A Doll's House {the beginning}

I'm a doll girl...well woman, now.  Some people get freaked out by dolls...and while I can attest to the fact that some pretty scary dolls are out there, I generally love them.

I always, always wanted a doll house when I was a little girl.  And I got one.  I had a Heart Family doll house.  Do you remember the Heart Family?  There was a mom and a dad and twin babies....such an 80's toy.  But, what I really, really wanted was a "real" doll's house.  The 2 or 3 story wooden miniature dolls house that generally cost a fortune even when you buy them as a kit you put together yourself.  And that champagne dream just wasn't going to happen on our family budget.

Now, I fully plan on springing for a fancy schmancy miniature doll house kit one day to put together with Poppy, if she is at all interested in doing something like that.  And if she isn't, then I will buy one for myself someday.  But in the meantime, I found this doll's cottage at a Goodwill in Waco a couple of months back and could. not. pass. her. up.

 I have drooled over a few dollhouses lately, and thought excitedly of doing something similar for my little ones.  I love the Haute Dollhouse, and the mousehouse Doll's House it inspired.  And I also like the version they created over at Young House Love last year.  So when I saw this little nugget I knew I could "save" it {which is what I imagine I'm doing when I go thrifiting...saving little treasures from the dump hahaha!} and make it a beloved toy once again.

I originally planned on fixing it up and putting it on display in Poppy's nursery, but then the Kiddo discovered it and would hide it in various corners of the house, playing with imaginary people who live in the tiny house.  I love his creativity and I love listening to the very detailed stories and play-schemes he comes up with.  So this doll's cottage will be for him.

All for $2.99!  Yes, it was in incredibly rough condition.  Very, very, very dirty.  I had a moment where I realized I should probably put it back for that reason alone.  But I was sure some Mrs. Meyer's spray and elbow grease would cut through most of the grime.  And it did!  The Hubster gave it a once over with some leftover spray lacquer from our chairs yesterday, and now we have this.

It probably needs one more light coat, but I cannot wait to get started decorating this bad boy!

I'll keep y'all posted as it all comes together.  :)

Vintage in the Home {Vintage Cane Barrel Chair}

I know lots of people who love the idea of vintage, but have a hard time envisioning how to integrate it into their homes, offices, and daily lives.  Every week I spotlight one of my favorite vintage items and how we use it in our home.  Hopefully, this will offer inspiration to all of you who are vintage novices, as well as the seasoned collectors.

She's here!

I found this treasure at Laverty's in Waco sometime last summer.

Even in her rough condition, I knew she was a fabulous find.

$20 y'all.  $20!!!

She was stained, and tatty, and torn, and worn...and smelled like serious smoke.

But that didn't deter me.

Well...actually it did.  I LEFT her there!!  I completely passed on this fabulous little chair!  And I kicked myself the entire 3 hour drive home.  I couldn't stop thinking about this chair and how in the world had I passed over her?!  

My sweet mother-in-law did me the HUGEST favor ever.  She found out when Laverty's would be open next (because they no longer have regular operating hours) and she went as soon as the doors opened and grabbed this chair for me.  

I am not at all exaggerating when I say I waited by the phone with bated breath to hear whether or not she was able to get the chair.  And with good reason!  It turns out there was another woman interested in the chair and my mama-in-law was just a minute faster.  I will never be able to say thank you enough.

Because...with a little scrubbing (vinegar really does deodorize), and with the help of my favorite upholsterer, my chair now looks like this...

She's still rough around the edges...but I like her that way.  I was so close to painting her Benjamin Moore's Elephant Tusk, but I just couldn't.

I'm so glad I didn't.  I love the contrast of her worn wood and bright new upholstery.

You know you want to sit in her.  I had the upholsterers give her all new batting and foam and I have to say she has uprooted my other favorite chair for most comfortable.  At least that's my opinion in my swollen, pregnant state, where the slightest hint of a recline renders me unable to breathe.  

The fabric is Amy Butler's Lark Kasbah Emerald and, since it's a cotton sateen and therefore not as durable as indoor/outdoor fabric, I used two coats of Scotch Guard before bringing the chair into the house.  A puppy, a dog, a toddler, and a baby on the way...Scotch Guard might just be my new best friend.

I ordered 2 yards to be safe and I have leftovers galore!  So I'm thinking new pillow covers for my sofa pillows might be in order.  And I'm also re-thinking the paint in my studio/dining room.  The sand color still absorbs so much light...I'm thinking grey for the top and bottom stripes.  Anyone have any color suggestions?  I love Fieldstone Grey by Ben Moore but I not 100% sure.  

Dining Room/Studio Update

Perfectly staged photos, these are not.  But the reality is that my life is a bit chaotic at the moment.  And I so want to share with you the excitement of how these rooms are progressing.  They are taking on new life, and I think it's good that we haven't "completed" all the changes at once.

First up, the chandelier...

...I went with "Kate Spade" green.

Actually, in the interest of full disclosure, I had Home Depot color match my Kate Spade sunglasses case in a sample size.  Home Depot sells a kit to help you make your own custom spray paint.  All you do is add a little of your own paint and some paint thinner to a glass bottle base, screw the included aerosol can on top, and you're ready to paint.  Sounds easy, right?

It wasn't.  This is the method we used to paint Baby Girl's Eiffel Tower lamp, and it worked well enough for that, but on our chandelier, it really didn't give the even coverage we wanted, even with a base coat of primer.

So, on to my back-up plan: Rust-Oleum Farm Equipment Paint in John Deere Green.  It just happens to match up dead on with my Kate Spade sunglasses case.  And it has a nice glossy finish...so it will hold up super well!

If you ask me in the future, my chandelier is Kate Spade green.  That was my inspiration, not tractors and combine harvesters and lawn mowers.  I have nothing against John Deere...obviously they have fantastic taste in color selection.  It's just down-right funny that I was going for this classic, sophisticated, clean green color...and ending up selecting John Deere green.  ;)

You may also notice that we (and by "we" I mean the Hubster) are in the midst of painting furniture.  First up was the tall bookcase, which I wanted to give a lacquered finish.  I was completely intrigued by Jenny @ Little Green Notebook's recent post on achieving a lacquer finish when painting furniture.  In the interest of being a little more "green" and keeping the VOCs in our house to a minimum, I had Home Depot color match Sherwin Williams' City Loft in their Glidden Porch & Floor Paint.  I was assured it would give us the glossy look I wanted to achieve with fewer VOCs.

I love the City Loft color, but it is not a glossy, lacquer finish.  And, if it's lower VOC, I really can't tell.  I should have just stuck to a tried and true oil-based paint for that true lacquer finish.  Plus, it shows brush strokes...which I was desperately trying to avoid.  So, word to the wise...when you're trying to follow someone else's example...it's probably a good idea to actually follow their example and not "tweak" it too much.

Next up, we have a new dining room table/desk!

I am super excited about this find.  I realize this photo is extremely backlit and blown-out, but this table is a fabulous estate sale find.  If West Elm's Terra Dining Table and this 1931 Jules Leleu Art Deco Dining Table had a baby, it would be my new table!

She is STURDY, she has two extension leaves, she is solid wood, she can easily seat 8 comfortably - 10 if we're squeezing in (thereby easing my fears that I would never again host holiday dinners), and at the end of the day, I still have my Granny's pedestal table in the breakfast nook (which also has 2 extension leaves if I ever need 2 big tables).

I'm even loving how my college-days-garage-sale-dining-turned-desk-chair looks with the table.  It echoes the art deco details and I'm thinking of painting it a fun color so it will pop.  I know, y'all are super shocked that I would add yet another paint project to my list the Hubster's list.

Close up of how the edges meet.  Probably should have picked a "prettier" corner, but then again, this table is 50+ years old...she has some worn edges but is heavy on the charm.

I am so thrilled with this find.  The table came with 6 Spanish style chairs, which were in excellent condition, but were not at all my taste.  I asked if the sellers would consider breaking up the set, but since it was the first day of the sale, they said no.  They did offer to take down my information and let me know if it didn't sell by the end of the 3rd day, though.  To my surprise, they called me on day 2 to let me know they had a buyer interested in the chairs only.  Not only was I able to purchase the table by itself, but I also got a 25% discount since the entire estate sale was marked down.  Ironically, this table ended up costing a mere $37 more than the Target desk it is replacing.  Such a treasure!

So the room switch continues.  I haven't made any new progress on the nursery since I've been so focused on making our shared living spaces look "done".  And while this week has really taken a lot out of me, things are getting put together slowly but surely.  The tortoise wins the race anyway, right? ;)

*****************************************************************************

Just a quick reminder - midnight Central time tonight is the deadline for the 31 Days to a Heart of Hospitality eBook Giveaway.  Winners will be chosen using Random.org and will be posted tomorrow.  Click here to enter now!

Vintage in The Home {The Favored Chair}

I know lots of people who love the idea of vintage, but have a hard time envisioning how to integrate it into their homes, offices, and daily lives.  Every week I spotlight one of my favorite vintage items and how we use it in our home.  Hopefully, this will offer inspiration to all of you who are vintage novices, as well as the seasoned collectors.

Please allow me to introduce you to Arabelle.

  

Don't let her age fool you...this is the most comfortable seat in the house.

My sweet mother-in-law found her ages ago at a Salvation Army in Waco, TX.  She always wanted to get this chair reupholstered.  But, unfortunately, her cats also took a liking to the chair as a scratching post.  So poor Arabelle sat lonely in a room - unused and defaced with her stuffing exposed. 

Last Christmas, as my gift my mother-in-law graciously offered to have Arabelle reupholstered in any fabric of my choosing if I would like to have her come live at my house.

To which I said, "Heck yeah!".

And so we ordered yards and yards of Robert Allen for Dwell Studio Indoor/Outdoor Peony Canary.  (Psst...the price has dropped significantly since then...I'm guessing because Dwell Studio dropped Robert Allen's name...it's a steal now!)  And my in-laws took Arabelle and her fancy new fabric to the best upholsterer in Waco to get a face-lift.  And he said...."What???  You want me to put this antique-1920's-can't-find-one-like-it-anymore-chair in a modern indoor/outdoor fabric? You're crazy, I won't do it.  And, oh by the way, you need twice as much fabric and I happen to have some lovely options on my showroom floor starting at $30/yd.  You want a traditional print in a very small scale in muted colors."

At this point there was much discussion about the crazy fabric I chose.  Yes, I knew it was indoor/outdoor.  I chose it because I have a dog and a toddler and we wanted more dogs and toddlers.  She's pretty, but she needs to function if she's going to have prime real estate in my house.  If when coffee and milk get spilled I need those drinks to bead up and wipe off, not soak in and stain.  And, no, I did not in fact want a small print in muted colors.

You can probably guess how this story goes.  Since I'm already showing you pictures of Arabelle's new digs.  The Hubster and I ordered even more fabric, found a local upholsterer with a fabulous reputation and had them do the job instead.

They didn't question.  They did beautiful work.  They charged a lot less.  And we received half of our fabric back because they didn't need so much.

So now, if you come visit me, you are more than welcome to visit Arabelle as well.  You will have to fight off a dog, a toddler, the Hubster (in that order) to have the chance to rest your buns here...but she is definitely, hands down the most comfortable seat in the house.  She is vintage...antique even...but she serves her purpose well.  And she's not too formal to hang out with my garden stool from Tar-jay and my end table from Kirkland's.

Have you ever considered reupholstering a thrift store or estate sale find?  If not, I encourage you to consider it as an option the next time you're in the market for new furniture.  Often times vintage furniture has sturdier frames than their modern counterparts.  And when you reupholster you have your pick of all the fabrics in the world, can customize your piece with details like contrasting welts, and even alter the firmness/softness of the cushions.  The result is a piece of furniture that truly suits you and your taste and is one of a kind.

Vintage in the Home {Have You Met Hazel Atlas?}

I've been thinking a lot lately about what vintage goods inspire me and how they serve a purpose in my home.

I have a serious obsession with all manner of vintage treasures.  But, when I first starting thrifting and estate sale-ing in my college days, I quickly realized that I needed to carefully consider what I brought into my home because I had a finite space in which to live (which was a mere 450 sqft back then).  I needed to choose vintage goods which were both beautiful and functional.

Not much has changed in my approach during the last decade (shhhh...I didn't just say decade).  My living space has increased over time, but it's still a finite space and I've tried to be mindful about only bringing in furniture and accessories that will actually be used.  The exception to my rule is decorative objects...art hanging on the walls, colorful vases to cheer up a table or bookcase, etc.  If its originally intended use was to be a decorative object, I'm okay with it functioning solely as that.

I know lots of people who love the idea of vintage, but have a hard time envisioning how to integrate it into their homes, offices, and daily lives.  So I thought it might be fun to do a weekly feature spotlighting some of my favorite vintage items and how we use them in our home.  Hopefully, this will offer inspiration to all of you who are vintage novices, as well as the seasoned collectors.  Once a month I will expand this to feature an item from the shop, sing its praises, and offer suggestions for how it could be used in your home or office.

So without further ado...I would like to introduce you to my hands down favorite vintage label...

...please allow me to introduce you to the fabulous Hazel Atlas.

Before West Elm, Home Goods, and many others copied complimented them with reproductions, Hazel Atlas made the El Dorado Gold juice glasses in the early to mid 1960's.

Why have the repro if you can have the real thing?  Or both, even?

I have these in the juice size glasses, and I do also have a set of clear reproduction glass tumblers which I picked up at Home Goods ages ago, before I knew a thing about Hazel Atlas.  However, I've discovered that many of the glasses made today are super thin and prone to shattering.  I really don't know, but I'm guessing this is due to the lower quality of mass-production these days.  All I know is my Hazel Atlas glasses are about 50 years old (Hazel-Atlas went out of business in 1964), are super sturdy, and were made in the USA.

As far as functioning in my much-used kitchen, I love them for juice in the morning or for the inevitable onslaught of prenatal vitamins I down each and every day.  They also would be fun cocktail glasses....and come May I might just have to have a mojito in one!  It probably goes without saying, but I don't let the Kiddo use them.  And, though we have a water softener, our water is still fairly hard so I find hand washing helps them to stay their prettiest.  That said, they totally can go in the dishwasher on the top rack...especially on a china-safe cycle.  They might be vintage (antique really), but they are workhorses these little glasses!

Above all they look cheery in my cabinets and on my table, and they make me smile.  Nothing not to love here.  :)

Hooty-licious Makeover

I love owls.  I try really hard not to go owl crazy since they are so popular at the moment, but I really do love cute little hooty owls.  So I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to bring home Mr. Owl when I stumbled across him on one of my thrifting adventures in W-Town.

Apparently, I am also not to be trusted with a can of spray paint.  I'm not gonna argue...I have been known to be a streaky-sprayer.  Hubster maintains that it's all in the wrist, and that if I would move the can around a bit more and do several light layers I wouldn't get unsightly drips.

I won't argue.  He's quite the perfectionist and look at how lovely Mr. Owl turned out!

Quite the handsome fellow.  And he looks especially dapper next to my yellow rose painting, wouldn't you agree?  ;)

What about you?  Come across any treasure while thrifting lately?

Recovering...On So Many Levels.

I was going to leave a tiny note to say that I'm still here and that I have had a lovely, little respite from the chaotic frenzy of 31 Days.

I've been party planning for this handsome fellow and have been up to my elbows in loot from various thrifting adventures while we were visiting family in Waco.  My to-do list seems a teensy bit overwhelming at the moment...Thanksgiving in 2 weeks, then the Kiddo's birthday the next weekend, then 3 weeks to Christmas.  It is totally going to blow by SO fast.  And to be honest, I've been playing Scarlett O'Hara and telling myself "I'll think about it tomorrow" with a "fiddle-dee-dee" thrown in for good measure.

BUT I have been dying to share this lovely lady with you!  So without further ado...

I rescued her from a garage sale down the street awhile back.  She was a much loved chair who needed a new home.  And I was quite happy to oblige.  I really was drawn to her coral upholstery.  You might be thinking 60's day-glo orange...but I saw vintage coral, reminiscent of Pillow Talk with Doris Day.

I loved her just the way she was.  But a closer inspection showed her seat to be worn and threadbare.

 

She really deserved to be properly reupholstered, but that wasn't in my budget.  I loved the Nester's furry new friend, so I decided to try my hand with fur {faux, of course}.

I gave her legs a quick paint job.  Usually I'm one of those who loves wood grain and thinks it's a sin to cover good, solid wood with paint...but I have to say I love how the crisp white paint draws attention to the detail of the chair legs.

Then on to the fur.  Let me just say fur is not for the faint of heart.

 

It sheds.  Everywhere.  

But I played with draping the fabric and just started hacking away at all that fur.  Instead of using hot glue like the Nester, the staple gun was my weapon of choice.  No burned fingers for me!  When I got done, my lovely lady looked like this...

 

To be honest, I wasn't super thrilled.  

The seams were kind of bulky with all those staples.  It held up okay at first...but I started noticing the occasional staple sticking out {which is definitely not child proof}.  Then one day my Fabulous Aunt M came to visit, and thinking the chair was slipcovered, she pulled up the "skirt" to see what the original fabric looked like.  Oops!  Staples went flying and I was secretly happy to have an excuse to do this one over.

This time I didn't mess around.  After removing elventy-hundred staples, I decided to sew the fur on the sewing machine as if I were slipcovering the chair.  Then I used staples at the bottom and hammered them in with gusto to make sure the fur won't budge.

It's the best of both worlds - because I can guarantee you I will never try to wash this beast in my washing machine.  But the seams from sewing a "slip" look so much nicer and less bulky than the stapled seams.

Anywhere there I found a line of demarcation from a sewn seam, I used a fine tooth comb to fluff out the fur.  Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine I'd be grooming a chair.

She is pretty, though, and a household favorite.

Someday I will have her reupholstered in the most. beautiful. fabric. ever.  But until then, I think she's enjoying playing the lady in fur.  ;)