Showing posts with label vintage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vintage. Show all posts
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Barn Sale is quickly approaching...
For details on vendors, click on the "Next Barn Sale" page in the top menu bar.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Dog Gone!
As many of you have seen from past posts, I have a silly dog who follows me everywhere. Her name is Macy, and she is glued to my hip.
I love her to death, but when we leave the house, I don't fully trust her...on the carpeting. When we first got her, I used to put her in her crate when we'd leave the house, but it breaks my heart to do that...and, it's very difficult to decorate around a dog crate. You know what I'm sayin? So now I pen her up in our family room which has a tile floor. If she has an accident while we're gone it's no big deal to clean up. My dilemma has always been this...I have two doorways leading into this space...one from the dining room and one from the hallway. The dining room doorway is a normal width, so I use a lovely baby gate at that door (getting rid of the baby gate is next on my list). But the door at the hallway is four feet wide, and I've struggled for years on what to use as a "gate" to keep her penned in. It had to something that looked half way decent...and a whole lot better than a baby gate!
After many makeshift gates, here's what I came up with today...a vintage shutter gate!
I wanted to make sure that when I folded the entire gate back out of the way, it would fold like an accordian-type movement...flat up to the wall. In order to achieve this, I had to remove the hinges from the edges of the shutters and instead attach them to the flat front/back surface. (I realized later that I should have removed the hinges first before I painted). I pre-drilled the holes for my screws, and then re-attached the hinges, alternating the folding mechanism on each shutter. I came up short on screws, so I only used two screws per hinge instead of four.
And here's the finished product...I love it, but Macy? Not so much!
I love her to death, but when we leave the house, I don't fully trust her...on the carpeting. When we first got her, I used to put her in her crate when we'd leave the house, but it breaks my heart to do that...and, it's very difficult to decorate around a dog crate. You know what I'm sayin? So now I pen her up in our family room which has a tile floor. If she has an accident while we're gone it's no big deal to clean up. My dilemma has always been this...I have two doorways leading into this space...one from the dining room and one from the hallway. The dining room doorway is a normal width, so I use a lovely baby gate at that door (getting rid of the baby gate is next on my list). But the door at the hallway is four feet wide, and I've struggled for years on what to use as a "gate" to keep her penned in. It had to something that looked half way decent...and a whole lot better than a baby gate!
It was easy...I collected eight shutters from the Re-Store store...a whopping $1 per shutter! I purposely wanted different heights and widths. I rummaged through my extensive collection of spray paint, and decided on light blue, turquoise, granny smith green, white linen and navy blue.
I lined the shutters all up on my make shift paint table (an extension ladder spread out over two saw horses) and started spraying. I didn't worry about 100% coverage. I was going for a rustic, worn look anyway.
I wanted to make sure that when I folded the entire gate back out of the way, it would fold like an accordian-type movement...flat up to the wall. In order to achieve this, I had to remove the hinges from the edges of the shutters and instead attach them to the flat front/back surface. (I realized later that I should have removed the hinges first before I painted). I pre-drilled the holes for my screws, and then re-attached the hinges, alternating the folding mechanism on each shutter. I came up short on screws, so I only used two screws per hinge instead of four.
And here's the finished product...I love it, but Macy? Not so much!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Mirror, mirror on the wall...
Simply stated, I love mirrors. Period. I love huge, ornate wall mirrors. I love tall mirrors tipped against a wall or propped on top of a cabinet. I love vintage hand mirrors. I don't know what it is about them, but whenever I see one at a sale, I'm always tempted to buy it...and usually do! On Friday my husband and I bought a few items for the summer barn sale: three buffets, one vintage dressing table, one secretary, and you guessed it...a wall mirror. Now, I bought it with the intent to re-sell...but you can probably guess what I did. Yep. I brought it in my house and propped it up on a small 2 drawer chest in the family room.
I love how mirrors can help make a small room seem larger--and increase the amount of light in the room. I have a very dark house...huge oak and hickory trees overhang all sides + extremely wide overhangs on the house = no direct sunshine in my rooms! So I need all the help I can get.
I was just going to show the one I bought this week, but decided to show all the big mirrors in my house...maybe you'll be inspired to prop one somewhere unexpected. Enjoy!
So, here she is...with a triple layer gold gilded frame. Sometimes I like mixing gold and silver in the same vignette...you'll also see here the vintage lampshade that Kim from Serendipity and I made a few weeks ago during our girls weekend. I finally got out and bought an Edison lightbulb for it.
This little plaster lady is the base of vintage lamp. No one bought her at last summer's sale, so I brought her in the house. You may wonder why there are longhorn steer horns in a room with shabby romantic items? Because that's how I am! And they are a reflection from the living room opposite this mirror...so technically not in the same room! That's another one of my many collections...steer horns...we have four pairs!
I have a soft spot for cloches...and here's another nest with a "real" butterfly landed on it. I found her dead on my deck a few summers ago and couldn't just sweep her up...so I kept her.
This very cool vintage lamp is the one I posted a year ago on my Nellie's Barn Sale facebook page--that I treated myself with for my birthday!! It also has moved around the house. The vintage wraught iron ceiling fixture in the mirror reflection was purchased at from Judy at The Empty Attic when she first opened seven years ago.
Now we move to my bedroom. This fun wall mirror was purchased at a garage sale last year but was a nasty gold--so I mixed up some turquoise paint and dabbed it on over the gold. It's just leaning against the wall. My dresser was purchased from Nancy at Second Hand Rose several years ago when she and I had booths in the same shop. She now has her own store which is a must visit!
You can see the fab detail it has...
The lamp is from a cute shop in Gulf Shores, Alabama when vacationing there several years ago. And the hydraenga is from my yard.The vintage ink bottle comes from a bucket of old bottles in my garage...my husband works for the local sanitary district and finds old bottles, jewelry, and coins all the time when they're digging.
Next is the main bath--a room I'm planning to completely overhaul very soon (if I can ever make up my mind on which vanity to purchase)! It is also my son's bath, hence the eclectic collection of vintage northwoods decor. Yes, that's a Jack-a-lope on the left and a mounted deer head above the toilet on the right! As you can see, there are no rules in my house when it comes to decorating. That's an old metal kitchen cabinet next to the sink. I have no closet in this room, so it's where we hide everything from band aids to medicine to cleaning supplies. Back to the mirror. This is the original 1977 contractor special that was installed when the house was built. You know the gig...big, flat, ugly, plain...need I say more. I had my carpenter brother use some old fence boards to frame out the plain glass, with a slight shelf on top and above faucet.
This large mantel mirror sits on my buffet in the dining room. Not everything in my house is old. This mirror is from TJMaxx--the other place I shop when I'm not junking! I hate putting holes in the wall, especially for something that weighs so much. It's easier to simply set in on a piece and lean it against the wall. But I always use small pieces of non-slip mat between the mirror and cabinet so it doesn't slide out and fall.
Well, that's the tour of mirrors! Now run out to your local junk shop, antique mall or thrift store to get yourself one...or two...or three!
I love how mirrors can help make a small room seem larger--and increase the amount of light in the room. I have a very dark house...huge oak and hickory trees overhang all sides + extremely wide overhangs on the house = no direct sunshine in my rooms! So I need all the help I can get.
I was just going to show the one I bought this week, but decided to show all the big mirrors in my house...maybe you'll be inspired to prop one somewhere unexpected. Enjoy!
So, here she is...with a triple layer gold gilded frame. Sometimes I like mixing gold and silver in the same vignette...you'll also see here the vintage lampshade that Kim from Serendipity and I made a few weeks ago during our girls weekend. I finally got out and bought an Edison lightbulb for it.
Isn't the detail on the mirror lovely? Not only did I pair gold and silver together, I added a copper tray too. I love my new Morel mushroom--I got it during my weekend I stayed with Kim at the florist in downtown Claredon Hills, Illinois. My husband is a morel hunter of sorts, so it was my gift to him.
You'll notice that I also love birds nests. I tuck them in everywhere. This one is nesting in a vintage brown transferwear cup and saucer.
Now, on to the front hall. If you know me at all, you know that I change my furniture around like some people change pants. This chest dresser has literally resided in every room of my house except the bathroom. And that's only because it won't fit in there! It now holds all our hats and mittens and a few games. This mirror was purchased from my friend Joan at Possessions many years ago. It weighs a ton and it also has found a home in almost every room of the house, from above the fireplace to tipped on a dresser to standing against the wall on the floor. I like to layer mirrors with framed prints and empty frames. It gives a nice depth to the display.
Isn't she gorgeous?
Now we move to my bedroom. This fun wall mirror was purchased at a garage sale last year but was a nasty gold--so I mixed up some turquoise paint and dabbed it on over the gold. It's just leaning against the wall. My dresser was purchased from Nancy at Second Hand Rose several years ago when she and I had booths in the same shop. She now has her own store which is a must visit!
This dresser is also in my bedroom. It was one of several pieces we received for FREE from a lady who is a tenant in my stepsons' apartment building! It's a gorgeous piece of furniture complete with candles holders, original skeleton key and hand written notes on the bottom of the drawers that are from 1909! Treasures like these make me wonder why people spend thousands of dollars for pressboard pieces from Slumberland or Ashley Furniture when they can spend few hundred (and many times less) on better built pieces with history!
Next is the main bath--a room I'm planning to completely overhaul very soon (if I can ever make up my mind on which vanity to purchase)! It is also my son's bath, hence the eclectic collection of vintage northwoods decor. Yes, that's a Jack-a-lope on the left and a mounted deer head above the toilet on the right! As you can see, there are no rules in my house when it comes to decorating. That's an old metal kitchen cabinet next to the sink. I have no closet in this room, so it's where we hide everything from band aids to medicine to cleaning supplies. Back to the mirror. This is the original 1977 contractor special that was installed when the house was built. You know the gig...big, flat, ugly, plain...need I say more. I had my carpenter brother use some old fence boards to frame out the plain glass, with a slight shelf on top and above faucet.
This large mantel mirror sits on my buffet in the dining room. Not everything in my house is old. This mirror is from TJMaxx--the other place I shop when I'm not junking! I hate putting holes in the wall, especially for something that weighs so much. It's easier to simply set in on a piece and lean it against the wall. But I always use small pieces of non-slip mat between the mirror and cabinet so it doesn't slide out and fall.
Well, that's the tour of mirrors! Now run out to your local junk shop, antique mall or thrift store to get yourself one...or two...or three!
Friday, January 20, 2012
A New Year, A New Space
For years I always wanted a craft room, but felt I didn't have the space. Our 3rd bedroom was currently serving as the guest room, but we rarely have overnight guests. The queen bed took up the majority of the space in the room, leaving very little walking space for the guests to move, let alone do anything else. So, I downsized the queen bed to a vintage farm cot that I bought last year at a farm sale up north. It's just big enough for my granddaughter, and I devoted the rest of the space to crafts, sewing, barn sale prep, whatever. After much thought on what to use for a surface/desk space, I ended up using one of my barn sale tables (that many of you have tried to get me to sell to you). The table is a vintage banquet table out of church, oak slats painted green and is almost 10 feet long! So, I centered the table along the biggest wall, and then anchored each end with a file cabinet. Add in some cute vintage shelved and cubbies, and wa-la, craft room is born. I still can't decide what to do about curtains, so I still have the shutters up for privacy. The only "new" item in the room are two bungee cord office chairs that my son insisted on.
The shelf that the cactus planter is sitting has a cute story. Because my husband is Latino, I'm always drawn to items that have "sleeping mexicans" on them. This little two-tiered shelf has a crackled paint finish and there's an old decal of the sleeping mexicans on the top. I saw this shelf at The Pec Thing two years ago...but then passed it over convincing myself that I didn't need it. Just after that my friend Judy, proprietor of The Empty Attic, came by with a belated birthday present. Guess what was in the bag? Yep--the shelf! It's fun when your friends know you so well! The little wooded divider piece under it, is actually an orphaned organizer from the inside of a drop leaf desk.
This is a fairly small bedroom. The vintage cot is directly opposite of this table along a wall. The cot was used on a farm for extra sleeping space for farm hands when needed. My collection of vintage religious prints are hung above. I actually have another whole pile of pictures to hang, but no more wall space! It started with two Sacred Heart prints and grew from there in less than two years.
You shouldn't worry about "not having the space" to devote to a creative office or crafting room. There are many spots in your house you can carve out a space for your very own...a portion of your guest room, under-used closet, under the stairs, of course the basement but that might be a last resort. Here are a few ideas to get your creativity flowing...and the courage to tell your husband what he'll be working on this weekend!
What are you waiting for?
The shelf that the cactus planter is sitting has a cute story. Because my husband is Latino, I'm always drawn to items that have "sleeping mexicans" on them. This little two-tiered shelf has a crackled paint finish and there's an old decal of the sleeping mexicans on the top. I saw this shelf at The Pec Thing two years ago...but then passed it over convincing myself that I didn't need it. Just after that my friend Judy, proprietor of The Empty Attic, came by with a belated birthday present. Guess what was in the bag? Yep--the shelf! It's fun when your friends know you so well! The little wooded divider piece under it, is actually an orphaned organizer from the inside of a drop leaf desk.
This vintage grocery cart on wheels is perfect for wrapping paper rolls. The two-tiered metal "In/Out" basket is also vintage. The three-tiered basket is made for fruit, but who says you can't put craft paint in it?
You shouldn't worry about "not having the space" to devote to a creative office or crafting room. There are many spots in your house you can carve out a space for your very own...a portion of your guest room, under-used closet, under the stairs, of course the basement but that might be a last resort. Here are a few ideas to get your creativity flowing...and the courage to tell your husband what he'll be working on this weekend!
In a closet (http://craftystorage.blogspot.com/)
Small space? Hide your supplies in a vintage buffet, hutch, or dresser.
Dream room! Cute trellis hanging from ceiling!
If you're lucky enough to have an entire room, I love the idea of a double-sided table. (http://theberry.com/2011/08/01/show-off-your-crafty-side-27-photos/)
Great ideas for storage...fits in the closet...pants hanger, jewelry zipper bag (lots of these at TJMaxx). (http://blogs.babble.com/family-style/2011/10/17/get-organized-25-totally-clever-storage-tips-tricks/?pid=7800#slideshow)
Don't forget what adding color can do for a room...this is energizing. (http://annemaile.blogspot.com/2010/11/kasitootuba.html)
OK--jealous of the space allotment! (http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2011/11/reader-space-amandas-organized-craft.html)
Love. Love. Love this wall with light sconces. (http://jonesdesigncompany.com/decorate/specifics-a-mini-tutorial/)
Fabulous cupboard to hide supplies and display some too. craigslist is full of china cabinets, buffets and hutches for great prices. (http://spiralowlcreations.wordpress.com/2010/06/16/craft-room-envy/)
Picture this in a hallway, under the stairs, corner of guest room...
Love these two vintage hutches filled with linens, fabric and supplies.
What are you waiting for?
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