Mom’s etagere . . . or étagère, if you prefer

ByTamera Alexander
19 Comments

About a month or so ago I shared a picture of my mom’s etagere and told you I was planning on chalk painting it. Well, I finally did!

I love having Mom’s etagere. It’s one of two, actually—my brother and sister-in-law have its twin. But the brown stain didn’t go as well with my current decor, so . . . enter chalk paint!

Here’s a BEFORE picture . . .

And some AFTERS . . .

Still lots of decorating to do in this house, but I’m slowly getting there and loving every step of the way—while also making progress on writing Carnton 3.

I chose Annie Sloan’s Duck Egg Blue (a color I’ve long loved) then used her dark wax that really deepens the color and brings out the distressing in the wood.

Can you see the color difference in the image below? The left side is before the dark wax has been applied (a lighter blue/teal), and the right side is after (a deeper teal).

I love the distressing process, which you do after you paint. Distressing really brings out the character of the piece.
Someone asked me if I was going to change out the hardware. But I decided not to. Because it’s the handle mom used, so I just painted over it then distressed it. 🙂

As you can see from pictures above, I’ve yet to fill the etagere (I still have boxes to unpack). But here are a few “sweet memory” items.

First, a little ceramic lemon tree Mom painted along with a little dog I painted at the same time (when Mom and I took a ceramic class when I was a girl).

Beside those are our white gloves that Mom and I wore to church on Sunday mornings. My gracious, haven’t times changed!? Then the little pink glass basket was Mom’s too. She loved all things delicate—and pink.

See the three little glasses above? They’re from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

These three little glasses are from a trip to Germany my family took when I was nine years old, and when KLM Royal Dutch Airlines still used glass plates and cups and real silverware—in coach class! I’ve had my glass for years, then got Mom’s and my grandmother’s when Mom passed.

Me boarding a glass bottom boat in Germany (1970). Eight family members all in a Volkswagon Bug! My uncle and aunt sat in the front. My brother Doug, Mom, and Grandmother sat in the backseat, and I got the cubbyhole in the very back—which I didn’t mind one bit!—and my young toddler cousins were just passed back and forth from person to person. But hey, remember, there weren’t even seat belts back then so . . .

Decorating with special keepsakes is something I’m loving doing in this house that definitely has a more casual, farmhouse feel to it. I filled this tier in my kitchen with more of them . . .

See the grey glass measuring cups? Those were a gift from our own sweet Deb Raney when she came to visit. And the teaspoons inside the cups belonged to my grandmother.

The little tins are the tins I used with my Suzie Homemaker oven way back in the day. I still have the oven, too, but wasn’t able to grab a picture of that. Does anyone else remember those little ovens that baked by the heat of a light bulb? Did anyone else have one, too? Come on, fess up!

Finally, the little stack of Bibles belonged to our fathers and grandfathers. The little one on the top was the Bible my sweet Dad carried with him to Korea when he was in the Air Force back in the ’50s. (Notice Dad’s jacket pocket below <g>)

Dad in Korea at age 18 (1950), and Dad in 2019 a few weeks before he went Home almost a year ago.

So tell me . . .

What special keepsakes are among your favorites in your home? And what’s the story behind them? I’d love to know!

Blessings on your Tuesday and thanks for being part of this community,

Tammy

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Tamera Alexander is a USA Today bestselling novelist and one of today's most beloved authors of inspirational historical romance and women’s contemporary fiction. While being Gram Tam is her current favorite role, she’ll never turn down a stroll through an old cemetery or browsing through antique shops. In These Hills, her newest novel, releases September 2026.

19 Comments

  1. That turned out SO gorgeous, Tammy!! You’re becoming quite the painter! And so fun to see those measuring cups in the new place! I love the little aqua dish we bought “twins” of that day in Franklin, making the rounds of the antique shops. Special memory and a dish to remind me. P.S. I’d seen it before, but I just LOVE that photo of you as a little girl!

    1. Thanks, sweet friend! That was a fun weekend. And yes to that little aqua dish. I have that at the townhouse in Nashville. 😉

  2. I love how that turned out! You’re inspiring me to try some chalk paint on a few pieces I’ve inherited. My older sisters must have had the Suzie Homemaker oven because I remember using those same tins to play in the mud (I wasn’t so much the homemaker sort! LOL) but don’t remember the actual oven.

    1. You should, Joy! Do it. It’s not difficult and makes such a difference. LOL on the homemaker sort. That’s fine! Takes all sorts. 😉

  3. The photo of you as a girl was gorgeous! I see that (from the mirror) you haven’t painted the inner of the etagere. Not that I want to criticise, but it looks sort of weird. Did you plan to paint it? Do you think it can possibly be painted and distressed? The Duck Egg Blue colour looks brilliant! I think it makes the room feel calm.

    1. Thanks, Anna!And no offense taken, babe. I decided to leave it two-toned. The old with the new. At least for now. That’s the beauty of furniture painting—and doing it yourself. I had a feeling someone would comment on that , but yes, for sure the inside could be painted.

  4. What a gorgeous piece of furniture! I love the way you have displayed your family heirlooms. Such a cute picture of you as a child.

    I had one of those ovens and later my daughter had the Betty Crocker easy bake oven. I have some miniature cookie cutters from an old baking set when I was a child. I also have two of my mother’s old measuring cups, one glass and one tin. I recently found an old tin collapsible drinking cup that I had in Girl Scouts. It has a top with the Girl Scout emblem on it.

    1. What treasured keepsakes, Betty. I love that we were “Suzy Bakers” together. And Girl Scouts! 😉

      I don’t know what it is about them, but I love love love having kitchen items that belonged to my mother June, my mother-in-law Claudette, and my grandmothers and aunts. I love to cook and bake so I use those things often and it gives me comfort when I touch the bowls and cups and utensils they once touched. Tactile blessings.

  5. The etagere looks terrific! You have some fascinating treasures in your home, and you could captivate your guests giving tours with the stories about each treasure. I have some pieces of furniture that belonged to my parents and a gorgeous desk that was my grandmother’s. In addition, I have some smaller treasures like several pieces of Roseville pottery that I love. Some other items belonged to various family members and are special because of the connections to those relatives.

    1. Suzanne, I’ll come for your tour any day! What treasures you have. I love having older furniture like that, using pieces that beloved family past and present used. Roseville pottery… I had to look that up. Wow, how lovely that is. And you’re right…it’s the connections to those relatives who we cherish. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Thanks, Becky. We are LOVING it. And right now, it looks like Joe will be teaching online this fall, so we’ll be here pretty much full-time at the lake until further notice.

  7. I have an old cast iron Siamese cat that came from my husbands side of the family. Must be a hundred years or even more. It’s a door stopper. I love it because it’s been in his family for a long time.

  8. I’m not huge on decor, but we do have some children’s-size furniture made by my grandfather. He made me a doll crib (a bed pillow serves as a mattress), which my parents refurbished for my daughter. I actually slept in that thing as a little bitty girl! We also have some upholstered children’s rockers made by him, brass studs and all. By the way, it wouldn’t surprise me if gloves came back in style for sharing the peace! 🙂

  9. Oh it is so Beautiful and I use to have one of the little baking ovens also Love looking at posts like these Thank you so much for sharing with us!

  10. I love how you made the cabinet your own and displayed things of sentiment. So incredibly lovely. My mother passed away 3 weeks ago and I was able to bring home things of hers that make me smile every time I see them. Her sewing machine. Her jewelry box filled with lovely pieces (I am wearing one of her rings as I type…love the feel of “her” on my finger.). So many little things that keep sweet memories alive. Thanks for sharing. You’ve inspired me.

  12. I loved seeing your treasures.
    I have a needlepoint chair with my grandmothers needlepoint on the seat.
    For my wedding my aunt pieced a quilt top that the same grandmother Embroidered. Then my aunt and a neighbor hand quilted the quilt. I love that the quilt has two generations of family work.

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