoyed catching up with you.

I've loved your things forever and can remember things from wayyyy back on eBay....they were ALWAYS delightful!

Loved your estate sale bargains. I so wish I could still do them....The shoppers here are pretty wild and I'm so afraid I'm going to get mowed down that I generally skip them unless it's late in the day....on the LAST day!

Huge hugs!
Spencer

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