Master bedroom

I'm finally ready to reveal our master bedroom!  It's really my own unique style; part mid-century, part girly glam.  I was inspired by some of my current color obsessions; navy blue, aqua, and mint green.  I added some peach and gold accents in the artwork to help warm up the space.  I tried to add plenty of reflective surfaces, neutral white and gauzy sheer curtains to brighten up the room.  It was a bold choice to go so dark with the wall color, but I'm really happy with the space.  It manages to be soothing, without being boring. 

The wall color is Behr's Darkest Navy.  The antique iron bed frame was mine in high school.  I used a thrifted, embossed, chenille bedspread as a bed skirt.  I love the fringe!  The mid-century, metal, rolling, record cart was a gift from a friend.  I found the Crosley suitcase record player at an estate sale for cheap.  The white hanging light is a puzzle lamp from good ole Ikea.  The letters over the bed are actually 3-D cardboard letters that I sprayed gold.  The are super lightweight, so if they fall off the wall in the middle of the night, we won't be killed by LOVE. ;)

The nightstand was thrifted and then painted a pale minty blue.  The blue, Zenith alarm clock/ tube radio is from the 1950s.  It only gets AM stations, but it sounds crystal clear! The "You and me are meant to be" screen print was ordered on Etsy. 

The Thonet chair at my sewing nook, was purchased at the Denver Modernism Show, and then recovered in the same Amy Butler Honeycomb fabric as the Mod Podged desk.  My wool chevron rug came from ebay.  Our matching Drexel dresser set came from an Estate sale for $50 for the pair!! I'm still doing cartwheels over that bargain! I have some of my vintage hats and small purses hanging from hooks on either side of my dresser.  It's a nice way to keep everything organized, and also display some of my favorite accessories.  We have an aqua Princess phone and the coolest turquoise, spinning pen holder.  The aqua, 1950s, deer, TV lamp came from ebay, but the two tiered fiberglass lampshade came from a yard sale for .50!!  I framed a 1950s swimsuit ad, and some of my favorite vintage cameras are displayed throughout our room.

The mint "Happy Happy" screen print is from Etsy.  The mint green floor fan was originally a standard, black plastic fixture, which met with some Krylon Pistachio and Silver spray paint.  I think it gives it a nice retro feel, but I don't have to worry about severed fingers, like with the genuine antique fans.  Those vintage metal fans are a thing of beauty, but those wide slats in the screen terrify me!

More vintage cameras, including a Brownie with flash, and the Bolex, I used in my film school days.  The mini bullet planter was thrifted and my kitschy little owl bank came from the same estate as my dressers.  It's the wrong era, but I couldn't resist it's cuteness.  The "I freaking love you" screenprint came from here and the "Home sweet home" screenprint came from here.

Our bookshelf has geode bookends.  The "Kissing Booth" screenprint came from here.

What do you think?

Foxy girl

Inspired by the homemade fox costume over at The Paper Mama, I decided to make something similar for Winnie.  I love the idea of upcycling clothing, so I used items in her closet for the platform of the costume and then bought felt and faux fur trim for the ears and tail.  I'm very pleased with how it turned out.  It's just the right mix of vintage and girly frills.  The black satin ribbon and striped legwarmers give it an Edward Gorey woodland vibe.  What do you think?

The ears were made by cutting out four identical triangle shapes in felt (two orange, two black) and two smaller triangles in white faux fur.  The orange and black felt were then glued together, forming two fox ears and the smaller white fur shape was glued on the black side.  I left a little felt flap unglued at the bottom, so there would be something to sew onto the bonnet.

The tail is basically a carrot shape, sewn, flipped inside out, stuffed, and then sewn shut.  I glued a strip of faux fur to the tip and then pinned it onto her bloomers.

Shirt: vintage 

Bonnet: thrifted

 Tutu and striped ruffle legwarmers:online 

Black patent maryjanes: Pediped

Honey, bee cool!

Remember the mid-century, blond, laminate desk in my sewing nook? I thought maybe if I lived with it for awhile, it would grow on me.  Although I love the shape, the finish didn't appeal. 

I saw some amazing faux pumpkins, that someone had painted with Looking Glass mirror paint on Pinterest, and it got me thinking.  The desk would look gorgeous all shiny and Hollywood Regency.  Looking Glass spray paint costs $12 for a can!   I'm not sure if there is unicorn sweat in the bottle, but that is insanely expensive for something that only covers 7 square feet.  I was confident that the desk would look so cool, that I finally made the purchase.  Well, guess what? It looked nothing like a mirror finish, and was even duller than the "metallic silver" spray paint that only costs $3.49.  Apparently "mirror" paint only works if you spray it on something like glass, and then flip it over.  I blame Pinterest  for wasting my $12!  I didn't really have a back up plan, and I'm quite frugal (I'm cheap as hell!)  How could I change the desk and not spend anymore money? Thankfully, I'm kind of a fabric hoarder.  I laid out my pillow cases with different fabrics until I found some colors that complimented each other.  Even the flower and honeycomb patterns seem logical.

I took three different leftover paints (Teal Zeal , Billowy Cloud , and Thoughtful Spot (all Behr) and mixed them together to create a minty blue that perfectly matched the Honeycomb fabric (Amy Butler).  I painted the body of the desk, and spray painted the drawer pulls silver.  Then I Mod Podged fabric onto the drawer fronts.  After letting it dry overnight, I took a sharp nail and poked holes (from the inside), where the drawer pulls go.  The fabric was really stiff, so the nail popped through with little effort.  

Here it is...

What do you think? Now, I just need to scavenge a comfortable chair.

Sewing Nook

 I've been hauling "Little Bitch" to the kitchen table whenever I had a sewing project, which meant running up and down the stairs for forgotten supplies, and small children coming to play audience.  It's distracting, and sometimes when I'm already tired, the thought of cleaning up and then setting up the space causes me to procrastinate...and I end up sewing way less than I want.  I wanted a sewing corner somewhere in my house that was organized and ready to go.  I chose this corner of my bedroom:

I framed seven of my vintage sewing patterns and an advertisement from a 1948 edition of "The Farmer's Wife Magazine," entitled "For Winter Sewing."

I made a vintage luggage storage table to hold all my extra fabric, patterns, and notions.  The legs for the table were salvaged off of a mid-century Ottoman I literally saved from being thrown into a bonfire!  I disassembled the cushion, (which was stuffed with hay!) gave it a quick cleaning and then attached them to the larger suitcase.

The bottom case holds my fabric stash, and the smaller pockets contain scraps!

If anyone can find an advertisement for the Samsonite "Miss America" luggage line, I would love to see it!

 I'm thinking of painting the desk.  Should I keep it blond or paint it a fun color?