DIY Shelf Project

Here is my latest project!

It's a really cute shelf but needs some love.

 

The sides are so pretty, it has an art nouveau and art deco look combined. It's about 21" wide and 22½" tall.

 

Here is the before...

 

 

... and after!

 

 

 

It looks much more chic and feels a lot lighter and fresher.

My small hobnail pieces fit perfectly.

 

Although different shades of white, the magazine basket I painted last year matches really nicely!

 

I think the shelf and magazine basket are post-war era, because I found some magazine baskets with similar lines in the Sears Roebuck catalog from Spring 1946. My basket is about 14½" wide and 19½" tall.

 

On to the next project!

 

Ivy

A Work in Progress: My Farmhouse Bedroom

Hello!

How is your April going? The weather has been very inconsistent in my area. I am waiting for it to be warm and dry enough to spray paint so I can start some DIY projects. Same with OOTD posts. Rummage and Estate sale season should be starting soon. Until I have more options, I will do the best I can to keep posts coming!

Today, I'm sharing some pictures of my room at my Dad's house. (The first few pictures are from over a year ago when my Dad bought the house.) My Dad's house is an old farmhouse built in the 1900's, and is in need of some work. Some days we are ready for the work and think, This place is gonna shine. But of course, there are also days you just sigh and think, What are we gonna do? This place is a mess. Is there potential? Yes. Is it going to be easy? No. We aren't planning on a modern, hi-tech, HGTV style renovation. A majority of the materials will be old and reused. New materials will be bought if necessary and to fit code. As I said in my Obsession with old sinks post, my family loves vintage and antiques, so that's what this house will be about. We just have to get there. Here it is.

The doorway on the far left goes to another bedroom. The middle goes to the hallway. The far right doorway is a closet. As you can see, there is linoleum everywhere.

There is a door going to a flat roof, but I don't plan on using it. The photo on the right shows the linoleum design in the closet. I found it in the Spring 1946 Sears, Roebuck catalog. This pattern was also in another bedroom.

The linoleum wasn't in great shape and not the prettiest. It's not in any of the rooms anymore. The linoleum in my room in particular was awful to remove. There is still mastic stuck to the floor.

 

This is the current status of my room. Next time I will show you what I actually plan on doing with it! (The bed in the back is one of my projects for this year.)

 

Ivy

Ivory Pottery Collection

Happy New Year!

 

I'm so happy to share the new year with you all and wish everyone the best of health and happiness this year!

 

Starting off 2013, I'll share with you my collection of ivory pottery.

 

 

They're all very warm pieces, and have the perfect amount of age.

A nice little dish with a bird design.

 

These are little deer we usually have out at Christmas time.

A very dainty tea set duo, with delicate features.

An adorable planter with two immigrant children, that look Scandinavian.

 

I hope you enjoyed this first little post of 2013!

Ivy

Hobnail/Milkglass/Fenton Collection

Hello!

I thought I'd share my collection of Hobnail/Milkglass/Fenton with you all! I started this collection because of Evie. She had a collection, and when I first saw this style of glassware at an antique shop, I thought they were so pretty. Our styles are very similar. So, I decided to start my own collection, starting with the 'bonbon' dish. I have been collecting this glassware ever since. I have 14 pieces in my collection so far. I'd love to find a pitcher or another vase. Here are some pictures of my collection!

 

My mom and I love the ones with ruffled edges.

 

 

This one my grandma said is a butter dish.

(I have dried anise in there right now!)

 

What's your favorite type of glassware?

Ivy



My Obsession with Door Hardware!

Here is a another post featuring one of my obsessions; door hardware! I inherited this odd trait from my dad. An old door isn't an old door without some good old fashioned hardware to match! That's why my dad has cardboard boxes full of miscellaneous hardware. But, my collection is not as large, I only have a few escutcheons, pulls and knobs. Here are some pictures I've taken of them.

They all have crackly paint and patina.

This one is really big, there's two keyholes.

 

This one was probably for sliding pocket doors going from room to room. Unfortunately, this is the only one I have for this purpose.

Don't you wonder what kind of home all of this hardware came from? Imagine all the stories they could tell!

 

Small glass knobs for cabinetry, quite popular currently, sometimes pricey. I think I have 5 in various sizes. If you plan on buying any to use for furniture, I would get the ones with screws and washers still with them!

 

Which one is your favorite?

 

Ivy

My Obsession with Cast Iron Porcelain sinks!

Hello!

I thought I'd share another little vintage obsession of mine, 1920's sinks.

An odd obsession, I know, but let's start from the beginning. During my childhood years, I lived in a cute little English tudor style house built in 1931. If something wasn't original to the house or isn't fitting to it's era, my parents corrected it. (If you watch Rehab Addict on the DIY Network, you will know what I mean.) There's so much my parents did to preserve the character and history of the house, and I now realize all of the hard work they did and commend them for it. All of the sinks in my house were original. (The awesome kitchen cabinets were also original, but that's another story!) As an all around vintage lover, I never wonder where I get my love for anything old from. Growing up in this little house with it's lovely charm, I didn't really question why my neighborhood friends' houses had newer sinks or cabinets or whatever and mine didn't. These neighborhood friends also had really cute homes from the same time as mine, some original, but not to the extent of my house.

So the old sinks my dad has in his barn bring me back to the house I grew up in. In my future home, whatever age it may be, I really hope to have one of these cast iron porcelain enameled sinks, so maybe my children can have the same memory when they see one of these sinks. Here are some pictures of sinks I love.

A double drainboard style, the kind my dad will be putting in his farmhouse.

A great photo from a magazine showing a kitchen I'd love to have.

A double drainboard sink with legs, along with an adorable kitchen hutch.

A super simple kitchen probably from the 1920's, fit for "the modern housewife".

 

Me with a sink made by Sears, Roebuck & Co.

This is my future kitchen sink. Needs a little bleach though! :)

 

 

Thank you for reading!

Any childhood memories of yours you'd like to share?

Do you have a favorite sink style?

I'd love to hear!

 

Ivy

DIY: Accordion Style Scarf Rack

Hello!

I recently bought this accordion style rack, which I plan to hang some of my scarves on. When I bought it, it was an ugly 1980's brown wood, so that needed to change.

I decided to paint it white, a nice neutral white.

 

So much better! Now my scarves have a place to dwell :)

Great buy and a successful DIY!

I'm working on an industrial style 3-tier metal table right now,

I ran out of primer, when I literally had two legs to go... ugh.

Anyways, until next time, happy DIY'in!
Ivy