Inland Treasures

On my most recent sojourn to The Land of Steady Habits (that's my home state of Connecticut, in case you are in a state of wonder), I paid a visit to one of my favorite antiques centers in New Hartford, the Collinsville Antiques Company, on route 44. The defining characteristic of this group emporium is the old-school diner located to the right as you walk in (just after you pass an old TV set that's been repurposed as a fish aquarium!).

Design inspiration abounds here, especially if you like funky, unusual lighting. One booth in particular caught my eye, as it featured a wonderful assortment of mid-century treasures, including this fabulous dual-light desk lamp I brought home with me...

What really sold me on this — in addition to its swank fiberglass shades and wood stem — is the way it lights up. The switch is conveniently located on the base. On the first turn, the right light goes on; On the second turn, the left light goes on; On the third turn, both lights go on; And on the fourth turn, both lights go off!

Are we all lit?!

There are no maker's marks on this piece, but it's most likely from the late 1950s to early 1960's, judging by its styling. In comparison to similar light fixtures of the era, this lamp shows great restraint, as well as great versatility. The shades also swivel, so you can have them point to a sci-fi book you might be reading. Or, you can have them point up to the ceiling.

I also found some "Blue Spruce" dinnerware pieces in the same booth, to add to my collection...

I also found a soup bowl in this pattern, and I already have three dinner plates from a previous antiquing trip. I don't see this pattern all that often, though apparently it was sold at supermarkets across America in the late '50s and early '60s. It was manufactured by the Marcrest Stetson company. The bottom of the creamer says "Made in USA." I looked on Etsy, and found lots of other pieces for sale, including oval platters, cups and saucers, a gravy boat, and even ash trays! I like the simplicity of this pattern, and the soft blue and gray go perfectly with my blue and white kitchen. I use this pattern only during the winter months, right after Christmas.

Another fun purchase I made in New Hartford was two sets of HIS closet dividers...

These rather amusing plastic discs are the type of thing you still see on department store sales racks to separate different sizes. I opened one set and put them in my bedroom closet just for fun. I'm leaving this set in the package ... at least for now. The back of the package says, "Made in Hongkong for Aluminum Housewares Co., Inc. 1979, Maryland Heights, MO. 63043." Maybe if I get a husband someday, I'll let him open this set — Oh, behave!

Newport Idyll Rich, Rich, Rich

As New England cities go, Newport, RI is definitely one of the crown jewels, if not the Crown Jewel. And, among the well-preserved Gilded Age "cottages" and high-brow nautical haze of Lily Pulitzer, seersucker, whale belts, and wide-brimmed straw hats, there is an occasional glimpse of modern design and unexpected whimsy. Witness 41 Degrees North, which looks as though it secretly floated up from South Beach, Miami — gleaming white finishes, and bits of snobbery included.

Wall planters in the banquet dining area.

Life is a banquet...

At the other end of this great space, I found an oversized chess set.

Chess anyone?

I waited for 10-foot-tall Alice to join me for a match but she was a no-show.

It's your move.

In addition to being a great Sunday brunch spot (try the lobster sliders and a mimosa or two — delicious, delicious), 41 Degrees North is near lots of great shopping opportunities.

Shopper in hot pursuit.

Another Newport highlight was touring Kingscote, one of the smaller Gilded Age mansions on Bellevue Avenue, originally built in 1839 in the Gothic Revival style, and designed by the architect, Richard Upjohn. It was later enlarged by the renowned firm of McKim, Mead and White to include a new large dining room featuring an unusual cork tile ceiling, and opalescent glass bricks by Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Kingscote front facade.

Other unusual features include the thick moldings over the windows. These molding details also appear over the inside windows as well.

I also enjoyed the great privilege of visiting the Tennis Hall of Fame. An exceptional friend of mine scored tickets to a very special luncheon, the induction ceremony, which featured Guga, and Jennifer Capriati, and tickets to the tennis matches held on the following day. The luncheon was held at the wonderful Horseshoe Piazza, a Victorian masterpiece also designed by McKim, Mead and White.

Horseshoe Piazza window trellis.

These highlights served as the ingredients for the perfect summer weekend, darlings. It's no contest: "Love all."

Dirty Vintage Treasures Done Dirt Cheap

July's Brimfield Antiques Show was uncomfortably hot, but offered plenty of nostalgic looks at childhood classics like Gumby and Pokey...

And Buster Brown and his dog Tigh...

Buster Brown throw rug

Of course, no day out in the country would be complete without...

Shouldn't the last word be "COOKIN'"?

I also found a few bargains I couldn't pass up, beginning with a great selection of picture frames. Prices ranged from $1 to $5 each...

13 1/2" x 17" blue painted wood, probably 1920s

13 1/2" x 18 3/4" gold leaf painted wood, age uncertain

9" x 10 1/2" silver art deco, wood, probably 1930s

8" x 10" tropical green painted wood, age uncertain

Then, because I can never have too many skinny ties, two for $5...

The tie on the left is All Silk, and has an interesting geometric horse pattern...

I also found this "new" looking checkbook cover on a friendly $5 table, which might be from a 1970s Sears catalog, or similar...

The most interesting "Why Did I Buy This, and What Will I Do With It?" item was this industrial looking light. The dealer told me it might have been inside a chicken coop. I asked her if it worked, and she said she wasn't sure, so she reduced the price from $15 to $10. I liked its minimalist design, and the attached swivel clip makes it especially versatile.

Industrial light awaiting magic

I ended up clipping this to the ceiling light fixture in one of my closets, which hasn't functioned in quite some time. I ran an extension cord along the inside of the closet, which is plugged into another extension cord in the room that operates by a button you press with your foot. Yankee ingenuity at its best? Yee haw!

Little Things Mean a Lot of Dots

This was the first decoupage project I completed for my class back in May, which I meant to post much earlier. I think of it more as an "art" project rather than decoupage, as it doesn't consist of layers of paper. What I most like is that it has a fun sense of self-reference, borrowed from French trompe l'oeil.

Inside with actual bow tie

The box is clear hard plastic, which is generally a good surface to decoupage. I photocopied the top and bottom of the bow tie itself, cut them out, and used acrylic gloss medium to attach them to the box.

Then, my teacher came up with the great idea of spray-painting the inside of the box silver.

Inside

Next, I placed another photocopied image of the bow tie on the inside top and bottom of the box.

For the final step, I used the tip of a pencil and dipped it in burgundy acrylic paint to apply dots to the outside top and bottom of the box — and voilá!

Top

Bottom

To Like & To Behold

This dining room/kitchen appeared in a recent issue of House Beautiful, and I find it nicely refreshing because:

A. There's no chinoiserie wallpaper with vines or birds. (Nothing against chinoiserie, but it's way overused in dining rooms).
B. There's no oriental rug — better yet, no rug at all. (Nothing against rugs in dining rooms, but really, do you want food to stick onto a rug or carpet?)

What I really like are the chairs. Apparently they were painted to look old, and expertly done. But I especially like the chair cushions featuring one fabric for the tops, and a completely different fabric for the bottoms. It's such a great detail.

I also adore this Vintage by Hemingway Design wallpaper collection I saw in a recent edition of Interior Design magazine, especially the 1930s-inspired Deco Diamond pattern. It's so chic and elegant.

I picture a movie star wearing a black fishnet-covered hat, sipping a sidecar and smoking a long-handled cigarette. Care to join me, Darling?

Day of Coupage: The Game Changer

This work is kind of a companion piece to Ballerinas Having Flown (see previous post). I call it The Game Changer because the two men in the boat are confronted with potential obstacles, such as the erupting volcano to the right — plus their boat is perched precariously atop a bridge. Maybe they're jewel thieves (see sequins in boat) trying to escape with their loot?

I started with an 8"x10" canvas board and painted it titanium white (acrylic), with just a touch of potter's pink. I considered sponging the paint, but decided I like the way the deep colors of the wallpaper pop against the white.

Then I used my "Vista" vintage wallpaper sample, cut out the different pieces and laid them out on a white piece of paper. The difficult part was layering the pieces onto the canvas board to exactly match my original layout. (I photographed my layout and printed it out to recreate the pieces on the canvas). I applied the pieces using acrylic gloss medium, then added the blue sequins to finish it.

I used one of my fancy stick-on labels from Florence, and placed it on the back of the piece.

Day of Coupage: Ballerinas Having Flown

This is another project I finished from my decoupage class, which I call "Ballerinas Having Flown."

My instructor, the excellent Jenn Sherr, took this photo of the work in progress.

Pretty Ballerinas decoupage

I started with an 8x10" canvas board and sponged it with acrylic paints in manganese blue, unbleached titanium, tint white, potter's pink, quinacridone carmine (burgundy), and iridescent bronze. I don't quite have the sponging technique down, but I took a small piece of sponge, dipped it in water just enough to dampen it, then I blotted it with just a little bit of paint. Then I took a piece of dry sponge and blotted and blended the paints together.

The ballerinas, flowers, leaves and ribbon are all from the same sheet of vintage wallpaper, The Ballet.

As I was cutting and placing the wallpaper pieces, I decided it was just too pretty, and needed a little edge, so I added the "disembodied" ballerina in the upper right. To finish with a little bling, I placed shiny blue sequins in strategic places, and voila!

Ballerinas Having Flown

The sequins happened to come on a wired sprig with a gift from my friend Patty D., and I think they add just the right touch, like little exclamation points (and maybe a little naughty whimsy — oh behave!).

On the back, I used acrylic gloss medium to attach a label (it's actually a beautiful sticker label I bought in Florence years ago).

Back label

Since the piece is a standard size, I decided to frame it, and now it's hanging in my bathroom — which happens to be blue and pink! Applause, bow, pirouette, curtain.

Ballerinas Having Flown, with chocolate metal frame