Lucky in Lighting

Hello friends, it's good to talk to you again!

I hope I remember how to do this blogging thing...haha! Anyway, I have been spending a lot of time on facebook and I realized that 1) while fun, it is not the best venue to go into lengthy detail about my projects and finds, and 2) probably a lot of my "regular" friends do not care about all that stuff. But all my blogger pals might and I miss you guys! (And if you want to be fb friends leave a comment below, and I will message you.)

Of course I still thrift a lot and frequent as many yard sales and flea markets as I can. In the last couple of weeks I have been really lucky to find some really cool stuff that I wanted to share. One of the things I love to find is cool mid-century lighting.

Now, the thing about lighting is that if there are any issues with the wiring you have a situation on your hands. A bad one. So I always make sure that the wiring is good and replace it if necessary. It is a good thing my brother is an electrician because he is always on hand to advise me!

I have been looking for a cool atomic lamp for our bedside table. Actually I would have loved to have found a pair of lamps, but anything was better than the crappy 80s brass faux-Stiffel lamp my husband was using. (Did I mention he won it in a poker game? Well, game ON!) Anyway, I grabbed this awesome lamp at a flea market for $3. It was marked "Miller 1955" on the turquoise ceramic part. It was also covered in mouse poop and super nasty.

Yeah, that bottom is supposed to be shiny metal. I think I actually hosed it off with a pressure washer- clearly it had to be re-wired in addition to completely cosmetically restored. 

I took it apart and repainted all the metal parts with gold spray paint. Instead of going to the hardware store and buying a $10 lamp kit, I went to the thrift store and bought a donor lamp with a good socket and cord for 99 cents.

After putting it all back together and testing it out- success!- it was time for the fun part: trying on shades. I may be a bit of a vintage-lampshade-hoarder...

 I really wanted the larger tiered shade to work, but it sat too high. I may try again if I can find a smaller harp. I ended up going with the green fiberglass shade on the right. I actually like the look quite a bit and to my relief, the light in the room is not actually green.

Since we have a lot of green, including the bedspread, in our bedroom, it works well.

 My second lighting score was just the other day. I went to a thrift store I haven't been to in a while. (Basically they price everything "vintage" ridiculously high, like 3x ebay prices, so I just haven't bothered going.) But for some reason I decided to go. And whadyya know, I actually found a something!

I bought these two Mid Century Modern pendant lights for a song. They even have their original ceiling plates. After doing a little research, it looks like they might be by designer Paavo Tynell. They would be so cool in someone's MCM house, so I listed them in my Etsy shop. Here's hoping Katy Perry buys them, lol.

I did test them out and they work great!

Now, my third adventure in lighting is a little bit different. No fab modern pieces here- just trying to update a fixture on a budget. We have a bit of a rustic vibe up at our cabin. At least I have been trying to get that going. And clearly this fixture above the sink that my mother-in-law picked out was not working for that look. (She picked out all the finishes for the place about 15 years ago after she retired from working at a bank, where she was in charge of the appearance of all the bank branches. I tease her that her house even looked like a bank.)

Maybe it's because I grew up in the 80s, but I cannot stand that shiny brass look. So now that the place is all ours, I have been doing what I can to get rid of it, but without spending a lot of $$. I discovered Rust-o-leum hammered bronze spray paint, and painted all the shiny brass cabinet knobs last year. I figured, why not try it on the light fixture as well? So I took it down, lightly sanded it and painted it. I left the frosted glass globes off entirely and swapped the bulbs for Edison bulbs, I think it came out pretty well, and definitely cost less than a brand new fixture!

More Camp Blankets!

One of the things I love to look for when I thrift/yard sale/etc. is camp blankets. These are brightly colored blankets made in the 1930s-50s, mainly of cotton. Most often they have southwestern/American Indian style prints or are plaid. They were made to be used while camping (duh) or for picnics, as car throws, or as bed spreads. They are quite durable and machine washable (yay!) and very collectible.

For that reason, I suppose, it's hard to find them for a decent price. I have been looking for years and only come across a couple. I blogged about the first one I found here, and then have since found three more. Of course, they are readily available on Ebay and Etsy (search "camp blanket" or "Beacon Blanket") if you want to pay the price. And you know that I don't want to, so I stick to searching on the cheap!

The first one I found was blue and tan, in an ombre pattern, a hallmark of the Beacon Blanket Co. (They only ever had paper tags, so there is almost never a tag to be found.) It went straight to my son's bed, and serves as a coverlet in summer and an extra layer in winter. I then found a pink and blue baby blanket, which is currently living in my antique booth, since my babies are well past that stage!

I picked another one up over the summer at a pound store for 99 cents. It wasn't in the best of condition, but I think a little age on these is charming. It is a tan check with a blue southwestern border, and probably one of the earlier examples of these, I would say dating to the 30s. At one time it had a fringe or whip stitching around the edge, but that is long gone. After a nice hot trip through the washer, it went on the back of our sofa, and my kids snuggle under it every day. (It's in the photo above.)

Since finding one for my son, I have been looking for one for my daughter. I even looked on Etsy trying to find one that was a bit girly (yes, she's in love with pink and purple- she's 4 and a half) and reasonably priced. It's surprising how many pinks and purples are out there; it's the 'affordable' part that is the kicker. But yesterday while thrifting, I scored one for my daughter, and I thought I'd share it:

I love the colors- pink and brown go so well together. And it's got a little floral motif- perfect for a little girl! The best part is that it was only $16.50, and I didn't have to pay to ship it (these can be heavy!) So now I guess I have a bit of a collection going on- these two plus this one:

They are so addicting- aren't they fun to look at? :)

Linking up (a bit late) to Thriftasaurus and Sir Thrift-a-lot!

My $50 Country Living Bathroom Makeover

A lot of you have asked to see more photos of our "cabin" in upstate PA that we recently inherited from my inlaws. I haven't really obliged you yet, in part, because there wasn't a lot about it that would be interesting from a 'vintage' perspective. I wish it was a rustic old Adirondack-style cabin built in the 1920s, but it's not. It's a 2 bed/1 bath house built in the 1980s, and remodeled by my inlaws about 10 years ago. It's thoroughly new and shiny in every way. (My MIL used to decorate bank lobbies for a living, so that gives you an idea as to the style.)

Also, we tend to spend the majority of our time there outdoors, so spending a lot of time/money on decorating the inside isn't a priority right now-at least for my husband, and he has a lot of say over the money and muscle required to do it! :) And because of that, there are a lot of things that just aren't going to get changed, like the color of the carpet (teal...), the kitchen countertops (green laminate...), etc.

So I am left to do what I can with a limited budget and a few hours at a time. The best place to start was probably the bathroom, because there is a lot you can do in there with accessories. 

For reference, here is the kitchen. All I have done is add a few things around the top of the cabinets (like Pyrex) in place of fake ivy. Someday, I will change out the lighting (I already have it) and cabinet knobs for bin pulls.

The living/dining area. The giant TV/entertainment center we moved up there from our house when I re-did our living room (another post on that to come). The woodstove does heat the whole house which is really nice and cozy. The taxidermy-averse should look away at this point!

This is actually the kids' room and used to be our whole family's room back when the inlaws were still living there. We declined to remodel it when they did the rest of the house, so the wood paneling is a relic from the 80s. The whole place used to have the same paneling and had yellow-ish brown textured carpet as well. 

I've added vintage touches like the kids beds and linens, but there is not much to say about the rest, other than I hear that taxidermy is hot right now. Guess we're way on top of that trend. 

Anyway, on to the bathroom! I neglected to take a 'before' picture of the shower area, but there is not much to show. Imagine plain walls and a plain white shower curtain, and you've got the idea.

 

The shower curtain is brand new from Target. That was probably my most expensive single item, at $20. It has a blue bird print on it, which I thought was appropriately cottage-y without getting too cute. The vintage bluebird artwork I bought last week at the thrift store for 99 cents. The blue bird ceramic wall pockets (on left wall) I had for years at home.

I did manage to get a before picture of the vanity area. The lighting was definitely not my style. I do like the mirror, although I am considering replacing it with this vintage one I trash-picked a while ago. And for some reason, the lighting was never bright enough.

This is the "after"! I am so happy with how this turned out. I bought some brushed chrome sconces with frosted shades at Lowe's for $15 each. After waiting for months (since April) for my husband to put them in, I realized that they weren't going to get put in unless I did it myself. And what do you know- they work!

I also put in a brushed chrome towel ring and accessorized it a bit with things I had on hand. The windsor chair is there in part to help my kids reach the sink ;).

I think it turned out really well- wouldn't it just fit right in Country Living magazine?

Not Imaginary Anymore

Hello world, it's been a long time! I can't believe how August has flown by. We've had a lot of fun around these parts and it hasn't left much time for blogging. But isn't that what summer is for anyway?

I had the wonderful opportunity this year to meet some of my fellow bloggers in person. For someone who used to be fairly shy and introspective, this is a big deal. I think a lot of us get into blogging to try to express our outward desires and passions to a larger community of friends than what we can cultivate right in our hometowns. I don't think I really thought about that consciously when I started this blog, but it has definitely been true. I love the community I have found and it seems only natural to try to meet some of the other bloggers who are withing driving distance.

So, my summer has been a bit transformed into a journey of new friends and new opportunities. I have been a huge fan of MaryDeluxe's blog Welcome to Deluxeville since I started blogging. I loved her style and personality, which come through so clearly on her blog. Well, lucky me, she lived nearby and we got to emailing and finally had lunch one day. And both being somewhat hoarders of vintage :) we decided to open a booth together in an antique mall.

Photo taken by MaryDeluxe- my photos never come out so well there!

It's been an adventure so far and a lot of work, but most importantly, I've gained a great new friend!

I also had the opportunity to meet up with another fellow blogger last week while I was on vacation up at the cabin. I loved following MissCherryBubbles' blog Past Life and hadn't heard from her for a while. I knew she wasn't that far from the town where our cabin is and decided to try to get together.

SusieQT and MissCherryBubbles

Well, that was a great idea! We hit it off right away and had a great time together. I think the little luncheonette had to kick us out because they wanted to close for the day- so we took ourselves across the street and did a little thrifting. What could be better while on vacation?

It's great to meet fellow bloggers in person and make some new 'real' friends- as opposed to virtual, or 'imaginary' friends ;). I highly recommend it.

Thrifted Thursday: Swan Lake

And just when I thought my love affair with paint-by-numbers was over, these came into my life!

I fell head over heels for these. They're very nicely done and a large size, plus they come as a set. Luckily for me I had my son (aka 'Eagle Eye') along on my thrifting trip yesterday. I picked up the one with the swans and thought for about 2 seconds whether I was going to purchase it or not, and while I was doing that he noticed the other one in the bin. Sold! (For $6 each.)

I've started collecting vintage landscape paintings to decorate the hallway up at the cabin. I saw the idea in some magazine where a lady did the same thing- just filled the stairway floor to ceiling with paint by numbers of horses. It turned out great, and I'm envisioning the same up there but with landscapes.

I don't know what it is about p-b-n's, but I have always loved them. Maybe it's the thought of an amateur trying so hard to get it right or the definition of the lines of color, but I have a bunch of them. I could very easily cover a whole wall with them and I just might!