Repurposing

I love to repurpose vintage items. By that I mean to use them for a purpose for which they were not originally intended. A lot of times I buy vintage items without knowing what I want to do with them and sometimes I buy with an idea in mind and never get around to using them. Right now, I have a lot of those copper or bronzed baby shoes in my Etsy shop.



There are a total of seventeen shoes, seven pairs and three singles. Some of the shoes are very old - maybe even victorian. I originally bought these because I was going to use them as little planters on my deck and porch. I never got around to doing that because for one thing, I'm not sure it would be good for them to be out in the weather. So, that is why they're now in my shop.

I can see lots of other uses for them. I think they would be adorable as part of a baby mobile. Use some of the shoes and some wooden blocks spelling BABY or the baby's name - or add some vintage toys to the mobile such as rattles. I also think they would be adorable to make centerpieces for a baby shower. They could have flowers or rattles or candy or whatever else matches the theme and be given away as prizes for games. Of course, I still think about the planter idea for an indoor area.

I've posted this before, but an idea I borrowed from someone at a flea market is to use a vintage string of Christmas lights as a bouquet in an enamelware container. It's a great way to repurpose those lights since I personally think they're a fire hazard and a way to display some of your vintage items at Christmas. I have added one of those "bouquets" to my Etsy store in case you're looking for one.

Read more ...

Using vintage in Christmas decor

I'm featuring items from Etsy sellers in this posting. There are some really beautiful vintage items offered on Etsy and I love making treasuries which showcase them. It also allows me to pair items and colors that are definitely out-of-the-box for me.

This treasury showcases items that are primarily purple, red and white.

'Purple and red for Christmas' by TouchingThePast

Vintage Doilies Lot of 5 - V... AVintageSerend... $10.00	Stunning Lot of Antique Amet... OldJunkAmbitio... $36.00	Vintage Christmas Ornaments ... lakeuka $32.00	antique lace trim lot 15 des... fabriquefantas... $28.00
Lot of 5 Vintage Salvaged O... SavageAttic $7.50	Antique and Vintage Large an... AnAntiqueAffai... $18.99	Vintage Millinery Fruit Made... 32NorthSupplie... $5.95	48 Vintage Red Colored Mercu... beforehefindso... $6.00
Perky Purple Poppies - Embro... aquamarinedrea... $25.00	Milk Glass Wedding Centerpie... LadyMonette $44.50	Vintage Christmas Mercury Be... pumpkintruck $15.00	100 Vintage Cards - 1930s-50... ManyHappyRetur... $19.95
8 Crocheted Christmas Orname... aesthetikara $15.00	plum candy dish/bowl ThinkOldThinkN... $15.00	Pair of Vintage Needlepoint ... KKPWantiques $250.00	Hand Blown Purple Salad and ... MyAtticFinds $21.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Here is how I would use these items.

For my Christmas tree, I would use the doilies, chandelier prisms, skeleton keys and red umbrellas as ornaments. I would string the buttons together to use as a garland. I would also use the lace trim as garland on the tree. I would make a tree topper out of the purple fruit and red mercury picks. Then, I would put the tablecloth under the tree as a skirt.

For my mantel, I would start with the milk glass vases. I would put red candles in different shapes and sizes in some of the vases and also directly on the mantel. I would use the red mercury glass garland to string the Christmas cards across the mantel. Above the mantel, I would hang the seven purple saucers in a Christmas tree formation.

 

I love using pillows in my holiday decor, so I would put the two needlepoint pillows on my couch or chairs. I would fill the purple bowl with the crocheted red ornaments and sit it on a table.

This is just a beginning. I know there are lots more purple, red and white items I can find on Etsy that I would also be able to incorporate in my holiday decor.

Read more ...

Simple Christmas mantel

This year, I decided not to put up my Christmas tree.  But, that didn't mean I was canceling Christmas altogether.  I wanted to decorate my mantel but keep it simple.

I have a collection of Koestel wax angels in a variety of sizes and colors and usually use the smaller ones as ornaments on my tree.  Since I wasn't putting up a tree, I thought I would use them all on my mantel.

The Koestel angels were first created by Ami Koestel in Germany in the 1930s for her friends and family.  Eventually, the angels were produced by the Koestel company.  My angels are all vintage and most have Western Germany stickers still on them.

I replaced the picture above my mantel with an antique mirror I had hanging in the hall.  I hung a star from the top and draped vintage red and gold mercury bead garlands around the sides.  After arranging the angels, I added vintage gold ornaments in between.  I have individual tea lights set among the angels to light up the display at night.  Then, I bought "snow" and dropped it on the angels and ornaments.

Even though the display is simple, I love it - mainly because of the beauty of the Koestel angels.

Read more ...

A Christmas light bowl

I borrowed this idea from something I saw in a magazine.  The difference is that the magazine used a basket.

I purchased a large bowl made by Gail Pittman, a Mississippi pottery artist.  I have the bowl filled with ornaments, some vintage and some newer.  Underneath the ornaments is one of those large white light balls.  When the light ball is lit, the ornaments reflect the light.  The light bowl provides a lovely Christmas glow.

I prefer to use ornaments which are thin so that the light can shine through them rather than reflect off them.  The vintage ornaments that I've used are perfect for that because much of the outer layer has worn off and the ornaments have become transparent.

Read more ...

And so I begin . . .

Not only do I display vintage decorations during the holidays, but I try to incorporate some of my other vintage items into my holiday decor.

DINING TABLE CENTERPIECE

As I was thinking about a centerpiece for my dining room table this year, I had the idea of using one of my flow blue pieces as the base. The piece is a planter that I normally use in my living room.

I have a vintage Coby tree cluster. It is a tree made of ornaments that slide onto a center support. Because of its size, it makes a perfect centerpiece. It sits perfectly on top of the flow blue planter that I wanted to use as the base of my centerpiece.

USING VINTAGE LINENS

I also wanted to incorporate some vintage linens into my centerpiece. I could have just covered my table with the linens but I decided to take it a step further and use some vintage doilies tucked into the planter at the base of the cluster tree.

I tried a couple of different variations. The first is using a white and a blue doily tucked into the planter.

In the second variation, I've tucked the golden yellow doily into the planter at the base of the tree and I've added a red striped tablecloth below the topper.

Using vintage items in such a fashion allows me to better coordinate my holiday decor and it also means that I don't have to store so many items after the holidays are over.

Read more ...

Time to start thinking about decorating for Christmas

Now that Thanksgiving is almost upon us, it’s time to start thinking about Christmas. I do decorate but I don’t go all out as I’ve seen some people do. I don’t have the storage capacity for a tree for every room, for one thing, and for another, I’m pretty sure I would be so exhausted by the time I finished that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy Christmas.

CHRISTMAS THEMES

For my Christmas decorating, I have three themes that I rotate from year to year. With the different themes, I can use many of the same decorations. My themes are: Victorian, gingerbread, and snowmen. I do have specific ornaments for each of these themes but I also have generic ornaments which I can use for all three and which act as filler on the tree.

Having three themes to rotate keeps me from becoming bored with my decorations. I also make changes to whatever I do every time I reuse a theme. Sometimes I make additions to what I have and sometimes I move things around or have an idea about a new way to display my decorations.

Decorating the mantel is always a challenge for me. I really don’t know why because that ought to be the easiest. Last year was the year of my snowmen theme. Walking around a store one day, I spotted some snowflake wrapping paper and the idea popped into my head of using it as a backdrop for my mantel display. I then bought large snowflakes to spill over onto the wall to give a 3-D effect. This is the result:





USING THE THEME OUTSIDE

Not only do I use the current theme throughout my house – for example, I add a themed centerpiece to my dining table and used themed kitchen towels – but I also carry the theme to my outdoor decorations. I add a themed wreath to my front door and decorate two window boxes according to the theme. I have outdoor lighting and displays that also match the theme.

IDEAS FOR THEMES USING VINTAGE ITEMS

So, I’ve come up with a few ideas for themes using vintage items from Etsy sellers.

'Vintage Christmas themes' by TouchingThePast

I Love Santa: Vintage Toy Bl... LittleKittenVi... $20.00	Tin Toy Teacups - INSTANT CO... sushipotparts $48.00	Vintage Wooden Toy Soldier O... avocadoharvest $9.00	VINTAGE Collection of HO Sca... nuretro $10.95
Vintage Blue Feather Hat samjams3 $18.00	Vintage collection of scarve... TheVintageLure $28.50	Vintage Jewelry, Vintage Sup... kimkdep $10.00	20s Blue Silk Velvet Opera C... MorningGloriou... $125.00
Vintage Red Enamel Kitchen S... SwedishCountry $16.50	Holiday Baking Vintage Metal... blackscottietr... $12.00	Vintage Kitchen Collection Sharedvisions5... $25.00	Vintage Russian Lacquered Kh... theloosegoose $25.00
Instant COLLECTION of GARDEN... sushipotparts $48.00	Vintage Collection of Fishi... MontanaKnitWit $70.00	Large Blue Vintage Granite ... cabininthehear... $29.00	7 Vintage Clay Terra-cotta f... DOUBLEDOORANTI... $12.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

I love the idea of using children’s toys as Christmas decorations, and the first row in the treasury is an example of items I would use. I think the wooden blocks spelling out “I Love Santa” would look adorable on the mantel and since someone has put it together for me, my mantel won’t be the usual challenge. I would use the wooden soldiers and the tin cups as ornaments on the tree. And the train would look so cute on the floor encircling the tree.

The second row of items is very non-traditional for Christmas. They’re for what I call a Fashionista tree. The first item is a feather hat which I would use as the tree topper. The scarves could be tied together and draped around the tree as a garland. I would use the brooches as ornaments on the tree. The beautiful blue velvet cape could be used as the tree skirt.

I know a lot of people collect vintage kitchen items, so the third row includes items that could be used for decorations. I would place my tree in the red enamelware bowl. Granted, it would not be a large tree but I know some people only use smaller trees anyway because of lack of space. The cookie cutters and the green-handled items could be used as ornaments. I love the Russian lacquered spoons and would use them in my mantel display. I think they would look so festive hanging from the mantel.

The last theme is for an outside tree. The faucet knobs and the fishing lures would be the ornaments. The enamel bucket would be the base of my tree. And I love the little clay pots for use as outdoors candle luminaries to line a path or to surround my tree.
I’d love to hear any ideas you have about how to use vintage items for Christmas decorations, non-traditional or otherwise, and to see your pictures too.

Read more ...