Broken Mirror turned Giant Wall Clock

Now you might of seen this clock make an appearance in the background in some of my previous posts. So I thought it was due time to admit an embarrassing mishap which turned into this giant wall clock...

...Well, it all started many years ago. A good friend of ours' grandmother died and they were trying to unload some of her furniture. I always wanted a vanity and she had a cool retro one with a huge round mirror. We tried to get it into our cars- but it was too wide, so our friend agreed to have her husband drop it off at our house on his way home from work later in the week. At the time we were renting a house from another friend. This house only had one door that worked/didn't stick- the front door- so we only ever went out of that door.
I guess my friend's husband thought I had already gone to work, so he leaned the big ol' mirror against the screen door to the front door- so I'd be sure to see it when I got home. Problem with that though- I was working night shift that day. I had been sleeping in late when he stopped by, so I didn't hear him lean it against the screen door. When I went to leave for work, I opened the door and BAM, CRASH! I knocked over the big mirror, shattering it all across the front porch. You see the screen door was one of those doors that the bottom half is one big panel- so you can't see anything that is leaned against it. Needless to say, I was kind of devastated and embarrassed. Where the HELL was I going to get a mirror that big to replace it? At the time we just didn't have the money to get a custom fit round mirror, as we were nearing closing on our first home.
Fast forward to earlier this year- I had carted that piece of wood around to our new house, determined to DIY it into something. I then got the idea to make it into a BIG wall clock.
I looked up numbers that you can buy at the hardware store, but they were again- just too darn costly. Then while cruising the dollar store I came across these foam numbers. So I spray painted them and then glued them to the wood round.

My hubs helped me install the hands to the clock from a clock kit we got. Tada! Big wall clock!

However, now that it's been on our wall for a while, I have noticed at night, it's hard to see the black hands. Next chance I get to pick up some gold paint, I think I might paint the hands gold to match the numbers, and make it stand out on the brown wood. But that's for another day. ;P
Anyways, I decided it had been long enough, so I better come clean on the story behind this big clock. lol

Hope this gives you ideas for what to do when you break a mirror. You don't have to just settle for many years of bad luck- turn it into something else fun!
Have a great day all!
-M

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Chair-ished memories: The tale of two chairs

Being it is Christmas time, often we are reminded of the things we hold dear. Memories, loved ones, special items- all of these things in our lives we cherish. We also all have certain items in our homes that bring about those memories, especially ones given to us from loved ones.
This brings me to today's post- I was recently asked by Chairish, a place for design lovers to buy and sell Vintage & Used Furniture, Decor, Jewelery and Accessories online, What do you "Chairish"?
Chairish is the go-to place to find great vintage furniture, like that of my own vintage chairs below (though mine are not for sale), with thousands of listings all in one fun place! Check out their vintage furniture selection here: www.chairish.com/collection/furniture
Many people have vintage furniture or items that have been passed down through the generations- and all of these items have a story behind them. Let me tell you about my two "Chairished" Chairs:

These 2 black leather chairs were originally my Grandmother Sally's. As a kid visiting during either Thanksgiving or Christmas (we could only afford to fly out there once a year) I often would sit in those chairs looking out the guest bedroom window at the snow outside. I lived in Florida until I was 12 years old, so the only snow I ever got to see in person was when we visited both sets of my grandparents, who lived in two different parts of Illinois. As a small child, I would just stare at it falling for hours outside. It was so beautiful and calm.

My grandparents when they were "young'ns"

When I got a little older (and had moved to Pennsylvania, where there was plenty of times to experience snow in the winter), I spent a little less time sitting on those chairs, but still admired them for their "retro feel." My grandmother had a lot of cool retro items in her home- an old full-beehive-style head hairdryer, a huge old green stove, a classic old bubble-lights on the tree, just to name a few. But it was those 2 black leather chairs that I'd always comment that I hoped I could find a similar set in my future home.
One of the last times I was up visiting my grandmother, I was talking about how I was trying to decorate/furnish my apartment- going the retro look. I mentioned to my grandmother that I searched for chairs like her cool black leather ones, but couldn't find any. She told me, "Well. Someday you can have those chairs. Just not today."

My grandparents back in their hayday. 

That was one of the last times I'd see my grandmother alive. She passed away only a few months before I got married. When my mom, aunt,uncle and cousin were sorting through her things, they knew how much I longed to have chairs like those. So my uncle took the legs off of them, and with a little muscle, made them fit in my parents car to take them to Pennsylvania for me. I was so grateful. I truely "chairish" those chairs. To this day, they still are in our home- they might have changed rooms as we moved around from apartments to our final home, as well as different pillows thrown on them, but they always were one of my most favorite furniture items.

Their spot in one of the many apartments we lived in...

They've had their share of stories since we acquired them-people falling asleep in them after a Christmas party at our house, or how the backs of them got some paint on them from the walls of the one apartment because we tried to squeeze them into a space too small for them. They even were used in a community theater production of "The Odd Couple" when I played one of the Pigeon sisters.

One of the chairs in this scene from "The Odd Couple" (I'm the one in the red, black and white dress)

Currently they are sitting in our bedroom. Even though they aren't getting as much "butt sitting" use as they used to, they've gotten their use of holding piles of laundry, being a place for my cat Wendy to lounge and a place to sit when I'm putting on my shoes to go out.

At one point we had the chairs on either side of our dresser, but they've since been moved to the foot of our bed.

Along with their actual use of being chairs- they are the constant reminder of my grandparents house and all the fun memories of looking out the window at the winter snowfall. I know it sounds funny- but those chairs always remind me of Christmas.
I truely "Chairish" those chairs. lol

Please excuse our not very well made bed- I was exausted by the time this was taken and didn't feel like making it properly. lol

What do you cherish/chairish? Do you have any items you hold dear to your heart, given to you by someone in your family? I'd love to hear from you (and I'm sure Chairish would too!)
Have a great day all!
-M

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