Blast from the Past....

I had a 70s flashback last night! I was going through some boxes, trying to sort out what to donate and what to keep, and came across these 45 records. That Bohemian Rhapsody one is one of the first records I ever bought.

Racks, Hooks and Shelves and the like....

Because this old house does not have much for closets, I'm trying to add storage wherever I can.

 So today, I put this little railroad car coat rack behind the bedroom door. Every little bit counts!

Aren't the hooks on this sweet? Such a nice shape.

 This window is getting a paint job on the frame to match the white woodwork in this house. I think I'm going to hang it in the bay window in the dining room to cut some of the glare off the house next door.

Refashioned 1950s Curtains

 I took the two huge barkcloth panels and made 4 smaller panels from them, and hung them from rings like I've been doing in the rest of the house. When I hung them this way, it made them apron length without rehemming, and that suits me!

 I like them. I'm still seeing a bit too much of that house next door, but I have a plan that I hope will cure that problem. The colors in this picture are much more accurate than that night time photo at the top. I sent them off to the cleaners to get washed and pressed...so if the fabric holds up, I'll have one more room of windows done!

This naughty little bird was not in the Christmas box, but in some other box I unpacked yesterday. So I stuck him up there, and he looks like he likes it better than being stuck in a box until Christmas!

Removing Paint from Hardware

On someone's blog I read that you can remove paint from hardware by boiling it. I tried it today, it worked great, and was much less messy than using stripper. Not smelly like stripper either!

 They had many layers of paint ...on the brass and on the glass. I simmered them for a while, and watched the paint losening and bubbling away from the knobs. Then, handling them carefully (hot, hot, hot!!), I used a green scotch brite pad to rub at the paint. It came right off.

 Here I've rubbed a bit and removed most of the paint. Then I put it back in the pan for a bit and repeated the process.

 Pretty much done! Just a couple of bits to take off.

Here's were they go...on a little medicine cabinet that for some reason is over the bathtub instead of the sink. Old houses are quirky like that sometimes. I need to touch up the paint under where the knobs go, as soon as Jane brings me a bit of the white she used when she painted. It looks much better though!

Vintage Barkcloth

I bought these 1950s barkcloth curtains, and I was going to resell them at the shop. But then I brought them home from the shop and pinned them up at the windows. The color of the flowers is the same as my living room curtains, and they look pretty nice. So I'm seeing if I can remake them for the little bay window in the dining room. I'm lucky they were long enough to be apron length curtains.

Right now I'm trying to decide whether to hang them with the rings showing more (as they are in this picture), or with the hooks through the rings, which makes them hang a bit higher and hides the rods. That might be good because, as you can see, the rods are not custom bent for this bay..they are just 3 rods hung at the same height. I really like the looks of the rings showing though, so I'm thinking I will go that way. I'll deal with the rods somehow. These curtains were such a good bargain that I might even look for others, so I can change out the look at the holidays or during the summer...mabye something lighter for summer.

Hanging it up...

Mom came over the other night and we started hanging some of the pictures. Great! They are on the wall, and one more thing off the floor!  I'm always happy to have Mom help me do this...she is the master at hanging artwork.

 This little chain of birds was hanging out in a Kankakee resale shop and it had to come home with me.

 The quilt is by local artist, JoanE Lipinski. It depicts pond life, and as you know I have a thing for anything to do with the water. Joe gave it to me for my birthday years ago, and I love it. The other piece is one we bought while we were in Hawaii. I'll have to take close-ups of both of these, so you can see them better. They are really beautiful. And I was pleased that they didn't clash with the curtains, because we chose the curtains based on the rug, not the artwork.

A couple more found homes on the stairway. The one on the right is below...

I got it an an auction for a couple of dollars and I've always liked it. The embroidered figures are cute and I love the little poem. I had it hanging inside our back door, by basement steps, at the other house for a while, but there wasn't a great place for it....now I have it right inside the front door as you go upstairs.

Splish, Splash...

So, as  much as I loooove a bath, I've been putting off trying this one out. Mostly because I didn't have a two dollar stopper (duh),  but also because I usually soak at night, and I have just not been comfortable enough at night to relax in the tub. So I had a day off and tried it out...niiiice. Now I'm ready to get this room shaped up. I wonder why they ever went to the kind of tubs I grew up with, when these old clawfoot tubs are sooo much more comfortable. I guess at some point, some designer decided that it would be great if bathtubs were super uncomfortable? Crazy!

I found that little stool this summer, at a resale shop in Michigan for a couple of bucks. Works great and folds up and out of the way the rest of the time.

I have this cool slip. It's vintage...it was my mom's. Hehe. Sorry Mom! And then I wore it under some of her 50/60's skirts, retro style, when I was in high school and college. It's still lovely, and I think it's going to become a curtain! Stay tuned....