it runs in the family

We've been visiting family in Atlanta for the past two weeks and there have been lots of "bloggable moments" that I'm hoping to get to eventually. One such event was a quick thrifting outing with my dad who also shares the love of finding hidden treasures and bargains. We had been looking for a moment to steal away together to hit the charity stores down here since there's quite a few of them!

The first place we stopped in was The Hope Store. I had popped in to one of their locations early on in the trip and wasn't all that impressed. But Dad took me to a second location which had more of a vintage flair and was filled with more of the "junk" I'm used to sorting through. It didn't take us long before we spotted something of interest at the back of the store.

It was large, disassembled, and amidst a bunch of lawn furniture: a 1978 Atari pinball machine. The legs were gone and the top was separate from the bottom. Also the glass was missing on the playing area. Regardless, the back glass and the graphics appeared in fantastic condition.

The man working there didn't know how much it was priced for so he had to call a manager. She listed it at $45. I thought that was a decent price as the back glass could easily sell for that much on its own. But it was a big bulky item to deal with and Dad didn't take the bait right away. After looking it over for a few more minutes, the man said we could take it for $25. Dad agreed.

This was a great bonding moment for me and I think Dad will have fun getting this thing in working order. And I will feel like I had a part to play in such a unique find that will be a sure conversation piece in the Douglass household...though some may see my part as a corrupting influence. ;)

Here's a photo of the very same pinball machine in full working order.

Above photo credit: www.democraticunderground.com

Back glass: Funky retro graphics. Girl needs a better bra! Photo credit: http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?gid=2258

Playfield. Photo credit: http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?gid=2258

Side view. Photo credit http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?gid=2258

sippy cups and silk

Remember the scripture in the Bible where Jesus tells us we can't serve both God and money? Well the same goes for loving children and loving fancy vintage furniture. I know that's what Jesus really meant, right?

I've been on a whirlwind vintage kick lately and in the midst of finding some amazing deals on gorgeous unique things, I've sold much of our old furniture which always seemed too big for this city dwelling. Finally, after living here for five years, it's starting to feel like the furnishings suit the house and fit within the nooks and crannies.

In the midst of my thrifting, I stumbled upon this GORGEOUS mid century olive green tufted sofa with wood detailing. My heart was all aflutter. I go nuts over nearly anything tufted! So I swiped it up even though the realist in the back of my mind said, "Don't get too attached. Silk and sippy cups cannot coexist." Or something like that. But the price was right, the style was insane, and so I promised myself I would hold it lightly.

Within the first couple of days, there was an oily residue left on one of the cushions by somebody's little grubby fingers and I contemplated selling the sofa before it got ruined. But then, I reminded myself that I paid next to nothing for it and if it got ruined, it wouldn't be a huge loss, as long as my heart was not attached.

Shortly after, I bought two cans of scotch guard and doused the thing from head to toe. I tested the stain resistance with some water and it beaded up and rolled off and my mind was at ease that maybe sippy cups and silk CAN coexist. Folly? You may be right.

This morning I should have known better than to be productive first thing out of bed because, as I was downstairs putting in a load of laundry, I heard cries from upstairs that Josie had thrown up...On. The. Couch. And it wasn't just regular old throw up, it was a belly full of grape juice. It might as well have been sulfuric acid, or blood, or a flaming kebob of oily cheese. By the time I was able to get to it, it was still beading up, but had soaked in enough to leave a very noticeable stain. I cleaned and blotted and wiped for a half hour or so, fighting off frustration and irritation. But all in all, I'm not that upset. Surprisingly. I love my kids more than I love fancy vintage furniture, and I don't even mind if God wants to keep checking me on this one. I say, if I ever get close to loving stuff more than people, I'll be looking for a boatload of grape juice vomit to come my way.

Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

scattered

Today was a bit of a scattered day...I was meant to take Josie to her quarterly eye appointment (it is recommended she be examined every three months as a preventative measure for a rare complication called iritis that sometimes occurs in JIA patients) but the doctor was out due to a death in the family. So, while I was in the neighborhood, I made a quick thrifting stop at Salvation Army (one of my favorite spots.) No awesome furniture to be found but I got a lovely little round, tufted pillow in the perfect shade of pink. It pops just right against the olive backdrop of the sofa! And you can't beat $1.99!

I also picked up some tshirts for Simon to make it through the spring and summer. Since I've been frequenting the thrift store circuit over the last couple of months, I just don't think I'll ever be able to pay full price for kids' clothes again. This is a good thing!

I also got Ella an illustrated Children's Bible from the mid 70s. It's one that I remember having at our house as a kid and I always loved looking at it. She's very interested in the Bible and has outgrown some of the more basic versions and is really more drawn to the actual text which we read together every morning after breakfast. I thought this one would be a great middle ground for her and the illustrations have a certain retro charm!

Ella and I then crammed in about a half day's worth of school (we hit the books pretty hard at the beginning of the week in order to have a light day today) and Simon went to school while Josie napped. Then all the kids headed over to our sweet friend Shannon's house while I ducked out to the annual St. Louis Homeschool Expo. Since this is my first year as a homeschooler, I have never been to an event like this and I have heard it can be overwhelming. I actually had nightmares last night in anticipation...Mommy guilt doubles when you homeschool, I think, as one can question whether or not she's doing enough for her little ones. I was afraid I would enter this homeschool world surrounded by a hundred vendors selling various appealing curriculum, and begin to get shaky in my current plan.

However, I did my best to prepare. I brought a suitcase on wheels so I didn't get a sore back lugging heavy books that I might buy. I fixed myself a large coffee in my most favorite insulated thermos, and I had a very specific list with online prices marked in the margins to make sure I found the best deals. And you know what, it really wasn't very overwhelming at all! I left feeling confident in what I'm doing and really pleased at how much Ella is learning. (Gosh, she's an amazing student.) I even got to meet up with a dear friend while there and talk strategy for next year as well as just be comforted by the familiarity of a friend I love :) I bought all of my curriculum for next  year except for the big Sonlight order which involves the bulk of our reading materials and is a huge box of books! But I got a coupon code for that order which is reason enough to attend the Expo on it's own! A bonus was that I came home with an art curriculum that I plan on doing over the summer with both big kids and a cursive curriculum for free.

When I walked through the door with my suitcase, Ella met me, bubbling over with anticipation. She peeked through the materials and ran around giddy and silly. She was very excited for next year's science workbook (Botany) and exclaimed, "OH! I could just start RIGHT NOW!!" She's a nerd in the most beautiful way!

We capped the evening off by relaxing and hanging out in the living room watching old Spiderman cartoons which were ridiculously entertaining. And then, surprisingly, the most amazing thing appeared in the sky outside our window:

We scrambled out on the front porch to capture this photo. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it. Ella suggested we find the end of it and dig up the gold. And I remembered what it felt like to really believe there was gold at the end of a rainbow, if I could only get there before it disappeared!

It was a scattered day, but I'm still smiling at day's end!

what's old is new

If you know me, or have visited my house, you know I love aged things: music, art, housewares, linens, whatever. I much prefer the character and story that vintage items innately possess, and really appreciate finding beauty in things that most people want to discard or "upgrade." I've tried my hand at selling some things on Etsy, and had some success with what little I listed, but found I just can't keep up with maintaining my shop and dealing with mailing them out efficiently. But it hasn't stopped me from adding to my "inventory!"

I have had my eye out for THE perfect stereo console for years. I wanted one with simple, clean lines that was on the more petite side. Most consoles are really wide and we just don't have the wall space available. A couple of years ago, I fell in love with the German brand, Grundig, style consoles, but when I saw the price tag of a restored, working model, I knew that it was something way out of our reach.

And then it happened.......the craigslist clouds parted and a ray of light shone through! Late one night, I happened to be meandering through craigslist, doing my regular searches looking for something of interest, window shopping I suppose, and there it was. A Grundig stereo console. Beautiful, clean lines, rare in form, very well preserved. It was not producing sound, though it powered up. Either way, I was all aflutter!

I was able to get the price down to a very manageable amount (with some help from a friend who piped in to buy another item the guy was selling to sweeten the deal) because I knew it would take some money to restore the thing. Now it's sitting patiently in our hallway, waiting for TLC. I can't wait to spin my first record on it!!!! Ugh...the suspense is killing me.

Isn't she lovely? Sleek and graceful!

The details! Ack! They give me goosebumps!

Patiently waiting, cozied up next to Grandma's old wall clock.

I'm super excited to tell the kids to "Keep their hands off the Hi-Fi." Won't that sound so funny?

So, in all my excitement, I've been mulling over the idea of renting out an antique booth. It would add to our income and be way easier to manage than an etsy site for me. I could just price things and leave them there to be discovered! I think it would be a really great creative outlet and exciting to see things sell.

Here's a little number that will make it to the booth once I get my hands on one.

I just love anything tufted, don't you?

She's a little champagne colored Kroeler chair from the 1960s sometime. I would love to keep her around, but we have too many chairs than floor space. She'll look great in an antique mall! I'm on the waiting list of the closest one to our house...I'll keep you posted!

simon's bedroom makeover

For Simon's fourth birthday (Dec. 9) I decided that his big present should be a room makeover. When we moved to this house almost four years ago, Simon's room was a bit of an after thought. He was only six months old, still slept in our room, and there was too much going on to really put much thought into his play space. As he's gotten older and needed more room to play, I've felt slightly guilty that I never made his room special or suited to him. It's kind of been the "whatever-is-handed-down-or-leftover" room. And it wasn't inviting for play or imagination because it was crowded, disorganized and small.

When Ella got a bunk bed, Simon insisted on spending weekend nights in her room, and that underscored my feeling that he needed to feel excited about his own space. We conned my dad and step mom into lugging another IKEA loft/bunk bed when they visited us for Thanksgiving and I set to work on the makeover the week before Simon turned four. Here are the before and afters...

Bed, before: It was a platform bed and was awesome for transitioning from a crib to big boy bed. But with a small room, it was impractical since there was no way to store anything underneath.

Bed, after: IKEA Kura Reversible bed with canopy. Instant imagination tunnel and tons of space to play underneath. I imagine making some curtains that could enclose the play space below to create a hideout if he fancied. Someday, maybe.

You'll also notice that I (along with my amazing painting gal pals) painted the walls a deep navy blue. It was a risk in such a small room, but the large windows and coat of crisp white on all the trim make it pretty sharp. All the bright colors POP against this deep blue backdrop. I'm in love with the color! The star wall light stays on most of the time, especially at night, because the deep hue on the walls absorbs light and it gets super dark under the canopy.

Closet, before: It was nothing special. The doors are made of thick particle board and couldn't be any cheaper or more unimpressive. Simon used them for collecting random stickers.

Closet, after: I used an entire can of magnetic primer under a fresh coat of white. I wanted Simon to be able to spell words and use his magnetic letters and phonics system on the face of the doors. But even after ten coats, the primer is only strong enough to hold the thinnest, flattest magnets. The larger letter magnets barely stay on. It's still kind of neat though.

Ceiling/Light fixture, before: TERRIBLE! Ugh! Plaster textured ceiling with ancient, not so cool vintage flush mount light.

Ceiling/Light fixture, after: I hand drew some simple, cartoon clouds and used the remnants of an old can of blue paint I had leftover from Ella's room at our old house. I love the way it turned out! (Ignore the bit of white still left around the base of the new fixture...I'll have to touch that up!)

And the light fixture was such a fun shade of yellow, it was what gave me the inspiration to move forward with a dramatic shade of midnight blue. They complement each other, don't they?

Wall art, before: I kept the airplane decals that I had used in his room before because I thought he'd miss them.

 

  

Wall art, after:  Fortunately, the decals show up better on this new wall color. The same goes for the pinball glass that has always hung in his room. It is highlighted and more noticeable now.

He loves it, and I am thrilled to have done such a massive overhaul on his room! The amazing thing is, I was able to achieve pretty dramatic changes without spending much money since paint is the biggest alteration and the bed and lights were IKEA-mazingly affordable! It was fun to do and I hope it will bring him hours of imaginative play.

nostalgia (part 2) and thrifting treasure!

The kids and I had a great time in Edina with Mimi. I find time in northeast Missouri incredibly relaxing...the pace is just so darn SLOW! I dig it. I need to go slow sometimes.

Mom relished the time with the kids and spent lots of cuddle time with Josie. I know she'd kill me for posting this photo of her since it was first thing in the morning, but I thought it was too sweet.

She's so silly with the kids. They just love spending time with her and Ella giggles more with her than anybody!

You see why they love her? She's a goof!

Anyhoo, we took several trips to the Edina park I mentioned in the last post. I took lots of photos of the kids on the playground equipment just because it tickles me that they love the park that I spent so much time at growing up.

On the "covered wagon" at the Edina Park

Our time with my Uncle Steve and Aunt Elaine was really nice. Elaine let the kids make our lunch and they had a blast doctoring up ham sandwiches and pimento cheese and then cutting them out into heart or flower shapes. And then Elaine had them put their creations on a lovely platter with a doily underneath and the table looked so pretty with candles lit. It felt like a special tea party just for them. They were very good to my kids even though they DID bang on the grand piano.

Uncle Steve holding Josie

I spent some time uptown where I took this shot. I've always liked the side of this building. There used to be a restaurant/bar through this door in the basement called "The Blue Room." I used to love eating hamburgers here with my grandma and parents and they had amazingly greasy onion rings. We played Tron and pool in the back of the restaurant and always stayed away from the end of the room where the bar was since it was so dark and smoky. As a kid, this place held mystery and charm. I have a feeling I would find it dark and disturbing now...but I choose to remember it fondly.

Mom was kind enough to hang with the kids to give me some time to scour the two thrift shops uptown. I just LOVE going into small town thrift stores because people in rural communities think the stuff that I like is just old junk. I like finding treasure in the discarded! And it's all so much cheaper in smaller communities. I have to share what I found!

I've been looking for a small lamp to use at my computer station. My keyboard is on a slide-out tray and if it's evening or nighttime, I can never see the keys. My computer is in an IKEA cabinet and is narrow, only slightly wider than my monitor, so finding a mini light that isn't stupid looking has been a challenge. But all hope is not lost! I discovered the cutest little lamp that seems almost as if it was made for the little spot by my computer! And it was only five bucks!

Isn't he the cutest little thing?

And this afghan was only three dollars. You couldn't even buy the yarn for that price! The colors (teal and yellow trim) match my living room perfectly, it shows no sign of ever being used and I love that some little old lady made it. It's unique!

Then we have a couple of small framed pieces. I spotted a cheap framed paint by number. I know it's kitsch, but I like it anyway.

And the embroidered mattes in these two frames charmed me. I love that someone took the time to embellish them and I imagine doctoring up the frames and hanging them in the girls' room.

Did your grandma stitch these?

Finally, the pièce de résistance. I finally found a nightstand for Bryan's side of the bed. I've been looking off and on for a few years. And this baby was under twenty bucks! I love the little legs and small drawer.

Ain't she a beaut?

 

 

 

 

I won't bore you with the little cups I bought. But they're sweet and only a dime each. Edina is on it's way out, I think. But I still like visiting. And so do the kids. Thanks Mimi for the fun!