Pulling It All Together- Cottage Style Living Room

Hi guys!

 I'm so excited to be over at A Stroll Thru Life today sharing how I pulled together our cozy, casual, cottage style living room. 

I would love it if you could pop over there for a visit!

Hope you're having a wonderful almost-spring week.

Jeanette

'Gifting' a Vintage Suitcase

Good {drowsy} Sunday afternoon, friends. This is the view I'm gazing at from my living room chair at this moment.  

Oh my.... this has been a week of CAKE. 

Only my waistline is complaining : )

This week I have crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2 and have been wandering the English countryside with Susan Branch in her book "A Fine Romance- Falling in Love with the English Countryside". {the library manages to put their bar code stickers in the most unfortunate places sometimes!}

I am utterly smitten, and we haven't even gotten to Beatrix Potter's or Jane Austen's homes! Oh, if I ever get the chance...

In the book, Susan shares a recipe for "Hot Milk Cake" that sounded so simple and yummy I just had to try it Friday night. It disappeared in no time, and yesterday my 10-year-old asked if we could make another!

So we did. Only this time we doubled it. 

Pop over to SusanBranch.com to see her recipe, and all the other yummy and inspiring things she shares! 

And now the house is warm and quiet except for the cozy sounds of my teenager in the kitchen making...

a CHOCOLATE CAKE! From the Hershey's Chocolate cookbook. 

Oh my.{I know, I already said that, right?}We are just out of control over here. 

Where are those elastic waist pants......

Today I have a little project to share that I had the pleasure of working on recently. A dear friend of ours celebrated her 13th birthday last weekend {more yummy cake!}. 

Her dad has a cool collection of vintage Samsonite suitcases, and I got to do some embellishing of one of them to give to our young friend. So fun!

One of the things I really enjoyed about this project, was that I got to use elements from my two favorite bloggers that offer free vintage graphics. 

This vintage costumer label was found at The Graphics Fairy. 
LONG before I was blogging, I discovered Karen's amazing resource for free vintage graphics and tons of inspiration for projects to do with those images!

Our birthday girl is a ballerina, so I looked for an image that had some reference to that. In my "craft stash" I found these self adhesive printable cotton sheets that a friend gave me last year. I printed the costumer label in a full page size, peeled off the backing and placed it on the top of the suitcase. 

If I hadn't come across these cotton sheets {I believe you can find them on Amazon} I would have printed the image on paper and used Mod Podge to attach it to the suitcase. 

I think this suitcase is going to be used more as a fun storage piece than for actual travelling, so on the inside I just wanted to add a few places to tuck papers, photos, hair ties, etc. 
I created a large pocket by gluing a piece of a vintage linen table runner to the lining. 

On the middle divider, I added a couple of small pockets cut from a gray flannel shirt and embellished with some vintage trim. 

Now the items from my other favorite antique graphics site, Knick of Time. 

Angie is one of my "junk idols". She creates the coolest home decor pieces out of salvaged items and sells many of them in her amazing shop. On top of all that, she offers a ton of antique graphics that you can use for your own projects! 

About a year ago she featured these awesome luggage tags on her blog. I fell in love with them and saved them to my project file, knowing I'd use them for a future project. 

I opened the baggage tag image in PicMonkey and added our birthday girl's name to personalize it before printing it. 

I printed out the railway shipping ticket and used it as our gift tag, hanging from the outside of the suitcase. 

THIS is the color the baggage tag is supposed to be, but my printer just isn't capable of printing in true vivid color. Boo! 

I do think the faded pink color is kind of pretty, anyway :)

There was a large spot in the bottom of the suitcase, so I thought this would be a good way to cover that, and add a cute detail. 

I made a ribbon from a strip of white cotton fabric, and tied it to the handle. 

It was really fun putting this gift together for our friend, and I love that it's a piece that is from her own family! 

I'm off to catch up with Susan Branch and learn a little about The National Trust in England. 

Have a wonderful week, friends!

Jeanette

P.S.- I have some new items in the shop at The Penny and the Pearl this week. I'd love it if you would pop over for a visit!

Sharing in the fun this week over at
What's it Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants
The Scoop at StoneGable
Knick of Time Tuesday
Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life
Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House
Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Nature Inspired Fall Foyer {Pt. 2}- The Stairway

As I sit in my living room writing this post this afternoon, this is the view from my window. Brrr!

All that cold sure makes for a pretty view though, right? 

If there's anything prettier than fall trees in all their glory, it's fall trees with a bit of snow in the background. 

 Just gorgeous! {she says, from her toasty living room}

In my last post I welcomed you in out of the cold into our Nature Inspired Foyer.

As you step into the entryway, the stairs are straight ahead. When we moved into this home I saw the grand potential of this 2-story wall along the stairs. Oh, the possibilities for this expansive space!

I've had visions of a gallery wall of family photos, and my kids' framed artwork. Or how about one or two giant handmade pieces?

Fast forward nearly 3 years (!) and the wall was still a big blank canvas of potential. Knowing I didn't have the supplies on hand {or the cash} to create some of the ideas that have been spinning around in my brain, I figured I'd finally just get moving on creating something with things I already have around here.

After picking through my junk, I decided to use three unique, but similar, wood pieces as a starting point to add some interest to this stairway wall.

I started with the chunky wood piece that sort of looks like a section of fence. This was a curbside freebie I picked up last spring. I recently tried using it as a doormat on my simple Fall front porch, but ultimately decided I was too likely to trip on it!

One top of each of the white wood pieces, I layered three identical rustic frames {thrift store purchase, several years ago}, and placed a simple collection of items from nature. In this first frame, a feather and egg.

Heading up, the second white painted wood piece I used is the lid from a toy crate that once held some sort of a building set. The toys are gone now, but of course I just knew the crate would be useful for something. 

Again, layered with a rustic frame, this time framing a fall leaf and an abandoned wasp's nest I found outside our home.   

 

 The last white painted wood piece I used is an old cabinet door from when we remodeled our kitchen at our last home. Why do I still have this cabinet door, you ask? Uum... well... I knew I'd need it as wall decor some day? 

Anyway, now it is wall decor. Layered with the last rustic frame, an acorn and...

...this cute little guy I swiped from my daughter's toy animal collection. 

What I really like about this set of layered frames is how easy it will be to change out the items inside the frames whenever the whim strikes me! 

On the upper stairway wall I hung a large canvas with the frame side out. I bought the canvas at a thrift store a couple of years ago for around a dollar. 
Someone had spray painted something decidedly unattractive on the front, but I have painted over it more than once, most recently as a sign for a friend's wedding this past summer. 

I like the "deconstructed" look of the back of the canvas, and simply tacked a fall branch to it (sorry, blurry photo)

What is this? Well, it's a vintage beach chair that I turned into a beach-y towel rack some time back.

Sometimes when you need something for a certain area of the house, you just have to swipe something from another space, right?

I just covered over the beach print with a piece of an old canvas bag and placed one of my upcycled paper wreaths over it on a vintage hanger. 

{before. well, I mean after it was a chair}

When you are on the stairs, this is what you see out the upper window. At least for a bit longer, until all those beautiful leaves disappear!

This antique suitcase was a recent thrift store find. I'm still deciding if I'm keeping or selling.

At least for a little while it will look cute here on the landing ; )

I was able to add some much needed personality to this space {without spending any money} by using items I already had, and pulling in simple pieces from nature.

I only wish I'd done it sooner!

I'm so glad you came by today. Being able to share our home with you adds so much joy to every project! It just wouldn't be the same without you. 

Blessings-

Jeanette 

See you over at...

Be Inspired at Common Ground  

Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage 

Fabulously Creative Friday at Jennifer Rizzo  

Creative Things Thursday at The Vintage Farmhouse

Party Junk at Funky Junk Interiors  

Make It Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House 

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch 

The Scoop 

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life 

Tutorials Tips and Tidbits at StoneGable 

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm 

Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style 

 

MY Vintage Suitcase Find

In a couple of weeks the kids and I will be making a trip to southern California. If I had a dollar for every time I've heard, "When can we start packing??".... {smile}

We had some indecision about how we would get there, but utimately I felt driving would be the best option. Can you believe I haven't been "back home" in 3 years?! As we were debating about our mode of travel, my 6 year old declared in exasperation, "I don't care HOW we get to California, I just want to be with my grandma and grandpa!" And soon, we will be : )

Yesterday we headed to Glenwood Springs to pick up a few things we will need for our travels. My 16 year had some birthday money to spend, and wanted to see if she could find a small suitcase/bag for herself. One of our stops was to drop off some boxes of stuff at the thrift shop. Yes, I do occasionally manage to get some things into the thrifts shops instead of always coming out with something!

My daughter isn't a fan of this particular store and opted not to make the spin through as we made our donation. As I made my way to the back of the shop, I spotted a mountain of garment bags and suitcases in the corner. I thought I might as well take a look for my daughter. She may not like this particular shop too much, but she certainly likes to hang onto as much of her money as possible! Most of the bags were just yucky dirty old nylon, but at the very bottom of the pile I found this darling vintage suitcase.



 

Now, to be honest, when I spotted this I was not thinking of it for her! I was immediately envisioning what I was going to use it for! When the clerk said they wanted $5.00 for it, I knew it was coming with me. My daughter paid no attention as I came out of the shop and put it in the back of our van, and we continued on to Target and Walmart where she couldn't find a bag she liked enough to pay what they wanted : )

 I really like the pretty blue interior of my suitcase. Everything is in really good condition, but of course it needs to be cleaned up a bit.

 This is the first time in my life I've purchased a vintage suitcase that still had the original key with it. Very cool.

Whenever I find an old bag with a nameplate, my mind always wanders a bit to who this might have been, and how the bag got to where it is now. Anyone know Jessie Brockelsby from Manilla, Ohio? And how his or her suitcase ended up in a thrift shop in Glenwood Springs, Colorado?

 I know it's a little nutty, but I always think these old suitcases look like they're smiling! 

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you the funny part! Hours after we got home my daughter came out of her room and spotted my suitcase and exclaimed, "Where did this come from?! This is awesome! Can I use it for the trip?!" 
Sigh.
Oh, motherhood. Did I mention this is supposed to be MY suitcase? I'll let you know how that works out, okay? 

I hope you're having a great Saturday, friends!

Jeanette

***Update from reader Debby Owens***

" I couldn't resist looking up the original owner of your suitcase on Ancestry.com! Jessie Brockelsby of Manilla, Iowa passed away in 1972 at the age of 92. She was one of eight children born to John A. And Mary E. Cook. She was married to Ed Brockelsby."

Of course this makes me think of lots of other questions! Thanks so much for taking the time to do that, Debby! 



Sharing over at:

Creative Bloggers Party at Homemaker on a Dime 
Knick of Time Tuesday 
Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life
Share Your Cup Thursday at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson 
Party Junk at Funky Junk