Lullabies and a Lick o' Lovely Lavender

I bought my home over 10 years ago, yet it was only this past week that I finally corrected something that had been nagging me all that time... I painted the master bedroom a color I actually like.

Originally, it was yellow. Oh, so very yellow. And I'd left it because initially there were so many other, more pressing things to deal with when I'd moved in. And the yellow went well-enough with my belongings. But then time marched on. And life happened. And to be honest, I don't really care for yellow that much. I just don't find it soothing. And soothing is really what I wanted in a bedroom.

So I finally got my act in gear and busted out some lavender paint. (Eddie Bauer's Craftsman Bungalow "Globe Thistle" shade, for anyone who was wondering. Available at Lowe's. I like the colors from that Eddie Bauer collection because it really does seem to work well in an older home to set a tone.)

Anyway, the updated wall coloring gave me an excuse to frame some decorative old sheet music I'd been holding onto. This is on my bedroom door...

Here's the view from the doorway... The standing wardrobe is an Ikea piece from a while back that I'd stenciled with roses...

Here's the left wall, on top of my dresser (sorry it's blurry, I had to do this with my camera phone as my regular camera is being temperamental.) The little ballerina doll there on the left was my mother's. The brush dolls next to it came from my great-aunt's home. I love the big dramatic expression of the face of the silent film actress on the central sheet music.

 Just another little display here along with some of my art deco prints. The framed photos you might notice there are of Gregory Peck. I thought he was a handsome addition to the decor. :)

This is my far wall where there had once been a fireplace. I love coming up the stairs to this floor, peering into the room and seeing lavender instead of yellow on this wall. It's such a relief.

A close-up of the central focal point here. I got this matted vintage photograph years ago in an antique store in Cape May on vacation. She just fit in the frame, which is actually a shadowbox to display t-shirts I found at Michael's. It felt very lucky!

 

Now, tell me your opinion on this-- and I haven't done any research to confirm it-- but doesn't the girl on this sheet music below look like the same girl from the diamond-shaped photo? Reine Davies seems to be the name. I need to do some investigating and find out who she was.

I get a chuckle how much of the sheet music in my bedroom is now sleep or dream-related. This is the far right wall.

This is a little blurry, too-- sorry 'bout that-- but I thought you folks would appreciate the nice color combo between the wall, the purple and orange bedding and the large art deco print above the headboard.

Lastly, this is my side table. The kitschy plaster lamp there was $6 at Goodwill, and I suspect it came from around the 40s, but I'm not sure. It's one of my favorites.

So, this is what I've been up to lately. This and trying to write my second book. It's been keeping me busy!

Hope your week has been as soothing as a smooth lavender coat of paint. And wishing you a happy grand entrance into Spring.

Treasure Box Wednesday: Victorian Beauties

Normally when you think of the area around Miami, you might think of big pastel-painted hotels in classic art deco or mid-century modern styling. But this year, my treasure-hunting in south Florida and its Keys led to some far-from-streamlined Victorian and Edwardian finds.

I'll start with this little Victorian hand-painted and transfer decorated vase. It has some issues...

A chip at the top and a crack extending from that. But it was cheap. Really cheap. Particularly for its quality. And when I first laid eyes on it-- prior to the damage assessment-- it actually made me gasp.

As a gal who enjoys "more is more," the raised decorations... the colors... the detail... This was for me!

The back had a different, complementary decoration to it...
Down in the Florida Keys, then, I went with my father on his weekly yard-saling activities. Expert garage saler that he is, he found a nice glass tabletop for $2. He's always finding interesting nautical items that make fun tables, so that will be handy for him.

And then I spied the most wonderful box of sheet music...

Oh, it was a big box. A Christmas storage tub, really. And it was filled with turn-of-the-1900 to the 30s sheet music.

My heart skipped a beat or two. To be themic, it possibly did a samba or a cha-cha. And I set about ruffling through it to pick out some favorites and see what they might cost...

As I was pulling out these paper gems of art-- ones that reminded me so much of my Victorian postcard collection-- I heard my dad talking to the owner.

"So how much is the sheet music?" Dad had spied, over my shoulder, a few pieces from World War I he had his eye on, and he was keen to know what they would set him back...

"For the whole box?" asked the owner.

"Well, I don't know," said Dad-- not quite expecting that question as part of the negotiation dance.

"$20 for all of it," said the owner. And, well, you can just bet Dad had his money out faster than you can say "Irving Berlin." As the money changed hands, that's when Dad became the proud owner of over 230 individual pieces of turn-of-the-century sheet music! We know because, later, still in awe, he counted.

Since then, I've been teasing him that certainly I hoped the owner knew Dad was with me, or else technically some random guy had just swept in and bought what I was looking at out from under me! :)

Anyway, that "random guy" allowed me to pick out the pieces I'd wanted from the giant stack, so I have the lovelies you see here today, and a few others.
This one below I was excited about because I know of this art by recently reading novelist Martha Grimes' Belle Ruin. There, the main character, young Emma, encounters an old magazine with art containing a "Fadeaway Girl"...


You can see in this closeup, how the girl's dress blends right into the background with no lines?...That's a Fadeaway Girl! I just never imagined getting to see one for myself!

This lady looks like a Christmas card just waiting to happen. Look at that fir-trimmed hat!...

The piece of music below was the only completely floral one. It looks like a lot of the greeting postcards from the same time period...
Harkening to the tropics, I even have one which nods to the 30s passion for Cuba...
And while the sheet music promises, "I'll See You in Cuba," I rather hope I'll see you Sunday, for The Thrift Shop Romantic's next post.

Bon Voyage!

Noteworthy Decorating with Vintage Sheet Music

It may not be music to everyone’s ears, but sheet music from the 1900-1920 era gets a reprise at my house as cheap and unique wall-decor.

Sheet music then was, of course, a vital part of an evening’s entertainment. But even when ol’ Wooster and his chums weren’t gathered around the piano for a jolly round of songs, the music books themselves were designed to be as attractive as they were functional. Often, smiling from the covers, were the the soft-hued faces of actors, actresses and musicians renowned at the time. Other times, sheet music showcased elaborate and colorful illustrations which ranged from the transporting and almost ethereal designs you see here to sturdy expressions of war-time patriotism.

Today vintage sheet music is available at flea markets and antique malls for just a few dollars each, and if you see a stack of it, it might just be worth a rummage for something in harmony with YOUR vintage style. Most pieces of loose sheet music will fit nicely in a standard 11X14 frame, with a little bit of border. But I’ve also managed to find a number of pieces of sheet music that were already in appropriate period-style frames.

Like this gal-- my first sheet music purchase-- already cut to fit a turn-of-the-century gilded frame. I liked in particular that vintage coral color, the composition, and the almost gothic quality to the lady in the photo.

This little number here I framed myself. It hangs in my office/guest room. It was a little bit smaller than the frame, so I put some Shabby Chic scrapbooking paper behind it.

This fun deco darlin’ was also already framed. And in case you were wondering, a “Will O’The Wisp” is apparently a giant disembodied head, sort of like the Great and Powerful Oz only with a bob haircut-- which came to spread roses and soap suds to people who did their laundry at a local fountain...

Okay, I dunno. Was worth a shot, anyway.

And, lastly, as we keep that sudsy theme going, “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles.”

I am. Really.


And if any of you have stopped by the About Your Hostess page on this site, you probably do recognize this little lady. But -- surprise!-- it’s not actually me. (Who am I kidding? My hair never looks that good)...

In small print on the front it says “Posed especially by Miss June Caprice, famous Albert Cappelani screen star.” A quick IMDB search indicates that Miss Caprice was a silent screen character actress, and in the 20s was used by the Coca-Cola Company as a calendar model. Dig those strategically-placed bubbles! (Now, I DO actually walk around with those, it’s very slimming. It’ll be all the rage in a year or so, you’ll see.)

(Ahem).

Anyway-- I’ve had a lot of fun searching through stacks of music and uncovering a few favorites. So if you’re looking for an inexpensive way to put a little rhythm into a room, some well-chosen sheet music might just hit the right note-- and at a low cost-- for you, too.

And maybe I’ll see you next week-- when we lay the groundwork for one very thrifty Mission.. And see just who is up to accepting it!... (Insert mysterious music here.)