Thursday, May 29, 2014

Color Planning in 1956

 I couldn't pass this up at an antique shop last summer. Color Planning with Sears Harmony House Co-ordinated Colors, copyright 1956. Admittedly, it gave me a good laugh more then any actual decorating advice! 
Are you ready for some "modern" color schemes?







Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Bathroom Medicine Cabinet

Well, here it is at last! Our bathroom medicine cabinet! I love these old cabinets and knew I needed to find one for my house. When we gutted the bathroom, we discovered a previous owner had removed the original cabinet and placed a mirror over the opening in the wall. So sad.
  Fortunately, it didn't take too much looking on Craig's List to find a lovely cabinet from a 1916 house. I was so excited to see it came with all the original hardware and glass shelves. 
It was the second item I purchased for my house. That is how much I love these cabinets, I knew I needed one right away!

The inside. Loving the glass shelves! They have such a nice vintage feel. And I had to add a little pep with dotty contact paper on the back.
I can't help mentioning these little clear containers from Ikea, the fit perfectly in the cabinet and are so handy!
We also added a towel bar for a hand towel. Up until then we had just been hanging the towel on a nail in the wall opening! 
There are still a few things that need finishing up. Mostly the trim around the door and window and baseboard. Because we don't have trim there is a gap between the wall framing and the door frame, hence the blue tape for added privacy. 
Our other project that we hurried up to finish before company arrived was the linen closet shelves. It is so nice to have storage for the towels and sheets now! We are still in a bit of a quandary as to what we want to do about a closet door. I do have the original door, that will fit, we are just trying to decide if it will make it look smaller with a door or be awkward to access. I am not too sure on just using a curtain either.....

After looking at blogs and pinterest I ran out and bought baskets for the t-paper, washcloths and other goods. It is working out nicely and I love how tidy it is keeping everything! I also found the small white wire baskets and we placed a shelve especially for them. The band aids, aspirin, combs and brushes have a place there now.
It is amazing how much a seemingly small change can make the whole bathroom look different! 

Friday, May 23, 2014

View out my window

Hello Friends! We made it!! My brother got married, I have a new sister-in-law, we had a wonderful visit with the Cousins and all crisis' were diverted! Whew, what a week! I just wanted to let you all know I am back and looking forward to catching you up with our last minute house improvements. 
This the view out my window. I took this last night, it is unbelievable how green green green everything is!
 Same view taken just about three weeks ago. You can just see the little leaves appearing. 
Spring is Amazing!!

Looking out my window to the right. The pink haze in the background is a  flowering crab apple tree. 

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend! On the schedule is a little gardening, I can't wait!

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Sweet Violets

These little violets herald summer. Even though we have had huge temperature fluctuation, in typical Wisconsin style, summer is on it's way.
  I couldn't resist taking a few quick photos before the grass, and hence the violets, got mowed.
Things have been absolutely crazy around here! It is "wedding week" as my brother is getting married this weekend. Lots of last minute things to do, cleaning, sewing, floor washing, projects to get done, menus to plan. Time is ticking and soon relatives will arrive and the festivities commence! I will be taking a small break this week and will see you on the other side!
Have a lovely week!

Thursday, May 8, 2014

New Project- Sewing Room Chair

A diamond in the rough! But one can't complain when it was pulled off the curb on trash day. It already is looking better with a coat of paint and new caning on the back. I was excited to try my hand at caning and for a first time project it turned out well. For $30 in supplies, paint and a bit of fabric for the seat I have a beautiful sewing room chair!
I have also been working on the bathroom medicine cabinet. It was a find off of craig's list. I love these old cabinets! This one has glass shelves and all original hardware.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

1910 and 1920 Apron Inspiration

I found these lovely 1914 and 1922 apron images while browsing Etsy.
Aren't they lovely! From a 1914 catalog. See Vintage Ad Gallery for more details.



These three are from a Women's Institute of Art and Science booklet on Aprons and Caps for sale by Sew Much Frippery