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It has only been within the last couple of years that I have discovered my love of antiques.
When my husband and I first started dating (which I can hardly believe has already been over 7 years ago) he introduced me to shopping at antique stores. Initially I just followed him around because I was overwhelmed by the plethora of items and didn’t know what to look for. But after a few trips to some stores, I started to find items I was interested in - mostly books and hurricane oil lamps - but I still wouldn’t have described myself as an antique lover at that time.
That point came three years ago with two major influences that piqued my interest in antiques. The first happened when I read a lovely book by Paula Brackston called The Little Shop of Found Things (which is a series of three books and I loved them all in case you’re interested). In it, a mother and daughter open an antique store and the description of the antique items and their significance to those who had owned the items piqued my curiosity, and I began to research some of the items I read about. Around the same time, I also became immersed in the historical sewing and costuming community on YouTube. One YouTuber in particular decorates her apartment in largely antique and secondhand items, and the things she purchased were just lovely and made me want to find similar items to style my own home. She also does extensive education on reducing consumer culture and the importance of giving a new life to antique, vintage, and secondhand items.
And thus began my true love of antiques and my quest to fill my home with previously loved items.
In this section of my blog, I hope to highlight some of my antique finds, particularly the ones that may need a little repair work. These are in no way meant to be tutorials - I’m simply documenting my process in the hopes to inspire others to give new life to antiques! But keep in mind that I am not a professional and what I do will not be perfect; therefore, I encourage you to research methods from actual professionals just like I did before starting on these endeavors.
My first antique find that I want to highlight is this silver plated hand mirror that I purchased on Etsy. I had been looking for a hand mirror to use both as decor for my antique vanity and to use when applying makeup, and when I found the design on this one I was completely enamored, even though it was going to need a lot of love to get it in usable condition! The Etsy seller described it as “Antique Art Nouveau Alpacca / German silver hand mirror circa 1900.” I have not verified the date and I haven’t felt the need to because it’s so beautiful that I don’t really care what the year is. The seller also specifically described it as “repurpose or repair” since the mirror was no longer in it (but I got it at a significantly reduced price as compared to similar ones that still had mirrors in it). It is also silver plated which seems to be typical for that time period.
(Above photo was taken right out of the package. You can see the tarnish on it.)
When I opened up the package, it was even more beautiful in person! And while I do appreciate patina, I knew that I wanted to shine this piece up a bit since it will be sitting on display on my vanity, and I do intend to use it while applying makeup. I researched the best way to remove tarnish from silver plate. The options ranged from homemade mixtures using baking soda, toothpaste, or dish soap to premade items like creams. The option that appealed most to me and seemed to have the best results from my research was Wright’s silver cream. So off I went to Amazon to purchase some, and I think I spent around $8, which I thought was pretty reasonable. It came in a decent size tub so I can definitely use it for other items in the future. This is an affiliate link to the silver cream on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3UZIDSg
(Above photo shows the silver cream in its tub photo on the right shows it on a soft applicator sponge.)
I followed the instructions given and ended up using the silver cream three times to remove as much of the tarnish as possible. I used a soft sponge for the majority of the mirror and a soft toothbrush to get around the many nooks and crannies of the floral design.
(Above photos show front and back of the mirror base after the tarnish removal.)
After I was satisfied with my tarnish removal, it was time to attach the mirror. I had previously measured the diameter of where the original mirror was, and I found a shop on Etsy that sold mirrors in the size that I needed. I chose to use E6000 for the adhesive on this since I wanted it to have a very strong hold knowing I would be using it for years to come. I applied the glue to the back of the mirror, centered it, and then let it sit for 72 hours to fully cure (per the instructions). While it was curing, I put a soft cloth over top of the mirror and put something slightly heavy on top to help keep it as adhered as possible.
(Mirror before applying it to the mirror base.)
Once the 72 hours were up, my mirror was finished! I’ve had it for about 9 months and it looks absolutely beautiful on my vanity! I also use it every time I put my makeup on, allowing it to continue to be used for its original intention. I couldn’t be happier with the results!
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