More Vintage Home Updates-Atomic Bathroom Flair!

This weekend, I got my new vintage cat eye glasses and I went to Target. I know, very exciting. What a wild weekend, huh?

Despite my ho-hum activities, I managed to update my two upstairs bathrooms with some new vintage flair! At Target I bought a set of pink guest towels, a pink bath mat, a new shower curtain, and a set of aqua blue shower hooks for the master bath. The former shower curtain was a boring, celery green affair that had out-stayed its welcome!

Let's start with the master bath. Here is the new curtain:

 I love it! It has an atomic, yet almost mod look. Even though the print is quite abstract, there is also an organic feel to it.

A few years ago, I repainted the walls in my guest bath with a standard, white satin and then added gold floral stencils. Each stencil was hand-painted. Let me tell you, despite the small size of the bathroom, stencilling took forever! Nevertheless, the finished result was worth the effort!

Even though my guest bath looked nice, there was something missing. I had a set of plain cream towels and a espresso-colored bath mat. The whole thing was just 'meh.'  Then I had an idea to give my guest bath a little bit of fun: pink. Pink is so classic 50s vintage so I was 'tickled pink' (ha ha) when I spotted the set of towels and bath accessories in my envisioned pink.

I bought two hand towels and two fingertip towels along with a small mat. I recently purchased a yard of 50s cotton fabric printed with diamonds and black starbursts. I first washed the fabric and the towels and then I sewed fabric onto the towels for an extra bit of atomic fun:

Here is an upclose view of the fabric:

I also made a small accent for the top of the toilet:

See the rug? Love it! I am going back to Target to buy two full size towels and I will sew the fabric I have left onto each one.

I noticed the top of the white bookshelf I have in my foyer hall looked empty and plain so I made a small runner:

The pink starburst platter was found on Etsy last summer. It is from the 50s and was made by California Originals. This platter was on my living room table but I moved it to my bookshelf. The pink of the fabric just pairs so nicely!

My next project is to re-do my basement. It needs a major facelift! I would love to turn it into a tiki bar complete with boomerang tables!

Need Sewing Advice! Badly! Hemming Circle Skirt

This weekend I went to my local fabric store and bought 4 and 5/8 yards of purple plaid cotton fabric and a circle skirt pattern. Now that the easy part was over, I knew it would only get more difficult!

Even though I have had a Singer sewing machine for about 6 years, I was too afraid to use it until late this summer. I started out with pillow covers, tablecloths, table runners, and basic curtains. All went okay. I had a few 'bumps in the road,' but overall, I fared well.

Now that I have grown more accustomed to using my machine, I decided to venture into clothing. I decided on a very simple circle skirt design. The skirt pattern was easy to cut out and the sides were easy to sew. Come to think of it, even the waistband was easy! But I had to stop making this skirt because I realized I may be in over my head! It was the dang hem! The hem is circular, hence the "circle" in skirt, therefore I am unable to make a normal hem.  If I do a straight hem, the edges are going to look warped.

After trying to research the "best avenues of approach," I found myself even more bewildered! Some sites suggest bias tape, rolled hems, roll foot presser feet, grosgrain ribbon, etc. I am SO confused! I have no idea how to finish this skirt.

So, if any vintage-loving seamstress out there can help me out, I would be forever in her debt! Any suggestions would be so so appreciated!

The Latest Home Updates!-The Power of Target and the Glue Gun

This is Misty, in bed with me yesterday morning. She and I were feeling too lazy to get up and make coffee. We were both up late sewing and using the hot glue gun on various projects.

Anyway, I have been quite lazy when it comes to blogging as of late. I have been busy with work and family and buying new wares for the house.  Also, my cell phone decided to get sick or rebel. I am not sure. Nevertheless, now that my beloved Blackberry is working again, I am excited to show you the latest additions to my "vintage abode in progress."

I went to Target on Monday to buy detergent, Dryel, and a few cosmetic items. While there, I decided to check out the home goods section and I was amazed when I found two great rugs and two lampshades that looked very vintage/atomic!

This one of the rugs in my den/TV room:

This is another rug in my foyer.  It is a shag rug and it feels very soft. The weird, small "things" on the floor are Misty's toys:

This is an upclose view showing the detail on one of the two matching lampshades I bought. They look very 50s to me:

Here is how one of the lamps looks overall in the living room. Just to the left of the lamp is Misty's cat tower. It needs to go into the basement!:

I made these curtains using Circa 50 fabric (pattern is called "Starbursts") over the summer. I added the blue beading using the hot glue gun last night. I think the beads make the curtains look more "complete:"

I also made a tablecloth for my kitchen dinette set and a matching pot holder using another Circa 50 fabric (called "Space"). I did not like the way the pictures turned out.  I will take more photos and post them soon. 

Yesterday afternoon, I changed all the plain round, gold knobs on my kitchen cabinets to light sea blue porcelain (1 and 1/2 inches in diameter) knobs I bought at Lowes Hardware store. They only cost 85 cents each! I bought 14 and the total with VA state tax came to $12.50! I will also post pics showing my new knobs!

My (Real This Time) 50s, Atomic-Era Fabric Tablecloth!

Recently, I was duped by repro fabric on eBay. Even though the fabric is fabulous and looks authentic vintage atomic-era, it is indeed repro. Despite the fabric's modern age, I love it still. I made a curtain, table coasters, a table runner, and a pillow. My TV room looks great.

After my repro purchase, I have been searching for real vintage. Last week, I found an amazing listing for a 22 x 46 inch rectangle of 50s, atomic barkcloth on Etsy. The fabric cost $15.00 and with shipping, the final cost came to just over $18.00 USD.

When I received my package yesterday in the mail, I excitedly opened the padded envelope and instantly, I could smell the true scent of authentic vintage barkcloth! Yes!

I let the fabric air out and then I ironed it. I pulled out my sewing machine and stitched the edges to make a simple tablecloth. Viola! My atomic beauty was done!

Here is an up-close look at the fabric! I just love the design:

I was also impressed that my green candles matched the fabric! The two pewter candlestick holders and bowl are Norwegian designs that were given to me by my parents (Dad is from Norway). The set is vintage 1960s.

I would love some more vintage fabric. I would like to make curtains for my dining/living room area. The only drawback to vintage fabric is of course, the price!

So, have any of your girls made any vintage fabric creations? Where did you find the best fabric and/or deal?

The Latest Home Updates!- Using the "Not-So-Vintage" Atomic Fabric

Recently, I posted about buying two yards of "vintage," atomic-era fabric on eBay. Well, MaryDeluxe commented that my beloved fabric was actually a repro. I am so thankful for her heads-up and I am also annoyed that the seller lead me to believe the fabric was vintage. After reading MaryDeluxe's comment, I went home and looked over the fabric itself and saw a glaring "2003" copyright on the edges.  I guess 7 years is now vintage? (Lol!) 

Despite my ignorance and the fact the fabric is modern-made,  I love it!  The pattern is very true to the 50s, Eames era look and it was easy to sew.  I made a table runner, a pillow, coasters, and a window curtain.

Slowly, but surely, my home is becoming a 50s-era abode (even though my home was built in '85). I am currently on the hunt for 50s vintage wallpapers for my powder room and master bath. In addition, I plan on re-flooring my kitchen with a more 50s-era appropriate style.

Without further ado,  here are the items I made with the repro fabric:

Here is the window curtain:

This is the pillow on my sofa:

Here is the table runner:

And here is an upclose look showing the beading I added to the ends:

An interesting note about the above table; my mom and dad found it at Goodwill for super cheap.  I think the table was made between the 1940s and the early 1960s. My mom is very talented at furniture repair and staining. Mom sanded the entire table, re-stained it, and spruced up the hardware. It looks so new! I also have a vintage, stained-wood foyer table that my mom repaired.  It was actually found at the dump! I am amazed at what people toss out!

My vintage home is work in progress and I am having fun! A huge part of me wants everything done now but the real thrill of vintage decorating is the hunt and watching the transformation from modern blah to retro wow!