Project

Okay, so recently Allan and I traveled to Pennsylvania to do some work on my family's summer house. It's an oldish house on land that my ancestors settled on a Really Long Time Ago. (*snip* long story bla bla bla)

Allan wrote a bit about it here and posted a lovely photo/commentary here.

Anyway, my brother AK cleared a bunch of scrap wood out of the basement during that work weekend, and he found this square thing and set it on the front porch of the house. I did a quick survey to see if anyone wanted it, but no one did. Jackpot! Now, I had no idea what the thing was; all I knew was that I could turn it into something COOL.

So today I started stripping it. There are at least three layers of paint to get through. I'm going to have to continue tomorrow -- that's how encrusted it is.

Photos appear after the fold. Suggestions as to what this is are welcome.

Of course, photos always look better large. You can see the large sizes by clicking on the photos here, then choosing the "All Sizes" option on the Flickr page. Or you can just click here, here, and here.

Comments

[Karan]

Is that one of those gingerbreading gizzies that go up in the corner of a porch column and a beam?

[Margaret]

I don't know what it is, but I would not be good at any such project. My husband would, but would never make time to do it!

[Amber]

Super cool! What a great treasure to find!

[ally bean]

is it a decorative piece from some old chest or hutch? it could of been attached on top of some flat wood panel to create interest.

no mattter what it is, it's yours now-- and it's cool.

[Thomas]

It's a decorative piece of "gingerbread" moulding. You can have a local woodshop duplicate the pattern on some new construction material and preserve the older piece as a "master" of the style/design.

[Daisy]

It's beautiful! Could you get a mirror cut to size? Would look stunning on a plain white wall.

[jeorg]

karan is right. it looks to me like gingerbread. and in the second photo you can see what looks like a nail hole from where they put it in the corner...

i love gingerbread on houses.

[Carrie]

That IS beautiful. I agree that making a mirror out of it would be awesome! Or even, turning it into a shadowbox type thing with flowers or something inside.

Can't wait to see it when you've got it all cleaned up :)

[Carrie]

Hey -- I just realized it's like a 4 leaf clover. That's good luck isn't it? You definitely should display it prominently somehow to bless the home you and Allan share. What an awesome find!

[mags]

I think it's lovely - is it too heavy to hang in a window?

[leslie]

I think it is an architectural decoration called a quatrefoil...I copied this from an arch'l. website...

What is a quatrefoil window?
A quatrefoil window is a round window which is composed of four equal lobes, like a four-petaled flower.

The quatrefoil pattern is common in Moorish and gothic architecture. Also, many Mission style homes have quatrefoil windows.

[Jacynth]

Do you think at one point it supported a beam of some sort as a decorative piece? I think making a mirror is a fabulous idea.

[edieraye]

I think it is your muse. You can look into it and see the stories you are going to write like that picture at the beginning of Voyage of the Dawn Treader which is one of my all time favorite books.

Personally, I wouldn't bother stripping the entire thing. I would claim that I left it that way on purpose to preserve the piece's "character." Or you could strip it and then decoupage it with all the stuff that inspires you. Your own personal portal to inspiration.

[cassie-b]

What a find! I just read the comments, and think that a mirror might be just the thing.

[barb]

Or a nice piece of stained glass maybe