Vintage Pillow Shams...

I  rode with the Man-Child on the semi last Friday to Cedar City, Utah. On our way back home, he stopped in Beaver, UT and let me browse and peruse the antique store there.I didn't even know Beaver had an antique store until a few weeks ago. I never make it to that side of town, I always turn to go to the cheese factory before the antique store...

Upstairs in this old house bedroom, I found these beautiful vintage pillow shams. They're in excellent condition.

They are a beautiful pattern and a nice old ecru color that matches nearly anything I want to put them with.

The little tag inside said, "Dry Clean Only," so of course I ran home and shoved them in the washer to soak and then, I washed them and hung them up to drip dry.

No, I wasn't going to pay to dry clean a set of old pillow shams that only cost me `Five Bucks' - Pretty neat find for a few dollars.

Just when I think I have haorded enough crocheted, fringed and lace and linen bedding, another beauty pops up and comes home with me. Gosh, even those crocheted burgundy throw pillows were only $3 at a yard sale.

They are pretty and there was nothing that happened by washing them, except that now they're clean...

(=

And how do you like that burgundy bed skirt?

Well, it's a twin velvet/poly blend bedspread I acquired for $1 and I just cut it in half, hemmed it and tucked it in between my matress and platform.

I wonder if the Man-Child feels like a duck in a new pond every time he gets home because I change the bedding in this room so much?

Do you think men even notice such things?

This was Saturday and she's already re-adorned another color...

I need to join bed covers anonymous, or something. I have such issues~!

Psst... 

If you are an antique'r - check the closets in the old antique stores if allowed. 

(The antique stores in the old houses)

That's where I seem to find all my crocheted treasures~

*Wink - Wink*

French Trompe-l'oeil...

To deceive the eye...

In this case, to deceive the eye into thinking that my vintage bedroom door is embellished with carved wood...

What?

It's not carved wood?

Nope...

It's actually a piece of Vintage Syroco from a weekend Junkin Treasure Hunt.

Would you believe it looked like this when I first brought it home?

Someone had messed around with some cheap paint. It actually looks kind of pretty in pics, but in person, it was quite messy.

One plaque is of a "Summer Scene" and the other of a "Winter Scene"

Of course, I chose summer for the bedroom side of the door. The winter scene is still being worked on, on the 'back' side of the bedroom door.

I primed the plastic Syroco and put a quick coat of white, satin enamel on it before I glued it to the door. I measured it out and I actually just used hot glue to get it to tack up where I needed it.

Then, I went around the whole plastic piece with some paintable caulking. The paintable caulking is the material that gives it a permanent bond to the door. I made sure there were no gaps between the Syroco and the door, to create the illusion of a carved wood medallion on the door. 

I thought it would be difficult with all of the grooves and indents to caulk around the piece, but it was quite easy with a few wet Q-tips and some wet paper towels, just make sure to get it smoothed out well.

I painted it with the same color as the bedroom trim and doors and then I used some antiquing wax from My Savvy Sister Chalk Paint Dust Shop, like I did the rest of the embellishments in the bedroom, to make it stand out.

Gosh, it looks beautiful next to the new custom entryway mirrors the "Man-Child" built me.

It's kind of like a "Haussmann Style" going on in here with all of the decorative additions the last few weeks.

Who would have thought a couple dollar set of vintage Syroco plaques could be so deceiving.

Of course, that was the intention of vintage Syroco when it was created, to deceive you into thinking it was carved wood.

I think these little projects like this are a great 're-use' of the Syroco pieces we're all drawn to, but unsure of.

(And gee, I have that whole big, blue, tote full of the stuff to use for something)

If you run across some vintage Syroco at a yard sale, don't be scared to bring it home and repaint it. With enough imagination put into a piece, it can have a beautiful new life glued to a vintage door, or something.

(=

Sharing At:

Feathered Nest Friday

Knick of Time Tuesday

Raised Panels in Deep Set Windows...

Remember where I left off after we finished the "Custom Built Entryway Mirrors"?

I was going to finish something custom in the deep set window wells in the master bedroom...

I'm working on it today...

When I left off after the custom entry way mirrors were completed, one of the bedroom windows looked like this...

Remember?

Well, we used some hardy board, some trim and a couple of the plastic decorative panels from the old poker table in the "Custom Built Entryway Mirrors" blog post, to create some custom, raised panels in the deep window wells in the Master Bedroom. The window wells are so deep because this old house has 2' thick rock walls ~ remember?

The windows were really BORING before - just long, deep and white...

Then, the 'Man-Child' made the raised panels for me. 

I painted them white and the whole thing was so 'off balance' that frankly, I just wanted to rip them off the wall. But, it took him a bit of time to make them and afterall, I'm the dingbat that wanted them, so how could I just do that?

Then, we came up with a brilliant plan...

Photo frames perhaps ? 

Maybe, if we could find the right size, cheap, but decorative frames, we could glue them above the panel and below it to even things out?

Yes, we could have made a couple more, smaller scale panels like the center one, but I was seeking flamboyant, not so much stripped down...

I'm a cheapskate, remember...

There's no way I was going to spend a lot of mulla on this project. In fact, I spent a couple hours scouring my stashes hoping I could come up with something. Come up with a tidbit
(well, 8 tidbits because I have 2 windows...)
that would work in here without spending any money.

It was to no avail...

I didn't have 8 anythings alike~

I didn't have 8 frames.

I didn't have enough small trim anywhere to make 8 small frames.

The dollar store?

Everything at the local dollar store was plain, modern / retro and just not what I was looking for.

There is a 'Family Dollar' in a larger town North of us - it's closing down. Everything is on clearance, so we thought we would go look and see if perhaps there was something cheap there that would finish the project and balance the panels.

THERE WAS~!!!

They were different colors, but there were 4 packages and the were the  perfect size...

They were originally $10 a package, but they were on clearance for 40% off, so that was $6 a package = $24
I could spare $24 to finish the 'Raised Panels' in the window wells...

(And, I have 4, oval frames left for some other hair-brained project I might come up with in the future~!)

I just took the backs off the picture frames and used hot glue to temporarily stick them to the wall.

Then, I went around them with paintable caulking. The paintable caulking is the permanent adhesive and they are stuck solid...

There was a lengthy discussion on whether to leave them mirrors, put a blank panel in the mirrored center, or find a pic, or something similar to finish off the centers, but we chose to leave them mirrors, to reflect the light.

And, they are GORGEOUS as mirrors...

They're currently 'frog taped off' and they have received a coat of primer
(I'm waiting for it to dry...)

They will be painted the white color of the panels in the center and the same color as the window wells.

When all is complete, I'm going to antique them with a brown wax to give them some age...

They are going to be GORGEOUS when they're finished, and they match the master bedroom 'Custom Entryway Mirrors' we finished last month.

Who would have known an old, ugly, poker table base and a few plastic frames from a discount store could have produced such elegance?

My fingers are crossed that this Master Bedroom redo will be completed soon...

UPDATE:

I got a bit of time today to get them antiqued...

Oh, my - that's all I can say~~~

I used "Fiddes & Sons" clear wax and followed it with "Fiddes & Sons" Rugger Brown wax. I let it set up for a couple of hours and then white washed back over everything to keep the crisp, french white look I've fallen for in the room.

Someday, I'll figure out this photography thing, but for now - if I step back, I get a great big white blob because the sun is right outside this window. If I take close pics, they look like black & white's.

Better pics will come later - I think they're gorgeous this way for some reason...

I'm lovin' how this room is turning out, so stay tuned~!

Sharing At:

Coastal Charm

Knick of Time

Feed the monster ~ Buy the crocheted, antique, bedspread Jen...

I did it~!

I bought this beautiful, antique bedspread at an antique store for $100 a week ago... It is huge - the biggest one I could find at 90" x 90". I sold some sheep just to go antiquing and only spent a hundred bucks... 

I have been dreaming of a white one. A white one to match my new white trim that I'm not finished painting yet...

I'm getting closer though (well, not really ~ But, a girl can dream)... 

I did however get the exterior door to the hot tub painted white...

 And, the interior entry door painted white with the vintage crystal door knob and back plates installed..

I need to order some antiquing medium, or dark wax to patina everything and make it look old, because it is old, it just has new paint...

(A concept men will never understand *wink*)

We got the yucky old retro fan light down and a flush mount light in its place. You don't even notice this new light above the canopy now - it really blends right in and it was only $40 from Home Depot.

~ That took a full day because we had to tear the bed canopy apart and move it out of the way ~

The new flush mount light has 9 year, energy efficient bulbs. I'm hoping we don't have to take the canopy apart for another 9 years. That would be wonderful because it's beasty to tear apart~!

I'm still waiting on the new / old chandelier to arrive that will go in the corner above the dresser. The sweet lady fixing it for me has  been really, really busy and so have I... 

I have been busy working & treasure hunting for a pure white, antique, crocheted cotton throw for my bed.

Which I have found...

And also busy with a lot of landscaping projects, moving an old garage and much, much more, so stay tuned...

There are a few awesome blog posts I'll be doing in the near future about my latest adventures at this old farm. But, for right now... I'm going to go in and roll around on my new, antique bedspread...

 Because I can... 

Did you know the best way to keep an antique doily bedspread in good shape is to use it often? It keeps the stitches and thread pliable and keeps it from getting stiff. 

Did you know that if you put an old, antique, crocheted cotton doily bedspread in a conventional washer, you'll ruin the fringe?

It gets all tangled up, so hand wash only!

While I'm laying on my new / old white bedspread with a smile on my face. Enjoying the victory of finding one this big. I'll be staring at my beautiful dresser... 

At the beautiful satin, screened plaques that my best friend sent me all the way from Wisconsin...

That are perched upon a brass, dresser mirror that I got at a thrift store for $0.75

(Ya, 3 quarters - it was a STEAL)

On top of a beautiful, crocheted, fringed runner that I got at an antique store for $6...

And smile and gloat over my new, white, built in, Entryway Mirrors...

That the 'Man-Child' built for me last month...

And dream about getting the other half of my bedroom painted and finished soon. But, still feel accomplished because this half is DONE~!

And, dream about the whole room (both sides) looking as beautiful as this room someday~!

This room pic is off of a FB yardsale page.
It was an advertisement for an antiques store that's inventory was for sale recently. 

Isn't it beautiful?
I just had to share it...

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY TODAY~!

I'm actually thinking about maybe opening that paint and finishing my room soon...

Custom, Built-In, Entryway Mirrors....

One more wish for the Master Bedroom is now off the 'bucket list'...

Custom, built-in, entryway mirrors on both sides of the entryway into the master bedroom...

I apologize the pics that follow are of 'poor quality'. A lot of this was late in the evening and well, this old house is a bear cat to get pics in. And frankly, when I'm in home renovation mode, I don't stop to slow down and stage anything. I just grab the camera and away we go~!

Bedroom Progress...!

It is turning out 'Fabulous'~~~

(Oops - the door is still 'frog taped - lol)

I'm trying to get all I can done before the "Man-Child" gets home, so I can convince him to help me move all of the big furniture to get this finished. Although, 'half-done' doesn't bother him as much as it does me, so some initial begging might be needed...

<I'm practicing my puppy dog eyes now~boo...>

(=

The biggest change, that has been the most shocking, is the mornings.

I AM NOT a morning person. I'm a night owl. 

When 4:30 a.m. rolls around, the sun coming up starts to cast a bright light, like someone rolled my bedroom out onto a casting call full of bright lights. It is the damnedest thing ever. 

It just lights right up~!

By the time I used to get up (around 7) it is gleaming in here~!

And, afternoon time - well, it's just 'Angelic'...

And, I LOVE IT~!

A huge, remarkable difference...

It is amazing the change...

I'm thinking about installing a trim right below the ceiling rail...

Do you think it needs one?

And, I already drug out a garbage bag full of sheer yard sale curtains to dream with ~ see the 'heaping mound' on the bed?

I can't wait to get this done and see the chandelier finished next week~!