Playfully Somber

floral canopy bed ~ tracery interiors

There is a balance to be had for a somber effect. An endearing touch to make the space inviting,
and it's in those playful touches that can be achieved. The floral canopy isn't particularly somber
with all of the white, but it does have some melancholy feel to it. Perhaps it's just my perception,
with all of the canopies in the victorian gothic novels I have read.

I have an abiding admiration for vintage ephemera and those who procure them so freely for the
internets enjoyment. These images you can print and play with seemed fitting in some way.

farmhouse chair fine art photographic print ~ jack the hat

la mode illustre patterns from april 19, 1896 ~ free images via the graphics fairy

dining table ~ lonny

butterflies and beetles ~ lisa leonard

bedroom~ photographer tobias harvey
I'm actually kind of in love with this bedroom.

 old book png image ~ free graphics at percy and bloom

Homefront: Our 1960's Kitchen

I love this table cloth. But really, it's a nice cloth shower curtain I got on major sale. Perfect size, cute colors.

My shabby candleabra that I painted a soft apple green, in one of my first blog posts ever.

I have this changing table my husband painted that housed plants in our former, pretty home and holds extra kitchen dishes and such. We couldn't find a place to put it, so I thought... how about in this here ugly spot? It's the best we could do since we are renting this here house.

Presto-change-o! Now there's more storage, more counter space for a lamp and a catch all bowl and papers.

The top of this cabinet got ruined while painting it, so I lined it with leftover shelf liner. It makes clean up much easier and adds a punch of color.

To hide ugly buills and coupons, I found this letter A at an antique mall. I just put a white cardboard strip under it. and place it on top of everything else to hide the clutter.

Yeah, the fridge got banged up during the move. White spray paint made it look somewhat better. I am fully aware the counter tops are uneven, and a weird yellow color, and that horrid copper tinted tin tiles, improperly used as back splash are a nightmare, but we are stuck with them for now. Though, what Nester did with her renter kitchen back splash was wonderful, we just don't have the resources for that yet.

 The Dreamy Giraffe's Eat Your Veggies Fairy print is trying to hide a poor patch job in the corner.

Keeping an even and neutral color palltte up here just seemed like the best thing for this hodgepodge kitchen.

Here we have it, leading into the playroom. And yay! After a month, our oven was fixed today.

Inspired Room: Fantastical Pink Bedroom Design

Italian company Alta Moda Furniture, created this girly pink room for a Valentine's day design. While the furry touches, stuffed animals and the general aesthetic is over the top, it still draws me in. I would love to incorporate a few elements here into my own home.

From a canopy over the bed, to a dressing screen, that glorious white chair and armoire, the dramatic white tufted headboard, sequined lamp and the sweet, white deer theme, a girl could live like a queen in here. Images found via rifz10.

Homefront: Our Vintage Linen Interchangable Bedroom

 

A while back I talked about some vintage linens I have been collecting and promised a bedroom update with them. (I don't usually have this many pillows on the bed, it's just for the pictures. I think losing the blue one in the back would look so much better.)

So, while the room isn't done, I pulled out the pillowcases out to show you. I have a few sheets, but I mostly collect pillowcases since they bring the maximum change. By having neutral curtains, a white down comforter and a white bed skirt and headboard, I can change the pillow styles however I wish, swap out a few accessories to match and have a new bedroom feel in minutes.

Don't be afraid to mix and match patterns. Geometric, florals, polka dots, paisley, plaid, ethnic, lace prints... so long as you have a similar color scheme or mood you are trying to achieve, and  simple non pattern thrown in (like the plain comforter) pattern groupings don't matter. That is the appeal of a shabby chic room. I made a few grouping as example of how they can look together.

 The top pillow case is the same as a set I had as a little girl that is long gone. I was thrilled when I found this at the thrift shop, but sad because it has stains all over it. Maybe I will turn it into a garland or something.

Our room is usually in more modern blues as seen here at our old place when I painted the headboard, so this orange/yellow mash up is cheerful for now.

Because our bed is positioned in front of half a very large window, it created some challenges. I nailed up some old curtains to cover that wall for a little bit of balance. They weren't long enough, nor lined enough to make it seem like a seamless wall, but being unemployed means making do, so I just pinned a pillow sham on the bottom corner. It's not very noticeable once the table is put there anyways.

And by the way, isn't this vintage metal enameled daisy chandelier adorable? I found it at an antique mall for an incredible price ($11.50). I would rather not have in in the bedroom, but it was the best place for it, and the main reason our pillows are orange/yellow today. I've thought about painting it white, because it would make redecorating so much better, but am conflicted on keeping the vintage charm. What would you do?

I found a white one for sale here at Retro Daisy Girl so you can take a gander. If you are looking for a similar lamp to purchase, I see them fairly often at antique malls and online. Just search for "vintage daisy chandelier" or "vintage enamel chandelier". Here's some on Etsy and some on Ebay using those search terms.

*included in these link ups: Kimba's DIY Day linky, Room to Inspire, A Silly Little Sparrow, My Backyard Eden, not at Bewteen Naps on the Porch, or Keeping it Simple, but lots of other great projects are.

Inspired Room: Fergus and Me

Fergus and Me has an exceptional eye for design. She also has an etsy shop full of wonderful vintage treasures. Her pre-teen girl's room has recently been showcased on Oh Dee Doh here, where you can read about the design inspiration and see more photos of the room.

The vintage quilt and bed posts (Land of Nod) add so  much warmth to the modern decor, like the swinging chair from Terence Conran's Habitat and wallpaper which is Polar bear oilcloth by John Lewis (UK). The creme paint and turquoise walls (Benjamin Moore Jamaican Aqua) work gorgeously with the dark wood floors.

I have to say, the paper cranes may very well be my favorite piece to this room. And they were made by Caroline herself. Such a creative and spirited young lady.

I love this redwork embroidered pillow on the cozy cream couch.

Even though this is an 11 year old's room, it reminds me of Kelly Rae's colorful home and I believe, can be utilized for even us older people!

Homefront: My Very Own Frame Wall

Remember my frame wall rant post? I bought tons of frames with the intention of painting them white and doing a nice gallery wall, and the pile sat there collecting dust, stressing me out, so I got rid of most of them. Here is what this space above my couch looked like before. I love the wrought iron circle I painted in a distressed aqua, and now it's over the tv.

Well... while I was at Goodwill the other day, I saw this lovely painting of this little Native American girl by Bettina Steinke. Really, isn't she just a precious doll? It was in some obscure aisle, and I picked it up and put it in my cart. I walked around some more, and decided, what am I going to do with it? So, I put her back in another obscure aisle (shame on me, I know).

An hour later (yes, when I go to Goodwill, it takes a few hours) I stumbled across this girl in another part of the store and I walked by. By the time I got to the frames, she had been brought back there. By this time, it kept getting harder to walk away, so for $3.99, I brought her home, and my son has named her Sammie.

I also brought home the embroidered flower photo, oil flower vase painting, raccon sketch and the automobile photos. I even put several things back, they just had tons of great vintage finds! Some frames I already had, so I filled them with bits of vintage maps and bookplates of flower sketches. I really need to add more family photos, but since this digital camera age has sprouted, I haven't printed photos off in ages! (sorry Grandma).

Since we will most likely be leaving this apartment in a few months, I figured, why hesitate on the frame wall? If we don't like it, we will be moving so who cares!

All I did, was lay the frames on the floor until I liked the arrangement. Then, I took a picture of it. I picked up the pictures from the ground and brought them up to the wall one by one and nailed them in. If I forgot how one went, I referred to my camera screen. Easy.

But... I love it. I'm so glad I did this. And when I showed everyone my frame placement floor layout ideas, you all persuaded me to make it grand instead of a smaller grouping like I intended. And really, with these high walls, the larger grouping looks best. Adding in the wood letters and smaller pieces helped close in odd gaps and hide nail holes I used when trying to get the placement right.

 

This post is linked to A Soft Place to Land's DIY Day!