New in the shop! Handmade pillows from vintage textiles

I've been taking a break from blogging and working on the house (and running my business to some extent), since August of last year. I took a full time position working with Etsy (WAHOO!) and after that it took a while to readjust.

I'm feeling a lot more settled now, and I was finally able to finish (at least in part) a project I have had waiting in the wings for quite a while. PILLOWS! This small collection is made from vintage chenille comforters I sourced from all over. I have been collecting them for at least a couple of years now. I love chenille but it often has a granny look to it (which lets be honest, I for one like a little of, but too much becomes apparent very quickly... one can only have a granny moment or two in a space before the whole room looks dated... I'm getting off track). I specifically gravitated towards the simple more graphic patters of chenille (popcorn aka polka dot tufting is my favorite) and stuck with on trend and classic colors. I then backed each pillow with a modern fabric to balance the old with the new and create a fresh feel.

I am hoping I will be able to do a repeat of these pillows but that involves finding the exact same chenille in excellent condition a second time around (not impossible but not guaranteed) so consider this a limited run! 

I'm so pleased to introduce:

Farmhouse entryway in progress

The entryway is the first impression your guests get when they come for a visit, so it was at the top of my list for a makeover. The farmhouse is full of wood paneling, but the worst offender, floor to ceiling, dark and dreary was the entryway. 

Granted these photos were taken at night, but it didn't feel super inviting to me. Before we even closed on the property I knew this entryway needed a fresh coat of a light colored paint to brighten the space and utilize the natural light that floods in through the windows around our antique dutch door.

Now, if you have ever painted wood paneling, you know it is quite a process. You absolutely must prime. Your paint says paint with primer, but you need something serious to cover up this slick dark surface. I used Zinsser, but I understand Kilz makes excellent primers as well. The tricky part about the paneling is the spaces between. There are so many grooves in the wall and you have to make sure you get enough of the primer into them, but you also want to make sure the flat part of the wall that abuts keeps a smooth coverage. I developed a system where I would do about 2 ft sections of the wall floor to ceiling before moving on. I used a paint brush to get the primer in the crevices and then came back with a small roller to smooth the build up from the paint brush and more quickly cover the flat surfaces. The results were great, but it was way more time consuming that simply cutting in and rolling like you would do on dry wall or plaster etc.

I waited a full day to let my primer dry. Mainly because my back needed a rest after all the squatting and reaching (excellent work out) but also that stuff is kind of thick so I thought better safe than sorry. 

I don't know if I'm the only one, but this stage of painting makes me feel so nervous. I have painted quite a few spaces in my time, but when it looks all splotchy and uneven like this is makes me queasy, so next day I was ready to put my first coat on, lower back pain be damned.  

So this is where I added an extra step to my painting that I have come to decide was well worth it. I had to repeat the process of cutting in and filling gaps with my chosen wall paint. I continued doing sections at a time like with the primer to keep a smooth coat, but this time after I rolled my paint on the flat surfaces I went back with a large paint brush lightly coated with paint and gently brushed down from floor to ceiling creating a very subtle but really beautiful texture to my surfaces. It probably added about an hour and a half of work to my space, but it has more of an authentic antique farmhouse feel to it. 

This space is by no means finished. It needs a new ceiling, the trim and door are getting stripped and painted a navy blue color that has a touch of graphite grey to it. Really lovely color. I also want to remove the pendant light that hangs to the left of the stairs (you can catch it's reflection in the first after shot). It's a nice vintage piece, but it casts an orange glow through the space and I think a flush mount centered in the space between the door and where the stairs begin would be more appropriate for this room. But I would say the space is literally like night and day already and I am truly pleased with the direction it's heading!

The first step on a very long journey...

As many of you know, Paulo and I bought a house! We are so excited to be first time home owners and even more excited to be starting what is sure to be a long but incredibly rewarding journey.

The home we purchased is a beautiful 1850's farm house in the Catskill Mountains, Saugerties to be more specific... it is definitely in need of some updating. I think anyone who knows me would tell you there was no way I was going to purchase a home that didn't need some renovating... what would be the fun in that? This home is a bit more of a project that we had planned on, but we both knew it was the right house for us. There was a feeling we got from being on the property and so we put an offer in on the property the day after we first walked through.

There is something really special about knowing you are going to be a part of the history of a farmhouse that has been around for so long (and will hopefully stand for decades or even centuries to come). From what I understand the house was part of a larger farm in the 1800's which has since been parceled off over the decades. The decedents of the people who built the home still live in the neighborhood, in fact they own a tree farm across the street. I hope to meet them in person soon and find out as much as I can about the original owners of the home and any amazing stories.

I hope you will all join me on this journey as we restore and update this historic home. I currently only have photos from the real estate listing from the property, it's full of the previous owner's belongings... BUT as I make progress I will post my own befores, progress shots and afters so you can see the bare bones and the finished (hopefully WOW) shots!

If you'd like to follow along the best way is to join my mailing list here. I'll be sure to post to social media as well. In the meantime Here's a peek at the real estate shots!

View from the road

I still cannot believe this porch. It is going to be so wonderful in the spring and summer. Can't wait to find furniture so we can have drinks and listen to the crickets!

View across the street

Field behind the house

This field apparently floods, it's almost 4 acres of land... we're thinking about putting in a rice patty, ha ha but seriously we hope to find a good use for what may sometimes be a soggy mess.

Lucas Kill

This creek creates the border on 2 sides of our property, it feeds a reservoir down the road a ways.

The entryway

Oh the wood paneling... planning to paint it white for now and eventually swap it out for some drywall... In the meantime I like the texture. If you walk to the right you head into the dining room but lets head left first.

To the living room

Oh the ceilings oh the floors, gorgeous... the walls however are crumbling behind the wallpaper and will have to be replaced. I am going to go with a light color to brighten the space against the dark woods that are already in place. 

More living room

Did I mention there will be a green velvet couch?

One more living room

And definitely a new light fixture! Now through the gigantic french doors to Paulo's office

Paulo's office

So while we both love the metallic pink and silver floral wallpaper for a manly office space... it's got to go... we are still discussing decor for the room but are both excited we will no longer have to share our offices with each other and the kitchen and living room, ha ha.

Guest room

So if you continue moving to the right out of Paulo's office you will find yourself in the guestroom... and surrounded by wood paneling again. We are in the midst of deciding... This room may be our first DIY drywall experiment or we may paint the walls for now and drywall later. We would like to have a nice place to put our visitors immediately but we also don't want to do work twice... decisions decisions.

Dining room

Now out through the door and into the dining room. If you remember from before if we had gone right when we walked in the front door we would have ended up here first. Thus we have completed the loop layout of the downstairs... reminds me of a railroad apartment in Brooklyn, maybe that's why we felt at home here right away??

More dining room

See if you look back this direction you can see the doorway to the entry way (on the left) and the guestroom (on the right) and a closed door to the basement (in the middle)

One more dining room

In this shot you can see a little nook to the right of a door that heads out onto the porch (there are 3 doors to exit the house on the front side (entry way, dining room and one in the kitchen)... I can't decide what to put in the nook, so many wonderful options! 

Into the kitchen

Continue with me through the door into the kitchen, on the left is a full bath for the guestroom and visitors and then the main kitchen area is to it's right.

Bathroom

or what I like to call, "I didn't even know they used Formica on walls, rip everything out of this room" except not pictured when you first walk into the room there are some quite lovely built in cabinets from at least 70 years ago and we are going to try and keep those in the redesign of the room.

More kitchen

a different view of the kitchen reveals it is large enough to be an eat in. Behind that door is a bonus room which Paulo is going to turn into his own bike shop. Peg board walls for tool storage and who knows what else!

More kitchen because its the most important room in the house!

LOVE the enamel sink, so special... wish it was a different color, but I think we are going to try and work with it. Counters have to go, planning on walnut stained butchers block. Keep original cabinets because how cute! New stove has already been ordered. Dishwasher needs to be installed. Planning to put it on the right side where they have their toaster oven situated as there is plumbing already in the wall there for the washing machine on the other side of the wall... not quite enough space there to fit a standard sized machine though, so hoping we can work with a contractor to move the existing cabinetry down the wall a bit and make space... but we will weigh options vs cost when we meet our GC.

Last kitchen shot I promise

This just gives you a better feel for the layout of the room. There's that last door to the front porch I was telling you about!

More porch

Paulo and I are hoping to turn this porch off the kitchen (which is separated from the one which runs the whole length of the house) into a 3 season porch... this is however very far down on our list of improvements!

Upstairs

Alright if you went back to the entryway and climbed the stairs here is where we end up. You can see the bathroom at the end of the hallway, but first I want you to turn around and come with me into the room I was excited about but most prospective buyers were likely horrified by...

UPSTAIRS KITCHEN

AKA my studio!!! So excited for running water and attic access. Look at all that storage for my art supplies. I'm in heaven. Minus the horrifying yellow, which will soon be white... I'm thinking about painting the cabinets as well, but that can wait where as the yellow has got to go NOW ha ha. There is also clothes line access out the window here which is amazing for the dying projects I would like to do this spring and a gas line hook up should I ever need that... Eventually, assuming my ventures continue to grow into an office outside the home we may turn this space into a master bath, closet and laundry room.

Upstairs bath

Sadly another gut, but not nearly as offensive as downstairs so we aren't in a huge rush! Everything is basically just white.

Upstairs sitting room

This room could be a bedroom. But in the spirit of the rest of the house, walk through this to get to that is also serves as a parlor off the bedroom. We plan to add a door to the master you do not need to access through this room at some point. Until then it will be my office and the entrance to our bedroom. Much to my and Paulo's chagrin it is the best room to use for inventory storage and photography for my website so it will be filled with lamps and antiques, which I love, but it might not be the most attractive entrance to our boudoir... sometimes form must follow function even though it is not our preference.

Upstairs sitting room again

Mmmm wonderufl light in here. Perfect for photos.

Master bedroom

Ivy is out. Green trim is out. Paneling stays FOR NOW. Our bedding is navy, so we are doing the walls in light grey and the trim in a darker grey. I think it will be versatile and be lovely until we rip out paneling, add a door and replace the ceilings.

Remember! None of the furnishings in these photos are mine. ha ha

Stay tuned as we press onward into the great unknown... what lies behind the paneling? Will we be successful DIY dry wallers? Can we squeeze a dishwasher in that nook without moving all the cabinets? You can follow my pinterest board farmhouse chic to see my furnishing and reno inspiration in progress!

Fall inspiration

Where does the time go? We are deep into fall with Halloween just around the corner. Speaking of which, I came across the most perfectly imperfect pumpkin the other day and it had to be mine. In order to justify the purchase I figured I better put together a little fall inspiration shoot for the shop... Have you started planning your Thanksgiving table yet? Nothing makes a statement like some gorgeous vintage glassware! Pictured are Bauerware ceramic pottery mugs with copper handles and MCM smoke colored glass whiskey glasses. Both are perfect for entertaining and come in a set of 4. Cheers!

A little floral inspiration.

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Doors, Doors, Doors...

If you follow my instagram feed, you know I love doors. I recently visited Portugal with a brief stopover in Spain and the doors were fabulous! Not only the doors, also the plant life, pastries, hospitality and the architecture overall. But, this post is dedicated to doors. These need no description. I will let them speak for themselves.

On my next trip to Portugal I want to spend an entire day (or 2??) in Sintra. It sits perched atop a mountain with a palace at the very top. The town climbs the hillside up winding roads amidst a magical forest. I want to walk the streets and photograph all the fabulous doors! It was raining the day we went to see the palace, next time I will make sure the sun is shining and I have ample time to explore. Stay tuned for more posts from my recent trip to Portugal.

Marimekko x Target

It's happened! It launched today, a collaboration between two of my favorites, Target and Marimekko. Now, you know I had scoped out the goodies ahead of time, because they offered a sneak peak on the site. I have been salivating over a fabulous umbrella for my backyard for days and with the line becoming available today, I ordered it this morning!

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Now, this was not the only item I wanted... But we have to make choices and so instead of buying everything I loved I decided to put together a little post of my picks. And if someone happens to see this, who is in the market to buy me a gift, this would be a great guide for that as well! Ha ha, seriously.

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Harka Outdoor Rug 5'x7' $79.99

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Lokki Deck Chair $74.99

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Koppelo Pillow (indoor/outdoor) $24.99

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Kaivo Reversible Throw $29.99

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Lokki Pitcher and Glasses Set $24.99

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Blue Salad Plates $19.99

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Lokki Reversible Placemats $19.99

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Kaivo Serving Tray $19.99

I was very happy to see that both the Kaivo and Koppelo prints made it into the collection. It's great to Marimekko bring their designs to a more affordable venue. I always love their collaborations with Crate & Barrel, but hopefully this will bring their design sense to even more homes across the country! You can check out the full collection including clothes, bags and of course products for home here.

Greenpointers Holiday Market!!

Excited to announce, I'll be there! This is my first Holiday Market so come on by and say hello if you are around on Sunday. There will be lots of vendors there selling a variety of wares perfect for gifting. There will also be food, drink and entertainment. I've been prepping tons of new silver-plate pieces and will be offering a discount on selected items. This is a great spot to do your holiday shopping. You'll be shopping small and supporting local artisans!

Hope to see you on Sunday 12/6 from 1-7pm @67 West St in Greenpoint. I'll be bringing this little devil and a whole lot more.

Kaj Franck a little designer profile

Kaj Franck is a Finnish designer best known for his work for Arabia Finland. He studied furniture design in 1932 at the Central School of Industrial Design in Helsinki. Kaj Franck designed ceramics, glassware and my favorite, enamelware.  He went on to design glassware for Iittala, introducing the idea of individually sold glasses rather than the traditional set.

There are many patterns associated with Kaj Franck's enamelware. The most often found and widely produced are the mushroom pattern bowls. I have seen salad bowls and serving bowls in this pattern, it subsequently also ends up being the most affordable. Harder to come by is the elusive lobster pattern. I was lucky enough to come across one which is pictured below.

$125 on Etsy by FoundbyaPropStylist

There are also hearts, vegetables, little blue clovers, the red daisy pattern (pictured below on mugs), chevril, cherries, there are about 20 patterns in all.

$62 each on Etsy by FoundbyaPropStylist

Many Arabia Finland aka Finel pieces you find will be stamped on the bottom as the mug shown above, but many are not. If you want to start collecting the best thing to do is identify the patterns associated with the designer and brand. I for one was hooked the first time I got my hands on a mushroom bowl! Stop by my etsy store as I almost always have some Kaj Franck in stock.