Favorite Finds: Heather's Antique Mirror

When I posted Extreme Thrifting, I linked it up to several link parties. Through one of those, Heather of Joy Of All Crafts found my post and left me a comment. When I checked out her blog and saw her recent finds, I knew we were birds of a feather! (She lives in Portland! I had to use a "bird" reference! HA!)

Heather and her husband Chris both buy/sell vintage, online and off. They recently set up at the Portland Flea Market (so cool, right??). Heather thrifts, quilts, makes fabric cards, and so much more. She even is working on a list of 12 goals to accomplish by 2012! Be sure to follow Heather's adventures and stay tuned for a post from Chris on his re-selling business!

I knew Heather would have a fun Favorite Find and she tells us all about it below!

What is your Favorite Find and where did you find it?

My favorite find is this huge wooden framed mirror. It is an antique that came from Italy. I found it scouring on craigslist. I've found most of my big pieces this way. I knew I wanted a big mirror but I wasn't exactly sure what it would look like. Once I saw the beautiful scrollwork, this piece called out to me! I had to drive 40 miles to get it, but it was such a decent price that I knew it's be worth it!



Did you know right away that it was coming home with you/How did you know it was perfect for your space?

I knew it was coming home, once I saw the craftsmanship and quality of the mirror and frame. We were living in a small duplex at the time, and I wanted to add depth and the illusion of more space. Mirrors are the perfect antidote to this problem. Even thought now we live in a bigger house, it's perfect for our front room to help beam the light around! It's in a spot where it reflects the morning sun to the rest of our front room.

Did you do any restoration to the piece?

Yes, I really love the bones of this piece but not the gold. I'm enjoying gold more now, but this mirror was a bit much for me. Plus it had that speckled look on it, which I'm not a fan of. So I used two cans of primer, and 3 cans of glossy black spray paint. It took a lot more paint that I had originally planned, I had to keep going back to the hardware store! All of the little crevices made it difficult, but in the end so worth all of the cans of spray paint!



Where does it hang now and what kind of statement does it make in your home?

Right now, it is one of the first things that you see when you walk into our home. I love that it's a DIY project as this so reflects us. We have a lot of mid-century pieces and I like to have some other elements too, as it adds depth to the design.

What do people say about it?

"Wow! Beautiful Mirror? Where did you get it?" I love when I can "brag" that I up-cycled it!

You and your husband both have a knack for finding vintage items. Do your tastes completely coincide or do you have different aesthetics? If they're different, how do you balance your tastes in your home?

Well, it's funny. For my husband, Chris, finding vintage items is a relatively new thing! When we first got married (6 years ago), he couldn't be dragged to an estate sale. But over the past two years, we've both been getting more into design. I really like mid-century items and as I kept showing them to Chris, he found a few things he liked too. Now the more he's around it, the more he likes what he sees!

We still have different aesthetics though, I like to mix more modern, fresh pieces into our home. Chris would rather have us live in a 1950s showcase! But, we balance with having a modern sofa (big statement piece) and lamps with mid-century side tables and credenza. In each room there is a little bit of both of us! It's been really fun to learn more about vintage pieces together and slowly develop and collect what we like. I love that our styles have evolved together!


Heather, thanks so much for sharing!

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