Boy Room Makeover

Our boys had no fancy PB or RH nursery.  They had plain IKEA cribs bolted into one for about a year.  Then the cribs were reconfigured into the original two.  When they started escaping over the top we took out an upright slat in each one.  E REALLY liked to sleep with T.

Nap time was party down time.  They would tilt any pictures, empty all drawers, take all toys, grab all books and stash them under the rug, behind the radiators, beneath the big floor pillows.  Everyday.  So no "decor" for them.   They graduated to big boy IKEA beds and storage drawers.  But still were limited to minimal decor.  When nap time left us (early on) more things did go into the room.  Trophies.  Ribbons.  Lego models.  They displayed things on the chests I fixed up with maps of the favorite surfing beaches in NJ and NC.

 

Now that third grade is upon us the guys want desk space in their room.  Not sure how effective this will be since they do their work at the kitchen table after school.  This is their room in the throes of  rearrangement.

 

 

 This is the result.  Chances of it looking this good beyond a week are slim.

 

 

 For the moment neat.

Good to the Last Drop

A last taste of summer.

 

The days are flying by.  To see more of the world's wonders visit Today's Flowers #112.

DC Big Flea With Eddie Ross

Cruising a flea with Eddie Ross and Jaithan Kochar is always an education.  How would you use this quilt?

Eddie would put it on a table.  Hey, I do that!  (The seller kinda cringed.)

Not just for beds anymore.  Stack on a shelf, drape on a sofa, dress up a Christmas tree base,  hang on the wall as art.  Torn?  Think pillow or upholstery with the good parts. I hang them from the stair rail over the entry hall.

Or to hide the garbage.

 These scarfs are another pillow opportunity waiting to happen.  If you don't sew take the project to the seamstress at the local cleaners.

Fabulous pressed glass.

This was a wonderful two piece punch bowl. 

Check for maker's marks.

Use it for flowers, fruit, display ornaments or the original function ... punch.

This is a very cute job with a Greek key motif.

Even more fab is the hand blown glass.  Feel for the bump on the bottom where the glassblower broke off the piece.

Some has delicate etching.

A collection of platters with a green band to serve on or to hang in graduated order.

Blue flow ware, first produced in England during the late 1800's.  Again check for the marks.

Um, I don't see this on Eddie but use the vintage material on a footstool or bench.

Here's a goodie.  Picture this sideboard with a nice bowed front painted out (use a coat of Zinsser first), fitted with a marble top and back, sink and new hardware. (I'd make it a drop in sink.)  Make a template and cut mirror insets for the front panels.  Put it in the master bath and you have loads of storage, way cheaper than a new Restoration Hardware and lots more charm.

Speaking of baths, kitchens or fireplaces these vintage tiles set in anywhere would add punch.

A sturdy set of six chairs?  Paint, pop the seats and recover.  $200 plus paint and fabric.

How about holidays?  Well first, you should probably be looking for this at Easter time.  I love the patterns.

Picture these plates in modern dress on a green or white charger ... set 'em on the quilt?

Down the center of the table place a line of copper molds filled with autumn color.

Old prints in a pile.  Frame them out with a DIY linen wrapped mat.  They make swell gifts.

French ivory handles are all the rage.  Use these to spear your pickles, olives or toast and they make good hostess or wedding gifts.  Check your friends' wedding registers and then find an antique equivalent.  The value of your gift will be lasting.

Scoops, not just for ice cream.  Classic and a forever gift.  Scoop out pancake batter or the perfect amount of icing on your cupcakes.

Nice lines spotted on this chair.  Pull off the old upholstery yourself and paint the frame before you take it to the master upholsterer and you save a bundle.  Maybe six yards of fabric and you have a chair worth 5x the cost.

In the same booth, two lamps.  Oh, please rewire, the dog ate the plug so the price is right.  Paint and add a simple drum shade.  Top them off with a finial of polished stone (check out the bead lady's wares) epoxied to an el cheapo Target finial. 

The two side tables the lamps are sitting on are ripe for a paint job and a glass top spray painted a jazzy color on the underside.

 

What to do in a boy's room, the back entry where the sports stuff lives, the "man cave" or a den?  Frame up some memorabilia.

Old maps (or any interesting print).  Cute for a powder room and nice reading material.  If you can't bring yourself to use the originals as wall paper make color copies.  I'd frame the original with a linen mat and hang it on top of the wall paper.

Freshen up the look of Grandma's doilies with dye.  Black works well  for serving spooky Halloween treats.

I didn't buy much since I'd hit an estate sale last week.  Just the little chick salt cellar.  I'm thinking ahead to Easter.  The dealer marked it down.

 And this.  The best tip I got was Simichrome Polish.

I got this set of turquoise handled place settings (18 pc) at a super estate sale last week-end.  They are gold over silver and I could NOT get them clean. Now look.  Hard to see with the flash, but the one on the right is polished gold and the left is all tarnish.

My new best product!  Only eight bucks.  Find it on line or at a Harley Davidson shop.  Really!  Luv ya Eddie!