Check out this family room in Lexington, Kentucky, where a guy decorated the walls using Magic Markers and Sharpies. Among other people featured: Hercule Poirot, Sherlock Holmes, Winston Churchill, George Bernard Shaw and Rocky and Bullwinkle.
Talk about a low-cost redesign... You can read the full story and see panoramic views at Kentucky.com.
I got a few questions about some items that showed up in yesterday's post regarding my purchases at the Brimfield Antiques Show.
Carrie of Buzzings of a Queen Bee wanted to know more about the Memory Lane plates I bought. She wrote: "I am in love with that Memory Lane pattern (from a distance). Can you show us a close up? I have been hunting for a pretty cranberry and white pattern for Christmas for years and can never find it, but maybe I don't know what to look for?"
They're actually a little more on the red/pink side in person but I do think they would be pretty at Christmastime.
It's transfer ware stamped Royal Ironstone. It was made in the 1950s and 1960s.
The pattern is pretty easy to find, although I think the prices tend to vary. I hope that helps, Carrie.Cher from The Texas Woman was wondering about the printing tray on my mantel. "Please show us a close-up of the collectibles in the case on the mantel. Looks interesting."
I'm glad you like it, Cher. It's holds a little shell collection, as you can see in this closeup. I bought this one, but I've made them as well.
I really like this one because all the shells are different, with no repeats. It feels like someone was collecting specimens. Thanks for your interest, Cher.
It's been crazy busy here at At Home Redesigns... lots of projects under way. But I thought I'd take a little breather and show you (finally) what I bought (for my personal consumption anyway) at the Brimfield Antiques Show earlier this month.
It was definitely one of the less expensive trips for me. No big purchases. I did get:
They were $40 for the three, which I thought was a good deal.
I know, a shockingly small pile, huh? But I had a great time checking stuff out, seeing what's popular and getting a feel for prices. Not again until May...sigh...
Have you ever found a vintage item you just love, but can't figure out how to display it so you actually get to look at it often? These ladies present a few solutions:
Jan Ely of Little Pink Houses put these aprons to work as curtains in her kitchen.
And Sherry Williams of Sherry's Rose Cottage displays this vintage prom dress in her dining room. It's on a wire dress form and she's added matching vintage gloves and a hat.
Isn't this better than stashing these finds in a closet or in drawers? Aprons and prom dresses may not be your thing, but there might just be something that you've got tucked away that would make a great "statement piece" - that that says something about you in your home.
Anyone got any other ideas out there for displaying favorite finds?
I'd love to hear more ideas for future I Love These Ideas! Sunday columns.
Drop me an email at: Mary@AtHomeRedesigns.com if you've got an idea of yours or someone else's to share.
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How cute is this dresser? My friend Marianne picked it up for her shop a few weeks ago when we were shopping at the Brimfield Antiques Show. It's hand painted.
I had a ton of fun redesigning Marianne's store recently using this and her other Brimfield finds, like these painted table and chairs.
We were definitely drawn to painted furniture during this trip. I know some people don't like to paint antiques. But here's my take: I would never paint an antique that is valuable or unique. But there are a lot of pieces out there that are rather ordinary... until someone paints them and then, wham, super cute.
And painted pieces can be so much more versatile. Today, white. Tomorrow, black. And then one day, who knows, pink with polka dots...
I wanted to share with you one of my favorite things about a recent great room re-design that I did.
This couple has a beautiful home in a terrific setting, with a horse, sheep, a goose, a chicken (not a rooster... which is what I originally called it... cause I'm not exactly a country girl...) cats and dogs.
They love nature as you can readily tell when you look around their home.
But a lot of the items they have collected are little, and they were lost in this big room. Do you see the eggs on the mantel in the before photo? They were up much too high to be appreciated.
So, I took a cabinet that was filled with glassware and situated near the dining table and instead moved it into the living area. I took all the little artifacts from around the room and displayed them there instead.
It's kind of like a miniature museum of natural history. Now you can really appreciate each item.
For the rest of the room, I focused on using large objects that wouldn't get lost... such as the mirror and plants on the mantel and the birdhouse on the console table.
Here are a few more before and after photos I thought you might like to see...
This post is a little detour from my usual I Love These Ideas! Sunday column.... but I knew you would forgive me because A) you will love this idea and B) it involves my mother and everyone knows shameless promotion is OK if it involves your mother.
My mother, Mickie Harrington-Rodway, owns a small business called Christmas Memories.
She handcrafts and personalizes Christmas ornaments of her own design. (See the one below? I was the model for that one.)
They are adorable and she will personalize them however you want. Her handwriting is impeccable. I'm showing some of the designs here, but there are a lot more.
They're only $6.95 each and the shipping is free within the United States.
The ornaments have been popular locally for years, but now she's branching out with a website.
People here buy her year after year, so their kids can
have personalized ornaments to mark their growing up. They also use them to commemorate: baby's first Christmas, an engagement or marriage or a new home.
Plus they make great gifts for grandparents, teachers or, heck, anyone with a tree.
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