Reclaimed Silver Pieces Shine

I have to write about this silver-plate coffee pot & creamer transformation! I snagged these treasures the end of September at the Faith Church annual rummage sale in Issaquah, WA.

Would you believe the coffee pot was marked $3? I saw the potential and knew that at the very least I could fill it with flowers. The hinge at the lid was bent and Dan is charged with bending/fixing it back. I found the matching creamer on the floor below the table and the church lady "threw it in" because they shouldn't be separated. Score.

Once home, I pulled out a container of Weiman Silver Wipes which I think I bought at the Container Store, but had never used. 

Um...boy do they work! I spent about 20 minutes rubbing, rinsing and buffing dry. Piece of cake! Wear disposable gloves and make your holidays shine!

Shining Silver

Are you doing a little late-night silver polishing in anticipation of the holidays?  Years ago a friend talked me into using Nevr-Dull (a treated cotton wadding found in auto supply stores and Walmart) to polish my silver.  She swore by it and I fell under the spell of easy polishing. 

It worked so well (and so fast!) that I put all fears of damaging my silver aside in lieu of getting the job done.  Since then, I have been relieved to hear many silver care experts touting the wonders of Nevr-Dull.  You can hear it for yourself from the restoration experts at Center Art Studio.

If your silver is looking gold, do yourself a favor and get a tin of Nevr-Dull. 

Silver Patina on Ice Bucket make Arrangement even Prettier

I was at my friend's recently helping her get the house ready for a party she was throwing.  We tried different tablecloths on the table, compared various combinations of plates (chargers, dinner and salad) and pulled out all of her cloth napkins to find the pattern that worked the best.  It was really fun and when you have a friend to talk it over with, design decisions are easy.

When we pulled out the bottles of wine and sparkling water to chill, she said she was disappointed that she hadn't had time to shine her silver footed punch bowl.  She thought it would have looked neat filled with ice and all the different bottles.  When I saw that it was such a beautiful piece, I convinced her to use it anyway (it became a wonderful addition to the bar) and cited my silver ice bucket above as an example of the beauty of old silver.

I told her that since my ice bucket was an antique that had gone without being polished or care for for years, it had acquired a unique patina, along with delicate scarring and a grey haze in some areas, that I simply couldn't buff off.  But it is beautiful!  And I think that the fact that it looks like an antique makes it even better.  If we wait until our silver pieces are perfectly shined, we may never use them at all.  The next time you are ruling out a silver vase or tray because you don't have the time or energy to shine it, ask yourself if it doesn't look a little bit beautiful with a patina.  You might just see it in a new light.     

Ice Bucket Bouquet

This bouquet was assembled with peony donations!

I've been having a bit of a peony panic in my yard.  I went from having 6 happy and productive plants, to one plant that gives me 3 blooms - tops.  Is the soil in my bed too wet?  Did the plants get diseased?  I had the same problem last year and now that I'm in the same boat, I'm taking a leaf/soil sample to the garden center for some advice.  You can see my only peony in this photo: it is called "Gay Paree" and has magenta petals with a creamy center.

The rest of this gorgeous bouquet (I'm a florist at heart) was made with peony donations and a few "Royal Amethyst" roses.  My neighbor and best friend both offered up some of their blooms so that I could still make flower arrangements.  Thank goodness!  I couldn't miss having something this wonderful in the house.  And I discovered a distressed silver ice bucket in the basement - it must have been my mother's mother's from long ago.  I gave it a good shine and it is perfect.  

I'm making flower arrangements fit for a movie star.  Love it!