Margaret Pearl

Image Archives

2011-12-20T16:06:00.010-05:00

I recently came across a really great online archive of public domain vintage and antique images... not sure how I hadn't stumbled onto this site until now. The site is called Vintage Printable. They have an amazing collection of antique botanical drawings and nature studies, scientific charts, book covers, and vintage photography. Great for reference and collage. Another great website to find antique and vintage imagery is the New York Public Library Digital Gallery (they have everything -- from antique textile pattern books, vintage hotel menus to antique images of ocean flower cyanotypes). Below are a few of my favorites from Vintage Printable.

Felted Coat Color Block Tote

2011-12-14T10:34:00.000-05:00

I've been in love with the Graf & Lantz color block wool totes since I first saw them on Terrain's website. I've never sewn felt or leather before but I decided to give it a go and see if my little sewing machine could handle it. Luckily, there's a thrift store outlet in my area where you can buy unwanted wool coats and bags for $1/ea which makes experimenting basically cost-free. I found an oversized 80's wool herringbone coat, a white wool blazer and a maroon leather brief case for under $5 total. Just look for 100% wool items, the more material, the better. This project is fine for even a beginner at sewing-- I have little to no experience with sewing beyond a blind hem stitch and I was able to figure this out as I went along. The key is going slowly with the leather, especially if you chose a thicker top grain leather like I did.

(disassembling the leather brief case into panels)-- basically just tear it apart at the seams.

(remove all buttons and lining before felting your wool items)

To shrink the fibers of the wool and make the material more durable and thicker you need to felt it. Felting is easy-- stick the garment in the washer on hot water, followed by the dryer on a high heat setting. Warning-- this process is a little messy. I had tiny fuzzballs everywhere so it would help if you had a large mesh garment bag to eliminate the fuzzies in the washer. Don't forget to clean out your lint trap in the dryer after using as it will probably be full of fuzzies when you are done and you don't want your house to burn down next time someone uses the dryer.

My Version:

I left the side seams rough because I liked that look and so far I've been using the bag pretty regularly and the wool has not begun to unravel at all which I think is due to the felting process. Making the leather handles was easy -- just fold a 2" leather strap in half vertically and sew along the edge, leaving a section at the top and bottom unsewn (this will be where it attaches to the bag).

Metallic Painted Clutch DIY

2011-12-09T08:56:00.008-05:00

I picked up two faux leather 1970's clutches at a local auction that no one wanted and decided they would be good candidates for some DIY experimenting. My friend Veronika came over last weekend and we transformed these drab purses into something I quite like. Overall I'm pretty happy with the way this project turned out and I'll be trying it again with a larger leather bag sometime soon. All process photos are courtesy of Veronika.

SUPPLY LIST:

- Clutch or handbag (the less "sheen" it has to the surface, the better)
- Acrylic paint colors of your choosing
- Fabric or Textile Medium for Acrylic - available at any local craft store.
- Small paint brushes
- Frog tape to mask off sections of your work - found at Home Depot /Lowes.
- X-acto for cutting tape designs
- Sandpaper

ONE. Lightly sand down the surface of your project so that the paint can adhere. Be sure to wipe with a damp cloth after sanding.

TWO. Mask off section that you will be working on. Depending on your design it may be easier to choose a base color for that section. I masked off the area in which my entire design would be on my clutch and then painted the base of that area gold (see next step).

THREE. Mix Textile Medium with acrylic colors 1 part medium to 2 parts paint ratio and paint base color (your base color should be the lightest color you are using in your design).

(cutting tape with scissors was a pain, save yourself a headache and use an X-acto).

FOUR. Allow base coat to dry completely -- mine was dry to touch after 1 hour but the textile medium does take up to 24 hours to cure. Using X-acto knife cut pattern into tape. You can stick the tape onto a piece of wax paper temporarily to cut the patterns. Apply to the base-coat painted surface. *** TEST a small area first to make sure your project is dry enough to apply the masking tape without damaging the first coat of paint. If not, allow more time to dry.

FIVE. Apply other colors to painted section, allow to dry and remove tape. If you have difficulty getting clean edges with your tape you can use a light coat of Mod Podge to seal just the edges of the tape before painting your second colors.

Zig Zag Pottery

2011-09-12T17:11:00.010-04:00

So my latest completely nerdy thing this year is going to the pottery painting place (with a friend...of course) and painting salad plates. I also made a butter dish that I'm quite fond of. Hopefully in October I'll be able to enroll in some community pottery classes and make my own pieces. I never conquered centering when wheel throwing so I've always had some hang ups with ceramics but I'm working on some ideas for slab / hand built pieces.

Here's my salad plate from last week:

Chairs and more Chairs

2011-09-12T15:08:00.005-04:00

Went to the Monday auction today. We're currently stripping the wallpaper from the 12 foot ceilings in the second living room/dining room which has proven to be a nightmare. So, meanwhile I'm trying to focus my positive thoughts on the dining area. I managed to grab a set of antique ice cream parlor chairs for $20. I also found a great table/2 bench set of iron hairpin legs at the auction today for $22 (not bad since a new set of legs is between $65-$80 and now I have three sets to mess around with). Unfortunately they came attached to a weirdly patriotic picnic table from the 60's that must have come straight out of the VFW rec room. I thought I would take the legs off and discard the heinous table tops at the auction-- but as life would have it the screws were rusted so badly they couldn't be loosened. Once I got home and pulled the dirty benches out of my now soiled car, I realized that the wood of the tables was so badly rotted that all you had to do was put your weight on the legs and the screws just ripped out of the rotted wood-- fabulous. The entire experience made me seriously reconsider the idea of any type of reclaimed wood, specifically watching all the varieties of termites and wood-eating insects that crawled out of the joints of this ugly table.

The world's tackiest picnic table? Possibly. Not gonna lie, I SORT OF liked the benches but they were too rotted to save.

Last week I bought two vintage school chairs from a church basement for almost nothing and spray painted (I liked the original patina but they were too rusty to be used regularly)... all better now. I'd like to distress them a bit but I've never done that to metal before.

(BEFORE)

(AFTER)

"Wednesday" and Thursday.

2011-09-01T15:27:00.007-04:00

Alright, I missed a day already. Consistency is not my strong suit so I'll do another later today. I did manage to covertly swipe an unattended and probably long forgotten Delaware Sea Life Marine Mammal newsprint guide from a library table (no it was not library property). Here's my crazy whale lady for Thursday.

UPDATE: added my second collage from last night (below).

Tuesday.

2011-08-30T19:49:00.004-04:00

This one was frustrating. I finally just cut it in half. Much better. Pretty happy with my 2 part series.

Materials: polaroid photos from a 1973 trip to Rome, old postcard, vintage children's books, Korean school book, acrylic, gouache, back of an airline ticket.

Monday.

2011-08-29T23:00:00.002-04:00

A week of collage challenge.

Mixed media, acrylic, on puzzle box cutout.

Herbal Remedies

2011-08-26T13:23:00.000-04:00

I was bored the other night and found a stockpile of terra-cotta pots in the basement. I hate dried herbs and I feel ridiculous buying bushels of herbs from the grocery store when my recipes call for a tablespoon. So I bought a few herb plants for my bay window sill. I used a 1940's lettering book that I picked up on vacation for reference with the type on the pots. It's just acrylic with a matte sealer on a basic terra-cotta pot. If I can keep these alive I think I'll try growing Thyme and Cilantro too.

Coffee Table Makeover

2011-08-25T14:38:00.000-04:00

Here are some before/after pictures of my coffee table refinish job. I have a Lane Acclaim series 1960's coffee table that I love the shape of but the piece was stained brown and had accumulated a quarter inch of Pledge residue over its lifetime. I bought a matching end table at a flea market this summer for $5 that was being sold as a microwave stand, so I used that as the test subject before redoing my coffee table.

(Above is the table completely sanded). The first and worst step is stripping the varnish off. This is completely awful, no way around it. I started with all the environmentally friendly stuff and by the end I had goggles and ventilation masks on, using chemicals that started melting my rubber gloves. The end result is not very rewarding, it actually looks like you ruined your furniture but it made sanding easier. After I sanded the piece down, I used a tung oil finish. I did about two coats and sanded with steel wool between them.

As you can see I still need to paint the tips of the legs black like the original tables. I also found the perfect location for the red wire vintage basket I picked up for free at an auction.

Mendocino Vacation

2011-07-01T00:06:00.000-04:00

(Left) Sunset from Mendocino Headlands (Right) Mendocino Masonic Hall, built 1866. Very quaint, tiny town located along the coast with strong roots as an artist community. No chain stores, lots of organic restaurants, groceries and artist galleries.

Atrium Bed and Breakfast, Fort Bragg. This was the cutest B&B, perfectly decorated Victorian cottages. Fort Bragg was definitely less "quaint" than Mendocino -- and by that I mean they had a CVS-- but it was also much more affordable and closer to MacKerricher State Park which had the best coastline. There's also a great art supply store with an amazing paper selection on North Franklin Street. The wooden pulp papers aren't available online but their printed papers are on their website.

Mendocino Botanical Gardens -- featured 47 acres of plants and coastline with great views of the ocean along the bluffs. We ended our trip with a visit to Cowlicks Handmade Ice Cream (so good!) at the cafe entrance to the gardens.

(Left) Botanical Garden Coastal Bluffs (Right) Succulent Gardens

Mendocino Botanical Gardens Branch Gates.

Succulent Gardens

Dahlias

Fort Bragg, Glass Beach -- This beach was used as a town dump until it was closed in the 1960's. Since then cleanup efforts were made to dispose of all trash, leaving behind tiny pieces of broken glass worn down by the tide.

(Left) Fox Glove (Right) Glass Beach

(Left) Dahlias, Mendocino Botanical Garden (Right) Russian Gulch State Park

Mendocino Headlands

(Left) Mendocino Headlands (Right) Van Damme State Park Fern Canyon-- We camped overnight at Van Damme State Park where it unfortunately rained the entire time but the scenery was beautiful.

Five under $5

2011-06-14T09:07:00.000-04:00

Here are some finds from June:

1. 1950's Blue Suede Clutch with Green Alligator accent

2. 1960's White Metal Ice Bucket with Red lining / 3. 1970's Straw and Leather Purse

4. Rock collection from a 1959 Franklin Institute field Trip in Antique Frame

5. 1960's John Romain tweed and leather barrel purse / 6. 1960's Lux starburst clock ($15)

1962 House & Garden; Book of Interiors

2011-06-08T22:42:00.000-04:00

Some images to inspire from 1962 copy of House & Garden; Book of Interiors.
I am loving that suspended boat.

Kentucky Derby Party

2011-05-17T22:56:00.000-04:00

Here are some photos from a party I went to the first weekend in May. The gorgeous cake was hand-painted with food dye by one of the hosts!! (AMAZING!!) The hats we made -- the plaid dress is 1950's vintage from a local thrift store.

A little wednesday afternoon project

2011-04-20T14:54:00.000-04:00

this, that and the other

2011-04-18T13:54:00.000-04:00

Woke up early to a beautiful, sunny morning-- went to the weekly auction-- didn't find anything too exciting so I came home and decided to work on a few projects from last week.

Yay, the spring blossoms survived the torrential rain over the last few days.
Photos taken this morning. The weeds seems to be thriving too.

I bought a much-needed record cabinet for $7 from the local thrift store on Friday. The cabinet was just particle board with wood legs but it was really dinged up with that telltale crap-furniture 1950's "blonde" faux-finish. I figured I couldn't really go wrong even if I hated the end result so I decided to spray paint it white. Andrew liked the diagonal faux wood grain on the cabinet doors so those were left as is.

I got a cute little chair for $1 (shown below), unfortunately it came with complimentary rust stains from where the auctioneers decided to put rusty dumbbells on top of the white upholstery.

easy upholstery cleaning formula: 1/4 C liquid detergent + 2 C water
Use a short bristled clean scrub brush to work into a lather-- this sounds like an obvious formula but it worked like magic on stains I couldn't even get out with OxyClean. I thought the upholstery wasn't salvageable it was so dirty and it came out looking great, took the rust stains out too. Trying to decide whether I should leave the wood finish or paint the chair.

family album

2011-04-17T18:22:00.000-04:00

photos of my grandmother whom I named my vintage store after.
They were taken in Los Angeles, mid-1940's.

Beach Bum Berry Review

2011-03-30T23:30:00.000-04:00

The cold start to April has been bumming me out so I finally ordered three spring/summer books from Amazon that I've been eyeing all winter. Salads, drinks and more drinks. A sampling from the Simply Salads index: prosciutto wrapped melon slices, thai beef strip marinade with peanut dressing, wild mushroom saute, lobster salad with grapefruit vinaigrette... I'm picturing watching the sunset from my patio on a balmy summer night, finishing off a pitcher of sangria. SIGH. 2 more months of rainy, cool weather to go.

Sippin' Safari book description courtesy of Amazon:

"The new book by the Author of The Grog Log, Intoxica and Taboo Table. Beach Bum Berry as he is better known is America's leading authority on tropical drinks and Polynesian pop-culture. In this all new book, Berry not only offers up tantalizing new drink recipes, but tells stories about some of the most famous figures of their time. The Bum applies the same dogged research to the untold stories of the people behind the drinks. Stories culled from over 100 interviews with those who actually created the mid-century Tiki scene -- people as colorful as the drinks they invented, or served, or simply drank. People like... Leon Lontoc, the Don The Beachcomber's waiter who served Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando by night, and acted in their movies by day..."

Berry discloses once secret recipes from some of the most popular Tiki bartenders of the bygone era. Here's my Tiki-inspired Etsy Treasury (link here) to go with the read...which I recommend for anyone with a soft spot for faux Polynesian kitsch and a sense of humor. The stories are as enjoyable as I hope the drinks will be.

Quilts and A Sound Off

2011-03-29T12:42:00.001-04:00

First quilt, auction find. I loved all the 1940s novelty print fabrics they used.

After I bought it, I turned it over and found another quilt on the back:

The pattern is called "Grandmother's Flower Garden." It needs some seam repair but no shattered quilt squares. I'm waiting for a nice warm day to wash these and lay them out in the yard to dry on blankets. I was prepared to go to $50 on this one but somehow I got it for $5.

Yesterday I had another great quilt find at a local thrift store for $8 (pictured below). It's in great shape, I thought it was machine quilted but when I flipped it over I saw all the hand-quilting and the names embroidered on the edge. I think the pattern is called "Tree of Life" or some variation of that. Very pretty-- I love the way they quilted it too!

Third quilt, embroidered bunnies! Ideally I'd like this one in a guest room but until I find a better centerpiece for above the bed, it stays. I think this is circa 1930s/1940s. Ebay splurge for $35.

I also thought I'd throw in some cute ceramics:

$2, little owl dish

$4, handmade ceramic heart dish

A Few Good Reasons to Buy Vintage:

Your money goes back into community programs and local charities through thrift stores instead of the pockets of megacompany CEOs exploiting impoverished people in developing countries with no labor laws or environmental restrictions.
Less in the landfills. Buying vintage not only saves items from going into landfills but it saves the earth from the waste byproduct and subsequent production industry pollution of creating new items.
Investment value. Vintage and antique items retain their value which increases over time.
Furniture was made to last... out of real wood by real craftsmen…a novel concept for the Ikea addict. Items were made from better materials with better manufacturing standards.

If people really knew how most items they purchase were made they would probably feel sick with guilt or foolish at the dirt cheap cost to make the item versus the markup they paid for it. You don't have to sacrifice quality when buying used items. If anything you sacrifice quality when you buy crappy particle board furniture from I*** with a life expectancy of 5 years. And really...you aren't just sacrificing quality, you are destroying the planet--- we don't have enough resources to support this made to break consumer society. I'm in no way implying that you can't buy quality clothing or furniture today. Just saying that we've all collectively lowered our standards for a good shopping bargain but there is no such thing, you get exactly what you paid for, poorly made junk and a worse environment from the production process.

I'm not saying don't shop at Target, Ikea, etc. I'm saying... why not check secondhand resources and artisan shops first.

Tripod Lamp DIY

2011-03-25T17:17:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted on here for awhile. I've been sort of overwhelmed with DIY projects but in a good way. A few weeks ago I bought a woodslice that I sanded down and now I'm looking for some hairpin legs to repurpose. I'm currently in the middle of making a tufted cushion for a mid-century cedar chest and finally I came across a vintage wooden telescope tripod I've been searching for on Monday.

Some inspiration:

Ethan Allen $536 . Pottery Barn $299 . Macy's $325

My version:

Total cost: $15 lampshade, $2 vintage telescope tripod, $5 cord = 22.00

(Saved some money by reusing the socket and harp from a lamp I was going to discard). I also added using a hacksaw, pipe cutters and wiring a lamp socket to my skill set. There's a great tutorial online for this too, check out this blog post.

Cowhides, Cookies and Cutout Lace Heels

2011-02-15T12:19:00.001-05:00

I finally got the cowhide rug I've been pining over for Valentine's Day -- animal pelts aren't really synonymous with romance but that's okay, I love it. We didn't go crazy for valentine's day this year, we made vegetarian tacos (yes, cruel irony--the bf is a vegetarian), margaritas, and apple cinnamon enchiladas for dessert-- cozy and simple.

A Few Sweet Finds for the Week:

1. Message-in-a-Cookie Cutters, $20, Williams-Sonoma.com
Customizable cookie messages! I love that little scalloped rectangle.

2. Ross Menuez Fauna Cutout Pillows, $40, Areaware.com
I am a sucker for Boston Terriers.
{ DIY: make your own printed pillow using freezer paper, cotton fabric and an inkjet printer For step by step instructions click here. This is going to be my next project I think! }

3. Personal Library Kit, $20, Fredflare.com
So...maybe reserve the due dates and late warnings for close friends, there is still something irresistible about a lined index card and a date stamp.

4. "Scharer" Peep-Toe Lace Heels, $80, aldoshoes.com
I can see myself in these shoes, I can also picture myself tripping into oncoming traffic in a 5" heel. I do love the lace and peep toe though.

A Tiny French Book

2011-02-09T18:30:00.000-05:00

There are few things more precious than tiny books filled with beautiful illustrations of sea life.
This is one of my favorites, "Le Royaume De La Mer," copyright 1943.

Illustrations by Ernest Flammarion

Monday's Auction Finds

2011-02-08T14:23:00.001-05:00

Here is a collection of little treasures I picked up yesterday from my weekly Monday auction. Someone got rid of a collection of old photo albums! Trying to decide what to do with them. I'd love to re-purpose them as sketchbooks or maybe just refill with acid-free paper for pictures. It was a day of great patterns (lots of vintage wrapping paper too). I found a 1960's suitcase full of travel tickets and hotel receipts from a couple's 1973 trip to see the Pope.

Among the spoils for the day also included two vintage fabric cash ledgers and an antique German children's book from the early 1900s / 1800s I assume.

A Sketch and Two Postcards

2011-02-06T17:08:00.000-05:00

I finally dusted off my sketchbook today and put it to use. I'm ordering my plane ticket for Northern California next week to visit my parents this summer... hoping to spend 3 weeks there and travel north through Portland and Seattle to Vancouver, staying at campgrounds along the way. The town my parents live in is a 1960's small-town time capsule named Paradise, located 30 minutes outside of a slightly more populated town called Chico. The main street has old signs and storefronts that haven't been updated in decades and the general feel is a rundown mountain town surrounded by canyons. It's glorious.

Be Mine

2011-02-04T19:53:00.000-05:00

A few valentine-inspired romantic items for my wishlist. How cute are the stamp sets at VerdeStudio?

1. Jeffrey Campbell Internship Interview Wedge $142 2. Happ & Stahns Eau De Parfum $68 Anthropologie

3. French English Gray Patent Leather Scallop Satchel $100 4. Dahlia Heart Print Chiffon Dress $111 ASOS

5. VerdeStudio Apple of my Eye stamp set $6.25 Etsy 6. Kiel Mead Forget Me Knot Ring $56, Fredflare

There's a certain slant of light...

2011-02-03T12:57:00.000-05:00

There's a certain Slant of light,
Winter Afternoons --
That oppresses, like the Heft
Of Cathedral Tunes --
- Emily Dickinson

Here are some photos I took of the icestorm from Wednesday. I had to get up early to help push my boyfriend's car out of the driveway so I thought I would make the best of it and explore a bit with my camera.

Retro Hutch Makeover

2011-02-02T10:45:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the comments on the last post. I decided to go with a neutral color and then realized the doors were the perfect surface for a pattern. I used acrylic paint and a small brush, then sanded the pattern down for a chalky look. I think it still needs knobs though! Finally, an excuse to buy some pretty hardware from anthro.

Now what to do about that ugly door bell box on the wall . . .

Yay or Nay?

2011-01-30T11:18:00.000-05:00

I have a 1960's hutch that I got for $1.00 at an auction a year ago. That being said, I like it but I don't love it and I want to convert it into a bookshelf in the living room. I get a lot of ideas and I'm really indecisive so I was playing around with it in photoshop trying to decide what to do with it. I thought about a fabric backing but I think most prints would be too much against items on the shelves unless it was a really subtle pattern.

This is what I was thinking of doing, thoughts anyone?

Rosemary's Baby, Interior Design

2011-01-19T19:42:00.000-05:00

I watched Rosemary's Baby last night. Excellent movie. Last time I watched it was in high school and I never appreciated how gorgeous her apartment is! Here are a few stills from the movie:

I made an etsy treasury inspired by the movie (click the link to view items):

DIY Cut Paper Ceiling Light

2011-01-13T16:08:00.000-05:00

We had 4" of snow yesterday so I spent the day by the woodstove, watching Masterpiece Theater's Wuthering Heights with my roommate and being a complete bum. Somewhere at the bottom of my massive to-do list was finding replacement lighting for the less-than-cute 1980's ceiling light my parents left in the hallway (they have since moved to CA and left me to rent and redecorate their 1940's cape cod where I grew up). I found a very basic mod-looking white globe light at the thrift store and decided to fix it up it in some way -- plus it was only $3.00 so even if I ruined it, I figured it would make for a good snow day craft.

I'm in love with the end result! After mulling over what to do with it all day I decided to use cut paper and liquid starch (inspired by some liquid starch fabric wallpaper ideas).

Supplies:

You'll need basic white light fixture, liquid starch, scissors and thin paper (test with light bulb), clear gloss spray paint. I got my light from a thrift store but home depot sells the same globes for $15.00. IMPORTANT: only use a CFL bulb in the light since they don't get hot.

As for paper, I was sorting through some 1940's magazine ads and noticed a lot of them had dark ink and the thickness is perfect for the project. I also like he way the light shows the back of the ad which was unintentional.

I chose a design that could be done with easy accordion folding but I'd love to try a more elaborate cut paper design with an exacto knife at some point. After you cut your design, using a brush apply a thin layer of undiluted liquid starch to the area you are working on. I liked this because it was easy to move designs after placing them down by simply rewetting. I kind of winged it in the design area since this was just an experiment- next time I'd probably use a measuring tape when applying my designs. After your designs have dried, use a q-tip or tissue and remove some of the extra starch around the edges of your designs. Spray with clear gloss spray paint to finish.

Bookworm

2011-01-12T07:45:00.001-05:00

Below are a few pen and ink illustrated bookplates I made for gifts this holiday. My friend Veronika let me use her 9" Xyron "Creative Station" sticker machine-- shown here. I'm definitely thinking of investing in one-- for $50 this would be good for making personalized address labels too and it can be used for laminating and magnets, super easy--you just turn a crank.

I always get excited when I find an Ex Libris inside an antique book.
These are a few of my favorite bookplates from researching online:

A Collision of Particles

2010-12-12T22:41:00.001-05:00

Johnny Cash + Bob Dylan
"Girl From The North Country"

An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae) is a natural light display in the sky, particularly in the polar regions, caused by the collision of charged particles directed by the Earth's magnetic field.
The best months to see Auroras in Alaska are March and December when the nights are long with clear skies and milder weather. Fairbanks, Alaska is in a prime location for viewing the Northern Lights if you can get away from light pollution.

Here is a list of tours and resorts specifically for viewing the phenomenon.

Aurora Over Alaska, Photo Credit: Joshua Strang

Silk satin tunic dress by Full Circle $170 / $205

5" by 7" AURORA Celestial Print $5 by Jim Smeltz

lightweight dip-dye infinity scarf Fred Flare $14

Tuesday Thrift Finds

2010-12-08T15:46:00.000-05:00

I went on a thrift store pencil skirt binge this week. Bought this wool skirt for $2 w/tags still attached. Do I look cold? I was, this outfit needs tights! I'm thinking of ordering some from welovecolors. I really want a pair of cranberry leggings.

vintage wool skirt
urban outfitters belt
forever 21 shirt
embroidered cashmere 1950's cardigan
leather Aldo boots

I refinished a wooden card catalogue box too. I almost passed this up for $4! I was trying to withhold from buying things I can't think of an immediate use for. It was really scratched up and sort of ugly so I ended up taking it home and I tried the walnut scratch remover method. Rub a walnut over wood scratches -- it's amazing and kind of fun to watch scratches disappear instantly. I haven't thought of anything to store in there yet but I think it makes a nice pedestal for my cacti in the window (the only plant I can keep alive). There are pencil marks on it with measurements so I think it was handmade--maybe it was made to hold tape cassettes?

ALSO just posted this coat in the shop. Found this little beauty in perfect condition. Taupe grey wool with fur collar and cuffs. Love the belt, circa late 50's, early 60's, Zinman Furs. $124

A Very Retro Christmas

2010-12-05T18:40:00.001-05:00

This weekend I put up the Christmas tree. I spent a long time searching ebay for a vintage aluminum pom pom tree but in the end decided I wanted a fuller looking tree. I got a white tree this year which I think still has a retro feel. Last year I was lucky enough to stumble upon an entire box of 1960's christmas tree ornaments in perfect condition. Sets of flocked green and pink bells, little plastic marching men, clowns, angels and elves. I was excited to finally put them on display!

This weekend was also my family's annual gingerbread house "competition". Andrew and I decided to go with a pretzel log cabin design this year. Here's the recipe if you are interested (add 1-2 cups more flour than the recipe calls for), roll the dough out 1/4" thickness. There are lots of templates online for houses. Cut the windows before baking, allow at least 3 days for the pieces to harden before assembling. Here are some photos from the event:

(the guy on the left is chopping wood with an axe -- andrew's creation)

Family Tree

2010-11-30T00:01:00.000-05:00

My mom is obsessed with tracing back my family history and last night I was searching for genealogy related Christmas presents. In my search I found some lovely illustrated family history charts and other alternatives to the traditional family tree. Here are a few of my favorites, let me know what you think!

1. Podaima Family Quilt (podaima.com for a larger version)

Found this lovely quilt on the Podaima Family website. This was by far my favorite. I adore everything about this, specifically the colors! I would have never chosen those colors and it is so gorgeous, especially with the touch of metallic leaves. I might have chosen a different fabric for the ground but still, I think this is so quirky and adorable with the broken branches.

2. Martha Stewart's Family Heirloom Branch in Glass Dome

Unfortunately I can't really say I have a family collection of trinkets but I like the idea. The glass domes that she suggests in the tutorial are a bit pricey at $140-200. You can find a 10" by 15" dome for about $80.00 on collector's sites like this one. I love the look of the Manzanita branch, but I'm picky and I'd want to chose it myself rather than order it online. I read that Michael's sells these branches or you can check the local florist. I may go look for one to make a jewelry stand.

3. Staker Store Customized Family Tree

Love this, very understated and beautiful. Pricing is $100-125 depending on size, printed on fine art paper, canvas is also available. The country or state of origin is noted on each of the green leaves.

Out & About

2010-10-21T12:10:00.000-04:00

fall in the countryside, here are a few recent photographs.

Spooktacular Sunday

2010-10-18T17:26:00.000-04:00

My friend Veronika came over Sunday and we spent the day flea marketing and getting in touch with our crafty side. I carved a pumpkin for the first time in five years. It was also my first time using a linoleum carving tool. I've seen examples of this technique that I really loved so decided to give it a try myself. It carved really easy but like printmaking, it was tricky to remember which sections would be raised. In the future I would spray paint my pumpkin black before carving. I used a very white jumbo permanent black marker to run over the surface of certain raised designs. You could probably use ink and brayer but I made enough of a mess as it was. My pumpkin took a little over 2 hours.

We also made Halloween wreaths from supplies we found at the local craft store. The black wreath base was 3.99 + 1.00 for skulls + 2.00 for glitter + 3.00 for velvet = about 11.00 total. The spiders and bats were cut from recycled plastic and then covered in glitter and the spider webs were made by using hot glue on tin foil (peels right off).

This, That and the Other

2010-10-13T14:57:00.000-04:00

Here are some of my big finds from Monday. It was crowded at the local auction but I ended up with some great little treasures.

1950s Green Bathroom Scale with glass bubble $4

Antique 1915-1920s Wind and Rainfall Pattern Pull Down Map $2
I was surprised no one wanted this, so cool!

Vintage plates for artwork, saw this on a craft blog.
-- used a sharpie and cross stitch font for reference,
I used the free font "Home Sweet Home"
Perfect for filling the empty shelf above the kitchen sink.
$4 for plates.

$2 hand-made loop rug, circa 1960s

Elementary, my dear Watson

2010-09-12T16:16:00.000-04:00

Natural History Vintage Study inspired Etsy picks for September:

Birds and Ponies and Babies Oh My

2010-07-05T23:57:00.000-04:00

Rummaged through some old photographs today at a sale.

I limited myself to 4 photos/ .25 ea -- circa 1920s to 1940s

Thought there was something sort of beautiful about these photos in particular:
subjects, lighting, composition...I'm not quite sure, just some lovely shots to inspire.

Looking through antique and vintage photographs is always bittersweet. I love the glimpse it allows into the lives of people before me but there is also something unsettling about it...voyeuristic maybe? --That I know the photographs weren't created with the intent to be on display for sale in a mixed and nameless heap. It's a strange idea that our things outlive us. -- I've recently thought about writing a series of bound journal entries in the form of a one-way correspondence to a future reader.

Kitschen Renovation

2010-07-05T02:06:00.000-04:00

I'm in the process of updating my childhood home on a tight budget. The kitchen was our first major project. The house is a cape cod built in 1945, and since I am a huge fan of 1940's design, I decided to restore this kitchen to its original era. This was a big project... one month of hard labor, new floors, new appliances, new counters, new tile back splash, fresh cabinet paint, (new) vintage hardware, light fixture and table set....

[ BEFORE ]

Severely warped faux wood laminate counters, outdated appliances, vinyl yellow brick flooring, heavily wallpapered in country apple theme (including backsplash). Awful florescent overhead lighting.

[ AFTER ]

.... AND.... voila!.... the big reveal. I'm pretty happy with the way this kitchen renovation went. You would be surprised at the budget I worked with. (Still have to paint those two faux drawers under the sink)

I did a lot of image searching for 1940's kitchens and these were a few of my inspiration photos for the project:

COSTS OF RENOVATION on a small budget:

1. IKEA BUTCHER BLOCK COUNTERS $300

Love wood flooring in a kitchen and butcher block counter tops. The only problem is these can be somewhat expensive and difficult to maintain. I found an excellent deal at IKEA on unfinished butcher block counter slabs. We spent about $300 total on the counters and treated them with 3 coats Waterlox sealer and 3 coats Waterlox Satin Finish so they are completely waterproof. It's a food grade tung oil. They still aren't resistant to cuts from knives, etc. but I've always been careful about that. If you don't have any woodworking knowledge/tools, you may not want to attempt to create an L-shaped counter with this material, considering the counter pieces are beveled on all edges, it can be difficult to remove a section of the bevel to join them.

2. THRIFTED 1950's TABLE / CHAIRS $80

I found a set of four reproduction yellow 1950's chairs on Craigslist for $60, which was an amazing deal since these cost up to $150 each. Plus the foam is new and they are more comfortable than the older chairs. Found a matching table at a local thrift store for $20 which cleaned up very nicely.

3. EBAY 1950's CABINET HARDWARE $50

Loved the old painted face cabinets with the white base so we painted the cabinet faces "Lemon Slush" yellow. But the hardware in my kitchen was from the 1970's and looked too "primitive country," so I found a set of 32 1950's chrome handles on Ebay for $50 that someone took out of an older home during a renovation. This way I also had leftover for the bathroom cabinets.

4. EBAY - 1960's BRASS-TONE PULL-DOWN LIGHT FIXTURE $60

This was a splurge, but not really considering that new kitchen lights started at over $100, even at places like Home Depot and Lowes. I found this on Ebay and paid $60 with shipping. It is a retractable light so it has a pulley in the top metal "bullet" and the height can be easily adjusted by pulling up or down on it. It also has a great "punch out" design on the top of the fixture that the light shines through.

5. SUBWAY TILE BACKSPLASH - $0.23 / tile

Installed the white subway tile backsplash after stripping all the wallpaper. $0.23 / tile at Home Depot. Easy installation, used wet saw to fit tiles.

6. WOOD FLOORING for KITCHEN/HALLWAY- $900

This was the major spending point in the renovation. We went with Bruce hardwood in the color Gunstock Oak to match existing wood flooring in an adjoining room. Lowe's had the best pricing on this.

The biggest saving was that we did all the labor ourselves.

Printmaking Monday

2009-12-15T01:44:00.001-05:00

Took my first printmaking class since high school this semester. Here is my first linocut project. I used the brand "Easy-to-cut" linoleum, which actually lived up to its name -- I cut myself quite frequently while working on this. Definitely would recommend this over anything I've used before, especially for other beginners.

Below is my first piece 8 by 10 (I scanned a test print so the ink tone is not too great but you get an idea of the design). Came out okay. I was a little disheartened when I remembered the old man didn't have a fishing pole in the book which is sort of key to the plot but... oh well, my rendition. I don't really like the wood grain on the boat and I would change other things if I redid this.

Below is my pen and ink drawing I made this weekend to transfer to a copper plate for my first attempt at etching. I was channeling Beatrix Potter. I etched into the plate today. It doesn't look quite right so we'll see how it compares to my original sketch. If I can get this to work I'd love to do a bunny series -- the plate I'm etching into is only 3 by 4.

Don't you dare come between waffles and me!

2009-08-30T20:46:00.001-04:00

I finally spent an hour sorting through a stack of 1940's Better Homes and Gardens magazines. I scanned a few of my favorites -- what do you think? I was under the impression that a lot of styles in this magazine weren't popular until the 50's

(March 1948 Cover)

Cute country design, this looks so eclectic, hard to believe this is from the 40's.

This room design is fantastic, it's my favorite I think -- maybe it's just the chairs.

Just picked up some similar yellow chairs but I've given up on finding that table. The color scheme here is great too.

Cute Jack and Jill bathroom!! Also check out the wallpaper-- how ridiculous!

Monday's are my favorite

2009-08-24T17:28:00.000-04:00

Here are 7 little treasures I picked up today during my Monday adventure:

1. picked up 20 vintage wooden hangers for $1

including one hanger stolen from a New York City hotel

2. I gave a home to a lot of unwanted retro fabric

3. found a free Smith Corona Corsair portable typewriter in aqua

4. loved reading the deranged poetry found in said typewriter

written by a middle schooler in the 1960's named Chrissy according to the title page

5. found a pair of deadstock blue leather booties from France

(actually I got a lot of deadstock boots which will be making an appearance on my Etsy soon)

6. bought a set of eight Jeannette black and yellow graphic "Beverage Tumblers"

..finally piecing together a kitchen set that actually matches my dining set

7. elephant apron

a patchwork elephant playing with a butterfly always makes me smile