TGIF, everyone. Here is my new favorite song of all time — Digitized Happiness to get you goin’ and make you smile. 
. Sorry, I cannot embed it so you need to jump over here to YouTube to see it. peace.
{ 3 comments }
From the category archives:
Pam Chat
Oh my goodness, look at this incredible vintage Case vanity. Heck yeah there is more…
{ 4 comments }
Have I ever mentioned that in my next life I want to be the person who picks out car colors? And gives the colors their names, too. I actually knew the head of car colors for Ford Motor Company when I worked there. I coveted her job. Next time around. Of course, there is actually a company called The Color Wheel Company. They sell this interior design color wheel for either $9 or $7 dollars (I think it may be on sale right now, I’m confused) including shipping. If you have anxiety about putting colors together — or, if you are really interested in learning more — this could be a useful tool that helps you try out some bolder things that you might not normally try. Check it out here. READERS: What are paint colors that have worked out super well for you – brand/color – and for what rooms (or exterior)? And – have you put two colors together with unexpectedly awesome results? This kind of info is golden to share. Let’s hear it.
{ 30 comments }
Suzy is my graphic designer. She helps with things on the blog, like making Hallowe’en headers. This is her favorite salt and pepper shaker. It’s a MIB “Tiny T-V.” I don’t quite understand where the salt, or pepper, comes out. Suzy likes retro stuff and has other wacky habits. I like her a lot.
{ 12 comments }
Photo credit: Albert Sanchez
Photo: Albert Sanchez
Are you looking for creative ways to show off your collections? How about this inspiration from Jonathan Adler. He created this starburst mirror… composed of 64 Barbies (I counted). It was for the real-life Barbie Malibu Dream House, which he decorated when our favorite girl turned 50 back in March. At the extreme, this example shows how to pull a collection into a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts. A tried and true trick of decorating is to group items together — rather than scatter them throughout the room. The mass creates power and graphic appeal all its own. Have fun with your collectibles, readers. Don’t store them away in the basement or boxes. Photo courtesy Jonathan Adler Interior Design – see more of the Barbie House and other Adler interiors here.
{ 4 comments }
I love pink bathrooms. I was born the same year as Barbie. Of course, I would love everything about Barbie’s real-life Malibu Dream House, with the interior designed by Jonathan Adler. Anyone who talks about “over the top kitten-ness” is a friend of mine. I want that pillow on Barbie’s bed. The chandelier made out of blonde wigs: Scary.
{ 4 comments }
Maintaining windows – wood, steel or aluminum? Concerned about abrasive cleaners? Ceramic tile? Moisture problems? The National Park Service has preservation briefs to help on all these topics — 44 in all — available at your fingertips online. While these briefs appear to be intended for historic preservation pro’s — and while I’m not sure the NPS would yet classify our little pieces of the American dream as “historic” — the reports certainly appear to be informative reading for renovation geeks who want to know as much as they can about what they may be dealing with. Remember, I always advise to consult with pro’s when it comes to environmental and safety issues — renovate safe. Here is the link to all the NPS Technical Service Briefs. You can read them online — or order them in print, for free.
{ 3 comments }
I took this photo at an estate sale last year — I loved the crystal finial (if that’s what it’s called) on this pull-down light. This fixture was in the dining room. I like how the crystal trim gives the atomic fixture a little bit of traditional formality. This also makes me wonder: Could you take a lamp finial, and use it on the bottom of a pull-down lamp?
{ 2 comments }
These mint-in-box pink flamingo wall tiles from the Mosaic Tile Company may well be the most wonderful thing I have ever seen. They are for sale now at BungalowBill.com. Worth every penny of the $2,300 price. Here is what Bill says on his site:
This HUGE panel by the Mosaic Tile Company of Zanesville Ohio dates from 1949 and comes straight from an estate in Florida. These tiles were never installed. They have been packed safely away for 60 years, looking as new as when they came out of the factory. Traditionally a panel such as this was used as the focal point on the back wall over the tub and shower. But, if you can’t commit to installing this prize and leaving it for the next owner, you can always mount and frame it for moveable enjoyment. Your bathroom doesn’t even need to be pink!
{ 4 comments }
Think your bathroom is a problem? Let us not forget that until well after WWII, many homes in America did not have indoor bathrooms. My mom and grandmother, in Shenandoah, Pa. — outhouse out back until they moved to an apartment in 1950. Dad — farm in Aneta, North Dakota — outhouse ’til about the same time. The poster at left, produced between 1936 and 1941 as part of the Work Projects Administration Federal Art Project, appears to indicate that many homes didn’t even have outhouses. Gulp. Image: Library of Congress.
{ 12 comments }
