One Woman's Windows

I have declared myself free from the addiction of junking and have started on the road to recovery.  It is long and arduous, but I feel that the six weeks I went without thrifting or dragging treasures home has cured me.  

I never thought I could go so long.  After the second week I no longer had the urge to shop.  (There were bags of pretzels, dark chocolate, and pistachios consumed. That would be why there is only a reflection of me in the picture.)

I decided that I would get back into the game by hunting for the increasingly rare, wooden windows.  I had my sights set on small six paned ones.  You know the ones that make great cabinet doors and hangings.  I had the desire to create again, not just buy, buy, buy. (I believe that is a symptom of hoarding.)

I had a tip where there might be some hanging out and stealthily I moved in for the take-down.  Other hunters had gotten there before me and claim their trophies with wide swaths of masking tape with ominous warnings to keep away.  Luckily for me they were after big game and left the small ones behind.  I harvested as many as would fit into my truck. loaded them up, and paid the necessary fees for hunting on these grounds.

What will I do with these beauties?  I have a plethora of ideas - old ones and new ones, maybe even some you have not seen.  I promise to post as I transform these into delightful trophies for the wall.

Enough of that extended hunting metaphor, but I am very serious about my architectural salvage finds.  I love doors, windows, moldings, roofing tin tiles, railings, corbels, spindles, and any other piece of building that will fit in my truck.  Here are some photographs of some of the windows I use around the house.

Our very first piece of stained glass was bought decades ago from an antiques fair we just happened to drive past.  We snagged it for just $20!  It has hung on various walls over the years.

The second piece was purchased for only $25.  If you saw it, you would know why. The pots and nest are hiding a pane that had been punched out as the dealer was unloading her car.  

Yes, I do hang windows in my windows.  Except in the bedrooms,  we don't really have curtains and there are no drapes in the entire house.

I love the simplicity of this leaded glass window.  It is wearing a hummingbird feeder given to me by my cousin, but it was hand-painted and too pretty to put outside.  

This beauty I purchased a couple of years ago to use at Christmas with a display of my nativity scenes.  I did not take it down after the season this year, and may just leave it up.  We'll see how it looks with the late summer items!

Sorry for the dark photos and flashes.  As you know I am awful at taking photographs, and plus it was 8:00 PM when I took these.

No natural light!

I have several frosted glass and wavy glass windows throughout the house.  I know these country houses are terribly passe, but a friend made them so for now they stay up there. (If you could only see how much dust resides there , you would drop in a dead faint!)

I possess a whole collection of primitive angels created by a local artist who uses architectural pieces.  Here one hangs on a distressed green window that I found in a DUMPSTER!  How cruel are people!

Here another of Marie's angels hangs on a turquoise window with a bit of tattered lace framing it.

Of course, I have windows all over the yard.  In areas where there are pets i only use ones with the panes removed to avoid broken glass.  This is on the patio - the window frame holds a climbing Sweet Autumn clematis.

Well, that is a partial view of one woman's windows!  I am proud to announce I have started on the transformations of the new old windows, and it involves some double duty from some of them!

Chucks said I should have shown you all of the windows  - in and out, but there is not enough space for that.  And, gosh, I did not even start on the door collection!

Have a wonderful weekend.  

See y'all!





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