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You are visiting: Home » Decorating/DIY » Decorate Your Home » Pieces of the Past

Pieces of the Past

by Lindsay Ballard on December 22, 2011 15 Comments

During a recent trip to a local antique mall, I spotted a whole shelf full of antique industrial gauges in one vendor’s booth.  He had all sorts of interesting industrial pieces, but these really stood out to me.

I knew Tom would love them, too.  As soon as he saw them laying on the gray dresser in our bedroom, he said “Oh, my gosh.  I love you!”  Did you ever think the way to a man’s heart would be through antiques?

I really love putting together small collections of unique items, and these gauges are no different.  I found some blue and clear glass vintage bottles at another antique mall (I really get around!) and decided that they would be the perfect way to display my new mini collection.

So, what once were instruments used in factories now serve another purpose – beauty.  I like to look at them and think about the men who worked with them so many years ago.  One of them is even labeled “OK 10-31-36” in pencil, which I’m assuming was the last time it was tested.  Do you think they’d ever imagine that some gal down in Texas would display them in a vignette like pieces of art?

Do you have anything old in your home that would seem completely odd to the original owners of those items, like my industrial gauges?  Do tell!

About Lindsay Ballard

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.

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Comments

  1. Katie @ Wildwood Creek says

    December 22, 2011 at 6:04 am

    Love your husband’s reaction! You should link this to FJI. Donna would love this idea.

    Reply
  2. Southern Gal says

    December 22, 2011 at 6:28 am

    Love it! My daddy collects old items that interest him. He’s passed down glass insulators and milk bottles from long gone local dairies. He even has glass battery jars. (I’m not sure what they are officially called.) His prize possessions are his railroad antiques. He’s a third generation railroad man so anything involving the railroad is part of his history. I just take what he offers and lovingly display it in my home. It’s part of him so it’s part of me.

    Reply
  3. Southern Gal says

    December 22, 2011 at 6:29 am

    I made it sound like the glass insulators are from dairies. Nope. They are from old telegraph poles!

    Reply
  4. Beth says

    December 22, 2011 at 6:56 am

    This is one of the most beautiful celebrations of the past I’ve ever seen!

    Reply
  5. Emily@remodelingthislife says

    December 22, 2011 at 7:01 am

    Love them!! My hubby would love them, too! What a good idea.

    Reply
  6. Jen @ a place 2 call home says

    December 22, 2011 at 7:09 am

    These gauges are great, I just love industrial pieces. We have sitting at our front door 2 silver milk cans, they are just decorative, but they came from my husbands great aunts farm. I like that they were really used by our family. We also have a couple of her old wash boards displayed. They make me smile.

    Reply
    • Barbara Underwood says

      January 30, 2012 at 8:07 pm

      How have you displayed your washboards? I have two that I just love, but I am trying to find a good way to display them. (I live in South Florida and with the heat and humidity, I am sure that I would not dare put them outside.)

      Reply
      • Jen @ a place 2 call home says

        January 30, 2012 at 8:34 pm

        If you go to my site, you can see them in my living room on top go my bookcases. Good luck!

        Reply
  7. Carrie at lovely etc. says

    December 22, 2011 at 7:18 am

    Love your gauges. And your display using old bottles is genious. I love to collect all kinds of old stuff – globes, cameras, fans, clocks. Nothing too crazy, but I am sure people who lived 75 years ago would find it very odd to see a huge row of cameras on the buffet or a selection of out-of-date globes. It makes me think about going to someone’s home in the future and seeing a display of clock-radio alarm clocks or digital cameras. Too strange.

    Reply
  8. theresa says

    December 22, 2011 at 7:51 am

    What a great display… putting them in the old bottles is genius! I love it and can see why your hubby did! t.xoxo

    Reply
  9. murf says

    December 22, 2011 at 8:21 am

    Fabulous find and display. 🙂 I have several pieces of what I call “rustica.” They’re old, rusted items like a pair of old sheep shears, a very looong-bladed pair of scissors that I’m sure were used in a dry-goods store or the fabric industry somehow, and a metal stirrup. I’m looking for more to hang with some paintings of the Texas landscape done by a family friend who was a fairly well-known Texas artist in her day (Hazel Mickelsen).

    My mom long collected things like this, antique bottles, tools, toys, etc. It was her “Americana” collection. Sadly, much of it was lost in Katrina.

    Reply
  10. Ashley S. says

    December 22, 2011 at 9:44 am

    Those are gorgeous! I’m so jealous!

    Reply
  11. Mandy (Cre8ive Motives) says

    December 22, 2011 at 4:25 pm

    That is so cool Lindsay!!!!

    Reply
  12. Lyndsey says

    December 24, 2011 at 11:26 am

    Love the old gauges. The only weird collection I have are some pilot wings but no real cool way to display them like you did with your gauges.

    Reply
  13. Loretta says

    December 11, 2014 at 12:59 pm

    I am sooooo glad I found this… We have this abandoned gas well in on our acreage.. There is some really interesting gages … I am going to get them off “some how” .. There is also metal handles…any suggestions on what to use them for.. other than towels..

    I know of an abandoned house that has a small mountain of vintage one gallon coke jugs… the wheels are a working..

    Reply

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About Makely

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.


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