Vintage Shopping at Cottage & Vine

Many of you should be familiar with Cottage & Vine, one of my favorite blogs to visit. René is a talented decorator and always has an interesting post on her blog, sharing many decor-related ideas as well as introducing her readers to other blogs. Over the summer, not long after discovering her blog, I visited her shop on Etsy, also named Cottage & Vine which she began as a result of her love for old things. All the vintage items are hand-picked by René, herself. Here are a handful of items that would add special interest to any room in your home, whether you would like to add to a growing collection of interesting plates, are looking for a unique brass decorative piece or are looking to start a milk glass collection, perhaps.

Pair of Vintage Brass Swans

Vintage Glass Dog Paperweight

Vintage Jade Green Planter

Vintage Porsgrund Spoon Rest

Vintage Patriotic Plate

Vintage Hand-Painted Leaf Platter

Vintage Hanging Book Rack

Vintage Brass Box

Vintage Milk Glass Egg Shaped Bowl

Vintage Swedish Pitcher by Upsala Ekeby

The brass swans are quite adorable and the planter has a stunning color. I am thinking I might want to add the spoon rest to my growing collection of blue-and-white china. The hanging book rack would be perfect in a kid's bedroom or playroom. And yes, the leaf platter captures the colors of the season but I could see it in use the whole year through. Do you have any favorites? If you have not already, hop on over to the Cottage and Vine shop on Etsy, you never know what you might find. This week I shall share with you some of my own Cottage & Vine purchases which I am enjoying very much.

Please Note: I have not been compensated in any way by the owner of this shop. The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely mine and are based on my experience with the shop and on my purchase of products.

 

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

1001 Vintage - A Favorite Shop on Etsy

Over the summer I discovered 1001 Vintage, a shop on Etsy, based in Amsterdam and Madrid. Collectively, these items are the discovery of vintage art, design and interior decor enthusiasts.  I fast became a fan of this shop and their collection of exquisite pieces and I find myself occasionally window-shopping on the site and yes, I did cave and purchase two gorgeous artifacts. I wanted to share with you just a few of their items. They are intriguing because of their color or texture, or an interesting shape, each one reminiscent of the period they were crafted in. Take a look.

Modernist Glass Bowl - Holmegaard

Mid-Century Danish Lamp - Michael Andersen

Modernist Dutch Vase - Studio Pottery '70s

Weidmann Porcelain Italy Floral Design '60s

Tall Dutch Vase - Joe Stroes for Mobach '80s

Mid Century Orange Vase

Pair of '70s Italian Decanters

Royal Copenhagen Bowl - Nils Thorsson


'70s Hand Blown Glass Lamp - Glashütte Limburg

Bohemian Op Art Vase - Sklo Union

Italian Modern 'Cube' Vase - Bertoncello

Iittala Festivo Candle Holder

Riihimaki Lasi Oy Vase by Tamara Aladin '70s

Vintage Scandinavian Ceramic Decanter

Green Art Glass Bag Vase

Dumler & Breiden Pitcher '60s

These are some of my favorites. Could you pick any favorites? The decanter is quite unusual as well as the striped pitcher (above) and the candle holder reminds me of crushed ice. These pieces would look good just on their own without taking into account the utilitarian aspect. To see more of their collection of beautifully crafted pieces visit 1001 Vintage on Etsy.

Like I said, I did buy a couple of items for my home over the summer. One is on my mantle, which I will share with you next week. It was scheduled for today but instead I decided it would be a good idea to do a post on 1001 Vintage first.

Please Note: I have not been compensated in any way by the owners of this shop. The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely mine and are based on my experience with the purchase of products.

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

Living Room Mantle and A Little Fall Decorating

I have been late in decorating for fall. Typically, I would start with just fall and then take the Halloween theme to a different level a week or so before the actually day and then tone it down again in time for Thanksgiving. I have been redecorating the mantle with some old items, some new items and with the fall season in mind. Over the years I have had a selection of framed pictures on it but recently  I have been trying to add more teal and turquoise (some of you know this already, as I have talked about it here, and I also wanted to incorporate fall colors.

A close-up.

This was my living room a few years ago after it was painted. The sconces had been hidden by a previous owner (there have been a handful; the house was built in 1939) and I was thrilled when the painter discovered them.

I painted the room this past February in Benjamin Moore's Meditation. I have yet to paint the trim. Here I was trying out different items on the mantle for height. I had thought about incorporating a mirror and had one lying around which I propped up. I was trying to bring in some sparkle and sheen. Also, mirrors help to expand and lighten up a space but here there is more sheen and less color.

I was not quite happy with the look. This cylindrical vase, for example, was a little too wide for the mantle and against the mirror although I liked the reflection in the mirror.

I tried some picture frames with these candlesticks which have a beautiful teal color.

Again, love the refection. But I preferred the candlesticks elsewhere in the living room (will share with you in another post). I decided to do away with the mirror idea for now.

After adding decals on the wall across (above sofa) I decided to use some above the mantle as I had some spare. With no definite layout in mind, I placed the decals within the center moulding frame. I placed some of my more colorful decorative items on the mantle to get a sense of the look I wanted and to decide which items and colors would look best when combined.

These were some of the smaller patterns I had to incorporate.

This is what I have decided on. The pumpkin came in a pack of five (purchased at Trader Joe's) and I decided this was an easy and relatively inexpensive way to incorporate fall/orange throughout the house (living, dining, family rooms and kitchen). I handed the pumpkins to my youngest and told her to place them where she thought they would look good and this is exactly where she placed one of them (less is more?). It ties in with the red/deep-orange carafe.

There is enough sheen and sparkle, color pops including fall colors with the red and orange (although just a hint).

Pictured at night with just the sconces switched on.

Daytime.

I love the look. I think it is fun and there is enough interest with the color, texture, some sparkle and sheen without it being too over-the-top. Do you like the effect? Do you like the color combination? Feel free to comment on my fall decor, too :) At least it is a start.

I shall share more details of each piece as well as sources in another post this week so stay tuned.

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

A Punnet Story and Recycling - It's the Little Things

In June, before school closed for the summer, Emily celebrated her summer birthday early in class so she would have her classmates with her. We decided to make brownies and the healthy option was strawberries. These were the best strawberries (from a local farmer's market) I think I have ever eaten. They were barely on the shelves when I grabbed about five punnets of them.

Yes, those are real strawberries and this was how they were displayed which gives you an idea of how perfectly delicious they were. Just for fun, here is a close-up.

But anyway, this post is not about the strawberries but about the punnets - they hold so much that is enjoyed by so many. How many of us take the time to appreciate the utilitarian aspect of the average punnet. They come in styrofoam, plastic basket-like, cardboard, and even felt. These were cardboard. Here they are once emptied.

They were not dirty or wet but looked like they barely had any time to bond with the strawberries before they were swept off the shelves.

The structure of these cardboard punnets was solid and they appeared strong. I decided I had to and needed to repurpose them...aren't we all trying to live more eco-friendly lives? I know I am. Early this summer I was in the process of organizing four desks in the house and thought these would make perfect storage containers - for post-its, push pins or erasers, or other small desk items.

Initially I thought I might use fabric on them but then I found some pretty scrapbooking paper at Michaels  to coordinate with the rooms these desks are in. At 59 cents a sheet I thought "why not!" A sheet per punnet and if I was running short I could use "the good parts" of the NY Times to line the inside. Trying to find an article that did not deal with the economy, politics, natural disasters or terrorism was not easy - I had to settle for ads like this one...

..and this one, which could easily apply to strawberries, green design or Michaels , maybe Mod Podge or even just a good idea!

Here is one of the sheets I picked up at Michaels.

And so I set to work with Mod Podge in Matte and a foam brush. I had no plan in mind in terms of cutting paper to a particular size. These were done on days when kids were home and I felt the need to accomplish some of the mini decorating projects like accessorizing.

Glueing the paper to the sides of the base was not easy given the design and dips.

I cut strips of paper of no particular size. I decided to just wrap over the punnet as I went along.

And here they are now. These look good on the black piano desk.

The punnet does not have perfectly flat sides (part of the design) so there are a few dips here and there. I will try to follow the lines better the next time. Using paper of light stock is best.

From here

to here.

And I decided to do some in blue and orange for Isabel's room; some lilac for Emily.

Isabel is using the one of them as a bookmark holder (she has a small collection) on her nightstand.

I think these were a great idea and the kids are thrilled to be recycling as well as to have another accessory for their rooms. Also it cost me 59 cents and some Mod Podge and newspaper that I already had. What do you think? Do you like how these look? I think these punnets are versatile. In decorating a room, it's the little touches, the accessorizing, that help tie a space together while adding interest.

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa