A Couple Projects I've Done This Summer

I've been busy all summer and haven't had a chance to update my blog!

I bought a couple of neat mid-century modern pieces of furniture and refurbished them. They were purchased at Peddler's Mall, an indoor flea market here in KY. I mentioned it in this previous post.

The first piece is this cabinet. It was pretty rickety and rough and had years of smoke built up on it. The color was way too dark. I only paid $9 for it.

I painted it a chocolate brown and the back panel is off-white. Now when I put my collectibles on the shelves we will actually be able to see them!

The next piece is this bar. I really liked the design but the color was horrendous...sort of a greenish-brown fake wood. It was only $12.

So I used some of the leftover paint from the cabinet and here is the result:

I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Now I need to throw a cocktail party!

It's Tiki Time!

I discovered this YouTube video last night and as a fan of Tiki, I thought it was really great. His enthusiasm is contagious! This is Duke Carter, the author of Tiki Quest: Collecting the Exotic Past.

His book looks interesting, too. It's filled with photos of his personal colletion of Tiki items as well as historical information.

click here to read more or to purchase this book


(click on image to enlarge)

Screen Door Inserts

Not long ago I wrote about mid century front doors. That got me thinking about screen doors. They don't make them very unique these days. But there are a few companies that I've discovered that make inserts for your screen doors. Here are some examples:


Moonshine

They have a variety of silhouettes to choose from to make your insert suit your style- tropical, desert, rustic, or modern. They arrive completely assembled and ready to install.

$250- free shipping within the U.S.

Old Florida Retro

I mentioned this company in this post about retro house numbers. Their website says that these are actual reproductions of designs still seen in historical neighborhoods of South Florida.

(be sure to click on the pic to see larger image)

prices range from $400-$450

Susan Wallace

I saved my favorite for last. Susan Wallace is an artist in Austin, TX. She collaborates with her clients to create custom desings. I really love her work. Here are some examples. Be sure to check out her website to see more.

(be sure to click on the pic to see larger image)

Retro Patterns

Look at all these cool vintage patterns I found at Goodwill yesterday! They were 25 cents each. Some were even uncut!
My daughter picked them out, she's really into the 1960's retro look. Now my project list for this summer has grown even longer. (as if I don't already have enough to do!)

The one on the right looks easy to sew...it'll probably be the first one I try.

The one on the left is really cute and it says it's easy to sew- my kind of pattern!

The one on the left looks like it came from a James Bond movie. :)

This one looks easy and is so pretty!

Etsy Seller - The Vintage Supply Co

Tonight I came across an Etsy seller that you are really going to have to check out: The Vintage Supply Co. They specialize in 1940s-1970's clothing, accessories and household items. My kind of shop! Here are just a few examples of what they have to offer:

vintage 1960's green chiffon dress - $65
mod 1960's red and navy shoes - $60
vintage 1960's aqua and cream dress - $70



vintage tan Kangol mohair hat - $25
vintage 1960's red flower and paisley suitcase - $40
vintage 60's flower vinyl tote - $30

vintage 50's-60's black fold away cat eye glasses - $50
vintage 50's-60's gold aluminum cat eye glasses - $45
vintage aluminum elliptical shape glasses - $45

vintage 1950's rattan desk and matching chair - $499
mid-century modern coffee table with hairpin legs - $375

vintage 1960's-1970's Pyrex olive green flower nesting bowl set - $55
vintage mod 1960's cream accordion handbag - $45
vintage 1950's rockabilly purple gingham dress - $60

My Retro Paintings

I thought I'd share some of my artwork. These were done over the course of a few years. I haven't done anything within the last year or so, but I hope to get back to painting over spring break and into the summer when I have more spare time. I'm sure you can see some are inspired by the artist known as SHAG (a.k.a. Josh Agle). I was inspired by the artwork that can be seen background of his paintings.

This one originally had a print of some ballet dancers on it but was water damaged. I got it at a flea market for next to nothing and painted over the ballet dancers. I really like the retro 3-D effect:

This one was inspired by a sample of vintage barkcloth fabric:



It's the largest painting I've ever done- 3 ft. x 4 ft. The only place I had to paint this was on the dining room table, which was very challenging with 3 kids running around constantly. I guess that's why I've never attempted anything on this scale since! Not until I have an art studio!

Crestview Doors - Mid Century Front Doors

Ok, so for a very long time I have been wishing I had a cool retro front door like this but they don't sell them at Lowe's or Home Depot. So, I guess I'm stuck with a boring front door, right? Wrong! You can buy them at Crestview Doors.

click here to see a Crestview door on your house

I know what you're thinking...this has to be expensive. Well, it is a little pricey for a finished door ($800-$1200) BUT for a lot less ($179-$319) you can get a Door Lite Kit and add windows to your existing door yourself!

click here to see the door kits

Now I have a new project to do this spring!

Etsy Seller - johnnyvintage

Browsing Etsy today I came across this seller - johnnyvintage. They have some neat stuff for sale:

Hippie Pin Art 8x10 - $36
(I think I'm going to have to try making something like that one of these days.)

Amazing Mid Century Teal Sofa - $4000 free shipping
(This is just plain awesome!)


Purple Owl Lamp with shade - $100
(I love this...I have developed an attraction to owls recently.)


Two Red Dogs - $12.50
(These are cute. I'm going to have to look for old ceramic animals next time I go thrifting, then cover with a couple coats of shiny red paint...or another bright color. Very kitschy!)

Rare 70's Yellow Record and 8-Track Player - $650
(Do you have any old 8-tracks gathering dust? Neither do I, but I'd still like this anyway!)

Etsy Seller - tinymodernist

I recently discovered this seller on Etsy. They have the neatest things! I have never seen cooler cross stitch patterns! I haven't done cross stitch in years, mostly because there aren't any patterns that match the style of my decor...but these I might like to make! Here are some examples:

pattern for cross stitch
set of four modern chairs - $12


pattern for cross stitch
set of four retro phones - $12

They also have some adorable modern t-shirts for children. Here are a couple examples:

Kids T-shirt - $22

Baby Onesie - $24

Check out tinymodernist to see lots more shirts for children. I think they should make some in adult sizes too!

Etsy Find - Atomic Coffee Pot

Wow! I just love this mid century modern coffee pot that I found on Etsy!

Atomic Coffee Pot - $75 at AustinModern

I have never seen anything quite like it! What a cool shape and I love those wooden ball feet!

I can just picture this on the buffet in my dining room...filled with hot cider at Christmas! This is something definitely on my wish-list! Very cool!

Vintage Enamel Ware

My wonderful husband gave me this set of vintage enamel ware pans for Christmas. (mint in the box, even!) I love them! They are non-stick and you don't have to worry about teflon peeling off and accidentally ingesting it. Not only that but they go from stove top to table top so well with the removable handle. And I love the colors!

Well, since then I've started thinking about getting some additional pieces of enamel ware and came across Catherineholm designs.

The above pics are from the Flickr Pool Lovers of Cahterineholm Designs

"Lovely items with the ‘Lotus’ pattern created by Grete Prytz, a second wife of infamous Norvegian Designer Arne Korsmo. Grete Prytz Kittelsen was born 1917 in Oslo, Norway. Her designs have won many prestigious awards. She was one of most influential designers in Scandinavia in Mid-Century. In 2003, when she was already 86, Grete visited China, where she saw traditional Chinese enamel factory still in operation and which inspired her to start designing again. Chang & Biörck got exclusive rights to reproduce some of her design, among which a bowl and a plate, that she designed using similar colors as her original 1950s works. Cathrineholm of Norway started enamel production in 1907." (quote from Nordic Design Blog)


Now I have a new obsession. Time to go thrifting!

Where have I been lately?

If you have been wondering what happened to me, this is the story: We had a big ice storm hit Kentucky last week and we were without power from Tuesday until this afternoon. We also lived without water for a couple of days. I have learned to appreciate the gifts we have in these modern times but am now wishing we could live "off the grid". Also we noticed that aside from the cold (it got down to the mid-forties in our house) it was very nice to not have all the noise and distractions that we normally live with: computers, video games, TV, etc.

Anyway, things are back to normal now. The kids played video games and watched a couple movies today. We watched TV this evening and now here I am on the computer. Old habits die hard.

This part of Kentucky got hit especially hard. Here are some photos of around us. We were luckier than most people in our neighborhood. Most lost many more limbs or even whole trees in this storm.

our house with tree limbs in the yard

across the street

a typical scene in our neighborhood

Flea Market find - Letter Holder

I found something to go with the retro address labels and note cards I just wrote about.
I got this at a local flea market called Peddler's Mall.


They have these all over Kentucky. Usually they are in old Wal Mart buildings, so you can imagine how huge they are. You have to be willing to look through a LOT of junk to find something worth buying. I don't mind that...it's kind of like a treasure hunt. :)

Anyway, here is my cute little letter holder. It cost me all of 25 cents.