Pizza and Laundry

Oh, what a day I had yesterday! My Mom said her friend Bill had some corner cabinets for me to look at for our new kitchen, so I picked her up and we went to his shop. My Mom owned an antique store for 30 years, and held estate sales and auctions, and Bill used to work a lot of her sales. He now has a great shop of his own, with just about everything you can think of.

The corner cabinets were a bust, but I bought several things I was thrilled about! 

This hanging scale- I bought it for a song, I tell you, a song! This will be perfect in our new kitchen. Unfortunately, it's going to go into a box tonight. Probably not a good idea to be buying a bunch of stuff as we pack everything up & get ready to list our current house for sale. Whatevs.

Love the chippy enamel!

A cute framed tapestry...I need to lighten up the frame with some chalk paint. Probably not a good idea to go into paint mode as we get ready to sell our house. Whatevs.  

So sweet!

An adorable McCoy speckled turkey pitcher/wash bowl. I'm moving to a former turkey farm, so I HAD to buy it! Plus, it was 10 bucks- wouldn't you have gobbled grabbed it?  

Love this! 

And my "What in the heck am I going to do with THIS" purchase. A cast iron laundry stove that was part of a local historical landmark. HAD. TO. BUY. IT.  

Back story on the laundry stove- My Mom held an auction for our local "Pizza King"/friend of the family back in the early 1990's. He was selling his mansion and the contents. It was a fabulous auction, with antiques that were Sotheby's worthy. I couldn't afford to buy much of anything back then, but I managed to snag some kitchen utensils and some linens. Our local "Pizza King" is quite the philanthropist, but his pizza is THE BEST. In fact, his is the ONLY pizza I will eat 'round these parts. Cannot tell you how many dates I went on at his place, or how many pizzas I have eaten. I'm brand loyal like that.

Bill (also a friend of our "Pizza King") had the stove in the back of his shop. I spied it and fell in love with it. When he told me the history of the piece, that sealed the deal. It was an original laundry stove from "Laurel Court" that the "Pizza King" saved when the home was undergoing renovations.    

Laurel Court

From The Laurel Court website:

"Laurel Court was built for Peter G. Thomson, founder of The Champion Coated Paper Company. Started in 1902 and completed in 1907, it is one of America’s best surviving examples of the opulent homes built during the “gilded age”.  

Upon its completion, Laurel Court was described as "the most sumptuous and palatial in this part of the country….finished with all good taste can command." Laurel Court, located in the Cincinnati community of College Hill, was built on an estate of approximately 23 acres, on the highest point in Hamilton County (greater Cincinnati). 

Laurel Court is a beaux-arts structure designed by architect James Gamble Rogers. Modeled in the style of the Petite Trianon in Versailles France, Laurel Court stands today as one of the finest residences in America, and one of many notable works of James Gamble Rogers. Its stately chiseled granite exterior, and elegant interior finishes, display the skills of the artisans who created this distinguished residence. 

Today, the main house, cottages, and carriage house rest on 7.5 acres of land, enhanced by a French garden, Japanese garden, a classical wisteria-covered pergola, and many statues and fountains. Laurel Court was listed on the National Historic Register in 1979."

My little laundry stove isn't worth a ton of money, but it's priceless to me. It's part of our local history, and well, it just makes me smile. My Mom thinks I should keep it in our screened in porch and use it as a planter. Nope. I'm somehow going to make it into a table. Now I just have to learn how to weld.... 

linking up with Shabby Nest's Frugal Friday 

and French Country Cottage's Feathered Nest Friday 

and Debbiedoos Newbie Party