Using old windows and shutters as backdrops for displays

Here's how it turned out!  It's in our bedroom!

First I started by laying out the shutters and window frame on the floor and playing around with the "stuff" I was going to put on them. 

Then once I figured out how I would like it. I painted the shutters. The frames and shelf I pre-hung. The small frames and pictures I attached to the shutters and window before I hung them to the wall. 

Here's another grouping in our guest bedroom

Here are a couple in my office. 

In a bathroom

Here's a grouping with shutters and a suitcase on a bench. 

One more spot I used a shutter. 

Shutters are a great backdrop!!  And windows...and old doors!!

My happy place

My happy place started out as our kids toy room. But as they grew up I slowly took over. It started with a corner and my sewing machine. Now it's my happy place, aka my sewing room. It has 6 windows and 4 of them face west. So I get great sunlight most of the day!  

I found this spinning wheel at an antique store with this fabulous original aqua blue paint (had to have it)!

I converted an old metal (not safe at all for a baby) baby crib into a love seat using vintage quilts I bought on eBay that came with the description "damaged", then I don't feel bad cutting them up. 

This little cabinet I had for awhile waiting for the perfect place (I have a collection of things waiting for the perfect place). The dishes in this cabinet where an engagement present for my grandma from my grandpa when they got engaged!  It's a cake and tea set. I've had them stacked in my other china cabinet but now they can be nicely spread out. The quilt on the bottom shelf is an antique grandmas garden quilt which goes nicely with my grandmas dishes because she had a beautiful garden!

I have a china cabinet that holds my pretty collections of fat quarters and jelly rolls. 

At Christmas I put up a vintagey Christmas tree. 

I collect sewing machines, mostly Singers.  I actually sew with the one in the white cabinet. It's awesome for denim and leather! 

This featherweight I completely took apart, striped down to bare metal, repainted, added the decals, put it back together again!  It sews beautifully!!  

I love vintage toy sewing machines. They came in such cute colors!! The white featherweight is one I bought on eBay. When I got it it didn't work. The seller refunded my money and now it looks cute on the shelf. I haven't given up on it, I might have to break down and take it somewhere to get it fixed. I think it's the motor. 

I couldn't pass this vintage aqua blue lace dress up!  She's perfect in my happy place.  The pictures in that collage are of my parents, grandparents, great grandparents, great great GP and even a set of great great great GP!  I've been influenced by all of them through out my life!  

Here's where it all happens! I love sewing!  I love putting different combos of colors together and seeing it progress into something fabulous!

I LOVE MY BERNINA sewing machine!  This is what I use daily!!

(Chandelier was used at my daughters wedding and needed to hang over my sewing area when it was done being a wedding decoration!)

I love using my vintage iron!  I got the tip from Lori Holt (Bee in my Bonnet blog). I love it so much I got rid of my rowenta steam system (for quilting and piecing it didn't work for me, too much down time in between so it would just spit water all over everything).  I also love the 3 metal basket trolley from ikea!  

This is a dresser with the drawers long gone. So I put shelves inside and it holds some of my quilts. My friend Jenn (her etsy shop is called konjohandmade) custom made 3 dolls, each representing my 3 girls!  

I bought this and it was damaged (but I knew I was repainting it anyway). I wanted to display some of my vintage hats, there's are rhinestone necklace of my mother in laws, and the kitten picture was made by my grandma given to me when I was a little girl. My sister and I had coordinating cat pictures!  

A vintage bread box is a great place to store and display fabric bundles!

And there you have it...my happy place!!  Where life happens!!

Vintage crocheted pot holders

So my question was, how do I display my collection of vintage pot holders when I don't have a large wall in my kitchen, mostly windows and cabinets. 

Then one day it came to me. So here's what I did. 

I started with a chippy white single shutter hanging off a shelf. 

I couldn't mount it to the wall because the light switch is on the wall in a weird place. So I still needed access to that 

Then I added this cool vintage metal shelf that I bought awhile ago and was just waiting for the perfect place to display it 

Then I pinned my pot holders on to make sure I liked the positioning. Once I was happy I used tiny cup hooks to hang them from. 

Then to fill the shelves with vintage kitchen treasures. 

The jar is holding my cupcake cups

It's a fun vintagey spot in my eating area!!

I love vintage!!

Its been awhile since I updated this blog. So I just want to share some of my vintage finds!

My son in law made this shelf for me out of weathered wood for Christmas. I then gathered the accents to put on it. It's hanging in my laundry room. 

I found this vintage green 3 arm towel rack on etsy!  Perfect for these vintage linens!

One of my latest collections are vintage tins (trays and canisters)!

I used drawer pulls that look like glass door knobs as the hooks. What else but vintage dresses could hang on this shelf?  

I also found this vintage match holder with chippy paint revealing the fabulous green underneath.

And one last thing in this grouping. A vintage wooden folding chair!  

I found this cool app that turns your photos into watercolors. Here's what it did to one of these. 

Isn't that cool!!