Category: Vintage

July 29, 2012

How To Arrange Flowers In Vintage Vases

I rarely buy flowers for myself. (I’m sure many of you can relate.) Even though they’re so pretty, flowers just don’t last long enough to justify the purchase. If I do have flowers around my pad, it’s because I snuck over to my neighbor’s yard and snipped a bloom or two. Hey, it’s a rental. They didn’t plant the flowers, so I don’t think they mind…hopefully. But, even that’s rare. So, when I do actually have flowers, I get super excited. They just make a room feel so…happy! Today’s my birthday and my sweet boyfriend bought me a bouquet. True to my vintage-loving self, I arranged the flowers in a couple of mason jars and a vase from a secondhand shop. Check out how I did it. The aisles at thrift stores and secondhand shops are usually overflowing with all sorts of vases—tall, skinny, round, glass, ceramic, you name it. Because I’m cheap, I always buy vases ast secondhand shops. I love the eclectic assortment…and the price. Most run $1 or less. I got the cute milk glass vase pictured above at a secondhand shop. I love taking a large bouquet and splitting up the flowers into several smaller...

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July 12, 2012

Vintage Love: A Barnyard Wedding

When done right, a wedding’s décor can make an already happy celebration just that much more perfect. That’s the kind of night it was at my friends’ vintage-inspired wedding. After an outdoor ceremony, the reception took place in the indoor-outdoor space of a converted barn on a working farm. The backdrop of rolling hills and planted crops perfectly suited the vintage items that decorated the tables, the walls and the dessert bar. In this carefully-thought-out wedding, everything just felt right. They had the vintage details down. From an old wooden chest holding programs, (which also doubled as fans!), to galvanized metal tubs storing bottled water to old spoons and wooden boxes decorating the tables, this wedding couldn’t have been more vintage perfect. Their colors even nodded to vintage. Bridesmaids wore pale, pale blue flowy dresses and groomsmen sported bright red vests and ties. Chinese lanterns in the same colors canvassed the ceiling of the barn, hung between strings of lights. Kelsey and Jon Pierson know how to have a wedding vintage-style. Check out some pictures from the vintage event below! [A friend of the couple hand painted this sign. I love how the vintage colors contrast with the more...

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July 5, 2012

3 Uses For Vintage Jewelry (Besides Wearing It!)

If you love scouring antique malls, thrift stores and garage sales for truly unique vintage jewelry, like me, then you also likely have some vintage jewels that just don’t get worn too often. I tend to have a few favorite pieces that I wear all the time until my next jewelry phase. Put those idle trinkets to good re-use around your home! When you’re not flaunting those killer vintage necklaces, bracelets and earrings with your stylish ensembles, then repurpose them with these three nifty ideas. Dress up a bulletin board image: Kirsten Hudson Instead of pinning messages, pictures and other odds and ends to your bulletin board, use vintage earrings minus the backs to hang items. Scour antique malls and thrift stores for a bunch of cheap vintage earrings. From showy costume jewelry to delicate fake pearls and diamonds, choose whatever vintage earrings fit your distinct style. Necklace as a bookmark image: Lindley Ashline Next time you need to save your page in your latest read, toss out that boring receipt or scrap paper marking your spot. Instead, use a pretty vintage necklace as a bookmark. Now that’s a page marker worthy of that hardback. Bracelets as napkin rings...

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June 14, 2012

3 Steps To Create A Vintage-Inspired Desk

You vintage lovers deserve a workspace that complements your home decorating aesthetic. Whether you just use your desk to pay bills and surf the Web or your desk functions as your full-time workstation, you need a space where you enjoy spending time. If it looks vintage-cute, all the better! For me, an office space that combines vintage elements, artwork that I enjoy looking at, and functionality inspires me to write. Check out my desk below and discover how you too can fashion a vintage-inspired desk for your home. 1. The right desk  The modern desks you find at furniture stores today often don’t offer the same craftsmanship as vintage pieces. Vintage desks are usually made of solid wood, not a combination of wood and cheap plywood like today’s furniture. Choose a desk for your workspace that you’ll actually want to work at. I salvaged my desk from a Goodwill for $20. With a fresh coat of white paint and green accents, it looks near-new and still has the retro look I adore. 2. Keep it minimal Choose the pieces that you place on your desk surface carefully. An uncluttered work area will help you get more work done. You...

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May 13, 2012

Stylishly Organize Your Home With Vintage Tins

We often associate “storage” with dumpy, bulky plastic tubs and containers. When you work so hard to fill your home with items that fit your style, you might wonder why can’t storage do its job and look good too? It can! Keep your home   looking fresh by corralling all of those stray items—mail, batteries, office supplies—in easy-to-come-by vintage tins. You’ll never want to use plastic storage containers again. You can easily locate vintage tins at thrift stores, secondhand shops, flea markets and antique malls. Scour your local shops for metal tins that fit your style. Whether you like a funky, classic or sleek look, you’ll be able to find antique tins you love. Keep in mind that you don’t need full out vintage décor in your home to use vintage tins. They look especially good juxtaposed against modern furnishings. Declutter your home by stowing away all of that stuff you just don’t need out and about. I use vintage tins in every room of my home to tuck away less attractive items. Check out how I get organized with vintage tins: Handy circular vintage tins break up the rows of books on my bookshelf and provide convenient storage...

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