Fairy tales have long entertained the possibility that objects come alive at

night while their oblivious masters sleep. In “Fantasia,” a broom dances around like a drunken fool on payday; in “Beauty and the Beast,” a candle melts

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the heart of blushing feather duster. If ever such magical domesticity has

existed, then surely the spell was cast at Patty Turner’s home in Hollywood

Heights.

 

The objects that Patty has collected fairly jump off of the shelves in their

eagerness to make their stories known. Fortunately for them, they have a

knowledgeable and compassionate translator in Patty. “I have been amassing

things for years,” Patty says. She visits estate sales weekly, and she has had

a booth at the Love Field antique mall since 1993. As an antique collector,

Patty specializes in housewares from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, but her personal

interests are not limited to any  particular era or culture. In addition to embroidered linens and porcelain figurines, Patty has several hand-made dolls that she found on a trip to the Hopi Indian reservation in  Northern Arizona. She also has a sizable collection of  folk art from the American South and Mexico.

 

“I really don’t think of myself as really artistic,” Patty says, but her creations

suggest otherwise. For her husband, Jerry Kelley, Patty assembled and painted

a collage that resembles an elaborate tabernacle. The collage is decorated

with small angels and antique keys, which Patty spent chose with great care

and effort. Another example of her skill and creativity is a lamp is made of

china fragments. To make the lamp, Patty sought out chipped china plates at

garage sales. She then administered the coup de grace , shattering the plates and embedding the remains in grout. She used the same technique to make an

end table for the living room. Patty is presently collecting antique spools

for an upcoming project inspired by old-fashioned “spool art.”

 

Given Patty’s interest in the past, it is not surprising that Patty and Jerry’s house has an interesting history. Still, it is rather remarkable that  its story begins long before the house was built in 1940. The limestone is finished in a way that preserves the stones naturally-occurring fossils. “That’s why we chose this house, “ Patti explains. “We call it the fossil house.” Their home’s richly textured exterior is indicative of the enchanted objects within, each with its own history and meaning.

 

If you know of a unique home or garden in our neighborhood that we could include in a story, give us a call at 214-823-5885, ext. 210.