Delightful, De-wallpapered and Decorated

I mentioned a couple of weeks back that I would be lending a hand to my friend Scoobie to remove wallpaper from her livingroom and diningroom. Regular readers may remember that Scoobie's the one who is writing a Western and loves the look of the Arts and Crafts period mixed with Western kistch.

Well, the wallpaper she had (and still has in the diningroom) was a bit twee for her tastes-- ovals of peach flowers with aqua stems. All very late 80s, early 90s...
You can see in this rather blurry (sorry!) photo what the room looked like before we started work on removing the paper...
And here, the wallpaper is going buh-bye...It didn't just peel off, but with a little soapy water, it was a lot easier to scrape away.
She and I spent two days of a weekend working on it, and then Scoobie finished it up herself in evenings during the week. Then it got painted a soft, robin's egg blue, which really makes her brown accessories pop!

The color was actually chosen to match the sky in the painting she already had over the mantle. She's already settled a lot of her thrifted and antique malled goodies into place there...

An arts and crafts cabinet helps hold other beloved treasures, while her resident cowboy and horse (courtesy of TJ Maxx) wait for their next round-up.

The arts and crafts lamps look just right against the inviting blue walls...
And she's found a place for some of those kitschy Western themed bourbon bottles she's found at flea markets and thrift stores over the years...
Thanks to Scoobie for letting me share photos of her home with you today! I guess her dining room will be the next decorative undertaking-- helping to liberate it from a garden of different large peach flowers, and peach draperies.

Take care, folks. Until next post!

Treasure Box Wednesday: Thrifting Christmas

Last weekend my buddy Scoobie and I finally had a chance to enjoy a make-shift post-Christmas Christmas, as our schedules aligned, the general holiday hubbub had died down, and we were recovering from eggnog coma and whatnot.

This meant Christmas gift exchange, and Scoobie kindly allowed me to share with you some photos of a few thrifted gifts I gave her.

She's not adverse to pre-owned items, particularly when it's in her Western kitschy theme...

A few items included a flour canister with a Native American transfer on it.... (She says she'll use this in her kitchen)...

A number of souvenir foil-inserted coasters from Arizona, featuring colorful mesas...

And a painted cactus napkin holder. You can see the last two items a little better here, in my pre-gifting glamor shot. :)
She also let me share with you a thoughtful gift my friend (and more recently, Scoobie's mutual friend) Josette sent her. Josette has this eerily wonderful knack for paying close attention to what folks collect and gifting the perfectly dead-on item...
This Remington cowboy themed decanter will be great in Scoobie's Western bottle collection.

Can I get a "Yeee-haw"?

Galloping off into the New Year...
--Jenn

Go West, Young Collector: Collecting Cowboy and Western-themed Bourbon Bottles

My good buddy, Scoobie, is a vista chick. She loves the idea of a bright orange Western mesa, a handsome cowboy, and a beautiful sunset.

The budding decor in her new home reflects this. So it stands on the precipice of Victoriana, arts and crafts, and merry Western kitsch. She is still finding her way. But one collection she has continued via the power of thrifting and antiquing is her Western-themed decanter collection...

Something fans of the unique, inexpensive and fun, will recognize as easy-to-find vintage collectibles at thrift stores, flea markets, antique malls, and yard sales!

Scoobie has kindly let me showcase her collection-to-date for you today-- for which I'd like to thank her. (She's very kind about letting me take photos of whatever she's up to for the ol' blog. Hugs to her!) I know The Thrift Shop Romantic does have some indulgent male readers, and this might just pique the interest. Think of the rugged pulp fiction of Louis L'Amour... And Zane Gray... And the artist Remington...

And bourbon! Oh, lots of bourbon! Like these fun, in-the-box bottles of Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon, flocked in blue velvet and flecked in gold...

They're covered in Remington prints and generally quite inexpensive in both antique malls and thrift stores, if you're willing to shop around. I understand, the trick is remembering which ones you already have.

Scoobie has also gotten for just a few dollars a piece, a couple of bottles that reflect the retro travel souvenir style that was popular in the 50s and 60s. Like this fun Yosemite map bottle she uncovered.

Others, take on the shape of a real item... Like this stagecoach Kentucky bourbon bottle. Or an Arizona bottle shaped like a mesa I believe (if my memory serves me correctly, because I was there at the time of purchase) she bought for only $3 or so at the Pottery City Antique Mall in, Ohio...
(Correct me if I'm wrong, Scoobie!)

Also, Jim Beam came out with a brown-bottled wildlife series. I got her the chipmunk bottle at the Salvation Army on the South Side of Pittsburgh last year, but she found the other two herself.
As for value, on the whole, don't expect to make a mint off your decorative bottles, but there are collectors' societies who do specialize in certain types of decanters.

I enjoyed perusing the following decanter-related sites (click the links to learn more):

• The Jim Beam Club

Check out the bottle pictures here!:

• Jim Beam Pictorials Page

And don't forget:

• Collectors Net

Me, I have to go. I need to round-up some dinner. Can I get a "yeeeee-hawwwww"?" :)

Christmas Comes to Scoobie's Ranch

Regular readers may remember my friend Scoobie, who had been renting from me, and recently bought a house of her own. And today, thanks to her kindness (and also the fact I had my camera with me and she couldn't stop me), I'm able to bring to you some photos of her new home in all its Christmassy glory.

Years ago, when she'd spoken about her home of the future, she'd jokingly envisioned it looking like "Old West Bordello Chic"-- a balance of lavish Victoriana, the Western rustic and a modicum of hunky cowboys. And now that she's got a place of her own, she's been enacting on that vision (well, the cowboys may be a tallish order in her neighborhood). You can see the beginnings of the look here in her entryway, with this gorgeous red Eastlake parlor furniture...
Velvety and rich, she was very lucky to pick up this matching set with already redone upholstery!

Here she gets jiggy with some pine bough garland and red ribbons. If ever a staircase was made for garland, it was this one...
Here you can see her marvelous stained glass window. I believe she said the house dates from around 1900...
Oh, this red fringed lamp was one I'd put together for her as a birthday present one year. It was the first lamp I ever refinished!...
Now, Scoobie had rented the blue room in my house. Amusingly enough, new new house came with a bedroom already blue to taste!...
And dig this gorgeous fireplace!...
She'd had a little blue bedecked tree she used before she'd moved, and it looks perfectly at home here in her new abode...
She's been having fun playing around with tablescapes, like on this dresser top...
Down in her livingroom, a very large painting courtesy of the Goodwill hangs, looking like proud expensive art...
The cowboy statuary on either side there came recently from Big Lots. They may not be Remingtons, but they look good and were incredibly affordable.

She indicates she's still working out the way she'll want to do the tree. It's a big one-- I'd say seven feet tall and burly! But as she understands better what color schemes she wants to use, she figures that should work itself out.
As it stands, she wants to remove the wallpaper from this room (it's a bit twee, really) and possibly paint the walls a warm copper or muted coral. She's going to change the curtains to some brown velvet.

And here we have this year's birthday gift-- I'd gotten this fellow at the L&L Fleatique...
He's a wonderful copper-bronze shade on a wooden base. As soon as I'd spied him, I knew he needed to gallop on over to her house!

And me, well, I need to gallop offline myself. I hope you all have a terrific week ahead of you. And perhaps I'll see you Wednesday for the last Treasure Box post before the Christmas holiday.

Take care and yeeeeeehaw!

Treasure Box Wednesday: Greetings from Ireland, Horsing Around and More

This week brought cheerful tidings from Ireland, in the form of a giveaway package I was lucky enough to win through Pam of the White O'Morn Cottage blog. (Pop by Pam's for lovely cottage decorating and a terrific education on Irish culture and the Gaelge language.)

In it were some pretty handmade slippers, three fun handmade cards, a delicate Beleek dish filled with candies and a votive, a Celtic bookmark, and a shamrock-covered marmalade pot!


Thanks, Pam, for such a wonderful surprise!

A few other surprises occurred this week, but in the form of thrifting. In fact, in the Salvation Army, as I came around the corner and saw the next item on the shelf-- it made me say, "Whoa!"


Or rather, "Whooooooaaaaa!" This mantle clock is from the 50s, and is a perfect gift for my friend Scoobie who has some kitschy Western stuff. It needs some cleaning and some scratch polish.

Now here, you might think you're seeing a repeat-- but I found two more nesting bowls in my pink Pyrex set. Ah, perhaps pink Pyrex has proceeded to peter out of popularity, but I will pick and procure it perfectly pleased, no matter the pop-culture precedents. (And no, I will NOT say that five times fast.)

Lastly, totally void of alliteration, the Goodwill on Center Avenue came forth with a nifty aqua deco-styled platter (I have a big-daddy version of this already in my kitchen), and a Tim Burton chapbook of poems and stories.


And thus, this puts the reigns on this Treasure Box Wednesday...

• For those who missed this Sunday's tour of the Strip District (no stripping involved), click here.
• And for anyone wanting a recap of last week's Treasure Box Wednesday, click here.
  

Until our next canter, dear friends!...
--Jenn