{Project365} Day 6: Vintage Loveliness

 

{Project365}: capturing this life - one photo (or so) every day for one year

Finishing Spaces and Great Deals

 

What a difference a little time, energy, and a few dollars can make in a room!  It feels so great to be getting bits and pieces settled in our home. 

 

For the longest time, I had plans to make curtains for my living room, front entry, and dining room...like year long plans.  And it just hasn't happened!  Until last week...

 

The breaking point was when one of our poorly installed curtain rods (by a previous owner) just fell off the wall in our living room.  I decided that it was more important to actually get some kind of curtains and rods installed than it was to sew my own!  And I'm so happy I did!

 

Insert the wonderful invention of Pinterest...a while back, I had pinned an idea for curtains that used long rectangular tablecloths with ring clips and rods.  No sewing, easy to change out, and a lot more options for prints/designs.

 

My mission last Saturday was to find eight matching tablecloths, four matching curtain rods, and enough ring clips for each tablecloth panel to finish our windows in the living room, front entry, and dining room. 

I headed directly for a store that I LOVE!  The Christmas Tree Shop!!!  Some of their items are junk, but a savvy shopper can find great deals on quality items!  I found eight matching (for my four windows), white (to keep our rooms bright and to match with anything), 100% polyester (no shrinking or getting misshapen with washing), 60" x 84" tablecloths.  Just what I was looking for!  They were $6.99 each...cheaper than any other real curtain panels I would have found at other stores! 

I found black rods ($9.99 each) and matching ring clips (2 pkg/window @$5.00 each) at Target, then headed home.

Mike installed the rods high and wide to maximize the amount of light that can come in through the windows.  The bottoms just sweep the floor.  Perfection!!!  The curtains open to expose the entire width of the window...LOVE and NEED my sunshine!!!

My friend, Libby, helped me iron and hang the curtains last Tuesday - my dr. appt. day and the day she babysits for me while I run errands, etc.  LOVE her, too!!!

I am so happy with how the windows look now.  The curtains are the finishing touch my ever evolving rooms needed.  The curtains will easily go along with whatever changes I make in each room as I constantly re-decorate and switch things up.

Living room view from the family room...lovely curtains, perfectly colorful rug (from Pier One), thrifted coffee table ($9.99) painted a scrumptious shade of yellow (June Day by Sherwin Williams).

 

Living room view from the front entry...my favorite thing in this room???  Probably my framed vintage hankies (square LP frames from Joann's I purchased for $3.99 each.  The hankies were picked up here and there at antique shops...$1.00 - $3.00 each). 

Home + unique & pretty stuff + lots of color + a finished project = happy, relaxed mama

Vintage Treasure Hunt

I was so blessed by an opportunity to go treasure hunting with a dear friend who, like me, could spend days wading through antique shops for the perfect addition to her home. I think we're going to do this once a year...counting down the days already! Are you, friend?!

A few of the things I found: vintage floral hankies, floral print hung with vintage hanger, trio of vintage tins, quilt top handstitched with 30's-40's feed sack fabrics - perfectly lovely!!!, wooden sign...

Thrifted Color

I'm not sure how wise it is for one to go to the thrift store to drop off unwanted items and since one is already at the thrift store to go inside to look for treasures...but that's how I roll! And, of course, treasures were there to be found!

I spotted this dresser over a month ago but at the time we were not selling or buying houses and I just didn't have space for it. Given that fact plus the $80 price tag, I walked away. But believe me, I kept thinking about that beauty!

Two weeks later I stopped at the store again. This time we knew we were buying a new house, but didn't have a buyer for our old house yet. In fact this was a trip to drop off items so I figured that Mike would be a little "put out" to say the least if I showed up at home with a new dresser. But the price was down to $40! Oh my...I almost caved!

Another week went by and by God's good grace, we had a buyer for our old home! So when I saw this lovely lady still waiting for me I snatched her up! Well, not really snatched because she's weighty...more like skip-ran to the checkout while dragging Sadie by the arm to buy her before someone else got the same idea! Would you believe I paid just $25 for her?! She is missing a few jewels on the front, but she's sturdy with lovely lines that will distress well once painted. Oh, our TV will be sitting pretty when we move to our new home!

Today's adventure brought in some colorful finds...

A pretty handmade apron made from upholstery weight fabric. It looks super sweet with my aqua blue sundress. I feel so June Cleaver-ish.

77 patches of knitted goodness and warmth bordered with green for $2.98...have I mentioned how much I'm in love with green recently?

I am.

Enamoured.

I've been watching for just the right blanket with a large mix of colors. Not too brown and orange. Not too clashy. I've had one pictured in my head with black borders. But oh, the green!!! This one is perfect! There are two little spots that need some repair in the "seams." (I know nothing about knitting or knitting terms, but it is obvious to me that I can make these two repairs on my own...maybe not "correctly" but repaired none the less.)

Finally, I found a bag of 100% crewel wool for $2.99. I'm not sure what I'll do with it or exactly what crewel embroidery is, but the colors were lovely and bright! At the very least, we can play around with it!

Color. Happy Sigh.

Thrifty Thursday

Our stops at the thrift store were a smashing success today! I say "our" because my boys are starting to get into this thrifting thing...they no longer say in Eeyore voices "Bow-ring" when I suggest stopping by my favorite haunts for a quick scour. He, he!!!

Luke found this terrific "spy notebook" for...well, you know...7 yr. old spying adventures...(can't believe he's gonna be 7 yrs. old in just a few weeks!!!) ($0.99)

Luke's spy and discovery book...

Each of these sections are envelopes for your "valuable papers."


Went garage saleing (saling, sailing, sale-ing???) with a friend and scored the larger suitcase ($10) formerly belonging to Mr. Edwin L. Mincher (may he rest in peace). The sellers were like, "Awww...she's buying Ed's suitcase...he was a good fella!" I say he had great style, too...the inside is lined with tan & cream herringbone fabric. So old man-ish. So perfect.

The smaller suitcase came from another garage sale on another day...($5).

Both need to be cleaned. I think goo-be-gone might remove Ed's white address labels...I hope!

Brand new Twister game cellophane wrapped and all ($2.49), Five Little Peppers and How They Grew...the boys loved this book and one of them spotted in on the shelf! ($0.99), vintage arithmetic flash cards ($0.49 each) - the boys were practicing with them tonight...but the part I love the most is the picture below.


"Printed With Special Eye-Saving Ink"

Me to my boys, "See, boys! These are secret SPY math cards...SPECIAL INK...it can SAVE things like eyes! Now study, study, study!!! Save the WORLD with ARITHMETIC!"



Oh, the vintage sheets...sigh! "Hello, My name is Kiley and I'm addicted to vintage sheets..."



Gorgeous vintage table cloth...perfect condition! ($3.49)

Not pictured but worth mentioning...rain boots for Ike ($1.99). We've been looking for new ones!!! Also, from garage sales and the thrift store today...FRAMES!!! Working on a project with them! Go here for a sneak peak!!!


I'm linking up here...



Apron Thrift Girl

Sadie's Room & Vintage Sheet Banner

We were hanging out in Sadie's room today for a while doing pretty dances while listening to our Fisher Price Record Player. I couldn't resist taking a few pictures! I want to bring some of this color to the rest of our main living areas...

Quilt found in Walnut, IA...one of my favorite towns to visit when we make our way to Iowa to visit one of our favorite grandmas!!!

My brothers and I had one of these record players when we were growing up. I found this one at a yard sale for $3 before Mike and I even had children. We discovered that Sadie loves dancing to it today...like a 'rina! (ballerina!)

I finished my first vintage sheet banner. Most of the "front" pieces of the banner were pre-cut. I used one sheet to make "back" pieces for each triangle to make them a little more stiff. I wasn't worried about frayed edges (which is a bit unusual for me...hmmm...).

I placed two triangles wrong sides together and sewed down each side. No pinning. No turning. No perfection.

Perfectly imperfect...and it just works somehow.

I used part of another fabulous sheet to make the binding strips. I had intended on making double fold binding. I have never made it before.

Still haven't.

After I got it cut, I realized it wasn't quite wide enough to fold over twice.

Oh yeah...it would have been good to read some directions somewhere...

The funny thing is that I have perfectionistic tendencies in so many areas of my life, but with sewing/creative arts, I don't want to follow any rules. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't.

This time, it worked out in my favor because I had already left the triangle edge's raw...and now the binding matches. Raw edges and more raw edges...so shabby chic!

For now it hangs in Sadie's room, but I'm thinking on hanging it in my living room...or maybe I'll make another one!!!

And what do you think about Sadie's hanging lamp??? I love it!!! (But I might need to recover it with some vintage sheets...he, he!!!) I got the idea here

I'm linking up here...

New "Vintage" Friends

My memory is foggy on how I stumbled across the vintage sheet world, but a few months back, I found Katie Jean and began following her blog. During the month of March, The Vintage Sheet Blog was hosting giveaways (from other vintage sheet lovin' gals) every day to celebrate their one year blog-aversary. It was during that time that my love for vintage sheets began to grow. I've found and follow many new "favorite" blogs. Anyhow, Katie Jean was a giveaway host one day and I won her giveaway!!! Squeal!!! It has been fun "meeting" new crafting friends and Katie Jean seems like a super, sweet one!!!

Miss Clementine is layin' out catching some rays on her sweet flowery doll quilt! Well, not really, but I couldn't resist mentioning the fact that we actually have SUNSHINE and WARMTH today...finally feels like the first day of spring!!! The tree's leaves are opening before my eyes! I'm betting that Katie Jean packed a buncha California sun in her package just for me!!!

This is the best picture I could get of Sadie Katie...not very cooperative today, but who can blame her?! She was having so much fun covering up "Tine" for night-night.

We have to work on those mothering and smothering skills...he, he!

Miss Lola and Miss Clementine tucked in for nap time with Sadie...night-night girlies!

Making Vintage Style Banner

I cut into my vintage sheets...first. time. ever. Somehow I wrapped myself up like a taco trying to figure out how to cut it...oh my! (okay, that's not really true, but I did have to wrangle it like a cowgirl...he, he!) How does one cut large sheets into little pieces without getting buried under Mt. Yardage?!

I thought I would make a ruffle curtain first, however, I had a stack of pre-cut triangles I had purchased from here to make a banner! I know I am totally behind the times in the sewing world and you all have been making banners for years... Anyhow, because most of my pieces were pre-cut, I knew it would be an easy project to complete. I cut a few more triangles from sheets I had found while thrifting and from a fat quarter pack I had purchased here (this lovely gal is a Christian...support like minded homeschooling mamas!!!)



There has been too much grey, rainy, and cool around here so I decided to decorate one of our trees today while the sun was shining for 20 minutes...before the thundershowers. Sigh! Making pretty inside the house since that is where we spend most of our time. Praying for the outside beauty to follow very soon.

Isn't that like our hearts?! We should be diligent at making our hearts "pretty" inside (ridding our hearts of sin and putting on Christ-like character traits) and then what is seen on the outside (our words, facial expressions, mannerisms) will reflect our pretty hearts. Yay...sewing and faith mixed together. That's a winning combination for me!!!

I am attempting to make my own double fold bias binding from a sheet for the banner tonight...another first! I'll post completed pictures when I'm finished!!!

Thrifty Thursday

When a mama has a few extra minutes (because she's avoiding homeschooling today), four kiddos that are fed and happy (with cheese sticks and trail mix), and she doesn't have frozen foods in her trunk (because she wasn't grocery shopping)...what ever should she do??? Why, go to the thrift store, of course!!!

This is a cute apron...not truly vintage (I don't think) but cute! Cute enough to add to Sadie's costume collection!

Duvet cover...just thought it was so pretty and would fit well with my feed sack fabrics. I might use it for the backing of a quilt!

I'll use this in my boy's room...

A few pillowcases...I've been eyeing the top one on other blogs and I finally found one!!! YAY!

I'm linking up for Thrifty Thursdays. (I have atleast one more to link to, but I'm just figuring out this copy and paste Html code stuff...)