Bay Window Area Curtains & Decorating Dilemma

OK, so we have started some major refurbishing to our 1895 house.  Yesterday the window guys came for the first time.  They are going to be in and out, gradually getting all 22 of our windows in perfect working order.  All broken glass will be replaced.  All damaged screens will be replaced.  Any windows that don't slide open easily will be worked on.  All windows will be able to latch. All wooden window frames will be in good repair.  All windows will be clean -- which is partly my job (for the ones I can reach, remove, or they hand to me.)

So, as I said, they started. They started on the four windows in the dining room that make up the bay window area.  I am remedial at curtains, so have just hung some long ivory ones on the outside windows and ignored the inside two by placing a huge cabinet in front of them.

A friend is gently pushing me to make it a "cozy sitting area".  So I can no long hide my poor aptitude for window treatment.  What is the fate of this "cozy sitting area"?  I am also at a loss for furniture options, having three cats keeps me from purchasing anything that cat hair would stick to.  Sigh.

Today I worked on the three "loose" windows.  I stained the sides facing the interior, and did brown exterior paint on the sides facing the exterior.  All the time I thinking about window treatment options, and that non-existent sitting area.  No lightbulb moments.

Halloween Upcycled Vintage Hats 2016 Edition

One of my favorite ways to "elegantly" celebrate the season is making Halloween themed hats from vintage hats that have seen better days.  All the hats that I used cost me less than $2 each.  Most of the decorations came from Dollar Tree, and it was just a matter of creative composition and securing everything securely -- just like a real millinery. 

"Rat's Nest" Hat

I thought the white feathers helped

set the rat apart from the black hat.

"Black & Orange Glitter" Hat

"Mad Masquerade" Hat

"Bat Wings" Hat

"Give Me A Hand" Hat

"Orange Tarantula & Web" Hat

"Glow-In-The-Dark" Hat

"Crow's Nest" Hat.

Crow is motion sensitive -- and makes cackling noise.

Click here or here to see last year's editions.

Painting The 1895 Exterior -- Vintage Screen Door

In the fall of 1999 I quit a job that I had worked at for 11 years.  I decided to take a breather from working a "real job", and paint the first floor exterior of our 1895 Victorian house.  What do you know?  Seventeen years later, it needs it again. 


But some things have changed, primarily -- both the house and I have aged seventeen years.  I can't climb up and down a ladder for six hours and expect to be able to stand up the next day.  I am working a little slower, fewer hours per day (and only on days with pleasant temps), and I am enjoying myself more.  I know this will be the last time I am painting this beautiful house, so I am really trying to notice the great details. 

My current painting project is the "sleeping porch" outside of the master bedroom.  Which is actually on the second floor, but easy access.  We have never actually slept out there, and since there is no railing -- we don't hang out there either. 

Here is what the porch looked like with a railing --

probably circa 1905.

The things hanging off the front porch are

bird cages with real birds!

Our house was either being neglected or sitting abandoned for a good deal of it's

life.  Lucky for us, since very little tacky "updating" was done to it.

It has retained quite a few original details -- this is the device the makes the

  screen door close after opening.

Original Eastlake hardware on every interior

and exterior door in the house.

This date is on the door jam, and is a little tough to read.

It leads out onto the original copper porch flooring.

Last, but not least -- the original wavy

glass the remains in the porch door.

We are lucky enough that about half of our

windows retain their original glass.

Now, time to paint her up for another 17 years...

Scary Dolls 2016

Specimen A 

Sold for $10.

Specimen B 

 Both beauties have already sold on ebay.

Sold for $31.

September #1 Local On-Line Auction Finds -- Quilt Tops

I have not made a secret of the fact that I am hooked on local on-line auctions. Click here and here to see my tips and finds from past local on-line auctions.  I actually am bidding on THREE of them this month, so here are some quilt tops that I picked up at the first on-line auction of this month.

Love the bold geometric pattern in this quilt top.

Sold for $44.

I would probably date it to the late 1940s,

still use of feedsack.

All three of these quilt tops were completely

hand stitched -- isn't that amazing?

Sold for $31.

Another simple pieced quilt incorporating more feedsacks.

I think the use of square and rectangular pieces

is interesting in this quilt top.

Going on ebay.

Burlington Railroad China Purchase

Last week I went on a buying trip to Lincoln.  The best item that I purchased was a box of vintage railroad china.

I had one little piece at home,

so I recognized the Violets & Daisies Pattern.

 

Manufactured by Syracuse China in the "Violets & Daisies" pattern used for CB&Q rail line.  The5 plates in the first photo are not marked with railroad stamp. 

  Early pieces carried the CB&Q RR backstamp, but later pieces by Syracuse didn't.

This little butter pat was the only piece I had owned previously.

It has the CB&Q backstamp (below), which railroad collector's drool over.

The butter pat and a couple of the plates were made by Buffalo China.  Most of my pieces were made by Syracuse China - other manufacturers of this pattern for CB&Q were Haviland Limoges, Buffalo & Shenango China.

These pieces are Marked : "Made expressly for the BURLINGTON ROUTE BY ONONDAGA POTTERY CO. SYRACUSE N.Y.  FURNISHED THROUGH T.M. JAMES  & Sons China CO Kansas City, Missouri O.P.Co.SYRACUSE China U.S.A".

 

All 16 pieces are on ebay this week.

I am anxious to see how it plays out.

All sold for $140.

Little Local Flea 09.10.2016

Saturday I set up at a little flea near our little town.

I made a little money, and got rid of a lot of stuff!

 

 
A quick overview.

I had made a buying trip to Lincoln earlier in the week.

These insulators were some of the

"extras" (unwanted items someone just threw in).

So they ended up on the $1 table.

There was also a $2 table.

This was some of the decent stuff I brought.

I did sell 10 blue mason jars.

 

 
Here is my friend Pam, who also set up.  It was fun visiting
with her throughout the day.  Not to mention, PERFECT
sitting weather.