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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.

lrstairway

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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This and That

January 22, 2013 at 10:56 am by Claudia

A little of this and that today.

Thanks for all the wishes for Don. He’s really sick and has been running a temperature off an on for two days. Lots of chest congestion, a headache, chills, sore throat: classic flu symptoms. Don doesn’t cope with sickness very well, especially when there is a fever involved, so he has been calling me a lot. It’s so hard to be sick when you’re far away from home. And though I would love to be able to take care of him, I sure don’t want to be in the germ zone. My friends who are in the show with him have been bringing him chicken soup, chicken pot pies (from the Chicken Pie Shop, a long thriving restaurant in San Diego) and medicines. Bless them. One of the MFA students who is in the show with him even brought him a thermometer last night because Don was sure his temperature was alarmingly high. It was 101° – not fun, but not alarming. Poor guy. So keep that positive healing energy directed his way and thank you.

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This Swedish Ginger Snap tin has been around here for several years. I don’t remember who gave it to me but I can almost taste those ginger snaps! It’s been used for all sorts of things in the past. Right now it is my Quilting Tin. After several days of needle packs, thread, rulers, marking pens and other necessities being scattered throughout the den, I decided enough was enough. Now, everything is safely tucked inside the tin at the end of the day.

One necessity for me when I hand quilt is a needle grabber. There are times when pulling the needle through the 3 layers of fabric and batting is difficult, especially when the needle is in the corner of a square where there are even more layers. Needle grabbers are small circular pieces of rubber that you hold around the needle to get some traction and an assist in pulling the needle all the way through. Try as I might, I couldn’t find mine. (The craft closet needs a good cleaning, along with some re-organization.) Then I had a little light bulb moment.

needlegrabber

I use this non-skid material for my drawer and shelf liners. I was pretty sure I had some leftover liner somewhere in the kitchen. After searching through several drawers, I found it. (This is also the kind of material used for rug backing.) I clipped a little square and now I have a needle grabber. It works perfectly. I’m sure someone else out there has already thought of something like this but I’m sharing it with you in case you find yourself in the same situation.

I get all sorts of spam in my email every day. I bet you do, too. I am constantly amazed at the efforts nefarious types go through to try to get my personal information. By far the most prevalent are the emails that tell me I have inherited a million pounds or rubles or dollars, or that I have won the lottery in some foreign country. Then there are the emails that purport to be from my bank or from Paypal or some other site saying that my account has been compromised and if I just click this link and supply some necessary information, all will be well.

But lately I have been getting emails with the heading “Married but Lonely.” They are for a site that encourages a little extramarital fling. Ummm……no thank you. Though I miss my husband at the moment, I am true blue. But you get points for audacity, I’ll give you that.

scoutheart

I left my chair this morning to get some more coffee. Scout remained in her tunnel position. When I returned, I saw the opportunity to get the perfect shot of her ‘heart’ marking. It’s a true heart shape. Perfect for her because she’s all heart.

Happy Tuesday.

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Do You Duvet or Don’t You?

January 21, 2013 at 8:59 am by Claudia

This is the bed I slept on when I was working in Hartford for 2 months last year. That’s a duvet. The apartments I inhabited when I was working there again this past month had duvets. Most of the hotel rooms I have been in have duvets.

I hate duvets.

Well, that’s a bit strong, But I don’t like them. At all. Here’s the thing: I tend to run hot at night. And no, it has nothing to do with menopause. That particular train has left the station. Don runs cold. I run hot. Isn’t that the way with most couples? One tends to get too warm, the other is always freezing. Anyway, because of that, I like layers. I like to be able to add or subtract a layer as needed. On my bed there are the sheets, of course, a quilt on top of that and, in the winter, my heavy crocheted ripple throw on top of that. If I get too hot, the ripple throw is tossed aside or tossed in Don’s direction. If I really get too hot, especially in the spring or summer, the quilt goes bye-bye.

I like options.

A duvet is too darned heavy and bulky and annoying. When I travel out of town for work and encounter a duvet, it usually means there is a top sheet and the duvet. That’s it. Since I run hot, the duvet ends up being too heavy. So I toss it aside. And I’m left with a top sheet. These are my options? All or nothing?

I get why hotels like them. They make the bed look finished. Since I make my bed every day, even when I’m in a hotel, I find myself wrestling with the bulky duvet and a cover that never seems to stay on the duvet correctly. I curse. I find myself dreaming of a simple quilt and a throw. That duvet in the photo above? A pain in the keister.

Here’s my question for the day: Do you duvet or don’t you? Do you like duvets? Do you have one? Or do you, like me, shun them?

In other news: Don is down for the count with the dreaded flu. He’s pretty sick and miserable at the moment.

And concerning Amazon and book reviews by readers, you might want to read this rather ominous article in the New York Times. I find it very troubling.

Happy Monday.

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Decorating on a Flea Market Budget: Living Room

This and That

Do You Duvet or Don’t You?

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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