The Living Room (or me practicing photography)

My oldest son has gotten one of those new fangled phones;  you know, the kind that enables you to talk, text, take pictures, ask directions, do your taxes, and make coffee. He had no need for his old digital camera so he gave it to me. After he gave me a quick run through, I practiced taking some photos  in the living room.

Now remember, there is not enough lighting in that room. And it was cloudy and dreary outside. So if the photos  seem a little dark I will just blame that.  I am still looking for vintage lighting for above the fireplace so we have made do with lamps everywhere. Click on the photos to make them bigger.

Here is what you see if you come in the front door:

Around the corner to the left is the fireplace:

Up close you can see the display of record albums which changes quite frequently:

Around the corner to the right of the entry is a repurposed bookcase that holds a display of  bar items (something no Rat Pack era home was without):

The really cool 3 legged chair:

The bookcase:

The view from the fireplace:

One of 2 starburst end tables:

The corner table and shadow box/mirror/curio shelf :

A few notes about this room and it’s furnishings.:

This room is long. It is also pretty large for a 1951 house. That is a good thing.

The only items that came from the old house are the sofa and the recliners. Everything else was picked up at garage sales, estate sales, thrift stores or IKEA.  The big screen television is new and it’s modern stand is from Walmart.com. The large area rug was left here by the previous owners (dirty of course) but Hubby steam cleaned it and I think it looks fine for now.

The funny 3 legged chair was given to us by a dear friend who had it in his home growing up in the 50’s and 60’s. We had it reupholstered by an elderly gentleman who is retired from a local furniture company. He said he had never seen a 3 legged chair like that one. I think it is pretty unique 🙂 I had him make me 2 pillows for the sofa with the chair fabric reversed.

In addition to vintage lights for the fireplace I plan to add pinch pleat drapes in a funky bark cloth or fiberglass fabric.

How does it look so far? Other than too many lamps have I kept it simple but yet cozy?  And what to do about the newish ceiling fan? I know they are not period but we want one here in the Midwest where it is HOT sometimes? Any ideas?

I have fallen off the wagon, again.

When preparing to move 16 months ago, I came to the realization that I had to get a grip on my vintage hoarding tendencies and start fresh. I was not going to have room for all that stuff at the much smaller home we had just purchased. Besides I did not want everyone who was helping us move know my dirty little secrets.

I had been collecting cookbooks for my entire marriage.  I was drawn mostly to those from the depression era.  Unfortunately it did not stop there. I had amassed a sizable lot that included everything from the turn of the century (not the last one) all the way to the Low Carb and Low Fat craze. It was time to purge. I mean did I really need a cook booklet that came with the purchase of a refrigerator that I had never owned?

My collection of cookbooks and cooking magazines was then whittled down to one box. I kept the ones that I actually used,  the ones I had received as gifts, and a couple that just made me feel all warm and fuzzy. What did not make the cut was donated to the thrift store or sold at the moving sale.

I never looked back.

And then it happened.  2 months ago I spotted this beauty at a resale shop for $1:

I told myself:  “It is only $1. Besides, with those great colors and graphics it can be displayed in the kitchen.”

And so it began.

Here was my next “fix”, purchased last week at a consignment store for $2.  I told myself this would look great for summer,  displayed with picnic items and that weird grill we purchased a few weeks back  (featured last week on  http://retrorenovation.com/) .

And these were dug out, having made the cut from the move, ready to drool over once again.  I mean look at this one; it goes great with springtime and Easter decor, right?  And all those colors remind me of the  pastel mints placed in the middle of the tables (along with salted mixed nuts) at bridal and baby showers from my childhood.

And this one reminds me of being a pre-teen when Mom let me make cookies from scratch. Of course they were usually chocolate chip. You know, the dough is really good.

And this one has followed me around for years. I don’t know why, the binding is breaking but I just cannot bear to get rid of it.

Hmmm….Good and Easy…maybe I should actually open it up and use it instead of trying all these new recipes that I cut out of magazines.  Most require trips to multiple grocery stores in search of  all those weird ingredients. Like who keeps wheat berries and pancetta on hand anyway?

Hey, I am on Retro Renovation!

I am super excited that Pam Kueber featured one of my finds on her awesome Mid-Century lovin’  site,  http://retrorenovation.com/.

She thought that the Hang It All charcoal/barbecue grill was pretty cool, too.

You remember I posted a photo of that crazy contraption that Hubby and I picked up last weekend:

Her site is my “go to” for inspiration and information about ANYTHING mid-century!