some new-old decor for my home

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of stopping in The Half Full Nest. I didn't get a chance to truly look at everything as it was near closing time. The store is in a historic church and filled with both old and new items for the home.

The only thing that really called out to me in my quick look around was this vintage teapot. I love both unique teapots and owls, plus the color is good in my kitchen.

A favorite store I've mentioned on my blog before is Vintage Art & Findings. I hadn't been in there in a long time and the shop owner, Mary and I always have a lovely chat. I was overdue for a visit! Her shop is filled with lots of vintage and one-of-a-kind altered and repurposed art items. I found this pretty altered tray that I placed in the white frame in my kitchen. I think it's perfect for transitioning into fall. (I'm not hurrying summer along by any means!)

Mary made this piece from an old screen. The photo isn't the best - it's much prettier in person.

I had been looking for just the right thing to put on the narrow wall space by the front door. I believe this is it!

Couldn't resist this stack of vintage flash cards....

and this doily art.

I kept holding it up in various places in my house and nothing seemed like the right place. Do you ever do that...buy something just because you're drawn to it, but having no idea where you'll put it? I don't do that as often as I used to: in this later stage of my life I'm getting rid of more stuff than I bring in. BUT. I really liked this piece and knew I could work with it.

I held it up to a window and thought, "aha!" 

That's where it's staying for now.

Have a good week! 

clementine ~ and vintage shopping

Thank you all so very much for the good thoughts and prayers for Clementine. (See last post if you missed it.) Thankfully, she came out of her procedure doing well except for being feisty. They were able to clean her teeth using light gas instead of putting her completely under. A big relief so that her kidneys wouldn't have to process a strong anesthesia. As you can imagine, I am incredibly thankful to have my Clemmie back at home and doing well. She fell asleep on my tummy earlier today and even though I needed to get up and get things done, I relished the peaceful time spent with her. I know her life is limited due to her kidney disease. 

This past weekend, hundreds of vintage shops across Wisconsin and Illinois participated in a Vintage Shop Hop. I only went to a couple of shops ~ one on Friday and one on Saturday. From the first shop, I came home with this vintage recipe box. I loved the spring colors and graphics.

I also found this pair of salt and pepper shaker chicks. They're not vintage, but they were too cute to pass up. They go with my hen and chick butter dish that I found in a thrift shop years ago.

Saturday was beautifully sunny and getting warmer...I could smell spring in the air. I spent a few hours in a small nearby town, first grabbing a coffee from the local coffee shop and then taking a 1/2 hour walk around the town, soaking up the sunshine, breathing in the fresh air, letting my thoughts go...decompressing. 

As I was walking, this house across the street with the bright blue door caught my eye. Isn't it pretty? I never regretted painting our front door a bright yellow. A friend of mine painted her front door a bright green. 

After my walk, I popped into my destination. This shop I visited has a mixture of vintage items and handcrafted pieces made by the owner, Mary. I've been shopping at her store for years now, and we always chat, so I've gotten to know her. I hadn't seen Mary since before Christmas and I was the only patron in the store, so we had a chance to get caught up.

Mary's artistic ability goes beyond her handcrafted items. Her displays and vignettes are always eye-catching.

A few treasures came home with me, including this wooden pedestal. I might give it a little distressed look with a dry brush later.

This vintage wooden bird was up high on a china cabinet, but he caught my eye. He's handmade and his wings move up and down. Mary tied a rope around his neck to camouflage a crack in his neck from where she dropped him. I told her I didn't mind the defect. 

I have a soft spot for either red and white or blue and white kitchen decor. There were a bunch of these vintage milk glass spice jars, but I only wanted one. I've seen white vintage spice jars, but only smooth ones. I love the raised design on this jar. Right now it's on the ledge of my stove, in-between the salt and pepper shaker. I move things around all the time and change up decor, so one day it might be in my china hutch with other red and white items.

As always, thanks for visiting and for your lovely comments. They truly do make my day. 

Stay safe and well.

💓

how to make a "faux-yer" when your house doesn't have one

A couple of weeks ago, my friend and I visited a local shop that we enjoy exploring. The owner of the store fills it with all kinds of found vintage treasures, as well as some creative handmade art pieces of her own.

You might remember my "new" quilt from my last post. This was found at the same shop.

The quilt wasn't the only thing I came home with. As we were browsing around...

I came upon this coat rack.

I have been toying with the idea of hanging a coat rack on the wall inside our front door for a long time. I knew I wanted something handmade and/or vintage; not anything from a commercial store. I had looked on Etsy several times and never found anything I really liked. I took measurements of the shelf and went home to measure the space on the wall.

Our house doesn't have a designated foyer. When you walk in the front door, you'e right in the living room. I made this little area right inside the door into a "faux-yer" (you heard it here first, folks) by using a bench where guests could sit down to take off and put on their shoes. Coats always went into the small hallway coat closet, which wasn't a bad thing, but I always thought it would be better to have some kind of coat rack in this space.

I bought this mirror years ago and always liked it and thought it went well in this faux-yer space, but it competed with the large, round mirror above the fireplace. And I love the mirror over the fireplace, so that wasn't moving. Anyway, I measured the wall space for the coat rack and...perfect! Buh-bye round mirror.

Hello coat rack!

Here's a view of my small living room. See the round mirror over the fireplace? Now you can see why the round mirror that was previously in the entryway competed with the fireplace mirror. (That's Monkey in the cat tree and Clementine on the blue chair.)

Looking into the living room from the other side.

There's other changes I want to make in the living room, including new furniture and painting the interior door white ~ but for now, the faux-yer was a good start.