Mr. Peabody, let's take the Wayback machine to 1930...

I've always been drawn to everything about the 1930's. There is something about it that feels so familiar to me. Call me totally crazy, but if reincarnation is real, I swear that that was one of my past lives.

Even though a lot of places are showcasing vintage style, my girls and I recently went to see

Kit Kettrdge at the $1.00 movies.

Even though it was for the younger set, I found myself caught up in the home funishings and fashion.

I've had these images on my computer for a while and I wish I knew where I had found them.

I also I wish I could sew well.. I would copy the style of every single one of these 1930's vintage dresses.

If there really were a Sherman and Mr. Peabody, I would make them take me back for the shopping in the Wayback machine.

There is such a romance to the style ...

And an elegant smartness (is that a phrase or did I make that up?) and they look so well made...Fashion for a lifetime.

Jen

Armoire make-over

I had a client who wanted her armoire updated.

We decided to do a grey-ish cream and sage green palette.

We then added some artwork to fancy it up a bit.

And then moved some bookcases to match to give it a more built in feel.

She was still deciding on knobs, but I think amber knobs or crystal knobs would really make the piece pop.

I know I am late to the party, but Kimba's having another DIY day!

Jen

The DIY show off

I was featured at the DIY show off for my faux paneled door project!

You can check out the post here.

Jen

In a perfect world...

Living in a split-level, as the last days of slowly summer unwind, so does the rest of the house.

Did I also mention we are potty training?

Luckily for my husband, I am already potty trained. It's the little one we are working on.

While this seems like the perfect solution....

This works much better.... :)

~Jen

Audubon's sketch book

I love the work of John James Audubon. (1785- 1851)

As an artist, my first love is botanical and natural art.

He is one of my artistic hero's.

Here is a man who floated down the Mississippi river, living off the land which was untouched and wild territory and drawing the birds as he saw them.

I was so inspired by the image of a lone man, drawing as he went, that I imagined he must have had a sketch book. I wondered what would that sketch book look like? How fast would he have to draw? Would he do the lines and then fill the colors in later by camp fire? What would that pages of that sketch book look like?

To challenge myself, I bought an actual artist's quill pen and ink. I decided that these would have to be sketches, no tracing, no pre-drawing. Where splatters of ink landed, they landed and where I had mistakes, they would remain.

After I sketched the birds, I filled in a bit of info about the bird's I found on-line. After all, if you were making a field journal, your would make notes next to your subject, right? The paper has to look old, so I aged it with a tea stain stamp. I might go with parchment next time I do a set of sketches.

I imagine finding an entire journal of birds in an attic, sketched and drawn with all of the notes scribbled along the edges...then back 100 plus years, Audubon, dipping his pen in the ink well by the glow of firelight, swatting mosquitoes while cricket's chirped out in the middle of the wilderness.

How peaceful... and wild.

And if you are interested, I have them listed in my Etsy shop.

Jen

Dear Arhaus...

Ahem.....

Dear Arhaus,

I LOVE these chairs.

I think they are fabulous.

I have to have these chairs.

They are a great deal at $139.

I could do that. One at $139.

Except only one of us would be able to sit down.

That might make the other 4 people in my house mad.

Sooooooooo....

How's about if you give me all for chairs for free; and I blog about how good they look in my house...

With my new beadboard wallpaper.

And how much my tushie, and 4 other peoples tushie's really likes sitting on them.

And how I love that they don't creak and threaten to fall apart like my old chairs.

And how cool and new they are, but they feel old and vintage.

I really think it's win-win.

Right? Right?

Thank you so much,

Sincerely and your new best friend,

Jen

p.s. if you would like to throw in the table for kicks...I'll take that too, just to be a good sport about it...

Welcome to the make-over open house!

Thanks for coming to the party!

Link up and show us your awesome make-overs and DIY projects! Please make sure you link to your exact post and that you link back to this post (You can use an old post as long as you link back.). And keep linking all weekend!

Jen

Just "bead" it.....

I was so excited to put up my beadboard wallpaper, that it didn't matter to me that it was not pre-pasted or that it came with no directions...and never mind that I hadn't hung wall paper in over 10 years...

Something I did learn is that wallpaper and "winging it" does not really go well together. I also love that the directions on the can of wallpaper paste were "Follow the instructions as directed on the wallpaper package."

So, what the heck, I "wung" it.

I slapped that paste on, did not "book" my paper and ended up glueing the edges of my paper together with wallpaper paste and a paint brush. I prayed that when I got up in the morning, it hadn't all rolled off of the wall onto the floor.

I know the whole thing was very "I love Lucy."

I got lucky.

It all stayed up and I was able to hide my uneven measuring with the molding.

Thank goodness paint also hides a multitude of sins, so it didn't matter that the men who built my house in 1959 obviously couldn't draw a straight line as all of my walls are "wonky".

I love the result. It was great money spent for the impact. I would say it was less than $40 with the molding, and I still have a ton of paper and paste left over...it's a very simple project..

after you read the directions.

Stop over to Rhoda's for the beadboard wallpaper party!

Jen

p.s. I was asked about my faux paneled door project and there was no return email address, but I used standard 1- 1/4 inch trim.

Loving me some bead board wallpaper...

When I redid our eat-in area, the area behind the bench was always lacking something. I wanted board and batten or bead board, but that would involve changing out molding and everything else.. what was a girl to do?

When I came across this product on Rhoda's blog, I was overjoyed and had to try it for myself... it's beadboard wallpaper. I applied it, added wood trim, painted it and...

Voila!

The perfect solution to the perfect space! I'm hooked on it!

For more projects visit Kimba's DIY Thursday and Wendy's Frugal Friday!

You can also head over to Julia's for her Hooked on Friday's!!!

And I'll give you the project details tomorrow and join me on Saturday the 25th for the make over open house show off your make-overs and DIY!

Jen

Me and the bees...

I want to thank every one so much for the outpouring of kind words about our little "vapor rub" mishap. She is thankfully well and probably ready to do it again. There were even a few of you how have had some experiences yourselves.

I did find it funny how many people told me their grandmother's used to take a spoonful of it for a sore throat. My mother told me my Grandma used to do the same thing mixed with sugar... and that was in the old days when it had turpentine in it!

What kind of craziness is that?!

Who even thinks of doing that?!

My niece's said my daughter kept licking it off her hands, so we have no clue how much she actually ate, but I will tell you, I almost am curious now to taste it now to see if it really tastes bad or not.

Is that wrong?

I did get out to the yard the other day ( the day before "the incident") and I know it's called Bee Balm ( Monarda) and I have a lot of it,

but it was so loud that I could hear the buzz across the garden.

Can I tell you, The bumblebees were mutantly HUGE!

I have a little section of my yard by the Bee balm I refer to as Meadow Lane

So I used this technique to make a new "old" sign for it in French....

Welcome to Meadow Lane.

Jen

Sidetracked...

I am still hoping I will have my project done by the 25th for the make-over open house, but I find that when your two-year-old decides to eat Vick's vapor rub from the jar, that silly old Poison Control wants you to go to the ER a.s.a.p. and have her watched for seizures for 4 hours.

You don't really get a lot done.

The good news is she's okay with no seizures and no ill effects... And dare I say it? Decongested.

Jen

Because I need one more project......

I (heart) John Derain...

Promise you won't tell my husband...

I love, love, love his work...

But how can you not love a man who decoupages?

With amazing vintage images and ephemera.

He is the decoupage king.

Can I gush more?

And the way he places images and the images he uses makes my heart melt.

If only I could afford them.. so instead I will admire from afar...

Thank goodness they are glass...

and my drool will wipe up easily....

all images are of John Derain's work, I hope he doesn't mind that I borrowed them..

Jen

Change is good.

I found these fabulous knobs at Hobby Lobby, who I have to say is starting to rival Anthropologie for "awesome knobs."

The best part of knobs is that they are so easy to change if I get tired of them or I decide they really are ugly.

Knobs are always a great detail and a good risk.

Especially at $3 a piece on sale.

I loved these black and white bull's eyes.

With going lighter and brighter and more natural, This cabinet I made over last year has just been too dark and stuffy and didn't fit any more.

Sometimes change is good.

Jen

A blogland loss...

We lost one of our own. I found out from another blog that Stacey Wolfley, The Thrifty Chick passed away at age 31 from a stroke; 14 days after giving birth to her 4th baby. She had such a bright spirit, a lovely family and a wonderfully creative talent.

She will certainly be missed.

Serendipity is...

A cute pair of $3 yard sale shoes.....

Price my space..

The Nester is having "Price my Space" party. Since I love a good bargain, and peaking into other's peoples houses ( I love it when I drive at night and people have their lights on and their curtains open. I am so nosey!), I wanted to jump on in.

I thought I would do the living room, since it is generally the cleanest. I'll go over most of the major things. My house is pretty much furnished from throwaways, flea market finds, or thrift store finds with the occasional Ebay item...

The Chair was $40 at a local yard sale. The couch was one that was my grandmother's that my Dad grew up on. It was $800 to recover it fabric and all(Which is why it has a cover on it...I'm not letting those little nose-pickers touch it!!) The little red cabinet was a deal I scored at Tj Maxx. The clock faces were an Ebay find for around $40. The vintage lamp was $8 at a yard sale. The 3 "lady" pictures are my own art so they were only about $8 for the canvases. The black mirrors were free a few years ago with a perfume purchase at Ulta. The Vintage birds pictures were an Ebay purchase, $9 for 50! And yes, my drapes are painter's drop cloths for $9 each!

This chair was a free garbage pick. The one Kim parker I scored at a thrift store for $18, but I admit I paid full price... $22 for the second. The rug on the floor was a $30 yard sale purchase.

The ottoman was my mother -in -laws (free) and I sewed a little slip cover for it for free. The time out chair was $3 at a yard sale. The lamp was one of a set at a yard sale for $10.

The vintage suitcase was $14 at a thrift store.

The top pictures was something a friend was getting rid of so I snatched it right up (free). The bottom picture was just a computer printing I put in a yard sale frame for $5. The black rail underneath is a bench I bought for $7 about 8 years ago. It's still hanging in there!

I paid $11 each for the birdcage pictures at a thrift store. the topiary was $8, the little birdies were on sale from Hobby Lobby for $2 each. The Console table was $25 at a yard sale. It's a great piece because it's been about 7 different colors already. The tray underneath was an on-sale Target find for $6, and the planter has been hanging around for a few years now.

Finally, ( Thank you for hanging in there so long..) My father-in-Law gave me the fabulous dresser that holds all of our games and kids crafts. The mirror was in our bedroom and has been moved around the house many times. I painted the "5" plate. The old books I picked up for about $2 a piece. And the lamp came from Walmart a very long time ago on sale for $5.

I added it up and after adding in the coffee table you can't really see, my space adds up to just under $1185 with a few extra knick-knacks thrown in!

Not too bad. Some people spend that on a couch!

Thank for stopping by for the tour, I hope you enjoyed peeking in!

Stop on over to the Nester's for more spaces!

I'm a what?!

I had to go for a Doctor's appointment the other day and they were updating my files. The receptionist said. "Let me see here.. it says you're insurance is ..."

"Yep."

"and you live..."

"Yep."

"And you're a homemaker..."

Squealing tires, crickets chirping then total silence....

"What?"

She got a little quiet ."We have you listed as a homemaker?"

"Um, I stay at home with the kids, but work part time..."

Oh so it's right?"

Did I suddenly go in the Wayback Machine with Simon and Mr. Peabody at some point to the 1950's? Did I mistakenly show up in my pearls and high heels? Homemaker? HOMEMAKER?!

And have you seen the crime I have committed called a casserole? Did you not see the bath tub ring, the dog hair floating across the floor like tumbleweeds, and all 3 kids crying at once and me wishing I had a bottle of vodka and a dark closet somewhere?

Is there not a better term out there in 2009? Have we not progressed at all? And me, on top of it, a homemaker? That's like calling the kid who cuts our lawn "The landscaper."

While I was busy having a crazy fit that could only be heard somewhere inside my head, she cleared her throat.

"So that's right?"

Silence, then, acceptance.

"Yeah."