Tuesday, August 18, 2009

My Love Affair With WIcker

I guess my love affair with wicker all started when we bought our first house. It was a tiny white frame house with a front porch. I knew the porch just had to have wicker furniture but there was no money in the budget. I remembered that our next door neighbors where I grew up had a set of wicker that belonged to their grandma and it had been stored in the rafters of their garage for years. Whenever they cleaned out their garage they'd take it down and then put it back up again, so I had seen it many times.

It was the same style as the one in this picture: a chair, a rocker and a loveseat. (this is not mine)
So the next time I was visiting mom and dad I went next door and asked them if they might be willing to sell it to me. To my surprise they said they would give it to us! So we happily carted it home, got out the white spray paint, glued some of the loose parts and I made cushions that were bright green with white dots.

We enjoyed that set for quite a few years, but it was very old and brittle and eventually it just fell apart.

Over the years I have bought and sold quite a few pieces and right now this is what I have. I absolutely love the chaise lounge that I got at an auction many years ago. It is my favorite piece of furniture in the whole house.



This sofa table was found at a yard sale. This tea trolley that I got at a yard sale too. It has a tray that lifts off the top.A vintage child's rocker also came from a yard sale. It was only $5 a couple of years ago! Oh and there is the planter behind which I showed you in a previous post. I just acquired that this year and I didn't paint it white like I usually do!This is one of the chairs I got to replace the original ones we had. I can't even remember where it came from. I just recently painted it yellow, which is quite a departure for me and actually now that I've lived with it for awhile I'm thinking of painting it white.This chair and desk belonged to my mom. She gave it to me when she moved into an apartment and didn't have a space for it. I think it is very old.And the last piece of wicker I have is my fern stand which I showed in my very first post. I've had it for a long time too. I think I got it at a yard sale years agoActually I have one more piece, but it is up in the attic. When we were expecting our first baby, 36 years ago I bought a wicker cradle. One of these days I will bring it down, clean it up and display it somewhere.



So that is my love affair with wicker. Other pieces of wicker have come and gone but the ones I have now I plan to keep for a long time.



Rhondi xo

33 comments:

  1. Hi Rhondi, I share your love of wicker and you've inspired me to take pictures of my pieces and post them. Every piece that you have is beautiful, but I especially like the chaise...I've never seen one so pretty. And to have your mom's old set is really a treasure. I lost an opportunity to buy an old desk and chair...I won't make that mistake again, if ever given the chance! Hope you're having a wonderful day and that the week will be just as wonderful!

    Mary

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  2. We are so much alike Rhondi! I just did a post on white wicker earlier today! I love all of your wicker, but I have to say the one that I love the most...and covet (is that a bad thing?) is your white wicker lounge....I hope someday to run across one like yours.
    xo
    Penny

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  3. Rhondi,

    I have to jump on the bandwagon, I love wicker too!! And you have some very nice pieces!! The chaise looks so comfy with the quilts and I love the charm of your mother's desk!!

    I have recenly bought a few pieces of my own. The hardest part is choosing cushions and pillows. Oh, if only I could sew... I expect they will change a lot over the years!! ;-)

    xoxo
    Jane

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  4. What beautiful pieces you have. I love the chaise. It looks so welcoming!

    Enjoyed visiting,
    Laura

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  5. Rhondi....you have a beautiful collection of wicker! It all looks so nice in your home in different vignettes!~Patti

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  6. I love your wicker, especially the desk from your mother, gorgeous! I bought my first piece at a garage sale last year. A wicker love seat with cushion for $6. Earl looked at me and asked what on earth I wanted it for. I put it on the backporch and it is so comfy. I figured even if it only lasted a year or two I would have gotten my money out of it! This year he picked up a cute chair at a sale for $3:>) Now I have a cute and comfy set!

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  7. Rhondi, Oh you DO have a gorgeous collection!! My favorite is the chaise, with the yellow one as a very close second. All of your pieces fit so nicely in your house!
    :-) Sue

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  8. You have lovely wicker! I especially like that chair painted yellow with the blue. So gorgeous. Cindy

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  9. Love your wicker collection. They look so lovely in your home. I also like you new header. Blue and yellows :-)

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  10. Hi Rhondi,

    You have some pretty amazing wicker pieces. Love that lounge chaise but a wicker baby cradle sounds pretty special. I have a dutch baby bed that is wicker up in our attic too.

    carolyn

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  11. I love all your wicker. That's quite a collection. Your mom's desk and chair are gorgeous. Mimi

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  12. Like you, I love wicker, too. There is something so sweet about it..so wholesome. Your chaise is fabulous!!

    xx
    becky

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  13. Rhondie, that little wicker desk and chair must be old. It is very much like one in my grandparents' home - it would be about 90 years old.

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  14. I love wicker too Rhondi, but I don't own any. Your pieces are lovely and so beautifully displayed. You have a wonderfully talented eye for decorating your home!

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  15. Your mother's pieces are very special, a beautiful design.
    Wicker went out of fashion for some years in UK, but is now back in the front line. It always looks so 'country'.

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  16. I have come to the conclusion that I need to start going to more yard sales. You have some beautiful pieces of wicker. I especially love the tea tray and the desk and chair from your mom. They all look nice in your home.

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  17. I love wicker and you have some beautiful pieces! I just picked up a wicker chair off of the side of the road yesterday. Someone was throwing it away. I can't wait to paint it!

    Hugs,
    Lee Laurie

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  18. I too love your chaise lounge.I love how you used patchwork on it. I cannot have wicker in my house because of having cats. They love to pull on it and have ruined too many chairs so we got rid of all of it. There is a village in Holland that used to have a wicker school. In the 20s when times were very bad, children would be sent there to learn the trade. It was a center for wicker in Holland and other countries around us. Now the school is a museum and the art of handmade wicker is disappearing. Much of it is done in the Far East due to costs. But the shops around this village are all closing down as noone wants wicker any longer. It is sad that this part of the Dutch culture is being lost. It is so charming to see some old (ususally) men sitting in wooden shoes making baskets still.

    Hugs ~
    Heidi

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  19. Hello Rhondi, I too love wicker. It is a romantic look at life of many years ago. Wicker still stands the test of time by being the favorite among porch and home furniture. It has beauty and comfort. Love your photos. I would love to see your wicker cradle.

    If you are doing Thankful Thursday, I am participating. See you then.

    Hugs...Jeanne

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  20. I made a comment and lost it...
    YOur wicker is just beautiful a wonderful collection
    Blessings
    Rebecca

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  21. Hi Rhondi -
    Your wicker pieces are wonderful. My favorite is your mother's desk and chair. What a sweet treasure! I'd love to see the cradle - and what you eventually decide to do with it.
    ~Adrienne~

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  22. Hi Rhondi,
    what a wonderful collection !!!!
    I love all your wicker.
    Have a nice week.
    Hugs,Regina

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  23. Hi Rhondi,
    I love all your wicker, just lovely. I adore your home.
    Take care and enjoy your day,
    Elizabeth

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  24. Rhondi, I love every single piece. Each one is beautiful. I have a wicker rocking chair that belonged to my grandmother. Unfortunately it is in my garage right now because I don't have a place for it. My husband is always trying to get me to sell it, but no way.

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  25. Oh Rhondi
    The wicker pieces are gorgeous...I especially like the chaise.
    I too love white wicker....there is something so romantic and tranquil about it...like sipping iced tea on the porch on a hot summers day.

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  26. Your really have a lovely collection of wicker pieces! I love that childs chair! I love the chair yellow! Those are my two favorite colors yellow and red!

    Manuela

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  27. I just love your Wicker's collection. You have the best pieces of it. Take care.
    France

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  28. Rhondi...I once had a pair of REAL rose colored glasses, but I didn't enjoy them as much as I enjoy your blog. Every time "What a Wonderful World" starts to play, a smile comes to my face. Thank you. And thanks too for your kind wishes for a good school year. Today was the first day of school and it really was great. Six year olds are so cute. I'm so lucky and blessed that I get to share my days with them.

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  29. Rhondi,

    I love your pieces of wicker, especially the chaise. I would love to curl up there with a good book. The new wicker they make is so easy to cleaner and care for.

    Gretchen

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  30. You've got so many lovely wicker chairs! I never find stuff like that here...

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  31. You have the most fabulous wicker pieces that I have ever seen! I love wicker too, but don't have a lot. We have a set on our back porch along with a wicker swing, they are a tan color. I only have one piece of wicker in the house, a rocker.

    Katherine

    P.S. - I love the wicker chair painted yellow, it goes so good with the blues and whites!

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  32. Rhondi, I'm having fun working my way through your past posts. I truly enjoy your blog! I share your thoughts in your opening comments.

    I, too, have a love affair with wicker. I no longer have all the pieces I once had, but kept my favorites for a guest bedroom when we moved to our present home.

    Thanks for the visit. ~ Sarah

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Hi
Thanks so very much for taking the time to leave a comment. I always read every one. I am glad you stopped by for a visit. Hope you'll come again!
Rhondi