Mid-Century Etsy finds

Mid Century Modern Vintage Planter

Mid Century Modern Black Metal Magazine/Book Rack

Vintage Mid Century Metal Wall Sculpture Signed

ViNTAGE HAEGER 1960s MOD CERAMIC Pedestal Planter Bowl Vase Art Pottery Sculpture

New prints for sale

Find then on Etsy

Indian Pipes (Monotropa uniflora)

Strange Plant
Originally uploaded by witchknight2003

These things are popping up all over the place here in the NH woods where I live. I got curious and searched for more info on them, but I had the hardest time finding anything. I thought they were a type of mushroom, but they're actually a plant. They're called indian pipes, and they're related to the blueberry plant! Why are they white, you ask? They have no chlorophyll - they get their energy from the fungi they grow on. To learn more about this amazing and beautiful plant and how it survives, click here.

I dreamed the whole house was clean...

I love that one.

Sorry for the lack of updates this week. I've been on a major cleaning spree, and for some reason my sales have increased this month, so I've been busy.

I hope to be back up and running next week. Toodles.

New finds

I got this fantastic lamp at a flea market yesterday, I love the tear drop pattern! I also picked up an old yellow phone, a children's book from 1964, large 14" GE clock, hanging globe light and lots more. I'm still looking for places for all my goodies but if I can't find a place I will stick them for sale on my Etsy vintage shop.

Interview: Kellie Liskey

Name: Kellie Liskey
Occupation: Artist and Designer
Where you are located: Salem,Oregon

What kind of art/craft do you make?
I have my little fingers into so many mediums. Being a designer by nature I have never really felt at home with just one thing. I have a fine arts degree in sculpture, but have always loved painting and drawing as well. My full time business though, is making decorative pillows.

Where can we purchase your work?
You can purchase my work through my new etsy store www.sofagarden.etsy.com or through www.sofagarden.com


What do you enjoy most about working in this medium?
I enjoy the tactile nature of fabrics. I love the idea of creating art that sits on the sofa not above it. When I started my business ten years ago I approached pillow making from a soft sculpture standpoint. I loved making shaped pillows that were out of the ordinary square format most people were used to seeing at the time. A lot of my designs were more on the novelty side including abstract shapes, and my more pop culture pancakes and eggs, wine bottles, fruits and flowers. I still make some of the designs, but currently revisiting the square pillow format and experimenting with combining different fabrics and stitchwork.

What challenges have you found in your work?
Pricing my work is the most difficult challenge I face. I use high end materials and I take a great deal of time and care in the creation of each pillow. Pricing too low makes people question the quality of the item versus pricing something at a higher value to reflect an artisan made product. I know its really hard for consumers to be able to tell the quality of a product just by a photo online. And photography has always been a challenge for me, and its so very important.


Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration in nature, and going to the fabric store. I like to make collages from cut up old magazines, and many times they will lead to new pillow designs. I have a short attention span so many of my designs are limited in quantity to no more than a dozen typically. After sewing the dozen I am usually ready to move onto the next idea. It's a lot of fun for me, and it allows my customers to have something truly unique.



Do you have any new projects in the works?
There are always new projects in the works. Right now I am finishing up an asian inspired collection. I am also getting ready to post a modern collection perfect for back to school apartment/dorm decor which I really like.

Kellie & Jim's home:

My husband and I started collecting images of bearded men and pipes awhile back. The picture above the bed we picked up at a garage sale for $5...we had to save him from the dumpster, and this was the start of the collection

Kitchen nook: I love my Goodform aluminum chair and as you can see I collect old pyrex bowls. Both my husband and I have a love of modern style, but we also love antiques so our decor is a bit of a mishmosh of styles...nothing really goes together, but its stuff we love so we try to make it work together somehow.

Wedding Invitations

I spent Friday and this morning putting together wedding invites for my friend Jennie's wedding. I had fun designing it for her because she likes many of the colors that I love and she adores the 40's and 50's era. Her theme is vintage elegance and her colors are sea foam green, peachy pink and soft yellow.

Floyd seems to like them too...

Craigslist Finds (MA/NH)

BLACK SIDE TABLE RETRO/MODERN DESIGN $10 Boston, MA (inman square)
White moon chair--mid-century modern - $50 Andover, MA
Vintage Modern Swivel Fiberglass TV Table $100 Burlington, MA
Vintage Zenith Tube Radio Model G 730 Works Great Looks Great $25 Windham, NH

50's vintage scandanavian dining table $50 Brookline, NH

Vintage Light Fixtures best offer Conway, NH

Floyd vs. the turkey

Floyd had an exciting day today! He was stalking a turkey who came by to eat some wild blueberries. They kept circling around trees and bushes until the turkey had enough and started to leave. I had to go out there and get Floyd, because he wanted to walk off with the turkey.

Guest room

I painted a robin's egg blue accent wall in the guest room today. Once I upgrade my queen bed in the master to a king I will move the queen in here.

click here to see what it looked like before

New find

When I go to the local garbage dump, it's exciting! Why? Well, the people who run the dump also have an area where people can drop off unwanted items where they are resold at bargain prices. Recently I picked up this bench with hidden storage for $10. I just love the seat covering but not loving the birch legs. I was thinking painting it white or black or some kind of funky bright color. Any suggestions?

New at CB2

I've never been quite a fan of CB2. I think their style is a bit too modern for me, though they do sometimes have a few jems. Right now I'm liking their new parlour chair and paperclip side table, I hope they start moving more in this direction.

Flour, sugar & tea

Weeks ago, I got these metal kitchen canisters at a nearby flea market for a dollar. The set was missing the sugar canister, but I'm not much of a coffee drinker, so I figured I could relabel them to fit my needs. I turned them around so that the original text was hidden off to the side and I made some new labels using vinyl. The decals came out great! If anyone wants a set of their own, I just put it for sale on my vinyl Etsy page. Although not shown in the pictures, the set also includes the coffee label along with flour, sugar and tea.

Before

Etsy shop roddy & ginger

Based in the UK, roddy & ginger offer cheerful products designed to bring a ray of retro inspiration to you and your home. Their vintage inspired designs are handprinted onto natural linen or cotton using water based dyes. The also have a beautiful line of silk-screen prints. Click here to see the Etsy shop.

Bird Menagerie

I spotted these beautiful cards by Dee Adams on Etsy and wanted to share them with all of you. Enjoy!

busy bee

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. My husband and I have been working on organizing the garage, staking out the circles for the walkway and now our septic system is backing up into a drain in the boiler room. Yuck! I guess it couldn't handle all the rain we have been getting. I will be back up an running next week.

TED Talk: The design genius of Charles + Ray Eames

Thanks to Trevor for the link

Cute music video

Before and after: Fun with spray paint

After seeing these beautiful yellow sconces from Etsy shop vintage renaissance, I remembered an iron plant holder that was passed down to me from my nana. When I first got it I had no idea what to do with it, but after seeing those sconces a light went off in my head: I dug it out of the closet, and went at it with spray paint. I knew exactly what plant to put in it and everything.

This is what it used to look like:


And this is what it looks like now. I'm so happy to give it new life in my home:


As for the plant, it is my beloved burrito plant. I found a cute yellow pot that's the perfect size for it, and fits perfectly in the holder. My burrito has been with me since I bought the house last year, so it has a special place in my heart. You see, I always used to kill my plants, but since living here I've gotten better. I think having stone walls and floors helps keep the plant soil moist and all these windows provide the right amount of sun light. Isn't he beautiful?

Falling in love...

I'm really loving the Maharam dot pattern sheer fabric curtains for my living room/ dining room. I ordered a sample from the the shade store and I'm sure I'll love it even more when it arrives. I still have the original motorized curtain puller, which is a large white box found on either ends of the wall of windows. It still amazes me how modern this home was for it's age. I thought the fireplace, travertine floors and radiant heat were all added in later but it's all original from 1951.

Push door decal

I finally made it, I've been day dreaming of a big push decal on the swing door to my kitchen. I can't seem to get myself to do anything lately, I'm surprised I got this accomplished today. Anyone feeling lazy from this crummy weather in the northeast?

White: textures and patterns

It's called the georgia lamp but I call it the booby lamp.
Jonathan Adler $150
Textured white vessels from West Elm $29-$59
Blomster from Ikea $24