Birds, Nests and Cages for Spring 2013

Steam Punk Sparrow Awaiting Flight- SOLD
 Denise was inspired by other artist's bird creations and had so much fun creating this little guy
from vintage and new metal embellishments. The ironic thing was that she unknowingly picked a vintage tray
to display him on that is engraved from the 1960's and reads "Head Vulture"

Sweet Sparrow Awaiting Flight

 

Sweet Sparrow Belly Shot



Sweet Sparrow Aerial Shot

Whether still on trend or not- we will always be in LOVE with Birds, Nests,

& Cages-the motto around our design center (a.k.a Denise's garage)

is no piece is complete without a bird, nest, or some spanish moss with an egg or two in it!

 

Egg Cups painted with Annie Sloan chalk paint Antoinette Pink and Dark Wax, spanish & green moss,
robin's egg blue eggs on an Vintage Italian Tray with a Porcelain Cutie-SOLD

We've made these vintage egg cups for a few years now and the possibilities with them are endless:

 Darling Name Card Holders for a Spring Brunch

Tea Bag Holders for an Afternoon Tea

Party Favors with a Truffle,Tea Bag or Sweet Saying

They are also quite easy to put together yourself and I usually don't even paint them- however the set above was too bright gold for my taste so the AS chalk paint was a simple and quick solution

 

Adding time pieces to these Egg Cups can have a
deep meaning or simply be a fun decorative element-
I just stuck them in and thought they looked cool- SOLD

Large Vintage Iron Birdcage with Swinging Angel Santos Figure

Angel Santos Figure lounging in her swing 

 

Ok so apparently Denise is not the only one with an affection for cages, I talked her into purchasing this tall beauty earlier this month- we paid way too much for it- but I love the proportions- it's tall yet slender. And of course we thought the seated Santos Figure made the perfect tenant. We've had her displayed at the store standing in a display case, but for the cage we added wings and played around with how to place her in the cage. We finally decided to cut a side out of a smaller wire birdcage we had- transforming it into a swing. The clock face on the bottom is purely decorative but it would be very easy to transform this into a functioning piece of art by screwing a light bulb into the top and making it a lamp or by installing a functioning clock in the bottom.

 



Ceramic Girl Statue handpainted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

 Now I couldn't find a nest big enough to stick this sweet girl in but I did stick her in our booth this week. She was so easy to paint! You can find these ceramic statues just about anywhere now that garden and patio decor is everywhere- she did have a nice smooth pale grey finish to her before I even put a brush to her which really made my job a lot easier. We happen to have all of these shades of Annie Sloan Chalk paint- I should list them- but I'm too lazy to go out to the garage and find them- except for the grapes- I mixed duck egg blue and antoinette pink to get this purple shade. I think I used Coco for her hair, knowing it would most likely darken once I applied dark wax. I only clear waxed her skin, white dress and white hair band before dark waxing the entire thing. I know there are several brands of chalk paint on the market and in a pinch we sometimes make our own, but for us there is no comparison, AS chalk paint and wax is awesome.

Some other finds in our booth this week:
 

Paramount Studios costume piece- mid 20th century-SOLD

Paramount Studios Costume Label
I spent a few hours online attempting to find which movie this hat was in-
What I discovered:
Paramount made a lot of movies in the mid 20th century!

I'm in love with this pair of Hakata Urasaki Geishas from the mid 20th century

 

And of course this Geisha's kimono has the most beautiful hand painted Birds :)!



 



White Santos Figure

The White Santos Figure is a reproduction Santos Doll turned into a one of a kind art piece
Adorned with vintage French crochet skirt, beads, veil cape and tiara
Denise also added a light that gives off a gorgeous glow  



White Santos Figure adorned with Vintage Textiles and Jewelry
by Denise Chafin of White Horse Relics

 

We took this lovely lady over to Cedros yesterday. Denise has been working on her for quite some time and selling some pieces over the weekend at AOC inspired her to complete this White Santos Figure and get it into the booth. It's been a fun creative process working with these reproduction santos figures because they are like a blank canvas and you're able to play around with them- drilling holes, gluing, tweaking and transforming. It's interesting because santos figures I adorn are simple- a crown, a cross necklace- pretty predictable and basic. However you know it's one of Denise's when it lights up, has gorgeous bling and lots and lots of tulle. She and I are often opposites when it comes to design and yet we have so much fun working and creating together. She is up in LA today at the docs- still working on her health and healing path and I couldn't be more proud of her :)

Denise loved this assembled piece she created and I know it was hard for her to part with it-
I feel a bit bad because this Angel Santos Figure and the large birdcage SOLD within
a couple of days- I think we are supposed to feel good when we make a sale- right?
9 times out of 10 we are a little sad to see it go

Santos Birdcage Doll, Jester Lamp, St. Judas & Altar and my Agapito Labios painting displayed in
our AOC booth



Some Steampunk Style

We've been healing, playing and vacationing for much of this month- but this week we pleasantly surprised ourselves and made a few new pieces for AOC and took them over tonight just before closing

 

Steampunk Dress Form Assembled with Antique & New Metal Parts & Pieces

 

 

 

Vintage Dress Form with Steampunk Industrial Chic Dress
Assembled from Vintage & New Parts & Pieces by artist Denise Chafin

 

SOLD
Antique Birdcage on a Vintage Wood and Metal Rim Table
Inside is a Santos Angel with A Time Keeper

Santos Figure with Time Keeper who cradles an antique clock part

 

Earlier this month I was able to take a few days and travel to one of my favorite places- Mexico City

 

18th Century Church in Mexico City with Amazing Frescoes, Mosaics, Paintings, Architecture and Stained glass

I only had one shopping day for the Flea Market but it was fun. As always I found tons of things I either couldn't afford or cram into my suitcase but just getting to look is always an adventure. I managed to make just a few purchases and my favorite find:

 an Agapito Labios Painting from the mid 20th century

 I love the subject and my girls and I had this same view of the Warrior & Princess Volcanoes from our home outside of Mexico City a few years ago- so this painting was an especially sweet find.

An Agapito Labios painting, mid 20th century

A Special Thanks to Anisa & Eldon of Antiques on Cedros for staying open a little later tonight for us to rework our booth- we just love it there and the store has an amazing vibe and even more amazing merchandise and vendors!

 

We are taking a short road trip tomorrow up to Oceanside, Ca to check out Lucky Street Productions Flea Market. They have such a great concept in that they rent out wonderful vintage props for any occasion along with hosting a monthly flea market with various vendors. From their posts on Facebook and the web they have some very cool pieces so we're excited to go!

 

Next up for us, a whole new theme in our booth for March and April.

Online selling is somewhere on the horizon, although we've been saying that forever,

someday we'll mean it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



In AOC this Month & Around the House

Altar Cabinet with Crowned Vintage Spanish Doll in Birds nest
under lock and key

We've been enjoying a slow and relaxing start to 2013! Denise still has some healthy healing to do and fortunately her doctor says creating is the best medicine! So this month we've put a few new items in Antiques on Cedros, we've got a couple of items in the works, and there's a hundred items waiting in the wings (a.k.a the garage)

 

This fun altar cabinet was Denise's Christmas gift this year, I found the cabinet and lock at Tuesday Mornings- the tag called it a spice cabinet- so I thought a spicy little spanish doll would be appropriate- I think the paint & patina on the cabinet and lock are great for reproductions- the old spanish doll I found in Denise's garage-bird nest I stuffed with spanish moss and stuck on top of an old broken gold meal base. I found the crown at Homegoods- it was atop a glass ball Christmas ornament- so I just broke off the glass ball and rubbed some dark wax over the crown- the chain is an old piece I found in my mom's dad's garage after he passed and I rusted up the cross pendant with iron oxide.

 

 

 

 

Denise also celebrated a birthday this month with a group of wonderful, close friends and received this amazing antique telephone with beautiful detail and carving-

it's sweet that her friends know her so well

 

Beautiful Antique Chinese Telephone

 

One of this blog's most popular posts has been one where we featured photos of Denise's home- with her and her husband looking to downsize this year- I've already started taking more photos of the house that she transformed into a beautiful home- so check back often - I hope to get 'Sneak Peek into Denise's Home Part 2' posted soon. The Greek Warrior below guards one of the hallways-he's very easy on the eyes if that's not too weird to admit and he was a steal! Back in the good ole days when you could spend a day down in Rosarito Beach, Mex., driving along the old road, pulling over at each roadside shop- filling your van with all sorts of goodies and even having enough time to grab a bite to eat in Puerto Nuevo before heading home with no passports needed and less than an hour border wait to get back across- crazy, fun times.

 

Greek Warrior Bust with great patina purchased years ago in Rosarito Beach, Mex

For our AOC booth this month we are sticking with darks and antiques. Denise has a lovely spring patio and birdcage booth in the works that we will install sometime in March.

 

Santos Cage Doll transformed into a Santos Birdcage Doll altered with vintage and new pieces-
fun old drawer handle on the arch and the candle inside the nest is a battery operated light-
I forgot her crown the day we took her to the shop but she's been crowned since this photo

SOLD
This antique set of mirrored armoire doors we hinged to make a dressing screen

The doors have beautiful wood detailing and intricate designs

Lovely vintage gold gilt Italian roses floor lamp

This small bookcase is a great size and has the most beautiful detailed side wood carvings and trim-
we couldn't find out it's origin however it is quite old with great patina

We only added a few touches to this old french wire dress form- we kept the
yellow fabric someone had woven around as the skirt
The fabulous pink chair and clock in the background are from the vendor next to us-
she always has the greatest finds

What to do we do with a broken head? Stick it in some spanish moss in a crown
on some books under a dome- Denise calls these happy accidents

We are looking forward to a healthy, happy & productive 2013- Denise has a new dress form almost ready to go and I know our spring booth will be fun at AOC. I also hope to bring back some more finds from Mexico City next month- and we are slowly starting our online sales-

so we will be sure and keep the blog updated!

Smiles- Denise & Ashley

 

 



Santos Dolls, Animals & More

 

Denise's Royalty Animals Decked out for the Holidays

 

We are Loving our new space at AOC; great location, customers, vendors & owners are really making us feel like we are in the right place. We were bringing more items in yesterday, when we just happened by chance, to meet the sweet lady who bought Denise's latest Dress Form. She was so excited to have it in her collection of treasured things and it was a joy meeting her.

We've recently added more santos figures, furniture & more one of a kind assembled pieces.

The swan is gorgeous and Denise adorned her with vintage jewelry and a tea light candle holder as the crown- she's beautiful when lit!

 

SOLD
Beautiful Assembled Swan

SOLD
We love this guy- he has real horns and of course we blinged him up a bit-
Not sure if he's a Long-Haired Goat or a Sheep, but he's a cutie

 

SOLD
Hand Carved Wooden Horse with Festive Hat & Garland



SOLD
We weren't sure what this charming guy was meant to hold-
A flower pot or gifts under a tree could be fun

SOLD
Angel Santos Doll with Italian vintage vine crown

Several new Santos Cage Dolls & Figures

Close up of newest Santos Cage Doll- I brought back the rosary and crown from a Mexico City trip.
I love the space next to ours at AOC with the to-die-for chandelier-
 it makes the most gorgeous backdrop for anything!

SOLD
Santos Cage Doll with added twig garland, giant wings, cross necklace
& vintage Italian vine crown 

1880's Wicker Baby Stroller/Carriage/Pram very sweet and in really good condition-
The interior sides still had much of the original fabric and horsehair padding,
Denise gently tacked some linen on top to preserve the original fabric-
It's a darling design with great detail & patina

 

1880's Wicker Baby Carriage/Stroller/Pram
This would be sweet in a nursery or in a sun room with wicker furniture







This is a view of the top of the cedar chest

SOLD
The pair of vintage Italian Marble lamps
are a recent find- the tole vine and porcelain flower shades are rare  

Assembled Dome
Found this carved wood vintage Infant of Prague and had fun assembling him into
a sculptural piece with this art deco frame and print of Jesus, vintage angel,
& real bird's nest

We first saw this clever Lampshade Tree idea at the Sweet Magnolia's booth at the
Vintage Marketplace in Rainbow, Ca
 Denise has been saving lampshade frames for
quite awhile until she finally had all the rights sizes to create one

 

Altar, quite large, hand carved and handmade from Mexico
with Bell, Sacred Heart & Light
 



 

Inside the altar is an assembled santos infant head in an antique silverplate pickle castor



SOLD
Display cabinet with Standing Santos Doll, old books, trophy &
candlesticks

Even though there are lots of these rerpoduction Santos Dolls on the market,
 one of the best things about them is their amazing faces & eyes, and being able to get creative
 and adorn them with all sorts of found objects. This one is wearing old coins as earrings-

It's hard to see in this pic, but this Santos Doll's belt is an old yet fancy metal
Burbon label wth keys found in a 90 year old barn

This Gorgeous White Santos Cage Doll is a future project for Denise to adorn,
I photographed her here in Denise's front room the day we got her.
Check back soon to see how she will transform

So we've been a little busy, which is great, we wouldn't want it any other way 

& look forward to finding more fabulous finds and creating fun pieces in the New Year!

 

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes in 2013!