Ready For A New Home

Everything for sale in my shop has a history. There are things that are unused, but they were all previously owned. Nothing came from the manufacturer to me. Sometimes I know the history and sometimes I can guess.


Way back, probably in the early 1900s, A Worcester family purchased a brand new buffet. As a cherished piece of furniture, it was lovingly maintained - dusted and polished. It occupied a place of pride in the family diningroom where we can only guess how many Thanksgivings, Christmas dinners, birthdays and dinners with friends it observed over the years. It held the best silverware, linens and china and, probably, some prized glassware nearby, ready to set the table.


Everything changes, including fashion. In later years it was no longer stylish. Most likely subsequent generations didn't value  it in the same way as the original owner. In any event, at some point, the buffet fell out of favor, no longer a prized family possession.

Part way through the process.

I found it in the basement of a home in Worcester in the fall of 2009. There is no way to know if that was its original home. When I first saw it, it was paint spattered and ink and water stained. The doors were in six pieces each. Evidence of someone's efforts to repair them was there. One center panel was stapled and the other was duct taped. An attempt to re-glue the frames was made using rubber cement. Nevertheless, most of the original hardware was there; its beautiful serpentine front was intact and the backboard was also present. So, I bought it with the idea of maybe refinishing it - someday.

Each step of the way revealed more beauty until, finally, even I was surprised at how good it looked.

Ready to go home.

Now, it is ready to be cherished again in a new home with a new generation. And yes, you can say that it was lovingly restored.

What Is It?

April may be the cruelest month, but, so far, March hasn't been any picnic. Snow yesterday; snow tomorrow. This seems to be the year of the winter that won't end. I thought I'd post this photo and see if we could have a little fun while we're waiting for spring weather.

What is it?

Too bad that the sun wasn't out because the diamond cuts really sparkle. This item would have graced every well-set Victorian table. It is silver plated and stands a little over 11 in. tall. Other than that, the photo is a pretty good representation of this item.

Just for fun, the first person to post the correct answer will receive a discount of $5 off a purchase of $25 or more at Aunt Lizzie's Whatnot Shop. For $25, you could fill several bags with goodies.

No more hints for right now. Just that I was mistaken as to its use when I first saw it. Now it's your turn.

Sideboard Update

So, what have I been up to all winter? Like most of the rest of you I have been snowblowing and shoveling. To think that I actually hoped for some way to exercise this winter. Be careful what you wish for. I know most of the rest of you have been doing that because visitors to Aunt Lizzie's have been few and far between. There have been many days when I thought to myself that if I didn't have to be there, I would be snuggled up at home too.


But the quiet hours at the shop gave me lots of time to devote to the current project:  the serpentine front, oak sideboard. Most recently, I replaced the bottom.

Old bottom.

I must admit that I considered leaving it in place. It didn't look too bad warped and separated only in one spot at the back. I also thought about just gluing the surface back into place.

Side view.

But, closer examination clearly indicated that it needed to be replaced. If I hadn't replaced it, it would have always bothered me. I brought the old piece home and used it as a template to cut a new one. Sometimes I measure once and cut twice, but on this project I made sure to measure multiple times and cut once. There was only one piece of wood large enough to use.

New Bottom.

I cut the notches in, and marked the existing nail holes too. Then the big question:  Did I do it right? The moment of truth came today when I brought the new piece to the shop. It was a challenge to try to fit the new piece into place from the bottom of the sideboard. I ended up having to remove the entire bottom brace. With the brace gone, it was only moments before the new piece slid into place. All in all, it was a wonderful learning experience for me. The next one will be easier!

It worked!

So, all that's left to do is the varnishing. (And maybe some new screws for the hinges.) I will varnish the inside of all the drawers and the new bottom as well as applying one coat to the outside surface. The top will get two coats for extra protection from wear.

Almost done.

It should be all finished by next week. I'll put the finished product photos here.