Hazel's Vintage Pretties

A Facelift For the Front of My Home

Hi y'all...Ever since we moved into our home, fourteen years ago, I have despised the front of our house...I'm referring to the "garden area" on either side of our front steps, near the sidewalk...I have tried many superficial makeovers...You know, dump "beauty" bark on it (should call it "ugly" bark)...put gravel, try more and more plants, even though the only thing to ever survive out in the very hot sun, was a lone and brave lavender plant, etc...You get the picture...Well, I finally had enough, and decided that we were going to have to hire someone to do the job, which we rarely do.  My great husband does most of the home improvement type work around here, but the man can't do everything.
     I had some "before" photos, but I can't locate them, so just picture a barren wasteland that makes you want to turn around and run...Here are the photos of the new and greatly improved garden...These were taken about three weeks ago, and the plants are already filling in nicely.                                                   

 

 

 

I have to mention that my husband repaired some major cracks in the wall, and painted it too...He painted it a darker shade of the house color...The newly planted garden made the upper garden at the top of the stairs, look horrible by comparison, so I got my little self out there a few days ago, and did a ton of weeding, and then added some rich, gorgeous compost to the soil...My plants were pretty happy about it.
     I used to spend a lot of time gardening, but when I took up sewing for a living, it kind of fell by the wayside a bit...I'm trying to balance my life out a bit more...I'm even working on toning up and losing ten pounds or so...Wish me luck!  Thanks for stopping by my little ol' blog today...Remember to take care of yourself, not just other people...Katie

Final Touches on Bedroom Makeover

Hi y'all...I'm back with the final touches of the bedroom makeover.  I added this lovely white chenille bedspread that I purchased from ebay seller persians2 .  This lovely lady sells mostly chenille bedspreads, and many are for "buy it now" prices, so you don't have to bid against others.  She is very big on service...I think I'd have to say that I received the best service from her that I've ever had on ebay. 

Here are some photos of the bedspread:                                                                                                                                                                                                            

  They say that if you're going to do an all white or mostly white interior, you need to add interest with different textures...I thought the white chenille bedspread qualified, because it definitely has texture, and it adds to the cottage look I was going for. 

I also made some curtains for the bedroom...The fabric is from the Mary Rose line, and I purchased it from a lovely gal who sells on ebay, under the name urbangardens.  I put in a close up of the fabric, so you could see how yummy it is!                                                                                                                                                                                           

Here's a fun little home decorating tip...It's fun to bundle up beautiful items with a pretty ribbon, and just place them on a shelf or tabletop...Here's one I did recently:  phot                                                                                                                              
Okay, that's all for today...I want to leave you with a reminder to find some time in your day to relax, or have fun...Appreciate the beauty around you, and think well of yourself, Darlin'...BCNU...Katie

Finally, a Bedroom Makeover!

     As I've gotten a bit older (forty-five), I've learned that I have to be patient sometimes.  Things just don't always happen as fast as I'd like them to.  One of the things that I've been wanting to do for ages, is re-do my bedroom.  We moved into this house fourteen years ago, and it came with a very long list of things that needed to be done.  We did paint the room before we moved in, and I've monkeyed around with painting parts of it, since then, but I really wanted to take it all apart and do the whole thing.
     Well, with the help of my wonderful husband, who did lots of the work, without even being asked (on Father's Day weekend, no less), it got done...I even took photos...Sorry, I didn't get any "before" pictures...Suffice it to say that it needed a clean coat of paint.  I've long wanted to have an all white color scheme (I know, some people say white isn't a color...I say it is!)...Most of the room is white, and the floor is kind of a tan with a touch of pink...Just don't tell Greg that there's a touch of pink...We're calling it tan whenever he's present. 
     I was tempted to leave the room empty...It was so peaceful in there...Very Zen... But, we need the room, so we put it together.                                         

At this stage, it was like a blank canvas, with endless possibilities...I love that feeling!

This was the closet when it was taken apart...I also painted this mirror the most gorgeous shade of green!  It was the door to what must have been the world's biggest medicine cabinet!

I found this headboard (along with the rails and the footboard) but it's not for the right size bed, at an estate sale a few years back...They started the sale on a Thursday, which is unusual, so there weren't many people there...It was in the back of the garage, and there was a wasp buzzing around it, which may explain why no one else found it...They sold it to me for $35!

The little desk/vanity next to my side of the bed was also from a really great estate sale...I know the woman that I bought it from...It was her mother's estate (I don't know how they parted with so much great stuff)...This was my friend's desk when she was little. The lamps on either side of the bed were from (you guessed it, another estate sale)...They were $5 each...Shades intact, and wiring just great.

I know this looks a bit crowded, but these do need to be in the room, and that's the way it goes, I guess...I love the green vanity...It was my sister-in-law's when she was a girl...She didn't want it, and gave it to me...I do treasure it. 

As you can see, I made a few adjustments to the vanity...I felt like it needed a few more "pretties" to adorn it!                                                           

My sweet little Anna volunteered to put the closet back together!  What an organizer she is!

Goldie was very happy to have "her room" put back together! 

This is a better shot of that mirror I painted...Do you see me waving at you?  (Tee hee)

Thanks for stopping by today...I hope you enjoyed the makeover!
 (I also made curtains this morning, and just "won" a beautiful white chenille bedspread on ebay this morning...I'll put up a couple of more photos when it's all together)

Antique Show Finds

 

Last Sunday, my eight year~old daughter, Anna, and I went to a small local antique show.  We managed to bring home a few goodies...I will do a post about some of Anna's finds in a couple of days or so.  I picked up everything in the above photo, including the stool.





These pillowcases caught my eye...They are super soft, so I plan to actually use them...I have a small collection of vintage pillowcases that are too pretty to use, but I do display them (You understand)

I couldn't pass up these dishes...The platter has pink dogwoods (one of my favorites), and I have some kind of an addiction to pretty vintage creamers.

                                                                                 
                                                                                 

I was also fortunate to find some wonderful ephemera...The first card, the one with the little girl, has the most exquisite colors!  It's (surprisingly) a cigarette advertisement!  It says, "Pet Cigarettes Are the Best...Allen & Ginter Manufacturers, Richmond Virginia." (What that sweet little girl has to do with cigarettes, I don't know!)

I love the little "Let's Make a Garden" booklet...The illustration is so sweet. I hope you've enjoyed my

little show and tell.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

I also picked up a cute little tin that was once used for sending tulip bulbs...I thought it was pretty cute, and I'd never seen one before.

This is not pictured in the top photo, because I already had it hanging on my wall, and forgot to include it (oops)...A very pretty "Marie Antoinette" style print.  I just really liked it, and the gal went from $35 to $25, making it impossible to turn down!  Check out the funny little dog!  I bet he's a yipper!
Thanks for stopping by!...Katie

PS  Since we're doing show and tell, I have to admit that yes, I purchased another antique cupboard...It's another one of my minor addictions...It was so much fun to choose what to put in it...I've only had it a couple of weeks, and I've rearranged the contents at least twice...It's funny, I remember doing many of the same kinds of things when I was a young girl...Rearranging my furniture, re~decorating, loving the scent of latex paint, because it meant a room makeover...Were any of you like that when you were growing up?...Katie

 

Nesting

What's your most relaxing activity?  One of mine is "nesting"...I did it when I was with child both times, and I continue to do it.  I love to just putter about my home, putting things away (I live by "a place for everything, and everything in its place!), cleaning things, etc.  I love to get rid of things I don't use, need or like.  I remember a few years ago, there was a woman whose house had burned down...While she was, of course, devastated by the loss, she also said, "I'll never own that much stuff again."
     You just feel better when you are surrounded by things you love, but they aren't overwhelming you.  You don't have to have all of your pretties out at once...It's fun to "rotate stock", so to speak.  Well, have fun puttering!...Katie

Vignettes

Hi y'all...Today I thought I'd write a little about one great way to use your creativity, and to express your personality in your home.  I'm referring to creating "vignettes" in your home.  You are actually creating little scenes, with the different things you own and love. 
      Pictured with this post is a photo of one vignette in my front hallway (You could call it a foyer, but that's a bit too fancy a word for my front hallway)...I put together three items, because things look best when displayed in odd numbers.  They include a bird nest, a rubber stamp featuring a bird, and a branch with vintage millinery.  The displays/scenes you do work best if they are connected by a theme of some kind. 
     They can be connected by category, color, purpose (bottle caps would be one, but I don't recommend it :)   Have fun and play with this idea.  Lay out a number of your possessions, and see what goes together.  Make sure you're dealing with items you love, or you won't love the vignette. 
     This brings up an important point...Someone once said, be sure that everything in your home is either beautiful (to you), or useful (hopefully both).  If you're holding onto a bunch of stuff that you don't even like anymore, or never did (gifts?), let them go!!  Don't throw them in the trash (unless they really deserve to go there)...Donate them to a local thrift shop/charity, where someone who does love them can adopt them.  Have fun!...Please send me photos of your vignettes!...Katie  PS  I added another photo up above, of a little wedding vignette I did awhile back. 

No Regrets...(Well, maybe one or two)

I love to attend estate sales...Well, let me amend that... I enjoy the part after you've been admitted to the home...I don't care for the competitiveness from the dealers...Once I'm in a home filled with someone else's life (most likely another woman's life), I love to respectfully see what she collected, made, kept over a lifetime.
     I've become more picky about what I buy at estate sales, and just in general.  Perhaps it's because I'm nearly forty~five now, but I think more carefully about what I want to bring to my home to live with me. I always ask the name of the person who owned an item that I purchase...I have things all over my home, whose previous owners' names are in my head...Dorothy's desk, Grace's headboard from the 1930's, Joan's desk, Marie's handmade quilt, Hazel's doll (that one belonged to my grandmother, so it's easy to remember!), etc.
     I don't have too many regrets about things I left behind, but I do have one that stands out.  In the photo with this post, is an old cupboard that I purchased at an estate sale.  It's one of my favorite pieces, if not my very favorite.  It's got matching glass doors on the front and the back...It's painted the perfect color yellow, which is a color I don't usually like, but this is the perfect hue.  The gentleman I purchased it from, told me that it was his Mother's, and she used to put her canned (home canned, in those wonderful blue jars) goods in it.  What's my regret?  There were two of these cupboards.  I was trying to be responsible with my budget, and I bought only one.  At the time, it seemed important to be careful about spending, but I can't tell you how many times I've wondered where the other one went, and wished I had purchased it. (In case you'd like to know, I paid $140.00 for the one) Kind of silly, I suppose.  I know that people are much more important than things, don't worry.  It's just that I do tend to attach my emotions to some of my things, and I wish I'd kept the two lovely cupboards together. 
     Enough of that now...Back to my aprons and headbands!  I will have a shop update in the next couple of days...I'm going to put some new headbands on my site, made from some swell fabrics (Really, one of the fabrics is from a line called "Swell"...and a tea (half) apron made from a fabulous fabric with pin~up girls (love 'em!), and big pink hearts...Talk soon, Katie

PS I think if you click on my photos, you will see a larger image.

New Kitchen Curtains

Hi everyone...Well, after putting up with kitchen curtains I didn't like, for two years (too dark)...I finally allowed myself time to make new ones...There's some kind of strange mind blip that happens with me, in regards to sewing things for myself...Perhaps because I sew for a living, I feel guilty about taking the time to do things for my own place...I don't know what the deal is, but I'm trying to take time to do projects for my home, along with my business projects...Anyway, pardon the poor quality of the photo...The camera said "backlight", but I didn't know how to correct it.  Talk next time...Katie

Feathering Your Nest

     I thought it might be fun today, to come up with a list of home decorating tips, just off the top of my head...I've been reading design/style magazines for awhile now, and I thought I'd see if I've retained any of the info!  So, here goes nothin'
     *Don't put all of the furniture in one room, along the perimeter(against the walls).
     *Create a seating area with a couch and two chairs, or a couch, love seat and a chair, etc. Make sure you don't place them too far away from each other (shouting distance).  They should be close enough to each other so that it feels cozy and intimate.
     *It's better not to place a piece of furniture all the way into the corner of a room.  Even moving it out just a bit will create a feeling of space.
     *Define an area of a large room with an area rug.
     *Create "rooms within a room", by arranging the furniture in vignettes.
     *Take advantage of hallways and landings...Even these smaller places can be made into inviting places to be.
     *When displaying items/collections, be sure to have something that unites them, whether it be a theme, a color, etc.

     *Display items in odd numbers...I don't know why, but it always looks better.

     *I'm a big fan of rearranging furniture and smaller decorative items in the home.  This keeps things fresh...If you leave things the same for too long, you no longer really notice them, and it's boring.
     *Keep your home clean...Nothing takes away from the beauty of your home, more than clutter, messiness and dirt.
     *Be sure that furniture groupings in your home are to scale...In other words, don't place a big couch, big chair, and a small chair in the same grouping...The little chair will look out of place.
     *Yes, I know we've all heard this one a million times, but feel free to mix older vintage/antique pieces with newer pieces...If you decorate with things you love, they will look good together.
     *Make sure you give your home some personality, preferably yours!  You don't want your home to look like a page out of a home catalog, or a hotel.
     *One of the best ways to personalize your home is with photos.
     * Don't forget art, pillows and rugs, to add color to your home.  These things can be changed relatively inexpensively, with the change of the seasons, or your mood. 
     Well, that's what I came up with in ten minutes...I don't want to go on too long, so I'll call that good for now...This was a fun little exercise...Thanks for listening!...Katie