decorating — Page 56

Decorating on a Flea Market Budget: Living Room

January 23, 2013 at 10:56 am by Claudia

I’m going to do some posts about (patiently) decorating over time on a flea market budget. Since I like vintage and lovingly used items, this particular style comes easily to me. I’ve always had to be on a strict budget and I’m used to taking my time. And quite frankly, I don’t want anything in my home that doesn’t have a story, that doesn’t speak to me. First up: the living room.

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The loveseat was one of my first purchases when I lived in Cambridge. It was originally a deep gray velvet. I bought it because it was the right size for my apartment and nestled perfectly into the bay window niche. This means that I’ve had it about 23 years. The slipcover has given it a new life and, again, it manages to be the perfect fit for the living room here at the cottage. The yellow chair is the only new item we’ve purchased in the past several years and it cost more than anything else in the room. The little green table between the couch and the chair was found in an antique store for about $30. Lampshade: vintage, found at Christie Repasy’s studio 3 years ago. Curtains: Target. Small print in white frame: Christie Repasy. Rose in vase painting: painted by my father when I was a child.

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(Scout has yet again managed to sneak into a photo.) The coffee table was refinished by our old friend, Rob, for someone else. When that someone decided he didn’t want it, Rob sold it to me for $75. We’ve had this since we lived in San Diego, about 14 years or so, and we are crazy about it. McCoy Pottery: found in San Diego. Tray: from an antique store in San Diego. Tole crumber: a birthday gift from Don. Vintage film can: a flea market find a couple of years ago. National Geographic: a Christmas gift from my father.

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Monty the cow: found in an antique shop about 10 years ago. Vintage lab stool: found locally in an antique shop.

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Red Chair: found about 15 years ago in San Diego. I bought it (for $50) because it reminded me of a chair that was in my grandparent’s den when I was growing up. Pillow on left: IKEA. Pillow on right: a present from Gail via Judy of 20 North Ora.

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The sideboard was one of the first pieces that Don and I purchased together. We found it in an antique store in Ocean Beach during our San Diego Days. I think we paid about $100 for it. It’s made of tiger oak and is very, very heavy. Yellow and blue McCoy Pottery: gathered over time. Clock: found in an antique shop here in the Hudson Valley. It was an anniversary gift to each other. We put in on layaway and paid it off over a few months. It’s very precious to us.

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Books of poetry by Edgar Guest: found on eBay. Edgar Guest was my dad’s godfather, so these mean a great deal to me. Bakelite napkin ring: found online. Lamb: a gift from Sheila.

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Parakeet lamp on left: a birthday gift from Don. Blue glass container: Home Goods. Shells: gathered by me in California and Florida.

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Cupboard: I got it at an auction for $100. It’s huge and heavy and I love it. Pottery: gathered over time. Garland: made by me.

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Blue bench: found in a local antique shop for $40. Brick: found on our property. Heart shaped rocks: gathered over time. Door stop: found at auction for a song. Flower frog: found in San Diego. Ship: was my dad’s and he recently gave it to us. Organ stop: found years ago in an antique shop in Canada.

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Dollhouse: found on Craig’s List for $35. Table: found at Heidi’s store – repainted by me. McCoy Jardiniere: eBay. Floor Lamp: found years ago in San Diego.

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Piano: inherited from my grandmother. McCoy birds and vase: gathered over time. Miss Keyboard’s School sign: Found at Vignettes in San Diego. Hymns sign: found in an antique shop in the Hudson Valley several years ago.

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Desk: found in a local antique shop. Chair: found locally for $5. Lamp (whoops – crooked shade) found locally. Firkin: my grandmother’s. McCoy pottery: a gift from Heidi. Border Collie doorstop: from Heidi’s shop. Wreath: made by me.

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Yes, that’s a basket of stuff waiting to be filed. Painting on left: Christie Repasy, purchased 4 years ago in San Diego. Sign: found for $25 in a local antique shop.

Apart from the yellow chair, the clock and the loveseat, nothing in this room cost more than $150.00 and most things were purchased for considerably less. Many pieces were gathered by Don and me and we can tell you the story behind each piece. A few pieces were things I brought with me when we married: the piano, the loveseat, some of my grandmother’s pieces. Everything was purchased on a a budget.

I hope you enjoyed this tour of the living room. You can decorate on a flea market budget and add wonderful pieces to your home for very little money. Take it from me.

Happy Wednesday.

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Cheerfully Creative Clutter

January 13, 2013 at 9:17 am by Claudia

I seem to have taken over the den with all my paraphernalia . (My husband might say that I tend to do this will all the spaces in our home.) From my station in my blogging chair, this is what I see (no editing or staging, of course):

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The coffee table: A basket full of stacks of books, papers, a Scrabble game. A catalog from a company selling miniatures. A catalog from Garnet Hill. The remote. 2 DVDs. (This week we’ve received preview copies of two movies, Silver Linings Playbook and Argo through the Screen Actors Guild and yesterday we received 3 more that are available for download on iTunes. I think I’m watching some movies this week!) My eyeglass case. My agenda. Quilting supplies: thread, air erasable fabric marking pens, a ruler, an old dog food measuring cup that I use to trace circles on my quilt.

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The desk: the usual things plus two books, an obsession scarf due to be mailed out tomorrow, a quilting hoop and The Quilt. Handquilting a queen-size quilt is an awkward operation. I constantly have to move layers of fabric around in order to get the hoop readjusted and find a way to get my left hand under the quilt. It’s big. It’s bulky. I’ve quilted 3 rows of blocks so far. Yesterday, Scout and I took the day off. We were exhausted. I sat in the chair hand quilting. In the evening, I moved to the sofa. We watched old westerns all afternoon: Wagon Train, Bonanza, The Big Valley, The Rifleman. And then I watched Ironman in the evening. I’d never seen if before. I like Robert Downey, Jr. He’s never boring.

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And in this corner: yarn and lots of it. You see what I mean? All sorts of things. Add to that all the stuff on my chairside table and ottoman. I’ll spare you that.

As I looked at it yesterday, I liked seeing the cheerful clutter. Then I wondered what Don would think if he was also trying to exist in this space. The truth is that he would be just fine with it. He always says that he likes seeing creative clutter. He thinks it makes a home come alive.

I think he’s right.

I’m off to visit all the links from yesterday’s post.

And I’m linking this post to Elaine’s Sunny Simple Sundays.

Happy Sunday.

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Presents for the Dollhouse and Some OtherThoughts

December 20, 2012 at 9:27 am by Claudia

Too little sleep last night. Drat. It’s my own fault, I got riled up about something and then I couldn’t relax enough to let sleep take over. Lesson learned. Again! Maybe I’ll tell you about it later it in the post.

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Since I’m not using my vintage Shiny Brites this year, I thought I wouldn’t see any. But look what’s happening in the dollhouse! Apparently the tree is still being decorated. With Shiny Brites.

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I found these in a wonderful Etsy shop. Actually, I saw them last year, didn’t get them, and regretted it. Aren’t they adorable?

I added a few things to the order.

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The owner is reading my favorite book – To Kill a Mockingbird.

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And a volume of another favorite – Anne of Green Gables – is on a table in the living room.

What to put on the walls? I started with this botanical chart:

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Here’s a view of the living room:

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Oh, that new camera! She’s proving herself more than adept at getting shots of the dollhouse. Her big challenge will be the dollhouse kitchen, which is rather like a dark tunnel.

By the way, the books, Shiny Brites and chart came from L. Delaney’s Etsy Shop. It’s chock full of goodies and, boy, did she ship things quickly! Thanks, Lauren!

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I’m currently troubled by something, sparked by some dialogue on a favorite blog. It’s always bothered me. We all have had occasion to feel unhappy with someone we love, right? If you have children, I’m sure that there were times you said something to them like, “I love you always, but I don’t always like your actions.” You express that the love is constant but, nevertheless, there are times that you are unhappy or ashamed by something that child has done. This happens in all relationships, whether with friends, or a spouse, or even yourself. By expressing that unhappiness, you hope that in the future, a change will be made. Two different things: the constancy of love (never questioned) yet, an unhappiness with an action taken. Right? We’ve all been there.

So why is it that when someone expresses an unhappiness with something in our country, whether it is a policy or lack of a policy, a perceived reprehensible action, or any one of a number of things, that certain people cry “Unpatriotic!”? Or “How dare you say anything against America!” I don’t get it. I never have. Why is there this knee-jerk reaction to that?

This is, and always has been, a country of protesters. It was founded by protesters. Thank goodness. That’s how we grow. Just like we have to take a good look at ourselves and our children as responsible humans, we have to look at our country the same way and work to change those things that don’t work. We have to be willing to take a stand and fight for what is right. And sometimes that involves feeling unhappiness or shame over our country’s actions. If we hadn’t felt passionately that what was happening in Vietnam was wrong, that our policies were wrong, that war would still be going on. If we hadn’t felt shame that someone like Joseph McCarthy could, in this country of ours, gain the power to blacklist a whole group of people and ruin their lives, it would never have been stopped. And if we hadn’t felt shame over something that was legal in our country, slavery would never have been abolished. Women and African Americans would never have gained the right to vote.

As citizens of this country, we are supposed to question and, if necessary, work for change. We are supposed to be active and hold those in office accountable. We are not supposed to sit back and blindly wave the flag no matter what. That doesn’t mean that we don’t love our country. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it means we love our country so much that we are willing to fight to make it better. To fight for our fellow citizens. To fight for what is right.

I certainly love myself but have, at times, been deeply ashamed of something I’ve done. Why is that any different than expressing unhappiness about, for example, the proliferation of assault weapons in this country and the fact that the issue has been ignored by our elected officials until now? I don’t see that as unpatriotic. I see it as the best of patriotic. I see it as exactly what our forefathers would have done. And did. They weren’t afraid to speak out. And they certainly weren’t afraid to criticize when it was appropriate. They knew it was their right. They knew it was their duty. If you love your country, then it is imperative to do everything you can to help it grow. And that means speaking out and, sometimes, being ashamed. The love remains constant. But work needs to be done.

Just my thoughts about something that kept me awake last night.

Happy Thursday.

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Decorating on a Flea Market Budget: Living Room

Cheerfully Creative Clutter

Presents for the Dollhouse and Some OtherThoughts

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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