Inspiration ~ Tramp Art

Happened upon some lovely pieces of tramp art over at Candler Arts. Every now and then I see tramp art at various antique shows or stores, but it isn't something I run into very often ~ and it is usually on the expensive side.



Long ago I bought a made in Thailand large wood cabinet for my dining room with the thought of making it unique by adding my own version of tramp art decoration ~ needless to say, the project is not complete ~ or even started! I did finish a practice piece ~ a small tramp art star shaped ornament. No picture to share, but I did gain even greater respect and admiration for the folk artists that created this type of work. I wish I could hire a tramp to come and finish off my cabinet!

{beautifully decorated sewing box ~ love this!}

I don't know if this last piece would actually be considered tramp art, although it does look like some of the details are similar to some tramp art techniques I have seen. The description states that it is a handmade squirrel coffin from Shamokin, PA ~ wondering if the man that made it had a pet squirrel?

All images from Candler Arts

Candler Arts blog here.

Read More

Inspiration ~ Embroidered Monograms

Several years ago I remember finding a set of embroidered monograms at the AMVETS Antique Show in Walnut, Iowa ~ the dealer that sold them to me told me that they were used to personalize underwear. Well, I didn't plan on sewing those I bought on my underwear ~ I just thought I would buy them to use in an art or craft project. To tell the truth, I'm not really sure where mine are at the moment!

Yebisu, an Etsy seller, has an amazing array of these embroidered monograms ~ I am tempted to get one of the alphabet lots ~ they are just beautiful. According to the shop description, this is Swiss embroidery made between 1890 and 1950 in St. Gallen.

I think one could come up with many more creative uses for these other than underwear tags, don't you? If you want some for yourself, you can get them here. What will you do with your embroidered monograms?

Yebisu also carries a selection of these beautiful copper stencils ~ for embroidery and cross stitch. I SHOULD get the JR, shouldn't I?

{all images from here}

Read More

Window Shopping in NYC

A few weeks ago Gina and I took a trip to NYC to shop, see the sights, and visit friends, museums, Surtex and the Stationery Show ~ all in a few days! One cannot visit NYC and miss the wonderful shop windows ~ these are from a walk along either 5th or 6th Avenue. The Louis Vuitton windows were my favorite as they were so unusual and creative ~ they certainly made good use of the ostrich as a theme!

Unfortunately, we did not have time to make it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Alexander McQueen exhibit, Savage Beauty, but we did get a little taste via these window displays. The cream colored backdrop of the first window is dripped wax which artfully surrounds the poster and collects at the bottom of the window. The second window is a fabulous display of red feathers. While the backdrops are pretty over the top, they did a great job of complimenting the fashion designs of Alexander McQueen. Makes me want to plan another trip so I can see the exhibit ~ it looks pretty amazing!

The three dimensional acrylic flowers combined with a swirly vine gave the Van Cleef & Arpels window a springy look.

I also liked the use of the Rorschach inkblots in the following window display ~ very striking!

I wish we had had more time to window shop ~ always so inspiring! Makes me wonder what kind of budget these stores have for the displays?!

Read More

Color Inspiration ~ Design Seeds

A few weeks ago I came upon design seeds ~ a site for all who love color. This is a lovely site to explore for both beautiful images and inspiring color palettes. Each day a new pairing is presented, so there is always something new to take a look at. One can also click on palette search and search for specific colors, color collections or themes. So, if you are looking to freshen up your home decor or looking for some interesting color combinations to add to your wardrobe, visit design seeds ~ I don't think you will be disappointed! Here are a few of my favorites.....

{all images from design seeds}

Read More

Cottage Kitchens

I just spent the last 3 days in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  Didn't do much but hang out on the beach.  The pic above is the only picture I even took of the beach while I was there and that isn't  like me. It's from the hotel room.  I did however bring with me a Cottages and Cabins magazine.  I love this magazine because there aren't really any advertisements in it, the whole magazine is nothing but beautiful photos of adorable cottages that you can hardly stop looking at.  I couldn't find the magazine online or anything to show a link for it, but I bought it at my local grocery store.

Here are just a few pictures from it.

This last kitchen is so cozy looking, something about it feels so familiar to me. Love the wallpaper on the ceiling.  There are more than just kitchens in this magazine, but these were the ones I was drawn to the most.  One of the  houses I looked at when I was trying to find my house had red laminate counters just like in this 2nd photo.  Every one cringed at the red counters and I remember thinking  how cute they were and that I thought I could work with them.  I would have probably tried to do something similar.

Ok, back from vacation and time to get back to real life again!  I need to start working on some projects.  I want to paint the cabinets in my kitchen because they are very dirty and dingy.  I'm also going to try to focus on getting my patio area fixed up and revamping my guest room a little since I'm sleeping in the guest room now.  Stay tuned!

Read More

Creating a Nice Deck Area

I seem to be running into more problems trying to work on the outside of my house than I did on the inside.  In the mornings and evenings when it's cooler, the mosquitoes are brutal! Very hard to work on any of my projects. I have to put on jeans and boots and load up with mosquito repellent.  During the days, it  is starting to get up to 100 degrees and more, then when it's not hot, it's raining.  What's a girl to do?

I was able to put a coat of primer on the top of the picnic table, I may end up having to drag this thing in my house to work on it!

Remember the oil spill on the top? Well the oil is seeping through the primer.  I'm wondering if one more coat might help seal it better?  I did try to use the kitty litter to soak it up, but that oil isn't budging.  It does  look very pretty white though.  Now I need to do the legs and put a coat of paint on it.  I had originally thought I was going to drill a hole in the top of it and put an umbrella through it, but I've changed my mind.  I'm going to just get a big umbrella and buy some chairs and bench seating to put around under the umbrella.  I think it will function better that way and look much nicer.

I am debating on getting this umbrella from Pottery Barn.

The only thing is, the stand the umbrella goes in costs about $100.00. I'm wondering if this pole is a regular size pole and would fit in any stand that I can buy somewhere else?  I know the way PB makes their lamps, they have it fixed so you can't buy the lamp shades somewhere else, you have to buy theirs to fit the base and vice versa.  Does anyone have any idea about these PB umbrellas if they will fit in just any stand?


I found this table while I was blog hopping and love how they painted the blue stripe down the middle. I was thinking of doing something similar with my picnic table.  My original plan was to paint it white.

Photo from Elle Decor found on Fresh Nest Design.

I'm not sure about all the bright colors though, I am always so drawn to the calming peacefulness of whites and organic materials like in the photo below.

Photo from Decor Pad.

If you haven't checked out Decor Pad, it's a great site to browse for inspiration.  You can go to the search bar there and from the pull down menu, choose photos, then type in any word or room you're looking for and it gives you so many beautiful decorated spaces to browse.  

This is how I get ideas for my home, I just browse decor sites and blogs and get a feel for what i want. The pic above from Decor Pad gives me a feel of calm when I look at it, so I know I want to create that calm on my deck. I won't copy it, but will create something of my own to elicit that same *feel*.  

Taking design quizzes can also help you nail down your own special style.  This one from Sproost is good.  My answers to the quiz was 40% French Eclectic, 40% Nantucket Style and 20% Rustic Revival. I think that about hits the nail on the head.

Oh and one more thing, here's my next little project.

Fixing up this old table.

What color do you think I'm going to paint it?

Read More

Inspiration pictures

This is so calming and peaceful looking.

  I never would have thought to use those types of chairs that look like lawn chairs in a living room.  

I would give anything for exposed woodwork like this!

I've decided I'm going to paint the cabinets in my kitchen an antique white.  I like how it looks in the photo above.  Mine are a stark white right now and they are pretty dirty from about 50 years of grease and dirt built up on them.  I tried to wash it off, but it doesn't budge.  I'm also going to replace the drawer handles with the cup pulls like in this photo, too.

There is something so cozy and homey about this picture above.  It just looks like a place to relax and kick your feet up and not worry if you're going to get something dirty or messed up.  I love rooms like that  :)

As you can see, I'm not drawn to the real modern decor, each of these rooms have rustic elements to them, yet the delicate touches balance them out.  What perfect harmony!

All of the photos above are from Canadian House & Home.

Read More

Object Ephemera

Lately I have been spending much of my free time trying to clean and organize my house and my stuff ~ it has been slow going ~ the dining room table is still not fit for dining! Of course, I am my own worst enemy as I always manage to squeeze in another antique show or flea market between cleaning/organizing binges.

Maybe that is why the grouping of metallic objects above is so satisfying to me ~ everything is all lined up and in its place, the colors are a lovely subtle mix of metallic neutrals, and it is a collection of objects I love. I think I will keep this idea in mind as I am cleaning and organizing ~ if I could get my house looking like this, it would be a good thing!

{Love the intricate pattern on the ladies pocket watch!}

Another thing I really like about the items shown is that they are rather simple and imperfect ~ the roller skate pincushion has a broken wheel, the buttons are rusty and the watch is broken ~ even so, to me they are lovely treasures. This reminded me of a quote I read recently:

Perfection does not exist. To understand this is the triumph of human intelligence;
to expect to possess it is the most dangerous kind of madness.
• Alfred de Musset •

Embrace the imperfect!

Read More