From Times Past Blog

Dining Room Suites: Dinosaurs or Not?

January 27, 2012 By Johanne

I often get emails or calls from people who find out from my web site www.fromtimespast.com that I can help them with valuations of their antiques. Most of the time it is because the person is ready to sell their items and is not sure what they should ask for said item. First of all it's a great idea to do this. By this I mean doing your homework before selling something. You don't have to do this just by getting a formal appraisal. You can check out your local antique shops and shows for an idea. And, you can go on line and check out what similar items are selling … [Read more...]

A Fortune Cookie Travels

January 23, 2012 By Johanne

A Fortune cookie travelsI went to a brunch this weekend with a friend. I'm not sure how we got around to this topic (perhaps a conversation about it being Chinese New Year) but we started reminicsing about the surprise party that my staff and my customers had put on for me when I closed my antiques/home decor store four years ago. It was about a week before the doors closed for good and basically the space was empty - everything had been sold. Unbeknownst to me the group had moved in furniture, set up a bar, had guests bring potluck items for a delicious buffet - the whole … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Just Stories Tagged With: Johanne Yakula

Anyone can make Big Money buying Art and Antiques

January 18, 2012 By Johanne

It's no secret among those who know me that I love books. I buy lots of books, I sign them out of the library and I buy them at Mandolin Books, our local used book / coffee shop. One of the books I recently bought had the above title. It was written in 1977 by Canadian author/doctor/politician Morton Schulman now deceased. Now, although this was written over 30 years ago I was curious to find out what advice he had to give and how it turned out. I read through the small book and had to agree with much of what he said. His pocketbook to invest in art and antiques was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Antiques, Appraisals Tagged With: antique, antique appraisals, buying antiques, Johanne Yakula, selling antiques, shopping for antiques

History for a New Year

January 12, 2012 By Johanne

Well it's a new year and I'm looking forward to great one. I have no complaints about 2011 but January is a wonderful time to look forward and ... backward. For some reason I am more immersed in the past with my projects and my work than ever. My own book is coming along. I am in the process of identifying the pictures that suit the text in readiness for the layout artist to work with. This means finding examples of antique lighting, furniture, mill work, wallpaper and everything else that constitutes the restoration and decorating of a heritage house. The period I am working on right … [Read more...]

Filed Under: From the Archives, Just Stories Tagged With: Art history, decorating an old house, Johanne Yakula

Collecting Antique Christmas Decorations

December 15, 2011 By Johanne

One of the most pleasurable things about Christmas for me is putting my collection of ornaments on our tree. Only about 25% of them are more than 50 years old but each is special to me. That's because for as long as I can remember I have been writing the year and who gave me the decoration on the base of the ornament. It's like receiving the gift all over again. Every time we go on a trip I buy a Christmas decoration and write the year down. I have some from Hawaii, Louisiana, Georgia, London, Paris, Jackson (Wyoming), Quebec, Las Vegas, Ontario, British … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Antiques, Appraisals, Decoration Tagged With: antique Christmas decorations, Antiques, collecting antique ornaments, decorating with antique Christmas decorations, value of Christmas ornaments, what are my Christmas decorations worth

The Star of Christmas Decorating

December 15, 2011 By Johanne

It is my personal opinion that the dining room is the star of Christmas decor. Yes I know that the living room can have a wonderful fireplace and the Christmas tree but let's face it - Christmas is the time when family and friends get together to EAT, drink and be merry. Those of us who have dining room are especially thankful because, although an open concept is nice for everyday meals and casual get togethers, nothing says "special" like a dining room. So it's time to polish that silver tea service and pull the crystal out of the sideboard. It's time to open the silver … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Antiques, Decoration Tagged With: Christmas decor, decorating an old house, Dining room decor at Christmas, Johanne Yakula, old house decor, Victorian decor, Victorian decorating at Christmas, Victorian homes

Decorating an Old House at Christmas

December 14, 2011 By Johanne

There's nothing quite like an old house at Christmas. In my last post I mentioned that many old houses are winter houses. This owes a lot to the fact that they have millwork, often dark in colour, and the windows are not often large which makes the rooms feel a bit darker but cozy too. This is a corner of our dining room. The fabric on the left of the picture is what I used for our "portiere". Portieres are traditional curtains that separate two rooms and they typically were made of very heavy tapestry - like fabrics (unlike window treatments which were usually … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Decoration, My Old House Tagged With: Christmas decorating in an old house, decorating an old house, Edwardian house at Christmas, Johanne Yakula, old house decor, Victorian decor, vintage Christmas decorating