Express Yourself With Color

 

 

 

 

 

Are You a Mid Century Modernist?

I love the color combination of this room!

Clean and open.  Very inviting.

Love the chairs!

This looks very modern Italian

Great sofa!

I must admit that the Mid Century look is growing on me more and more.  In fact, modern decor, in general,  is attracting my attention these days.  I still love my antiques, and always will, but modern is starting to look very fresh and young and appealing.  I have been incorporating modern touches into my vintage decor for years, but find myself wanting to add more modern art, more color, more fun to my rooms.  The Mid Century look is very hot right now.  And the cool thing is, our grandparents just may have some great pieces sitting in their basements or attics that they'd love to get rid of!  So, take a look at these pictures and see if there may not be a bit of a modernist in you.

Collectibles

Vintage Cake Tin

Vintage Tea Tin

The saying goes, "If you have more than two of something, then you have a collection".   Needless to say, I have many collections!  Collections do not have to be expensive.  None of mine are.  I collect old postcards, books, and other vintage ephemera, as well as old glass bottles, American art pottery, milk glass and so on.  None of my collections are huge and unmanageable.  And, my house does not look like a jumbled flea market.  I think collections add character to a home, when kept under control.  Vintage tins make great collectibles because, not only are they beautiful, but you can use them for storage.  Tins come in many sizes.  There are tea tins, biscuit tins, lunch tins, cake tins and more.  They can be displayed in groups or scattered about.  Keep you eyes open at antique stores and other second hand stores for colorful old tins.  They are lovely to behold and functional, as well.

Friday Favorites!

Soothing

Ultra Minimalism

Chic

Country

Modern

Urban

Traditional with a Twist

Cottage

Vintage Wall Art: Think Outside the Box

 

We all know that art is very subjective.  What you consider to be art might look like something my dog scribbled with a crayon to me.  I am quite often puzzled, when I visit modern art museums, at what actually qualifies as "art".   When decorating the walls of our homes we can also be creative and experimental.  After all, we are the ones who have to live with it.  A few years ago, while rummaging through a pile of vintage linens in a second hand store, I came across an old feed sack.  It appealed to me right away.  Its simplicity.  The texture of the heavy cotton fabric and the geometric pattern and colors.  I had an epiphany, of sorts.  In my mind I could see this homely feed sack, from days of yore, matted and framed in a large black wooden frame and hanging in my kitchen.  So, I went home and ironed the sack and set it aside.  The next day I went to Michael's Craft store and found a large black (kind of modern looking) frame.  Back home I went through an old chest and found some light colored burlap fabric and made a background for mounting the feed sack.  I then pinned the feed sack in place on the burlap covered cardboard and placed it in the black frame.  Voila!  Very cheap folk art for my kitchen.  This is one of my favorite pieces.  Country with a modern twist.  Framing old letters, postcards, pieces of vintage fabric or old quilt blocks or ads out of old magazines, all of this can make unique, interesting and affordable wall decor.  Don't be afraid to think outside the box.  It's your home.  Experiment!

Quirky Vintage Office Accessories

I love the mix of modern and vintage.  The modern element keeps the vintage fresh, and the vintage element keeps the modern from being overly sterile or rigid.  When I'm out antiquing or "junking" (as I sometimes call it), I always keep my eyes open for fun vintage office pieces.  I also like to re-purpose pieces that were meant to be used otherwise into things that can function in an office or workspace.  I love old metal flower frogs for their industrial chic-ness.  They make nice photo or card holders.  Recently I found this cool "love letters" holder.  It has great vintage modern appeal and could hold all your love letters or other mail.  It's the little touches here and there that give character and style to your surroundings. 

Pink & Red

J

Retro Pink

Pink Softens a Room

A Little Red Goes a Long Way

Red Warms a Room

 

Friday Favorites!

Great Color Combination

Love the green chairs!

Time to Relax.

Vintage Pyrex = Functional Beauty

                                    


I am a great fan of utilitarian beauty.  Form does not have to be sacrificed for function.  Vintage Pyrex is a good example of a beautiful workhorse.  It is made of heavy glass that can go from oven to table and comes in a myriad of colors and patterns.  They are fun to mix and match and will fit into your modern kitchen as well as  a traditional kitchen.  Pyrex made mixing bowls of various sizes, as well as several types of casserole and covered casserole dishes.  There are divided casserole dishes and there are refrigerator dishes.  Large mixing bowls can also be used to serve salad or to hold fresh fruit.  Vintage Pyrex is affordable  and fun to collect.  It was introduced by Corning, Inc. in 1915.  It was made from borosilicate glass, which is a combination of silica and boron oxide, making it less subject to be damage by high temperatures.  In the 1940s the composition of the glass was changed, for some of the products, to tempered soda lime glass, which has greater strength, making it less vulnerable to breakage.  Here is a fun website which lists most of the vintage Pyrex patterns available today.   http://www.pyrexlove.com/vintage-pyrex-pattern-guide/

Bluebell often has vintage Pyrex dishes for sale.  Consider starting a collection.  You'll have them for years to come and they will more than pay for themselves.

Very Wise, Indeed!

Vintage owl figures are fun to collect and display.  What could be cuter?  You can find them in many shapes and sizes, made of porcelain, pottery, wood, glass and metal.  They will add a touch of whimsy to your very serious life.  Here are just a few that I have listed, at one time or another, on Bluebell (some are no longer available).

Friday Favorites!

Black & White

I usually go down to the basement, almost every morning, for my workout.  I have a recumbent bike down there, and I ride it for about 30 minutes.  Followed by stretching, strength training and sometimes Pilates.  However, due to the significant snow fall last night, I decided to get my exercise by shoveling the white stuff off of the driveway.  I did about half and saved the rest for hubby.  I thought he might appreciate a good workout this morning, too.  It was good to be out in the fresh air.  Very invigorating.  Later in the morning I had a photo shoot for Bluebell.  Lighting was great with the snow outside and the sun peeking out from behind the clouds.  I took some pictures of some great wooden bowls that I recently came across while treasure hunting.  They were hand made in the Philippines and stained black.  They are oval in shape and have great modern appeal.  They stood out particularly well against my white background.  Thought I'd share them with you. 

Finding Beauty in the Ordinary

Beauty does not have to cost a lot of money.  And often it is even free.  Take, for instance, that bowl of seashells on your hall table.  These were gathered by you while walking on the beach early one morning.  Or how about a basket of pine cones picked up from your back yard at Christmas time.  These are gifts from nature that are sometimes overlooked, and they are right there under our feet.  Beauty can also be found in simple, everyday, utilitarian objects.  How about an old red rubber coated dish drainer from the 1950s, cast upon a jumbled table at the rummage sale?  Take it home.  Wash it off.  It will be a bright spot in your kitchen.  Picture it filled with just washed blue and white china dishes. Lovely!  A dusty box marked "canning jars" may be worth checking out at the rummage sale, as well.  It could contain old, blue glass Ball jars, which would look great filled with pasta, sugar, or dried beans on your pantry shelf.  Slow down and learn to look for beauty in things that are often passed over.  You will soon start to see the world in a whole new way.