There are times a complete stranger can walk into your life and end up making a huge impact. This summer Sarah (Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage’s newest employee for those of you who may not have met her yet) and I met two very energetic women named Tory Brokenshire and Dayna Collins. These two local artist…
Archives for sustainability
Palmer/Wirfs Antique and Collectible Show 2010
We’re here! Today is the first day at the Antique and Collectible Show at the Portland Expo. We have a double booth highlighting our Industrial and Steam Punk items and it is going very well. Please come by to see us if you have the chance! Here are some photos from this morning as the…
The World Around You
When you are going a snail pace during a marathon (26.2 miles in case you weren’t sure) you notice architecture (okay, I do). There is so much around us that goes unnoticed. Maybe it is because we are focused on that morning commute or trying to get the loud kids in the backseat to school…
Just a few Steampunk and Industrial Items at Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage
Yesterday I posted an article about a house that is decorated in the Steampunk style and I promised to post pictures of a few items we have around the store that fit perfectly with this. Great Industrial look too. Take a look!
Bruce & Melanie’s Steampunk Victorian
I love home tours. I love being able to see into someone else’s world and gleam ideas to improve mine. What I also love is being able to see a style that I may think wouldn’t match with my own yet somehow coming away feeling I’ve learned something.A few days ago I showed an example…
My Kingdom For A Horse
I now know how Shakespeare’s, King Richard III must have felt when he yelled, “My kingdom for a horse!” Yesterday’s Portland Marathon started out wet, windy and cold. By the 21st mile I was sporting 8 big bistlers on my feet because I could not stay dry enough to keep bandaids on. But we marathon…
Industrial and “Steam Punk” at Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage
There is a scene in Gone With The Wind where Rhett Butler had given Mammy (played by Hattie McDaniel AND the first African American actress to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress) a red petticoat. He asked to see it and with a sly smile on her face, lifts her skirt to reveal…
The Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage Yard Gets a Facelift
The lumber yard at Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage has been getting a much needed facelift. Randy, Tom and Rick have been working nonstop to put down and compact TRUCKLOADS upon truckloads of gravel over the entire surface of the lumber yard. This entails moving stacks and stacks of gigantic timbers and beams. Today the job…
Halloween At Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage
Is it too early to start thinking about Halloween? I say NO! Every year at Aurora Mills we have a pumpkin decorating contest – using architectural and other salvaged materials, of course. Here are some pictures from last year. I will be posting Halloween decorating ideas throughout the month. Mary Beth designed the…
Knowledge = Power! Books about Restoration and Using Architectural Salvage
I bought my first house when I was 25 years old. I always felt drawn to old homes. Maybe it was because so many people had passed through their doors that the walls became like an old friend. That said however, looking back, my husband and I really knew nothing. Like, I shouldn’t have tried…