Vintage Art

One of my favorite things to buy at an antique or vintage shop is art.  It's often less expensive than any art you'd find in a gallery.  Often times it's even less expensive than mass produced prints you see in craft stores.  I believe it has much more character.  Today I'm going to share some pieces from my collection.

This is one of the first pieces I bought.  I think it may have been $15.  Clearly, it was painted by an amateur artist.  I like the colors.  I also liked the simple wooden frame.  

I passed this painting a few times before I finally bought it.  It was a little more expensive than the first one, but I really like the houses and the way the background is blurry.

This is a more recent purchase.  It is embroidery.  It was in a flimsy frame with a yellow mat.  It was fairly inexpensive and I really like the colors, especially the blue.  About a month ago I finally picked up a new frame, and it's looking much better!

I like these botanical prints.  I've always thought of doing something with the frames, but I never got around to it.  What about painting them gold?  What do you think?

Finally, here is my latest purchase.  I've been on the lookout for a few vintage sketches and haven't been able to fine anything I liked, so I turned to Etsy.  I picked up this sophisticated lady.  I've been calling her Mabel.  I haven't had the chance to get it matted and framed yet.  I'm thinking an off-white mat and a simple black frame.  

What kinds of art do you have in your home?  Next week I'll be sharing some of my DIY art.  I hope you'll stop by.

Field Trip: Watkins Glen, NY

A few months ago (Wow!  Was it that long ago already?) a few of my friends and I decided to take a weekend trip to Watkins Glen, NY to do a little sight seeing and wine tasting.  Watkins Glen is located in the Finger Lakes region of New York on Seneca Lake.  If you like wine tasting, it's definitely the place to go.  If you don't like wine tasting there are many small towns that you can explore.  One of our favorite places was the the distillery we visited.   The hard stuff wasn't for me, but I did pick up a bottle of raspberry liqueur.  On our way home we stopped in Corning to do a little shopping.  We found plenty of cute little shops to keep us busy.  Unfortunately a weekend wasn't enough.  We would have loved to visit the Corning Glass Museum and a few little towns we didn't get the chance to see.  Maybe next time!

What is your design style?

Since I have become interested in home decorating and design I've been trying to put a name to my design style.  I don't really think it's necessary.  You can throw together whatever you like in your own home.  That's what makes your home unique.  I still wanted to see if my particular style has a name.  Does your style have a name?

Do you like clean lines?  Maybe your style is modern.

Do you like bold colors and textures?  Maybe you like the Bohemian style?

Do you love all things Ikea?  Maybe you like Scandinavian design?

One way to narrow down your design style is to try to describe it in three words.  My three words are COZY, WARM, and COMFORTABLE.

Another way is of course, Pinterest!  After a few months of pinning rooms that you like, I think you'll start to notice a pattern.  I think I've noticed that my style is Modern Farmhouse.  I love the look of these chairs and that light fixture.

I love this light fixture too.  Look at those vintage parlor chairs.

Check out the mix of the vintage painting and chest with the modern sofa.

This might be the perfect living room.

I would kill to find a vintage hutch like this one!

One thing I can't get enough of is antique furniture.  The chippier, the better!  To update the look of your antique furniture, try mixing it with a modern lamp.  Place an antique chest of drawers in front of some modern wallpaper or a modern looking gallery wall.

Have you pinned down your design style?  Share it in the comments section below!

Welcome 2014!

Hello!  It's been awhile!  As a music teacher and a pastor's wife things get pretty busy for me from Thanksgiving until Christmas!  This year was no exception!  I'm back and ready to tackle this new year.  Like many people, I like to write down some goals for the new year.  Here are a few of mine.

1.  Exercise more
2.  Learn how to make and can jam
3.  Read more
4.  Enjoy peace and quiet
5.  Blog more consistently
6.  Journal more consistently
7.  A whole host of home decorating projects!

To save myself the embarrassment when I don't actually finish all of the home projects that I have planned, I won't list them here.  One big plan I have is to fix up this hallway and stairway.

When I started this blog almost a year ago now, I thought I would blog two or three times a week.  That may have been a bit ambitious.  I have found out that blogging is a lot of work!  This year I'm going to aim for a blog post every Wednesday.  If I get more than that, I'll consider it a bonus.

In the immediate future I am planning doing a few updates to the blog.  In the meantime you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram.  Have you made any resolutions?  Share them in the comments section!