{GHP} My Best Find Ever

09 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Antiques, Collections & Accessories, House and Home

Tags

When Victoria, over at Restoring our 1890 Victorian, invited me to play lead guitar for her Linky party, I was thrilled. Victoria will be Lead Singer and Danielle of Storypiece will be on drums. 😀 Playing with blog friends is so much fun. Then reality set in, what was my favorite find?! I’ve always loved scouring flea markets, antique stores, and thrift stores for treasures. Since I’m now more mature (read: older) I have amassed a lot of good stuff from these excursions. So what would win the beauty contest as the best thing I’ve ever found?

I thought and debated with myself…I had recently done a post on homes becoming the scrapbook of your life and figured I could use that post to link my finds. Then I decided to work on my creativity, “let’s not become lazy where your blog is concerned, Karen!” and I came up with a recurring theme with my inventory of “treasures”…TRAYS, specifically silver trays, but pretty much any tray that strikes my fancy. Trays have always been a draw for me, as evidenced in my two previous posts on the topic HERE & HERE.

I have been given a couple of trays by family members and a particular favorite tray came from a friend (she found it for me on one of her excursions)…but most of my stash comes from bumping into the odd tray at consignment, antique or thrift stores, the prices have one thing in common, they have been rock bottom for all of the useful benefits they can provide the willing owner (moi).

Both the tray above and below belonged to my mother-in-law. I was honored when she gave them to me a few years before she passed away.

This tray (below) is hammered silver and coincidentally has a B monogram, our last name starts with a B. Our friends know us well…we love this tray!

I bought the larger tray at a flea market last year, but the tray in front is a trophy tray I purchased in 1999 in Oxford, England. Such a find, and a great reminder of the fun we had as a family while visiting England during Christmas.

This Sheffield tray came from a favorite antique store in San Clemente, Stanford Court. It was cheap because it was missing a foot {I love footed trays} but a visit to Normandy Metal Finishers remedied that for me for only about the price I paid for the tray. It remained a bargain…

I’m now using the tray in the reading room. It holds a couple of antique books, one of the little nests I’ve found in our yard, and an orchid.

This silver plate was found at a consignment store for $25. I love the detailing

Recently I stumbled upon this little, and I do mean tiny, tray. I couldn’t resist. Look at the detailing on this cutie…

Another recent find…wait, am I overboard on this collection? No, can’t be, one can never have too many trays, right?

There’s always a holy grail of trays I’m in search of, the impossible find, and this is it…

{source}

If you know where I can pick up one of these beauties for, oh say, $25 let me know!

Join me over at Victoria’s place…it should be fun finding out what surprise “find” Victoria recently acquired and some of the treasures other collectors have discovered.

Wait until you see what Victoria has to share! Visit Restoring our 1890 Victorian.

Wait there’s more…I’ve visiting Art@Home for her “My Happy List” party, and Savvy Southern Style for Wow us Wednesdays, Stop by.

{Home} The scrapbook of your life

13 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Antiques, Collections & Accessories, Decorating, House and Home

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

accessories

For a home to hold great appeal and interest for me it has to have a personality. In fact, my friend Linda recently read a quote from a designer, “I like to surround myself with things I love because I feel that my home is like a scrapbook of my life”. This sums it up nicely. That is where the personality of a home comes in. When done well, a home reads like a scrapbook of where someone has been, their interests, their history and their pursuits.

{source}

I’ve ~~lectured~~ posted on this topic before {HERE and HERE}, but I think we’re currently in the midst of a design trend that embraces the use of reclaimed, recycled and antique (previously owned) pieces and I couldn’t be happier for it. For me personally, it’s the ideal way to go ‘green’.

{source}

Some of the treasures we love to accessorize with have gotten pricey, even when you can find it on eBay, but if you’re lucky, you have a few items handed down through family. Those are my favorites, although I’m not opposed to adding to the collection by a decade long search of each antique shop or thrift store I encounter on vacations.

Notice the wallpaper (below)…it looks to be antique newsprint, and that mirror, I can only imagine those that stole a glance at themselves as they passed it in a hallway or bedroom!

{source}

My father-in-law left us his binoculars in their original black leather case, the smaller pair were from a friend of my mother’s. All rest on the antique French coat rack in our hallway…at the ready for bird watching {joke}.

I believe furniture made from reclaimed woods can be found for reasonable prices, but I’ve seen some that out pace an antique, pricing wise.

{I think the above image is Restoration Hardware, but the antique prints make the wall sconces, mirrors, hanging light and vanity all look vintage or antique}

{Amy Howard via Cote de Texas}

{tumblr}

{tumblr

A closing post of a much loved blog site, Henhurst Interiors, 2.7.13 featured this quote “People who collect out of love are exempt from the dictates that govern traditional design, for there are no rules for true lovers.” – Rose Tarlow in The Private House ♥ Phyllis, we’ll miss you, I hope you will return to your blog sometime in the not too distant future.

{Home} Take a load off

01 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Collections & Accessories, Decorating, House and Home

≈ 27 Comments

Tags

furniture

Chairs…we all have at least a few of them where we live, right? A couple of my best friends make a hobby of collecting them. I confess, I’ve become more fascinated with chairs and their overall design of late and if it weren’t for the fact that there isn’t one square inch of space left in our home, I could see myself buying a few of the beauties I’ve posted here.

{Possibly my favorite chair…the ottoman makes this a ideal spot for me to relax and read. The room is a south-facing room so it’s usually light and warm in the winter months}

{I have more than one version of the chair above, I love the wood wings on the chair and the slope of the back}

{The chairs on either side of the fireplace are inviting and appear to be comfortable}

{The leather and nail head wing back chair above is something I think could fit in almost anywhere—it’s got a wing-back look but doesn’t have the bulk of a wing back chair}

It was a great coincidence for me that I had started a folder of pictures of chairs in anticipation of writing a post about the topic. Alison of The Polohouse invited her readers to join her “Favorites on the First” with talk of chairs.
{I love it when the planets align!}

{Circa designs via heirloom philosophy}

{This club chair came from a consignment store years ago, it’s been recovered more than once, this Ralph Lauren fabric is the latest. The chair is very comfortable, just ask Madison (our dog) who spends most of her day in it!}

{I love this chair (above) with the flannel plaid on the front and the leather on the back}

{Wicker is always a classic and while the back on this one could use a cushion, in my opinion, its a very pretty chair}

{Belgian Pearls}

This version of a wing back chair was an instant favorite with the overstuffed seat and nail heads…

{Lydia Chair via Henhurst Interiors}

{sigh}

I love a chair with details, like above and below.

{Gregorius Pineo via T&G Interiors}

{Jane Moore via Cote de Texas}

I like the added beauty of wood and linen or leather on a chair.

{John Saladino}

{Traditional Home}

Do you have a favorite chair? Do you like down-filled cushions? I’m always happy to hear from you!

March's Linky Party 3/1,2,3

I’m linking to Alison’s [The Polohouse] Favorites on the First…have a look.

{Home} Live in rooms full of light. ~ Cornelius Celus

06 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Architectural elements, Collections & Accessories, Decorating, House and Home

≈ 22 Comments

Tags

friend's house, lighting

Before I begin your tour of my freind’s beautiful home…I wanted to thank my best blog buddy, Victoria, for nominating me the the 2013 Homies over at Apartment Therapy. I’m nominated to the Best Home Design & Inspiration Blog. I’m touched and flattered. If you have a moment to vote visit HERE…I would love your vote and would reciprocate if you are a fellow blogger. You can vote for as many blog sites as you like, I’d love it if you vote for Victoria’s site [Restoring our 1890 Victorian] too. You might have to sign up to vote, so if you choose not to do that (although they do make it simple), I understand. In any event, I enjoy this hobby and it’s always fun to receive a nod from a talented, fellow blogger.

{This antique gate, when entered, leads to one side of the property}

Glenys, a dear friend of mine, recently moved into their new, custom made home. It has taken more time than you might expect for selection of the lot, planning the home’s design with the architect, building the home and finally, moving in.

By the way, you can tell by the sky that the day I visited was a Chamber of Commerce day for the area. The blue skies and sunshine were amazing.

{The exterior front door was designed by the architect and built by a craftsman in the region. The door marks the entry to a hallway that takes you to another door that allows you to enter the courtyard that their home surrounds}

I was thrilled to be given a tour and had hoped my images would turn out better than they have, I may be able to edit some of the photographs but I don’t have them ready for a post yet. (Note to self, until you actually buy a better camera your photos will never turn out great).

{(above) One of two or three, I can’t remember, antique lantern lights that light the covered, exterior hallway to the courtyard}

{A spectacular oak tree takes center stage in the courtyard, while a fountain in the yard immediately relaxes each visitor, there was an audible sigh between me and my friend, Jean, who took the tour with me when we crossed the threshold into the courtyard}

{Ready? This post will be all about about the lighting, but it’s okay to notice the incredible doors and the view just beyond} [the designer informs me these doors were very old doors they discovered and that a talented craftsman on the project worked very hard to get them to operate properly]

One of the things that struck me with this home was the obvious thought and care that went into selecting lighting. Glenys didn’t want a ton of canned lights (who can blame her) and what she ended up with was a home with wall sconces and light sources that are reminiscent of a historic villa in the south of France.

The floors are either reclaimed wood or stone, depending on which room you’re in, and some of the walls are stone. The chandelier (above) looks antique but in fact isn’t. Glenys and her designer spent a great deal of time tracking down the right pieces for the home and as a result everything seems as though it was meant for the space and imparts a history and comfort that you don’t often find in “new” homes. Many of the lighting fixtures were custom made for the home.

The chandelier above came from a favorite nursery here in Newport Beach, Rogers Gardens. This was used in one of the nursery’s displays during the month of October. Rogers always hosts a fabulous Halloween room with seasonal decor items, as well as pieces such as this. I love it! The size suits the stairwell perfectly.

I cannot remember which room this chandelier is in, but by it’s simplicity it is wonderful. All of the beams in the home are authentic old beams with so much character.

This little wall sconce in the guest room is a favorite of mine, the antique iron bed and wall sconce (made to look antique) take me to a little guest house in the South of France…well, in my imagination

I love the restoration glass in this lantern, which I believe was one of two in the kitchen. The lantern isn’t old but the glass and rustic frame create the look.

I’m going to have to revisit and get back to you on some locations…isn’t this a great lantern?

Throughout the house there are wall sconces…they are especially attractive when mounted on a stone wall.

I hope you enjoyed the tour. Below is the view from one part of the yard…

It feels like you could be on a hillside in France, doesn’t it?

{Garden, Home and Party} Contain yourself, and your stuff

01 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Collections & Accessories, Decorating, House and Home

≈ 36 Comments

Tags

containers

If you’ve followed me for awhile you will remember that I’ve participated in Favorites on the First over at The Polohouse, several times [HERE] and [HERE]. I love Alison’s style and her “favorites” series often gives me ideas for my own blog posts.

The little pewter container below was given to me by my good friend Gretchen, the detailing (which you can’t really see in this picture) is really nice. (Thank you, Gretchen!)

This month Alison is featuring containers. It’s pretty much opened to any container, vase, jars, urns, pitchers, you name it. I really loved the idea of finding images that gave me ideas for using containers of all kind. So, here goes. I hope you’ll stop by The Polohouse and see what others came up with too!

The kitchen below is one of Charles Faudree’s homes. I’m not sure which one but I remember the story of antique piece above the island. What a great container, I’d be curious what it’s real purpose was. As I recall, Mr. Faudree didn’t know it’s use either, but liked it and made it work for more than one of his kitchens.

Since this post is about containers, with no specifics, I’ve pretty much pulled images from my home, as well as those I’ve admired, and have any and all kinds of containers.

Below is my reading room…that is my “reading” chair. I ~~waste~~ spend hours sitting here reading magazines and books, sipping tea, making notes as I think of something I need to do.

{greige}

Our antique china cupboard is a great container…a basket (contains my chargers) and a footbath (filled with nature’s air filter) on top. Is this a stretch on the whole container post?

Dan Marty is king of great containers! (above)

{An Urban Cottage} —thanks, Joan for giving me the source.

Don’t you love the vibrant color of granny smith apples? Nature really does offer decorator accessories of all colors, found at your local market.

Such a great cabinet. I especially like the white painted shelves in contrast to the black finish on the cupboard, married with fabulous pewter, so pretty.

This little footed bowl from PB has a sweet saying around the band at the top, something about family. The boxwood is fake and needs to be replaced with a preserved version (true confession #1).

Again, nature’s prettiest flower (behind peonies and hydrangea) make the vessel shine on the shelf.

{via}

I bought a couple of these to serve water from when we enjoy a meal in the dining room. The aqua colored glass pieces are particularly pretty. Mine are clear glass but they work really well to keep my guests hydrated during a meal.

{tumblr – This Ivy House}

Be still my heart…I’d love the painting and the fabulous blue and white “containers” with an array of flowers.

{tumblr – The Fuller View}

So I hope you’ve enjoyed my interpretation of the best containers. stop by the Polohouse to see what others came up with.

Join me at…The Polohouse

{Garden, Home and Party} They say it’s your birthday

27 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Antiques, Collections & Accessories, Decorating, Gardening, House and Home, Misc, Outdoor living

≈ 33 Comments

Tags

birthdays

Since today is my birthday (me and Mozart) I’m going to share a few of my favorite images. I apologize in advance if you’ve seen these a million times before but they continue to be favorites and I can’t bring myself to delete them. They all bring an immediate smile to my face, hope you will enjoy one or two of them as well.

{1.}

{2.}

{3.}

{4.}

{5.}

~I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend~

{6.}

{7.}

{8.}

{9.}

{10.}

{11.}

The image below is on my wish list…I would like this breakfast nook to be built for my birthday, please.

{12.}

Thank you for taking time out of your busy week to read my posts, and many times, you comment, I love that! I count you all as blog friends and appreciate your interest in my ramblings. Many of you are bloggers yourselves and your sites bring me joy and oftentimes provide inspiration and valuable information/education on topics I know little about, thank you!

1, 2. 10. The Enchanted Home; 3. Things that Inspire; 4. My Notting Hill; 5. Haus Design; 6. House Beautiful; 7. Inspired Design; 8. Traditional Home; 9. Phoebe Howard; 11. Tumblr-That Inspirational Girl; 12. Velvet & Linen; 13. Tumblr-A Gift Wrapped Life.

{Home} Your library book is due

17 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Antiques, Collections & Accessories, Decorating, House and Home, Uncategorized

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

books, library

{Art at Home}

{our home library}

I’ve never been able to put my finger on it but there’s something magical about books for me. I find book stores and libraries to be very relaxing and can loose track of time when I visit. Does this happen to you?

{Content in a Cottage}

{Cote De Texas}

The odd thing is, I have never been a voracious reader. I do love to read and I thoroughly enjoy my design and cook books (no surprise there) but overall I’m not one to read more than a book a month.

{Pure Style}

{Connoisseur}

{Haus Design}

Still, there is something very pleasing about a vintage or antique book. The look can always add something to a vignette in my home. I’ve purchased a few leather bound books that I found at various antique stores and they are my favorites for accents on a table or tray. I love an old cloth bound book as well.

In fact, I recently went to our Friends of the Library (an in-library used book store), and found a book from 1902 named, “Bonnie Prince Charlie” and inside the cover was the name Emma Albrecht…Albrecht was my maiden name. I had to have it!

I’ve always thought I would like a room with ceiling to floor books and room enough for 2 large wing-back chairs and an ottoman with a nice table between. A cozy throw on the back of the chair to fend off a draft and since I’m dreaming, a wonderful fireplace.

{tumblr – WASPing through the Countryside}

{tumblr – Dying of Cute}

{Belgian Pearls}

I have friends whose homes are free of books on display, some of them avid readers and learned people, so I understand it’s a preference (to be surrounded by books, or not).

{Atlanta Homes}

{Art at Home}

{Rose Tarlow via Architectural Digest}

Books in a room catch my attention every time.

{Mark D. Sikes via Architectural Digest}

{Slim Paley}

{tumblr – Looking for Rainbows in the Moonlight}

So how about it? Do you like books around you, in your home?

{GHP} How to pare down, weed out and discover more storage space.

15 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Collections & Accessories, DIY (do it yourself), House and Home, Misc

≈ 22 Comments

Tags

organize

The new year and the onset of spring are two of the most motivating times of the year for me. I seem to have a burst of new energy and a strong desire to pare down. This urge has gained strength as I’ve matured (a word I prefer over “aged”). Having a smallish house, short on storage, helps force this task on me.

I long to cull out unneeded decor items along with the other odds and ends that build up. Tone on Tone posted some amazing images of his camellias in October last year, but this image, which was part of that post, resonated with how I’d like my desk area to look. I kept it as additional motivation of a goal not yet fully accomplished.

{Tone on Tone}

This year was no different, so I thought I’d throw out (no pun intended) a few of my favorite ways to accomplish this task. Oh, and by the way, I have to capitalize on this action (paring down) when the mood strikes, otherwise I tend to think, as I take out one more unused item, “maybe I’ll need this next year, or one of the kids will need it”. Trust me, as the mother of two married sons, both with lovely wives, THEY WILL NOT WANT MOST OF YOUR STUFF!

{Pinterest}

1. Identify the target. I zero in on a closet or two to tackle. [Divide and conquer is best or it will overwhelm me] This can also be the storage cabinets in the garage, which is where I find most of the stuff that I no longer use gets sent. Once it’s hit the garage shelves I find I rarely go out and get it even if there’s a remote chance I’d use it. Still, I try to make sure I’m not going to need the item anytime within the next year. That seems to be the common time frame for ~~dumping~~ disposing of possessions.

{Pinterest} This looks like a great way to store things in the garage without taking floor or cupboard space.

{Arianna Belle}

2. Once you know of a particular space that is troubling you with it’s over-crowding, set aside a time when you can remove all items from the closet, cupboard or drawer. The last thing you want to do is get started right before you have an appointment or dinner guests arriving.

{Better Homes and Gardens}

{Arianna Belle}

3. Start by making 4 piles…things you can’t possibly live without, things you’d like to donate, things you might like to sell via eBay, Craigslist or a garage sale, and things you need to deposit in the trash. Do not allow yourself to believe you’ll need everything unless you have more storage space than you need, and have the luxury of saving stuff forever, in other words, don’t hoard. Remind yourself that donating is a good thing and that someone may end up with your item and it will make them very happy.

{Pinterest}

4. Once you’ve divided the items, act decisively. Take “trash” items to the trash can and the donation items to the car, right now, do not delay. I say this because if you loose momentum on this task you will end up putting it all back and you’ll have wasted your time and the problem will rear its ugly head again next season.

5. Reassign the remaining, must have items, to a location in the cupboard, drawer or closet where it can be easily accessible. If you have useful things but can’t get to them, you won’t use them and they will gather dust and you’ll wonder why you have the thing in the first place.

Note: The above steps apply to decorative accessories as well as other under-used household items. I do have a bit of a problem paring down decorative accessories but I’ve gotten better about doing it and it feels good to have only what I love, even if its a seasonal decoration. Keeping less clutter frees me to know what I have, where it is, and comfortable in the knowledge that I absolutely love it!

{House Beautiful}

The ultimate goal is to have things where you can find them and achieving some semblance of order in and around the house. The images I’ve selected for this post calm me by their simplicity and lack of clutter.

{Peters and Mbiango Interiors}

{Photo: Vickey Weiss}

{Martha Stewart}

{Pinterest}

The other thing I try to do while going through items is re-purpose things in unexpected ways. Jermaine at French Kissed is a constant source of inspiration for this, as demonstrated in her “Pantry Post” sometime back…

{French Kissed}

…and this from Roses and Rust, a clever use for a silver set no longer used for formal tea…

{Roses and Rust}

For additional tips on clutter-busting, visit Real Simple for some great ideas on making this job easier.

Are you organized, do you stay that way or is it something you have to do twice a year?

Join me at Savvy Southern Style for Wow us Wednesday #101

{Home} …and the trophy goes to

10 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Antiques, Collections & Accessories, Decorating, House and Home

≈ 22 Comments

Tags

vintage trophy

As the Academy Awards committee has declared its nominations for this year’s “best of” I thought it would be fun to take a look at trophies as a decorative accessory…this isn’t too much of a stretch, is it?

Trophies were few and far between in my youth. I was on my high school swim team but at my public school awards consisted of paper certificates or ribbons over an actual trophy. I don’t remember any of my friends having lots of trophies so I’m surmising that in my region of Southern California they were not readily handed out.

{and George}

The trophy on the left (above) was the first trophy I purchased. A close up…

It wasn’t until I was married that, while antique shopping, a vintage trophy caught my eye. I believe it was planted with blooming paper whites, which is undoubtedly what attracted me. I brought it home and didn’t buy another trophy until I found a little pewter dog show award on eBay (below).

Above and below is the pewter dog-award cup I found on eBay.

Today I have a few trophies that I’ve collected along the way and continue to admire some of the displays I’ve found on the internet. I lean toward the vintage silver toned beauties, but it’s the odd “Gala Award” or the small silver tray-award I bought while visiting Cambridge given by “RMAS Athletics Team” that steal my heart.

{Pinterest}

{Source}

{Pinterest}

{Lori Miller Vintage Design via Pinterest)

The above trophy is my latest find, the little plaque on the base says,”The Old Bucket of Blood, Virginia City, 1876″

{source}

{Pinterest}

{Miss Mustard Seed}

{The Polohouse}

{Paris Hotel Boutique via Acquired Objects}

{A Beautiful Mess}

{Pinterest}

{Haus Design}

{Antique Farmhouse}

First, do you have any vintage/antique trophies? Second, which movie gets your vote as “Best Picture”?

{GHP} Holiday preparation around the house

04 Tuesday Dec 2012

Posted by Karen B. in Christmas, Collections & Accessories, Decorating, Entertaining, Holidays, House and Home

≈ 22 Comments

Tags

Christmas

Oh my word, is it December 4th already? Time has evaporated for me but I’m excited for the upcoming season, just give me a minute, I’ll be ready, I promise.

{tumblr ~ That Inspirational Girl}

I would have thought that by cutting my posting by half I would have hours of free time. Well, somehow the clocks started decreasing the amount of hours in a day and I got behind…Thanksgiving, wedding…those events will do that to a person, no matter how organized they normally are, right?

Meanwhile, Christmas has been on my mind and these images from various sources prove it…

The nutcrackers are out, work is still in progress on our mantle and fresh greens are ordered.

{GHP}

I’ve got some help in the kitchen with my chef nutcracker…I don’t think he’s interested in cracking any nuts but he doesn’t question any of my cooking decisions, so he stays.{GHP}

Charles Faudree inspired me to wrap garlands in unexpected places. I love this porch in his country home, with the garland-wrapped French poster. {Charles Faudree ~ Pinterest}