A Golden Home

I'm currently addicted to pinning photos of pretty interiors on my Pinterest page.  I came across a set of images and kept pinning, pinning, pinning as each one was better than the last.  As I made my way through them, I had the feeling that the images were somehow familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it.  It wasn't until I made my way to the last one that I finally figured it out.  This lovely space belongs to the equally lovely Lauren N., a fellow vintage Etsy seller of the incomparable Dear Golden Vintage.  The photos are from a tour of Lauren's home that can be found on Apartment Therapy.  I love the mix of mid-century furniture, colorful textiles and greenery. 

Pottery Class

One of the reasons I haven't been around to blog as much lately is I've been taking a pottery class.  I've never worked with clay before, much less thrown anything on a wheel, so it was quite an adventure.  Much harder than I expected it to be, but I also find it very therapeutic.   The class consisted of five studio sessions and one glazing session and I managed to come out with five finished pieces.  They're not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I was pretty excited to bring them home with me!  

The glazing class was so much fun!  I had no idea what I was doing or how any of the pieces would turn out so I tried a little bit of everything.   In the end I like the white glaze and the lighter colors with a matte finish better than the darker colors or the glossy finished.  So next time, I'm going to concentrate on using more of those.  The glazes are all food grade so we can use them for... I don't know.  Serving bowls for snacks? I'm in my second class now and my goal is to come away with a set of tumblers.  I'll be sure to show you how those turn out too!

Backyard Garden

While we were away, I missed two things in particular.  One was our cats.  Those furry creatures are such a big part of our everyday routine.  The other thing was my mornings in the backyard.  I usually wake, grab some breakfast and then head out the back door with Jack (the one eyed pirate cat) to see what's blooming, what's growing and what needs tending to.  I missed that routine and couldn't wait to get home and see how big everything had gotten in the two weeks we were gone.  I think Jack missed it too since he's been sitting at the backdoor meowing a lot the past couple of days.

I was pleasantly surprised that most everything had thrived.  I spied a couple of tiny peppers growing and a few green tomatoes on the vine.  They'll be used to make fresh salsa when they're ripe.  This is the first year I've tried growing Brussels sprouts and the plants doubled in size.  All of the herbs are ready to be used and we had fresh cilantro with our black beans last night.  It's already starting to bolt, but that's OK since it will give me some fresh coriander and I'll replant the rest of the seeds.  Jack, of course, enjoyed a bit of catnip from his plant this morning.

In case you're wondering what everything is, from top to bottom, left to right:  mint, huechera (or coral bells),  impatiens, brunneria, creeping jenny, fuschia, hydrandgea, chives, cilantro, basil, catnip, Brussels sprouts, roma tomatoes, blueberries, yellow Hungarian wax peppers, jalapenos and Jack. 

Spring in My Backyard

The other day I wanted to try out my new 50mm f/1.8 lens (it's actually Tom's old lens) that I got to go with my new digital SLR camera. I didn't have to wander far to find somewhere to practice... our own backyard!  Last year was the first time I'd planted anything in the previously barren space, so I was curious to see what, if anything, would reappear this spring.  I was happy to discover lots of new growth peeking through the soil and new buds flowering here and there.

I'm never sure if you want me to bore you with lots of gardening talk, (seriously, I could go on and on about it) but here is a look into our little piece of earth.  We have (starting at the top) creeping jenny, new blossoms on the blueberry bush, heuchera, mint & cilantro & basil in pots, green onions that somehow survived all winter, hostas, a cherry tree that will blanket the patio in pink blossoms and what's left of the two daffodil blooms we had this spring (last year there was only one - progress!). 

Secrets from a Stylist

Last week I caught a rerun of the show Secrets from a Stylist on HGTV, hosted by Emily Henderson (serious girl crush alert).  Since it's the season of holiday decorating I was excited to watch as she transformed a family's space into a holiday party wonderland.  While the color scheme for this family's home does not match my own, I still came away with tons of ideas for decorating. There were lots of DIY projects for making your own decorations and tips for picking up pieces at flea markets and putting them together in creative ways that make a space feel personal and unique.  I've already taken on the yarn-ball-as-tree-ornament project and plan on tackling the old-book-pages-turned-mini-trees next (you'll have to watch the show to see that one).  And can we talk about the vintage-globe-snowman-family?  So cute.  If you don't have a moment to watch the show, you can check out the Holiday Guide magazine that includes not only a lot of photographs from the episode, but also lots of other crafty ideas and gift guides that have led me to many new and fun places on the internet. 

As soon as I saw these scans from Elle Decor France on Moodboard, I saved them to my "home inspiration" file.  So good!  A few things I'm taking note of;  must get kilim pillows to throw on the couch, be on the lookout for more vintage etched mirrors to brighten up dark spaces, a random assortment of baskets collected on a shelf makes great storage and fresh cut flowers on the table are lovely any time of year.

Oswald's Mill

photos by Cynthia van Elk

If I started a new category on the blog called "can I please live here?" Oswald's Mill might be on the very top of that list. How can so much amazing stuff be in one place?! Every detail is just lovely. The funny thing is, the mill is only about an hour or so away from where we're living now. That's doable, right?!

Jayson Home & Garden

Ultimately I would love to have a home decorated with a mixture of antiques and industrial design. I like lots of metal and wood to temper the girly flowery stuff! I'm currently torturing myself by doing lots of pretend shopping at Jayson Home & Garden. I pretty much want it ALL!

Do You Think They Would Let Me Live There?

Castle Gibson in all of its run-down glory is near perfection in my book. Go take the tour and see if you aren't ready to pack your bags and move in!

Three Potato Four

The other day I was browsing on Three Potato Four, dreaming about decorating my office when Tom walked by and asked if we could please have one of each thing on the site. I seconded the motion. Our list of things to do around the house once the cold weather lifts just keeps getting longer and longer. More painting, building shelves and window seats, fixing up the backyard... it goes on and on! Here are a few things I would love to see around the house.

Work Space

A little visual inspiration for my new work area. Via Design Sponge.

Rainy Day

trench coat: Gap
rain boots: Wellies
umbrella: vintage

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful encouraging comments on my last post! I'm glad you finally got to see a little bit of what I've been up to over the past month or so. We're really proud of the progress so far and we've been taking lots of before and during photos so when we get it all done and take our after photos I'll have to post a little series.

Here's the rainy version of the outfit I was wearing yesterday. I wanted to get some shots of our backyard but the sky wouldn't cooperate. We're only moving about seven blocks from our apartment to our house so whenever I have to make a quick trip there I usually just walk; thus the rain boots and umbrella. As excited as I am about the inside of the house, I'm equally excited about having our own tiny backyard.

We already have plans for a porch swing and a little vegetable/herb garden and finally a place to compost! And there's a scraggly orange cat that lives next door (I've already dubbed him Mr. Orange - I love Tim Roth). He climbs the fence and comes to visit so I'll be working on fattening him up. Oh, and my mom already built the worlds cutest bird house to hang on the fence so I can entice all the pretty little yellow finches I see in the trees to come live in the yard.

Our House

dress: 30s linen jumper
top: 50s cotton blouse
shoes: 70s leather boots
hat: vintage wool beret
belt: vintage

Finally, here it is! The first little peek into our new house. I know it's not much of a peek, but there's still so much work to be done! I found this wonderful convertible typewriter desk at the Salvation Army last week. I'm so excited to finally have a real desk so I can get rid of the terrible folding table I've been using for the past year. Right now the desk is sitting in the living room but eventually it will be moved upstairs to my office. And our poor, pitiful staircase. We finally got down to the original wood after ripping through all of the linoleum and carpet that had been nailed to them over the years. They are still very much a work in progress (as is everything really).

Bailey's Home & Storage

I promise to eventually get back to more fashion related posts... I've got lots of things planned for the blog after the big move. But for now, pretty much all fashiony things have been pushed to the back of my mind in favor of interior design and remodeling projects.

One of our main goals in restoring this old home is to do things in a way that utilizes "green" products and processes. Green. That's such a buzz word nowadays and I sort of hate the way it's overused and abused but it's still the most apt word I can think of to sum up our philosophy toward the house. Anyway, I digress. One of my favorite ways to "be green", if you will, is finding new ways to use old products. I've been researching how to turn an old dresser into a bathroom vanity, searching for old crates to use as storage in my new studio space and collecting flea market odds and end for decorating.

For inspiration, I've been studying the Bailey's Home & Storage site. Unfortunately it's out of our reach - both geographically and financially but it's so much fun to look! From their site...

"The things we sell are a surprising mix of vintage and new from a variety of sources - but they all share the qualities integral to our repair, reuse, rethink philosophy. One of our favourite things is to reuse unloved bits and pieces (small or large) that we find on our travels, and give them a new lease of life - it's our version of recycling... so abandoned bobbins from old textile mills turn up on our shelves as egg timers, lamp bases or string holders; scraps of floor board become mirror frames, tables or even kitchen units."

We're Moving (Again)!

Sorry for the spotty posting this week. My mind has been just about everywhere except fashion. It's been in the works for a while and now it's official... we're moving! But, unlike our last two epic cross country treks, this time we're moving (drumroll, please)... a whole seven blocks! I'll be so sad to leave our wonderful apartment with its super high ceilings and brick wall but we've always dreamed of moving into an old house and fixing it up. Our new place was built in 1867 so I think it fits the bill. The actual move won't be until the end of August but we're already busying ourselves with plans for renovations and decorating and having a little vegetable garden and all the other fun things that come with living in a house.

There will be a new studio space for all things Sally Jane Vintage and I have so many ideas swirling around in my head I can barely stand it! Needless to say, there will be lots of new things for the blog and the shop in the months to come. I'll keep selling right through the move so there won't be any interruption to the shop but the blog may suffer a bit while we get settled. I've already found myself being pulled away from the usual fashion sites I peruse in favor of interior design sites and home improvement DIY sites. I came across this New York Times article via Darling Dexter and can't stop staring at the photos. I think the whole place is just perfection!