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.

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Vintage tote-arounds

In an effort to keep from cluttering my house and because I like to move my projects from room to room, I love to use vintage "tote-arounds." I look for items with handles which allow them to be easily transported and fill them with books, crafts, sewing or whatever else I may be working on at the moment.

There are lots of vintage items that can be used. Here is a sewing basket I found not too long ago at a flea market.



What I especially love about it is that it is high enough that I can easily reach it from my chair and it is not too heavy to carry around by its handle. I just love the cross-stitch top and the satin lining inside.

I also use vintage baskets. They come in all shapes and sizes. Again, I prefer them to have handles so I can easily carry them. Here are a couple I have filled with current projects.



The smaller basket is a Longaberger. Although they can be expensive, you can sometimes pick them up pretty cheaply at flea markets.

There are many different variations of baskets out there that you can use. You can also use a variety of other items. Just go with what you like - or you can even find specific colors and periods to better fit your decor. The possibilities are endless.

And if you don't believe me, here is a treasury of items from Etsy sellers. I'm in love with all of them.

'Vintage tote-arounds' by TouchingThePast

Sewing Box w/Legs Fabulous W... VintageClevela... $25.00	Yellow Enamel Pail CardBlancVinta... $11.00	Wire basket French country s... GrandmaGingers... $18.95	vintage FLY FISHING basket staircasetothe... $8.00
Vintage Sewing or Knitting B... mothrasue $22.00	Vintage basket : Primitive e... nocarnationsho... $18.00	vintage basket with yellow e... autumnminded $12.00	Good Old Vintage Sewing Bask... JoulesVintage $25.00
pink enamel child's buc... paddywhacks $52.00	Vintage Basket with Green Ve... AloofNewfWhims... $16.00	Egg Basket, Enameled Red & Y... DailyMemorandu... $30.00	Vintage Wicker Sewing Basket... MyHeirloomChar... $30.00
Vintage Sewing Basket OldComfortShop $15.00	Vintage 1950s Metal Nesco Pi... TheFancyLamb $38.00	Vintage Basket FoxyRoxysAttic $18.00	Antique FIRKIN Primitive Sha... FlossysTreasur... $89.99

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

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A Kitchen Redo

I don’t plan on redoing my kitchen/dining room anytime soon. But if I ever do, I will use Etsy to plan it and to stock it. I’ve put together a treasury for a red and turquoise kitchen. It’s so bright and cheery and has a farmhouse look to it.

'Ideas for my next kitchen/dining redo' by TouchingThePast

Vintage Red Kitchen Canister... QuietRainz $8.75	Vintage Pillowcases - Croch... VintagePDX $24.00	Vintage Pillowcases Bright a... HarrietsDaught... $19.99	Vintage Wood Kitchen Dish D... VintageChichib... $23.00
Original Vintage Tablecloth-... EmbellishOnBro... $40.00	Vintage Red White Blue Plaid... MargsStuff $15.00	10 Ten Vintage Furniture Cab... ALovelyTimeAgo $45.00	Vintage Canisters Bright Red... monjardinVinta... $24.50
Turqouise Blue Breadbox from... flattirevintag... $42.00	Gorgeous Red Crochet Trim, 4... PineyRoseDesig... $12.00	French Country Farmhouse Sty... ASentimentalJo... $35.00	Vintage Roses Tablecloth Blu... TheSquirrelCot... $6.00
Vintage Cherry Wall Hanging ... AntiquesGalore... $20.00	Vintage Placemats and Runner... LookHiLookLow $12.00	30% OFF TIL 11/30 Vintage An... amysdeliciousv... $21.00	Sale Set of Vintage Linens B... IndulgeYourShe... $5.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

The treasury has lots of vintage linens. If you’ve read my prior blog entry, you will have seen that I used pillowcases to make coverings for my dining room chairs. That’s why I included two sets of pillowcases in this treasury. I like the idea of coverings, but I also like the idea of mixing and matching them with the two sets. I’m thinking about using the red striped tablecloth as roman shades and the rose damask tablecloth as curtain panels with the roman shades. I’m currently doing something similar in my bedroom now with a rose damask tablecloth I purchased on Etsy. Then, I would use the red crochet trim on the bottom of the roman shades. My other thought for window coverings is to use the roses tablecloth as roman shades and then use the set of floral vintage linens as valances.

The linen tea towels I would use for the purpose they’re intended. I love draping vintage tea towels on the handle of my oven. I would also use the placemats and runners for their intended purpose, on my table.

I can just see the red wing pottery bowl filled with red apples. And the cherry wall hangings will pop on the walls which I’d paint in a light turquoise color. I have white cabinets and appliances and have no plans to change those, because I love the clean look they give a kitchen. One thing I love to do is to replace knobs and handles to match my décor, so I’ll use the turquoise knobs for another pop of color.

At this point, I’ve almost talked myself into redoing my rooms. :) I guess I’ll just have to find someone who will allow me to redo their kitchen.

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More on vintage linens

My dining room is really small. I have a round table and four chairs. It's really a combo kitchen/dining area with a bar separating the two rooms. This is where I have the vintage tablecloth window coverings.

I recently replaced my table in the dining room with a round glass-top table. The legs of the table are in the Bentwood style, so I purchased four Bentwood style chairs to go with it. I stained the chairs which had been stripped of paint and recovered the seats in a designer chenille fabric.

CHAIR COVERINGS

The backs of the chairs were not in the greatest of condition, so I came up with an idea to cover them. I purchased a vintage set of monogrammed sheets and pillowcases with crocheted trim. The monogram happens to be the same for both my first and last names. I outlined the shape of the chairback on the pillowcase and sewed around it.

Even though I had cut the vintage tablecloth in two for my window coverings, I really don't like to destroy a vintage item if I can help it. So I didn't cut the pillowcases and was able to sew a seam around the inside without too many problems with the extra fabric on the inside. If I ever decide that I no longer want to use the pillowcases as my chair coverings, I can rip the seams out and have pillowcases again.

They're not perfect by any means but I think they look ok.  I have a vanity and intend to use the monogrammed sheet from this set as a cover for it.

VALANCES

I love filet lace and have bought quite a few pieces of this over the years, mostly dresser scarves. The theme in my guest bedroom is french country. I decided to use three of the filet lace dresser scarves as valances over the shades. I also have two of the dresser scarves draped over the chairs which are sitting under the window. I did not have to alter the dresser scarves in anyway.

 

 

I have a large filet lace tablecloth that I use as a shower curtain in my guest bathroom. I use a lining behind it and it gives a very french country feel to the bathroom and ties the two rooms together.

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For the display-challenged

To follow up on my previous post about wall displays using vintage and antique items, I know that some people don’t feel comfortable trying to find items which they can mix and match for a wall display. Unless you can put the items side by side or lay them out in an arrangement, it’s hard to know what will work together - and you certainly can’t carry a box full of items when you go shopping. Fortunately, there are some sellers on Etsy that make it very easy for everyone. They sell collections of items that can be used together. There are collections of frames and collections of plates. Simply arrange the frames on your wall and center a plate in the middle of each frame. What’s nice about the plate collections is that the sellers have already mixed and matched the plates for you.

There are collections of other vintage items that can also be used for a wall display. In the treasury that is pictured here, I’ve tried to pair the items which go well together. For someone with a rustic décor, the rusty wagon wheels could be placed inside and around the vintage embroidery hoops. The celadon Asian saucers could be used with the Asian fans. The colorful fiesta plates would look wonderful in the colorful frames. The vintage red frame grouping also has two wall pockets and two candle sconces so that’s an additional way to bring some variation into the display. The fruit labels and the copper molds complement each other so well.

'Collections for wall display' by TouchingThePast

Set of 12 plates for a plate... jawaddel $28.00	Shabby Chic Black Picture Fr... gardenofchic $78.00	Vintage Set of English Plate... LovedByTime $15.00	Silver Black and White Pictu... melissap6908 $40.00
Rusty Red Wagon Wheels, Inst... junquegypsy $58.00	Instant Collection of Vintag... SixtytoSeventy $24.00	Set of 7 Vintage Mixed Engli... EnglishTransfe... $69.99	Frame Collection Gallery Wal... vinskord $136.00
Set of 9 Mixed Vintage Engli... EnglishTransfe... $94.99	Red vintage 9 piece wall gal... onelovelyroseb... $65.00	Lot of Five Vintage Fruit Cr... BlackEyedSusan... $20.00	Vintage Copper Mold Wall Han... melanieperalto... $13.50
Vintage Asian Mid Century Fa... melanieperalto... $24.00	Vintage Celadon Green Asian ... Nachokitty $48.00	Saturday Frame Collection - ... MandolinGoose $42.00	A Quintet of Vintage America... sweetbeecottag... $20.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

When it comes to wall displays, try to think outside the box. You don’t always need to use the expected or the usual when decorating.

When I hung this pair of watercolors, I thought they needed something "more". So, I found a piece of antique ceiling tile at an architectural salvage place for very little money. I actually didn't like the color so I rubbed on some paint. Then, I placed it between the pictures. Even though it is a lot more rustic than the pictures, it fits the style of the room, my office, which is decorated with primitive items.

There are sellers on Etsy who sell ceiling tiles that would look great as a collection by themselves or with other items. Here's one such example:



If you have wall displays using unusual items, I'd love to see them.

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