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Buffet Arrangement Before & After

The last day of my mom’s visit we got to “play” with my house and all of the fun things we found in her parent’s attic. Lately, I’ve been stuck in a sort of transition and a “busy working on stuff for other people that I’m not working on stuff for my own house” kind of phase. One of the down sides to buying and selling furniture all the time is that few pieces feel permanent. If I know a piece is going to go, why bother hanging pictures around it? You know? Because of this, there are lots of places that are neglected, boring, ho-hum, or downright not at all what I want. So, my mom and I worked together on some of those areas.

The after of my dining room buffet is above and the before is below. You can see that I wasn’t even trying to make this buffet interesting. Buffet lamps and a silver chest. Yawn. Yuck.
So, first of all, I decided to lose my decorative painting and hung 3 small blue & white plates over the mirror instead.

We removed the silver chest and replaced it with an ironstone tureen and platter from my grandparent’s attic. It needed some color and texture, so we added pine cones, greenery, and berries.

Flanking the ironstone are some blue & white Christmas plates (also attic finds) and 2 sterling “fighting cocks.” These are one of my most favorite attic finds. They were a 25th wedding anniversary present to my grandparents. Apparently they really wanted these. I found it a little funny…were these representative of their marriage? Anyway, they are gorgeous and very special pieces.

My one problem…what do I do when winter has passed and spring comes? I can’t have pine cones and Christmas plates all year! I guess my mom will have to fly back up again. Too bad.

I really love how this arrangement turned out. It was so fun “playing” with my mom in my house. We were up until midnight doing it. I can’t wait to share all of the other changes we made.

As a PS, I made 2 more paper wreaths today, one out of an antique book that was falling apart and the other out of sheet music that I cut in quarters. One’s a gift and one’s for me. I love these things!

Marian Parsons 

Paint Enthusiast | Writer | Artist | Designer

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14 Responses

  1. Gorgeous! Love the transformation! But you've GOT to stop showing off your ironstone … and now a tureen? Sigh. Jealous. 😉

  2. O, I do love the changes here. Just beautiful…and isn't it fun, playing with your mom? I feel the same way about spending time with my daughter so I KNOW how much your mom enjoyed the time with you!!
    hugs, bj

  3. That attic really held some treasures. Although I think it's your (and your Mom's) ability to see the beauty in a piece and how to use it in your home. Love everything you two did on that buffet.
    Jane

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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