Now is the Time

"The item you see today and will dream about tonight will be bought by someone today who saw it yesterday and dreamed about it last night."
That is what the chalkboard said outside of Prince Edward County's Frugal & Company as I rushed in for a whirlwind 5 minute browse last summer. Darting my eyes around, I didn't have much time to think, and I am not one for an impulse buy--oh look a spectacular sunburst Syroco clock frame, $18, no clock, good condition otherwise, gold with brown tips, would prefer all gold, but how neat, time to go...oh no why did I leave it there?! When I got home I ruefully went on an Etsy and Ebay rampage to learn more about the funky mid-century Canadian made-item I passed up. I resigned myself to keep my eyes peeled and knew it would come back in to my life some day, some time, eventually. Well, surprise surprise, exactly a year later, it made its return. It was patiently waiting for me in my local antique mall. I wasn't looking. It is in pristine original condition. It actually has a clock. The clock works. The time came for it to come in to my life, and better than I had originally hoped. Oh how circular life is. It makes me laugh with thankfulness how God works like that--even in a whim of a thrift hunt! 

Hot Daisy

My Hot Daisy design is up for voting in Spoonflower's 1960s design challenge!

Tiddleybokken Chalet

Tiddleybokken is chillin' in his Retro Chalet!

Retro Chalet

My Retro Chalet design is up for voting in Spoonflower's Alpine Chalet Gift Wrap challenge!

Delightfully Danish

My mom found this mid-century Danish chair at a thrift store for $5!

I love its wide seat, curved back, thin spindles, and tapered legs.

The patina is gorgeous.

It has its original spray coat of greyish white paint on its wooden form.

The bottom of the seat is stamped with this maker mark and features this instruction sticker in 3 languages.

Such a fun chair!

Mid-Century Modern Chair: Before

I bought this funky chair for $8 secondhand. 

I'm not a fan of natural wood, but I may resist the urge to paint it for a while because it belongs on this design, and has quite a beautiful grain.

After unscrewing the seat I spent a nice summer afternoon painstakingly picking the staples out of the bottom of it, and peeling off the revolting brown fabric and rotting foam. Yum.

I'm going to reupholster the seat in one of my fabrics.

Stay tuned...

Tray Mod

I found this fantastic Mid-century Mod molded plywood tray tucked beneath some Tupperware at a thrift store.

The first thing I thought of when I saw the pattern was my fellow designer friend Ottomanbrim on Spoonflower, whose designs have the same fabulous flair.

 The tray was made in Konga, Sweden, and the pattern may have been designed by Astrid Sampe, whose designs are still in production by Almedahls.

Vintage Barbie Clothes

I admit it. I have slunk back to my Barbies on several occasions over the years following the acknowledgement of "being too old for them". From time to time, I visit them in their Rubbermaids and waste a good chunk of an afternoon creating outfits. I've realized, though, that it's not really the dolls I love, it's their clothes. I never want to get rid of them. Even as a child I sensed the difference between my Barbies' authentically classy attire and the synthetic frocks wrapped in plastic and horribly twisted wire on the toy store shelves. My Barbies wear vintage! The majority of their clothes are actually hand-me-downs from the Barbies my mom played with in the '60s and '70s--mostly handmade from old dresses and rag bag scraps. In one of my recent Barbie sessions I took advantage of the styles and dressed up my drawing mannequin as a sophisticated model for some of the larger clothes.

I adore the gathering on this skirt, and, of course, the floral of the shirt and dress.

This fuzzy jacket has always amused me.

A very cheerful dotted Swiss and rickrack number.

Two different strawberry prints!

Some cute outfits for fall--a cape with a bow!

This dark orange fabric has excellent body and texture.

Audrey.

A look that seems very Parisian!

This display was an elegantly humorous addition to my desk. Now I only wish the clothes were human size!

Daisy Crown

This is an extension of the theme from the previous post!

Making a daisy crown (or any flower crown, really!) is a summery activity I've done since I was very young.

But a daisy crown looks right at home in an even older decade with this authentic '60s fabric backdrop!

Retro Radiance

With warmer weather comes the influence of warmer hues.

This vibrant floral is from Irina Kurtz's Spoonflower shop Chulabird, and it reminds me of 1960s daisy prints.

Lately, with all sorts of cheery florals popping up everywhere, I've been developing a deeper appreciation for the style of the '60s.  

Twiggy was one of the leading faces of the bright '60s look.

I made a display of 1950s and 1960s inspired décor to highlight the eras' vivid colors and patterns. My mom made the circular painting on the bottom shelf, and the sides of the shelves are lined with decorative papers from Michael's. The cat-eye glasses were a $2 Value Village find, and would make a great pair of sunglasses with some new lenses! A $0.99 milk glass vase, also purchased at Value Village, appears to be a fountain spout in a pond of multicolored jewellery.

I picked up this 1961 grammar book, which cost less than a dollar, at a book sale specifically for its mod cover.

Here's a close up of the display's coordinating Graceful Card.

 These chunky necklaces look extra bold hanging in front of pop art lips, originally a page from a Joe flyer.

(Finally, here's my stab at '60s wallpaper, available in my Spoonflower shop!)