Stepping Back and Looking Up

I don't think I've quite recovered from the faux finish stained glass window project of last week. (If you missed that one, click here.) But there were a couple of things I wanted to show you for this week, and the one item was actually very easy to do.

I'll start, though, with taking a step back in the livingroom, and showing you just where that window is situated. Now I've gotten to clean up the craft-related mess, this is where the window actually lies...
It's a small nook in the room that's been a challenge to decorate usefully, but which I finally think I have under control. The cabinet there which looks like an old library card catalog is in fact cleverly-designed DVD storage I got from Target online.

You'll see my friend Claire in England sent me this postcard from her collection-- a very themic choice!...

She'd selected it because when she was here in the US for vacation, we'd gone antiquing. And from that short time, she thought it somehow looked like the sort of art I like...

Amusingly, and unbeknownst to her, I have a Waterhouse print of the same model in a different red dress in my livingroom. I'd promised I'd show her, so Claire-- this is for you.
I also wanted to show a few of you who were asking-- including the aforementioned Claire-- the red velvet sofa I'd thrifted a while ago, all in place...
I'd taken pictures when it was leaning on its side, waiting to be put in place, but not actually in the livingroom where it would live.
Thrift stores have been wonderful to me in providing just the things my house seems to need, but I really hadn't imagined they would come forth with a red velvet couch.

You just never know!

Now, the simple project I was telling you about earlier is this handkerchief valence in my guest room...
I've had folks ask me during various Treasure Box Wednesday posts, "What on earth are you going to do with all those vintage hankies you keep picking up?" And to be honest, I wasn't exactly sure.
I just loved them as colorful little works of art, their flowers so bright and realistic, like small nosegays of cotton.

I'd considered making a quilt (if you search online, there are some lovely examples of how these can be done). I'd considered just framing a few. But recently, I started thinking about simply tying them together to make a light and bright handkerchief garland.


I think it works rather effectively. Rather like a happy little washline.

The room was bright with sun today, and I enjoyed the warm glow shining in here...I added back into the room a thrifted French chair I'd gotten a while ago. A nice place to sit and read, perhaps, for any guests who might stay.
And that about ties up this week's post! I hope you enjoyed taking this more Big Picture peek at the rooms.

Take care, and I hope to see you Wednesday for our next post!

11 comments:

My Vintage Treasures said...

Your lil nook area turned out great!
The handkerchief balance is too cute & a great idea to display them.
And the piece du resistance that velvet couch is AMAZING!!!

Melanie said...

I'm not sure why but about half the pictures are showing up as red x's.

Very cute with the hankies though! A lady I do a lot of work for has done this in her sewing room only she used little mini clothes pins to hang them up with.

Marie said...

What a lovely hankie display- and I am quite jealous about the sofa. Thrift stores are mostly good to me but no velvet sofa yet!
Marie @ Lemondrop ViNtAge

Jenn Thorson said...

Vintage Treasures- I, too, am still really tickled about the velvet couch. What are the odds of finding something like that at the thrift store?

Melanie- Ah, sorry about the Xes-- blogger must have been having some issues yesterday. I'm seeing things okay this morning. Hopefully it was fleeting. Re: the handkerchiefs, the mini clothes pins is a great idea, too.

Lemondrop- It's not terribly often I see sofas in great condition at thrifts. I think usually by the time they make it there, they've been pretty loved.

crpitt said...

It is really is uncanny that I picked that postcard, this is proof that I do actually retain information about people after all! hehe

You put things together so beautifully, some things could easily look horrid, yet you pick just the right accessories and breathe new life into old lovely things.

I hope that one day I do get to see all these things in real life, although I am rather clumsy, so may just peek through the window :)

Jenn Thorson said...

Claire- Heh, was the info retention in question? Somehow I think that's guilt from your classes talking. :)

Thanks for the nice words about the place. You know you're more than welcome to visit the next time you're in the States-- and given half the stuff I have in the place is from a thrift store, I wouldn't worry about the clumsy thing... I'm not exactly ballerina material myself. :)

Alex M said...

Holy Sumptuous Sofa Batman! That thing is gorgeous!!!

Jenn Thorson said...

Alex- Hey, thank you. I did feel, when I found it, like beams of light might have been shooting down from the sky, and a chorus of angels singing. The Holy Grail of thrifted sofas! :) Not everybody's taste, of course-- but definitely MINE. :)

Deborah said...

I adore your house and all the thrifted goodies you decorate it with. You are a woman after my own heart. Love the stained glass window you put in. I cannot believe the score you made with that desk from St. Vincent's. Very very nice.

Jenn Thorson said...

Deborah- Oh, thanks so much! Yes, that St. Vincent's desk was a crazy find... It was funny to me, too, that nobody else was all over it. But that's the way things go sometimes. Thank you for reading!

Rhonda said...

I remember when you first blogged about finding your red velvet sofa. (It was around the time we found an $1,800 Kincaid sofa, in excellent condition, at our local Salvation Army for $97.50!) Your place looks great! There's nothing quite like the satisfaction of finding a really great deal in a thrift shop, is there? (I think 95% of our living room and dining room came from local area thrift shops.)

Anyway, I just wanted to say what a great job you've done and especially with the stained glass window! Oh, and I love your pre-Raphaelite art, too. (Sorry for rambling on!)