23 Apr

A Repurposed Cabinet of Curiosities in My Family

Please forgive my sporadic posting!  While I do have internet now, I have been spending time away from the computer….admiring my talented mother in law’s cabinet of curiosities and vintage vignettes!  She has graciously allowed me to photograph some of the vignettes in her home that I am excited to share with you.  I did not even have to “style” any of the photos — they were beautiful just as she had creatively displayed them!  Can you tell she previously worked as a shop window decorator and designer?

vintage cabinet of curiosity

An antique jelly jar becomes a beautiful cabinet of curiosities — if you are curious about vintage lanterns, artisan pottery pieces, and an array of bobbins from many eras.

repurposed-jelly-jar

This cabinet of curiosities holds an array of vintage treasures, including wood bobbins repurposed into candle holders, as well as a study of mining artifacts.

vintage-country-decor-ideas

Bundles of candles are wrapped in antique music sheets, and as you gaze at the cabinet of curiosity at different angles, even more treasures reveal themselves — such as an antique miner’s candle snuffer.

vintage-shelf-display

Letterpress blocks adorn a vignette above a desk.  It’s wonderful how two simple card stock pieces can make a display really pop.

vintage-shelf-display-ideas

I really love how she has repurposed antique wooden bobbins of different shapes and sizes into candleholders.  Respinning the bobbins with different colors of yarn adds wonderful sprays of color in a room.

vintage-country-decor-2

Touches of spring burst into bloom indoors amidst aged terra cotta pots and vintage seed jars.

Feel free to ask any questions about the items in the cabinet of curiosities — as well as leave a kind comment or two for my lovely mother in law!

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16 Comments

  1. 1 April 23, 2009 at 12:29 pm
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    what lovely spaces! my mom has lots of vintage bobbins around our house–so they always remind me of her! i love the pops of orange and red too! beautiful.

  2. 2 April 23, 2009 at 4:47 pm
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    So great! i love stuff like this.. esp that Seed Jar and the wood cabinet !!!!

  3. 3 April 23, 2009 at 4:49 pm
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    p.s. I wish my Mom had cool old stuff. She wont even go into thriftstores with me!!!!

  4. 4 April 23, 2009 at 8:54 pm
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    Definitely a very talented lady!

  5. 5 April 23, 2009 at 9:16 pm
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    she has the most wonderful collection and a very good eye. thanks to both of you for sharing and post when you can. we’ll be here.

  6. 6
    Jon
    April 23, 2009 at 9:40 pm
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    Thank you for sharing these photos. I cant decide what I love most, however, the use of color is fantastic. She has a flair for taking a neutral canvas, such as brown hues, and accenting them with inspirational color!

  7. 7 April 23, 2009 at 10:33 pm
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    wow! what a sweet collection and tasty display of vintage treasures. it is such a visual treat! thank you for sharing. : )

  8. 8 April 24, 2009 at 12:26 am
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    Oh gosh, I love that cabinet!

  9. 9
    Grace
    April 24, 2009 at 12:32 am
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    On behalf of my mother-in-law and myself, thank you so much for your kindest words!

  10. 10 April 24, 2009 at 2:20 am
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    The cupboard is over 100 years old and comes from a little antique shop in Harmony, Pennsylvania. You have an artist’s eye and everything you capture comes to life. Thank you for bringing your unique view of the world to all of us to share!!

  11. 11 April 24, 2009 at 2:29 pm
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    gorgeous spaces! I just love antique cabinets filled with goodies!

  12. 12 April 24, 2009 at 9:09 pm
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    Love the basket holding the candles wrapped in old music sheets.

  13. 13 April 27, 2009 at 9:03 am
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    One word…Wow!

  14. 14 May 6, 2009 at 8:27 pm
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    Really fantastic. i want to go find some curiosities of my own…

  15. 15 May 18, 2009 at 8:29 pm
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    Oh wow… you can’t buy innate style like that can you?

  16. 16 May 20, 2009 at 4:32 am
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    I just stumbled across your blog – it’s lovely!

    I love the old cupboard and interesting arrangement of vintage items, very soothing to look at :)