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Vocabulary Building with a Vintage Twist
Tim Gunn, of Project Runway fame, said, "Few activities are as delightful as learning new vocabulary". I couldn't agree more, Tim! I've had a penchant for educational games and activities for as long as I've had children. I was one of those moms who bought all the Discovery toys. My boys may be big but I couldn't pass by this vintage vocabulary building game during my rummaging adventures this weekend. I've still got one more son in high school who needs to take the ACT and vocabulary building is a very important part of that.
Of course I couldn't leave it in its original package if it was going to be sitting in my kitchen. So I transferred the cards to this vintage candy tin. I'm envisioning lively discussions about interesting words and their meanings with all the teenagers who drop by my house. They'll probably stop dropping by...some day they'll appreciate that cooky Mrs. Ives.
This tin was featured in one of my favorite movies. Do you know which one?
Of course I couldn't leave it in its original package if it was going to be sitting in my kitchen. So I transferred the cards to this vintage candy tin. I'm envisioning lively discussions about interesting words and their meanings with all the teenagers who drop by my house. They'll probably stop dropping by...some day they'll appreciate that cooky Mrs. Ives.
This tin was featured in one of my favorite movies. Do you know which one?
I'd call him a sadistic, hippophilic necrophile, but that would be beating a dead horse.
Woody Allen
Have you increased your vocabulary lately? Do you have a favorite word?
Woody Allen
Have you increased your vocabulary lately? Do you have a favorite word?
Antique Taco
Happy Monday! Today's post is dedicated to living your passion... I am pleased to announce that I have my very first retail account which will be selling my embellished upscale antlers! Antique Taco is located in Chicago and is the brainchild of a husband and wife team, Rick and Ashely Ortiz.
They combined both their passions to create an amazing restaurant where Rick uses fresh and local ingredients to put a modern spin on Mexican cuisine.
Ashley takes her love of decorating and antiques to create an unique ambiance much different than your average Mexican restaurant.
Together they are a winning combination that has been recognized by Chicago Magazine, Serious Eats Chicago, ABC News and many others. Ashley has a small shopping area in the restaurant where the antlers will be placed. She is also starting a flea market this summer.
If you're in the Chicago area, give Antique Taco a visit and tell them Sarah sent you! I know a visit is part of my summer plans. I'm looking forward to trying the Maple Farm Duck Enchiladas and Abuelita's Pop Tart from their eclectic menu.
They combined both their passions to create an amazing restaurant where Rick uses fresh and local ingredients to put a modern spin on Mexican cuisine.
Ashley takes her love of decorating and antiques to create an unique ambiance much different than your average Mexican restaurant.
Together they are a winning combination that has been recognized by Chicago Magazine, Serious Eats Chicago, ABC News and many others. Ashley has a small shopping area in the restaurant where the antlers will be placed. She is also starting a flea market this summer.
If you're in the Chicago area, give Antique Taco a visit and tell them Sarah sent you! I know a visit is part of my summer plans. I'm looking forward to trying the Maple Farm Duck Enchiladas and Abuelita's Pop Tart from their eclectic menu.
Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.
Harriet Tubman
Do something to feed your soul and passion today!
Harriet Tubman
Do something to feed your soul and passion today!
The Child's Anti-Slavery Book
Do you watch the Academy Awards? We do at our house. It's how we get ideas for which movies we want to rent for the next few months. We've been working our way through the list of Best Picture nominees and have recently watched Django Unchained and Lincoln. Both pictures take place in the 1800s before the Civil War and at the end of it. Ironically I found a wonderful treasure from the same time period during my antiquing adventures.
You may be thinking that it looks like an ordinary book; an old one but quite ordinary. That's precisely why you can't judge a book by its cover. It's a rare copy of an anti-slavery book for children published in 1859. This mid nineteenth-century, abolitionist tract, distributed by the Sunday School Union, uses actual life stories about slave children separated from their parents or mistreated by their masters to appeal to the sympathies of free children. Vivid illustrations help to reinforce the message that black children should have the same rights as white children, and that holding humans as property is "a sin against God."
It contains 3 sets of stories about the lives of real slaves and also has a short introduction about the immorality of slavery from a Biblical perspective. I've always enjoyed history class but through watching the movie Lincoln I realized I'm just a casual observer on the subject. During my education, history was approached through a series of events and dates and not from the perspective of its participants. I always thought that "everyone" in the North was against slavery and "everyone" in the South was for it. I never realized the political wrangling that went on to get the 13th Amendment passed and that a good portion of the people in the North were against it.
The book contains 10 etchings depicting slave life by Charles Howland Hammatt Billings who also illustrated Uncle Tom's Cabin. I read this book this week and found it to be quite moving. I absolutely can not believe how despicably humans can treat each other. I can appreciate the way Quentin Tarrantino rewrites history for his movies so the bad guy loses in the end and the good guy triumphs. That's the way we'd all like it to work. Even though Django Unchained was quite violent and there were parts I could not watch, I do admire his creativity.
I'm so glad that fate had me stumble across this simple and powerful volume and that I took the time to learn from its contents. I plan on selling it on Ebay to someone else who will appreciate it.
You may be thinking that it looks like an ordinary book; an old one but quite ordinary. That's precisely why you can't judge a book by its cover. It's a rare copy of an anti-slavery book for children published in 1859. This mid nineteenth-century, abolitionist tract, distributed by the Sunday School Union, uses actual life stories about slave children separated from their parents or mistreated by their masters to appeal to the sympathies of free children. Vivid illustrations help to reinforce the message that black children should have the same rights as white children, and that holding humans as property is "a sin against God."
It contains 3 sets of stories about the lives of real slaves and also has a short introduction about the immorality of slavery from a Biblical perspective. I've always enjoyed history class but through watching the movie Lincoln I realized I'm just a casual observer on the subject. During my education, history was approached through a series of events and dates and not from the perspective of its participants. I always thought that "everyone" in the North was against slavery and "everyone" in the South was for it. I never realized the political wrangling that went on to get the 13th Amendment passed and that a good portion of the people in the North were against it.
The book contains 10 etchings depicting slave life by Charles Howland Hammatt Billings who also illustrated Uncle Tom's Cabin. I read this book this week and found it to be quite moving. I absolutely can not believe how despicably humans can treat each other. I can appreciate the way Quentin Tarrantino rewrites history for his movies so the bad guy loses in the end and the good guy triumphs. That's the way we'd all like it to work. Even though Django Unchained was quite violent and there were parts I could not watch, I do admire his creativity.
I'm so glad that fate had me stumble across this simple and powerful volume and that I took the time to learn from its contents. I plan on selling it on Ebay to someone else who will appreciate it.
That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history.
Aldous Huxley
Did you like history class? Have you seen either Lincoln or Django Unchained?
Aldous Huxley
Did you like history class? Have you seen either Lincoln or Django Unchained?
Window Treatment Wednesday--Roman Shade Edition
Welcome to Window Treatment Wednesday--a weekly blog post where I share out of the box ideas and inspiration for your window treatments. This week the future's so bright we have to wear shades...Roman shades...
Jenny Wolf Interiors
Amanda Nisbet
The Nesting Game
Maple & Magnolia
Amy Morris Interiors
Country Living
Kevin Malone
There are certain shades of limelight that can wreck a girl's complexion.
Audrey Hepburn
Jenny Wolf Interiors
Amanda Nisbet
The Nesting Game
Maple & Magnolia
Amy Morris Interiors
Country Living
Kevin Malone
There are certain shades of limelight that can wreck a girl's complexion.
Audrey Hepburn
Vintage Finds--Jewelry Edition
I'm a homebody. I love to be at home so my new job has been a big transition for me emotionally and I'm still working through it. I'm very thankful for my new position but like I said, "There's no place like home" and I have had less and less time here between work and other activities. All this had me feeling a bit down last week but it was nothing that a good garage score couldn't fix. Usually all the "good stuff" is taken on Saturdays because the garage sale pros hit the sales the first day but I was blessed enough to stumble across a gem of a sale. (pun intended) It was an estate sale advertised as a garage sale and the prices were fantastic. All the jewelry was $.50 each. Here are the treasures I found...
BROOCHES
EARRINGS
BANGLE BRACLETS
And a carved Butterscotch Bakelite one...
For those of you in the cheap seats I'd like ya to clap your hands to this one; the rest of you can just rattle your jewelry!
John Lennon
Did you find any treasures this weekend?
Solving Mysteries as Furniture Detectives
Riddle:
What has 6 sides, 28 joints and is red all over?
Answer:
My latest antique purchase!
Mr. Upscale and I enjoy a good mystery whether it's a movie plot or an antique so we purchased this six board chest at the auction house on Sunday. I loved it for its milky red paint and he for its dovetailed joints. We hauled it home and started to clean it and discover some of its mysteries.
Case in point: Notice the different types of woods between the chest and the trim.
The trim is oak and the chest is pine. This means that the trim was probably added at a later date. Sometimes the maker did use different types of wood on the same piece but these two just don't look like they go together at all. Different types of woods would be used because people used what they had on hand and also because they planned on painting the piece. Most likely it was someone's effort to restore it. We believe it had trim originally and here's how we know for sure. We removed the nasty oak trim and found this underneath.
Notice the nail holes. There are small ones where the oak was nailed in and there are larger ones which means there was another type of trim on the chest. It was most likely made of pine like the rest of the piece. Now that the trim has been removed another question has to be asked...Is that red paint that I love original? What do you think? Are you a furniture detective, too? I don't believe that the red paint is original because of the gray look of the boards underneath. It could have been painted red with the trim on and then this top piece would still have a gray border but this picture of the back leads me to believe it was originally gray.
The back of the chest has no red paint on it at all but can you see the traces of gray in the picture above? I do believe the red paint is quite old just because of it's lovely worn and milky patina.
Even though this six board chest is missing some of its original elements, like it's original trim, paint and hinges it's a lovely example of 19th century handmade furniture. It's called a six board chest because it is made of six individual boards and there was no joining of wood to make wider pieces. Think about how big those trees had to be to harvest wood that wide.
Now it sits in my living room as my coffee table and I will thoroughly enjoy it in all its handmade glory. If you'd like to see more examples of antique chests, I found this Pinterest Board called Trunks, Chests. It's definitely eye candy for the antique chest lover! I also found this example of a blue six board chest that is probably a bit earlier than this one but with all its original parts.
What has 6 sides, 28 joints and is red all over?
Answer:
My latest antique purchase!
Mr. Upscale and I enjoy a good mystery whether it's a movie plot or an antique so we purchased this six board chest at the auction house on Sunday. I loved it for its milky red paint and he for its dovetailed joints. We hauled it home and started to clean it and discover some of its mysteries.
Case in point: Notice the different types of woods between the chest and the trim.
The trim is oak and the chest is pine. This means that the trim was probably added at a later date. Sometimes the maker did use different types of wood on the same piece but these two just don't look like they go together at all. Different types of woods would be used because people used what they had on hand and also because they planned on painting the piece. Most likely it was someone's effort to restore it. We believe it had trim originally and here's how we know for sure. We removed the nasty oak trim and found this underneath.
Notice the nail holes. There are small ones where the oak was nailed in and there are larger ones which means there was another type of trim on the chest. It was most likely made of pine like the rest of the piece. Now that the trim has been removed another question has to be asked...Is that red paint that I love original? What do you think? Are you a furniture detective, too? I don't believe that the red paint is original because of the gray look of the boards underneath. It could have been painted red with the trim on and then this top piece would still have a gray border but this picture of the back leads me to believe it was originally gray.
The back of the chest has no red paint on it at all but can you see the traces of gray in the picture above? I do believe the red paint is quite old just because of it's lovely worn and milky patina.
Even though this six board chest is missing some of its original elements, like it's original trim, paint and hinges it's a lovely example of 19th century handmade furniture. It's called a six board chest because it is made of six individual boards and there was no joining of wood to make wider pieces. Think about how big those trees had to be to harvest wood that wide.
Now it sits in my living room as my coffee table and I will thoroughly enjoy it in all its handmade glory. If you'd like to see more examples of antique chests, I found this Pinterest Board called Trunks, Chests. It's definitely eye candy for the antique chest lover! I also found this example of a blue six board chest that is probably a bit earlier than this one but with all its original parts.
Uncertainty and mystery are the energies of life. Don't let them scare you unduly, for they keep boredom at bay and spark creativity.
R. I. Fitzhenry
Do you love a good mystery?
R. I. Fitzhenry
Do you love a good mystery?
Vintage Finds---Spring is on its Way Edition
We Wisconsinites are hearty folk but even folks like us need some springlike weather around these parts. It's basically in the high 30s for weeks and weeks. So, I was pleasantly surprised last Friday when I spotted my first garage sale sign of the season. I promptly turned my car around and went to thank the hearty souls who decided to make spring happen around here. Soon, I was known as the "cheery girl" by the older ladies running the sale maybe because I was just so happy to be searching for treasures. I found a vintage flannel shirt for making antlers, a couple of belts for making bracelets and these awesome vintage music pins...
I plan to try my hand at making a "kitchen sink" style necklace like I learned about at Mitzi's Miscellany and these would be perfect additions. After my Friday rummaging adventure, we headed to the antique mall and thrift shop on Saturday. I shared about my antique English horse brasses for Window Treatment Wednesday but I also found some other unique items like these four pieces from an early wooden box camera.
I thought they would make great mini chalkboards or picture frames. I am drawn to anything handmade and this walnut tote was no exception. It has a spindle for the handle and it's made from pieces of furniture.
Notice the "spoon" detail on the inside of the box. I wonder why they put the pretty side to the inside? It must have been made by a man! I wonder if they intended to reuse and recycle the wood? And, we think we started that movement; our grandparents and great grandparents lived that way out of necessity. Currently it's holding TP in my powder room but it's such a versatile piece.
This vintage picture is a bit of a mystery. It looks like a picture of a window display at a department store at Christmas and I find it intriguing.
I also found two sets of antlers mounted on some very old barn wood. Now I just need to give them an upscale makeover...
I plan to try my hand at making a "kitchen sink" style necklace like I learned about at Mitzi's Miscellany and these would be perfect additions. After my Friday rummaging adventure, we headed to the antique mall and thrift shop on Saturday. I shared about my antique English horse brasses for Window Treatment Wednesday but I also found some other unique items like these four pieces from an early wooden box camera.
I thought they would make great mini chalkboards or picture frames. I am drawn to anything handmade and this walnut tote was no exception. It has a spindle for the handle and it's made from pieces of furniture.
Notice the "spoon" detail on the inside of the box. I wonder why they put the pretty side to the inside? It must have been made by a man! I wonder if they intended to reuse and recycle the wood? And, we think we started that movement; our grandparents and great grandparents lived that way out of necessity. Currently it's holding TP in my powder room but it's such a versatile piece.
This vintage picture is a bit of a mystery. It looks like a picture of a window display at a department store at Christmas and I find it intriguing.
I also found two sets of antlers mounted on some very old barn wood. Now I just need to give them an upscale makeover...
If winter comes, can spring be far behind?
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy did not live in Wisconsin.
Have you found any treasures lately?
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy did not live in Wisconsin.
Have you found any treasures lately?
Window Treatment Wednesday--Equestrian Edition
Welcome to Window Treatment Wednesday---a weekly blog post where I share out of the box ideas and inspiration for your window treatments. Remember a few weeks ago when I said customers have the best ideas? It's proved true for my business again. Last week a customer purchased two equestrian tie backs from my shop. Since I use vintage items in my designs they are limited edition and she needed a third tie back so I told her I would be on the hunt for more equestrian items. I went antiquing on Saturday for this express purpose and found some antique English horse brasses.
I love the patina of the brass and they are the perfect size for embellishing curtains. My next stop was my local farm store where I visited the tack aisle. I found this leather curbing which is used for horses and basically is a little belt. I paired the two together and have a fabulous equestrian look.
I plan to list them in my Etsy shop soon. If you like the equestrian look, you really need to check out my friend Allison's blog, The Polohouse. She lives in a converted polo house in Illinois and has the most beautiful antiques.
I love the patina of the brass and they are the perfect size for embellishing curtains. My next stop was my local farm store where I visited the tack aisle. I found this leather curbing which is used for horses and basically is a little belt. I paired the two together and have a fabulous equestrian look.
I plan to list them in my Etsy shop soon. If you like the equestrian look, you really need to check out my friend Allison's blog, The Polohouse. She lives in a converted polo house in Illinois and has the most beautiful antiques.
There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Times are a Changin'
They say that change is the only thing that is certain. I've got a big change happening in my life and I thought I'd share it with you...
That's what's happening with me. I hope good things are happening in your life right now.
- One week ago today I started a full-time job after having been a part-time substitute teacher and Etsy shop owner for the past three years
- I wasn't job hunting; the position just came to me through a series of "it's not odd; it's God" circumstances
- I am a medical receptionist at a growing practice of physicians
- I'm enjoying my new position but learning to adjust to less time to all my favorite things like create, design and blog
- I plan to continue my Etsy shop and blog but will have to definitely improve on my time management skills
That's what's happening with me. I hope good things are happening in your life right now.
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.
Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Book Report---Recipe for Press
One of my favorite possessions is a small recipe book handwritten by my mother. In it she shares our family's special sweet treats and little stories of how she acquired each recipe. My mother makes a mean carrot cake and her super simple apple crisp is a go to recipe for me. I'm so lucky to have these little treasures from her, and I was also lucky enough to stumble across a different kind of recipe book recently. It's called Recipe for Press by Amy Flurry. This recipe book promises to help you pitch your story like the pros and create a buzz.
The author, Amy Flurry, is a longtime editor and freelance writer working with such publications as, Lucky, InStyle, O @ Home, Country Living, Condé Nast Traveler, Better Homes & Gardens, House Beautiful, Budget Living and Refinery 29. I really appreciated Amy's practical and step-by-step approach to DIY publicity. Here are a couple of quick take away ideas that have me thinking:
The author, Amy Flurry, is a longtime editor and freelance writer working with such publications as, Lucky, InStyle, O @ Home, Country Living, Condé Nast Traveler, Better Homes & Gardens, House Beautiful, Budget Living and Refinery 29. I really appreciated Amy's practical and step-by-step approach to DIY publicity. Here are a couple of quick take away ideas that have me thinking:
- Learn how to think like an editor and recognize the many stories-within-your story
- Study back issues of publications to see patterns in how content is featured
- Make sure your picture is included in the body of your email when you pitch to an editor---they are too busy and receive too many pitches to open attachments
Up until this point, I have been spending my time on creating and designing and letting my ideas flow but have been frustrated with getting my products noticed. From reading Amy's book, I've realized that I need to take some time to strategically plan and implement a publicity plan quarterly and yearly. I highly recommend this read for all etsy shop owners, indie artists, and small business owners. You can also follow Amy on her blog, Recipe for Press, where she shares great snippets of information on trends and products to inspire you.
A big thing that gets people in trouble in the kitchen is not reading the recipe from start to finish before you cook it. Before you start anything, read through the entire recipe once.
Gail Simmons
What do you do for publicity for your business/product?
About
Hi, I'm Sarah, a wife and proud mom of 3 sons. I am passionate about design and decorating, vintage shopping, and living life to its fullest in my small Midwestern town. I believe in creating a home with upscale style on a downhome budget. I've created my own line of window treatments and am excited about the possibilities it is bringing my way! I love it when friends stop by so come back often and hang out a while. Email me at: sarah@upscaledownhome.com
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