Sunday, March 27, 2011

Melange - Historic Folsom


Historic Folsom is a quaint little area just east of Sacramento, California. There are numerous antique shops, gift shops, art galleries and eateries. Melange does not fit in any of these categories and can only be described as unique! Melange has vintage, antique, re-purposed, handmade and new items but the overall look and feel in the store is shabby chic with a french twist.

I rent a room in the back of the store where I set up vignettes, tablescapes, and arrange my furniture and other vintage items for sale. I will be posting new additions to my space as well as feature some of the other creative women and their wares here on my blog! So click the "follow me" button or sign up for email -
you will get a message telling you I have a new posting! Meanwhile, check out these great furniture pieces that just came in Saturday!

This sweet rocking chair used to be pale yellow and had a worn fabric seat - I sanded it down, painted it antique white and added the pink paisley fabric - now it is ready for a little princess! I also have two vintage white hobnail glass lamps with shades I covered in the same paisley fabric to match! The pedestal table was found with worn and cracked varnish on the tabletop - lots of sanding and three coats of fresh paint and this 42" diameter table is ready for a young family or kitchen nook.


This vintage cupboard has all sorts of storage space - two large drawers on the bottom as well as the three smaller drawers inside make this a great piece for someone looking for extra storage. I love the detailing at the bottom and the vintage glass hardware. Use it in a room where there is no closet, to store scrap booking supplies, or even a kid's room for toys and books. Kelly was so excited when she found it and almost didn't bring it in the store to sell!



Stacy just brought in this huge beautiful chest of drawers! This is a statement piece that would definitely add that "WOW!" factor to any room. I could see this piece in a bedroom with either French, Victorian, Coastal or even Colonial decor. It would be a beautiful wedding gift for a new couple or gift for a recent college grad with her first job!


Lastly - a beautiful re-purposed piece by Jennie! Jennie transformed this vintage window into a display cupboard! The chipped window frame has worn edges with multiple colors showing through that add to the character of this piece. Jennie built a box with weathered boards and added two hinges to make this cupboard. It is a perfect for a shabby chic room to display a collection or even to store perfumes or accessories in a powder room!


All of these pieces can be seen at Melange - 307 Riley Street in Historic Folsom, California. Store hours are Tuesdays - Sundays from 11am - 5 pm.

If you need any more information about any of these pieces you can email me:
susan@cherishhome.com or call the store (916)357-5800

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Corn Husks and Fur Stoles

One pastime I cherish is shopping for treasures! Finding a special piece at a incredible price gives me a great sense of accomplishment. Doing this with my sister or with friends makes this pastime all the more sweeter. I love to refinish old furniture, create one of a kind gift items or repurpose my treasures for my home or to sell in my space at Melange, a unique vintage store in Historic Folsom, California.

Out by myself one day, I ventured into the back room of a furniture store and spied this bust. Dress forms and busts are a hot commodity at Melange and whenever we get them in, they fly out the door, especially unusual or vintage ones. But my heartstrings were tugging at me to get this even though at the time I didn't know why - there was something about this one that I did not want to give up! A past season accessory, it was on sale!

This bust was covered with corn husks, and me being a farmer's wife, the raw earthiness of it appealed to me. Unfortunately, there was black mold growing underneath the husks so I decided to strip them off. Armed with a spray bottle of water, I attacked it for days, peeling and scraping.
After three days I only got about half off! So I decided to soak the whole bust in my laundry tub!
After two days of soaking, I managed to get off all the husks, but now the bust was filled with water - there were hairline cracks in the fiberglass form so I maneuvered the bust into position in the sink to drain the water. If someone had peeked in my laundry room window they would have wondered what kind of sick experiment I must have been doing with this body in my sink! Every time I walked into the laundry room, the bust surprised me, just as if there was someone in a room that you didn't expect!
With so much time invested now, this bust had to take a special place in my home - but where?

There was a knock on the door - it was my friend returning my grandmother's black stole she had borrowed for a costume party. The glamorous accessory popular in the 1930s and 40's, is not one which can be worn often and it's scale looked about perfect. I draped it around the bust's shoulders and tied a square knot in the front, then draped a set of pearls around the neck. As I looked at the assemblage, I thought of my grandmother and all the places she must have worn this stole. Its funny how things work out sometimes - there could not have been a better match! Destiny brought that bust to me. As I gaze at it all dressed, my mind races thinking of my stylish grandmother in that stole - cherish memories.
Dress Form and Stole - Brought together by destiny!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Enchanting Elizabeth

Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor
February 27, 1932 - March 23, 2011

I couldn't let the day pass by without mention of this cherished actress!
Just one look at this photo and it is clear why she was a Hollywood icon.
Her mesmerizing eyes reflect classic Hollywood at it's finest.
There is nothing better than settling in on these cold March days
with a warm cup of coffee and an old black and white movie
to transport you back to the golden days of Hollywood
where the women were real and the special effects were no where to be seen.
Elizabeth Taylor was enchanting - not only for her beauty,
but for her life stories that lit up grocery tabloids,
and in her later years her charitable work.
This cherished actress will be greatly missed.

St. Patricks Day Tablescape



St. Patrick's Day has always held a special place in my heart due to my Irish Grandmothers! My Grandma Hey Hey, short for Helen, an endearing name given when we were young to distinguish our redheaded grandma from the others, always loved to entertain at our beach house in Malibu. I inherited her fair skin and red hair, thus everyone knows I am at least part Irish!! My husband's Grandmother, also was of Irish decent, and Grandma Alice also loved having the family over for dinner. So with a family tree with surnames of McCauley, Mulligan, and Cowan, my three boys embraced the fact that blarney was in their blood! We cook a delicious new england boiled dinner every year for St. Patrick's Day with our "secret sauce" added to our corned beef that makes it a family favorite. This year, our St. Patrick's Day table resembled Emerald City with all the green glass! A special touch added this year was a yummy Irish Cream Shamrock made of Dark Chocolate from Woodhouse Chocolates in St. Helena, California. These little jewels were the perfect touch to top off the meal!