The Tale of Two Porch Posts-Part 1

Way back when to the days of living outside DC, there was a quaint antique store called Boswell's Corner on Rt. 1 Jefferson Davis Highway.   I had gone there on my regular route of flea findings.  This day, I pulled up to the front and two old, chippy porch posts were leaning against the building.  I don't know what got into me that day, but I knew that I must take them home.  I guess I was hoping that someday, they could stand in my little antique shop hanging items from their gingerbread trim.

Inside the shop I went to hopefully score a good price.  I think I did.  Quickly, I loaded them in the van.  On the way home, I called my husband to forewarn him about the latest purchase.  I think he was shocked when he first saw them.  He said, "You are going to strip and repaint these, aren't you?"  I responded back with "Heavens No!!!"   I could see this fantastic vision and he wanted me to clean them up.  Anyone knowing shabby chic would know that this finish is something to value.  This would have destroyed the character of the pieces.

So the posts sat until we moved to Arkansas.  I had just finished redoing a brass chandelier (see  future posts) and I couldn't decide where to hang it.  Mr. Thrifty and I talked it over.  I pulled one of the porch posts into the bedroom and asked him if he could hook up the chandelier to it.
  First he had to build a base for the post so it would stay upright.  Since the post stands behind a chair, the front legs of the post can be pushed right under the back of the chair.  With the base, there is no fear of it falling over.  The base was given a quick coat of white paint.

 Then he drilled a whole in the top of the gingerbread piece, inserted a hook to hang the weight of the chandelier and pulled the rest of the cord back over the top of the post.  The chain now draped on the other side of the trim where another piece of gingerbread trim was once secured.

                          Once suspended, the chandelier looked like it had been there for years.

What is really great about this post  is that I can change the up cycled chandeliers around the house to get a different look.  All that is needed is to unhook one and attach another one.