Tag Archives: Penny Rug

There’s something about antique, vintage and otherwise imperfect surfaces that I just love.  Worn, distressed, rusted, aged – these are all wonderful adjectives in my world.  I suppose part of the allure is the instant sense of history that’s conveyed when you see a piece that’s somehow distressed.  And though many artists and crafters regularly use techniques intended to mimic the aged and distressed look (myself included), there’s nothing like the real thing.  That’s why I nearly swoon when I visit antique stores like the ones over in Old Towne Orange, and I was smitten with so many pieces when I stopped by for a little browsing a few weekends ago.  If I didn’t have a finite amount of space and a limited budget I would’ve been buying things left and right!

I only purchased a few things, but really enjoyed all the eye candy.  (The last two photos, below, show what I bought)  I snapped a few iPhone photos of things that made my eyes happy, and hope you enjoy seeing these items as well.  The first of the two photos is a detail shot of the item in question, and the second is a wider shot.

While in the first store I saw a Penny Rug for the first time.  Made up of hundreds of hand-cut circles of felt and thousands of stitches, I was blown away by how much time and effort must’ve gone into this piece.  Penny Rugs aren’t actually used as rugs – they’re more like table runners or decorative coverings for other home furnishings.  I was intrigued by what I learned about Penny Rugs on Wikipedia, but probably won’t get around to making my own – and this $79 version was definitely out of my price range!

This yearbook from the 1930’s had a beautifully embossed cover and spine.  So lovely!

I love the floral motif on this silver platter, and even think the tarnish is pretty!

I’m not a girly-girl, and am generally not drawn to this shade of pink, but this feathered hat was such a delightful ball of fluff that I couldn’t resist trying it on!

Ooh, yum.  The rust-colored, mottled surface of this mirror is fantastic.

This set of rusted drawers is so incredibly cool, I was barely able to make myself walk away!  If only I had more space and $200 to spend on one piece of art supply storage!!

What’s with the bronzed baby shoe?  The last time I visited the shops in Old Towne Orange I was with my friends A.T. and A.C., and we saw bronzed baby shoes.  I knew they’d been popular back in the day, but we wondered aloud – what possessed folks to bronze baby shoes anyway?  I’ve seen a few pairs since then, and they’ve kind of been growing on me.  So, when I saw this one shoe – and it was marked down – I indulged my weird bronzed baby shoe interest.  The shoe is engraved across the top, and says Beverly  with a date of 12-30-46.  So sweet, and interesting too – Beverly is near to my mom’s age.  Do you suppose the date is when Beverly was born, or the date she took her first steps?

My purchases for the day:

3 vintage photos featuring babies – originally $2 each, they were marked down to $1
1 other vintage photo (upper right) – $1.50
Small striped shell (center) – 50 cents
Bronzed baby shoe – originally $12, marked down to $6

Total: $11 plus tax – a bargain for a day’s entertainment and some fun items for my creative stash!

What types of things do you like to shop and window shop for, dear readers?  Do you collect vintage photos and vintage buttons like me, or have another kind of collection?  Please fill me in…

Warm regards,
Melody