These are a few of my favorite things...part I.

Last night I had some girlfriends over and as we were chatting over hot buttered rum, The Sound of Music could be heard in the background from the TV in our living room.  As the famous song is still stuck in my head, I thought I would share a few of my favorite historic things with you.  These are the beauties I would like to get for the city house as soon as finances are back in order.  Heat first, right?

The first are real picture hangers to use in the rooms that have picture railing.  So many people try to bang a nail in the old, plaster walls and end up screwing a bolt in so they can put a picture on the wall.  Sigh...if they only realized that molding above their heads was put there for a reason not just decoration!  At the state capitol where I work, they still use the old antique brass picture hangers.  If you are a legislator or staffer lucky enough to have a capitol office, one must hang one's acolades and diplomas on cords with these.  I like this version possibly for our office:

I know I want some of these rosettes once they are back in stock.  I could see using these in the bedrooms without a shadow of a doubt:

I found the two above as I have been doing research online.  Then I stumbled upon these beautiful picture hangers.  The Swan Company specializes in authentic replicas of picture hangers used back in the day.  They range from the very simple to the simply ornate.  I love this one:

Personally, I have never seen these in the stores but then again, I haven't been looking for them.  I plan on scouting the local antique stores to see if they carry anything in town.  If not, thank goodness for the World Wide Web! 

Another favorite thing tomorrow!!!