Tag Archives: art

How to Decorate With Antique Lamps

Posted on by

There is nothing that adds more elegance and automatic ambience to a room’s décor than an antique lamp. They are fantastic objects to have in a dining room or living room because they not only make a personal statement about you but because they are great conversation pieces. There is nothing like a 1930s big chandelier with large drops of ice hanging from it to help break the ice with your dinner companions.

One of the most interesting antique lamp fads that is around lately is the passion for chandeliers made out of deer antlers. These date back as far as the 1890s and straight through to today. They were standard lamp fixtures in medieval times in Europe (as they do have a bit of a pagan flair to them) but they are also considered to be part of American and Canadian furniture kitsch.

However keep in mind that when you buy one of these deer chandeliers that it is not always that politically correct. Some unscrupulous dealers are selling this type of thing on eBay as being made out of found antlers when what they have done is take the antlers off of live deer. This is a big ecological no-no. You are safest to look in antique shops and for chandeliers that look like they have been found on the ground. These antlers will not have sawed off ends. If they do have sawed off ends you might start the wrong type of conversation at your dinner party especially if you have invited any conservationists.

Yet another very popular type of kitsch antique lamp that is being manufactured right now is the “Sexy Leg Lamp.” This is the lamp that was featured in the movie “The Christmas Story.” It consists of a plastic molded ladies leg wearing a black high heel and it is topped with a shade that looks like a burlesque dancer’s skirt. If you have one of these in your home, your guests are sure to point out that “you have the same lamp that Ralphie’s Dad does.”

A kind of lamp that is getting harder and harder to find but used to be a common sight on top of television sets all over the world is the classic ceramic black panther that is topped with a shade made from paper pressed with glitter.

Perhaps the most popular of the antique lamps are the lava lamps. It is getting harder and harder nowadays to find a real lava lamp from the fifties or sixties. The knock offs that can be had for twenty dollars and be bought in a hardware store are simply not as nice as the ones you find on eBay or in antique shops. This is because the newer replicas tend to be a lot smaller then the original lava lamps that were sometimes tall enough to reach your knee. They also often contain glitter instead of the “lava” and their design is not as nice. If you manage to find a real lava lamp from the fifties then the design from the Atomic Age is certain to become a conversation starter.

How to Decorate With Tile Coasters

Posted on by

Tile coasters are very hot right now. It is because you can print anything on them. They especially suit older works of art and if you go onto any of the big sites you will see that many types of tile coasters have actually now become collector’s items. They actually look like reproductions of vintage postcards with images on them by Diego Riviera, Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Freda Kahlo and others.
You can also get humorous ceramic tiles. These have jokes, political statements or funny images on them. An example would be the image of a piggy bank saying the phrase “Change is good.” You can also get the old iconic signs like a big peace symbol, the big LOVE image with the crooked L or the smiley face.
One drawback of tile coasters is that they are fragile and that they do break easily. Sometimes the condensation from the glass creates suction and this causes the coaster to stick to the tile. This is usually noticed to late by the user of the glass and the tile smashes to the floor.
One of the most unique developments in the industry of tile coasters is AbsorbaStone. These are coasters that work great and look great .They have a textured finish that keeps them from bonding with the bottom of the glass so it does not pick the tile up, drop it and smash it. This type of coaster is usually backed by cork to keep them skid free. This technology is also used to make cutting boards, trivets and memo boards.
Another popular type of coaster is the recycled variety. These are made from recycled ceramic tiles. Images are painted on them and then they are lacquered so they are durable.
Thinking of getting a tile coaster of a different sort? You can now get tile coasters that are actually made out of SCRABBLE Tiles. These are easy to make yourself. You simply glue Scrabble tiles to thin cork sheets in clever drink related patterns and then coat the whole thing with a sealant. You can buy about 100 regular wooden tiles for about $100 from Hasbro, the manufacturer of Scrabble tiles. You can also go to garage sales and buy old games and collect the tiles for making your own tile coasters that way.
There are also plenty of places online where you can get your business logo branded onto some tile coasters. These make a great Xmas gift. These places online that sell customized tiles tend to allow you to upload some kind of image of your own which they then print onto the tile. You usually order these in bulk although some suppliers of tile coasters will let you do this one by one. These can make great corporate Christmas gifts. The beauty is you can have any type of message printed up on a ceramic tile the way you can a button or a T-shirt or a mug. It is a great way to get the word out about your product.