About a year ago Shon and I awoke to a loud crash. Shon ran downstairs but returned to bed saying he couldn’t figure out what made the noise.

The next morning I walked through the parlor and noticed that this mirror had fallen off the wall and miraculously didn’t break!

The mirror and vanity table once belonged to my Great Granny Mary. Shortly after we married, my Uncle Mark and Aunt Janet gifted them to us – they are beautiful and we love them.

When Shon took a look, he said it wasn’t the hanger that gave out – we’d use the appropriate one for the weight of the mirror – it was the actual plaster that had fallen away. From that moment on I was scared to hang anything and quickly found a safe space to store this mirror.

Fast forward a year and parlor remodel later. I thought to ask Joe Meier, our contractor if he knew of any fool-proof ways to hang heavy items on plaster walls. His suggestion was this toggle bolt.

The same type used when hanging towel bars.

Although this system is quite a commitment, due to the large hole that is needed for the entire apparatus to anchor securely through the plaster and lath, it is so reassuring to know we won’t wake up to another loud crash anytime soon.

Directions:

First drill a long hole through the plaster and lath. Make sure it is large enough for the “wings” to fit through. Then unscrew the wings, put a nut on then a washer large enough not to allow the screw or nut through the drilled hole. Then, carefully fold the wings over the bolt to ensure they go into the hole and don’t open until they are safely past the lath.

Once I set our new ottoman in the parlor, it really pulled the seating area together – but I decided it needed a tray of sorts so that people could set their drinks on it if they chose/and I’d seen several in decor magazines with trays and liked the look.

I had seen just the perfect tray just a week ago at St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Shop – an oval silver tray with a short lip. When I saw it I thought it was pretty, but didn’t need it so I didn’t purchase it. A week later when I went to buy it, of course it was gone.

So, Parker and I decided to make a trek around the store to see if there were any other silver plated trays – what we found wasn’t a tray, but a silver serving dish to add pizzazz to a casserole dish. It was only $4, so I thought if my idea didn’t work, I’m not breaking the bank. I took it to ACE and they cut a piece of Plexy glass for only $3.88 to fit. Voila` a beautiful tray for $8!

When we arranged the parlor furniture in our parlor we needed a fourth piece. The fact that there are three entries leading to and from our parlor make it a difficult room to arrange (the three entries include; our front door and two archways, one leading to the kitchen and one into the living room.)

I immediately thought that an ottoman, recovered in the same fabric as the curtains I’m making would really tie the room together – it could serve as extra seating or as a place to set magazines or appetizers.

Parker and I set out in search of an ottoman we could recover. I called several antique stores, scoured local furniture consignment store but the only pieces were in nearly new condition, made by expensive designers, thus making them too expensive to buy and then recover.

I then found an affordable option at TJMaxx and called Kevin, who refinished and reupholstered the parlor furniture that originally belonged to Shon’s Great-Aunt Frieda , to see what his timeline was like and see if he could recover it. His first question was, “Do you love it?” I said, “No, but it’s affordable.”

He then proceeded to let me know that he could design and build one for us. One that would go well with our parlor furniture – and he could make the deadline and work with our budget.

In the end, we LOVE the piece he custom built and recovered. And, it really looks lovely – now I need to finish the curtains!