Vintage Chairs

We are slowly coming out of the pandemic (unless you live in Michigan) and there are many "new normals."  Mask wearing will be the new fashion statement for years to come. Those of us who follow the science will know that the safe thing to do in our new Covid world is to wear one.  But another one of the "new normals" I am starting to see is inflation.  Many have never known inflation. It wreaks havoc on just about everything. The cost of everything is going through the roof - food, needlepoint canvases, gas, clothing, lumber, household supplies. cars - it's a very long list. When something costs 20 percent more, double, even triple than a year ago, often you just say no.

I was in Lowe's yesterday picking up an item that a year ago was $15. It's now $24.  I needed to buy it, I would have bought four, so instead I bought two.  While there, I ventured to the outdoor furniture section.  I saw this cute set from a distance:

What blew my mind was the price (almost $500) and the quality (dreadful). This set will last maybe two seasons. That's a lot of money for very cheap set of furniture. Before I went to Lowe's I ran into one of the local antique malls (for the first time is about 14 months).  There were two or three outdoor tables and chairs. One caught my eye, a nice round table for four and a set of chairs, for $225. I bet you could buy it for $200.  It was very good quality, in good condition, black, comfortable chairs, in need of cushions (an easy fix).  I thought that maybe it would be nice to have that by the barn to sit outside and relax, maybe have a meal there, or just vegetate.  This is what it looked like but only in black:

My point, with inflation, our money no longer goes nearly as far as it once did. We become very price sensitive as prices rise exponentially.  When a loaf of bread costs $7 you quit eating bread.  So we will have to learn to adjust our expectations and we change our habits.  Vintage, which has always been a bargain becomes a better bargain and for some reason, I can't understand why most don't shop vintage for household items already.  Refinish a table, paint over ugly brown furniture.  Recover a good quality chair. As the price of new goes up and up, we will reconsider these options.

Etsy is not an ideal source to buy your rough chairs (it will cost more to ship than to buy) but it can be an inspiration.  I love these painted chairs.  Go to your local antique mall, outdoor markets, flea markets for great finds. The quality can be so much better.  You can find upholstery fabric online if you don't have a good local source.  A good upholstered piece will be usable for 20+ years.  Then recover it again.

Friday Tidbits

It has been a very long week and what happened to spring?  Hope that you are ready for the weekend.  Here's a few tidbits from my world......

Looking forward to likely one of the very best horse races you will see this year and maybe for the next few years.... my favorite chestnut mare race horse, Monomoy Girl, continues her final year of racing matching off against last year's Preakness Winner, Swiss Skydiver, in the Apple Blossom.  Tune your television into this race, treat yourself!  These are two of the best fillies to race,ever, matching off against one another, and both are training like "beasts" according to their respective trainers. I cannot wait to see this.  It should go off around 7 pm or so EDT and it will be televised either on NBC or Fox Sports.  

Love this birdbath for the garden:

 

I'm not doing much clothes shopping as my closet is full from my 2020 purchases but if I needed a dress, this would likely be the one. Love this for 2021:

Love this Tally Ho Santa ornament..

I'm into "Victorian Garden" mode right now.  Love this vintage Etsy find, perfect for the patio or deck.  You can't buy stuff like this anymore.

Love this old wrought iron cupid. I would hang this on a wall outside or on a porch. Great touch.  

Love these rustic garden obelisk:

 Love this vintage arrangement:

And I'll depart for the day with this.....

Toleware

 Toleware? 

The term tôle, derived from the French tôle peinte, meaning “painted sheet metal,” refers to the decorative process of applying paint and lacquer to tin, initially as a way to prevent common household objects from rusting but later as a form of embellishment. In the antiques and collectibles marketplace, toleware refers to decorative objects created from metal, typically tin or thin steel, lacquered and adorned often in decorative styles such as Arts and Crafts and Pennsylvania Dutch.

This is a look I like mixed in with other stuff.  You can find a ton of this stuff, mid-century, on Ebay, Etsy, at flea markets, and you can pay a lot for the real stuff from Europe. It reminds me of spring, flowers, perfect for Mother's Day gifts.  These candlesticks are very 1970's to me.  I had a light fixture in one of my first houses that was tole and I repainted it and put it in my breakfast nook.  Wish I still had it. This stuff is very easy to repaint.

 

 

Sconce

Toleware is typically tin that has been lacquered and decorated.  In Europe they refer to it as “Japanned”.  This process began in the early 18th century.  It was developed because the goal was to imitate Japanese decorative wares -lacquered black with gold detailing (thus calling it “Japanned”).  So, the early British pieces were on a black background, often with Asian scenes painted in gold.  Later, the French began making toleware in more colors, and varied themes (flowers, crests, etc).  Then the craft was popularized in the United States, especially in the Pennsylvania Dutch Country.  Your mother or grandmother probably had toleware trays or lamps. 

Dish or Centerpiece

Here is a tray:

Love this antique box.

Another tray:

While these are not really toleware, I love the design and would be perfect in a small space, a bedroom or bath.

 

Ronner for Spring

I've really not been buying new clothes this spring as I still have not work what I bought last year, but these Ronner beauties may change my mind. Love the pastels and of course the horses.

Love this half zip, perfect for riding, golfiing, lounging, walking with shorts, jeans or leggings.

 Love this dress:

This dress:

These velvet loafers:

This pastel shirt:

Ronner also makes place mats, runners and table cloths.  You can see the entire collection here.

The Dreaded Swimsuit Hunt

It's just about the worst thing to do - shop for a swimsuit.  There's a reason I buy a new one every 5-10 years, and not more often.  Does everyone else hate this ritual as much as I do?  Because I'll likely start spending more time at the beach going forward due to the pandemic (this baby is not going away just because we have a vaccine) I thought I might add a new one or two to my vintage stash of suits.  I am a one-piece girl so won't venture at all to the bikinis.  You do have to determine what your flaws are and what fits you best, the style, the colors, before you begin.  For me, coverage in the back is a given.  I don't like ruffles or lace, or solids unless in a great pastel.  Typically I have bought from J Crew and Tory Burch in past years.   Their quality is very good, I know what size I need (buying online only) and you can return the ones that don't fit. Comfort is key - we walk a lot at the beach, so no frills.

Here are a few that have caught my eye so far.......

I have had my eye on this one from Tory Burch:

 

Love the vibrant color in this Johnny Was suit:

Pucci yes!  My visa says no, but love this one:

For a solid colored suit, this one fits the bill, but a little pricey.  But love this one!

For a solid color, this one is also nice.  See it here.

Love this one.  See it here.

If I was going to wear a two piece I think this would be it.  Love this one!

While I am usually not a fan of ruffles this one has just the right amount. Love this one.  See it here.

I have to love this one even though it is pricey.  Love the horse on it.  See it here.

Love a few from J Crew:

Time to swim!

The Watch Dilemma

I'm not a watch person.  These days many people don't wear watches but as someone who is not tethered to their phone 24/7 (and thus, who won't suffer from acute "phone neck" later in life - not kidding), wearing a watch is like putting on my undergarments - it's a must every day.  My classic watch is an old Tag that was purchased in Hong Kong a very long time ago (I won't give you a date) and the old guy is still going but is getting creaky in old age. Mine looks a little like this but honestly, mine is in better condition.  But this is a love match and I'll always have this one.

So I bought a Fitbit to track my steps and I loved it until it died a year later.  From others I have spoken with this watch is designed to last only a year. 

So I bought the Garmin version but it lasted less than a year but too long to return it. 

The Apple Watch is under consideration but they are so large on my tiny arms and I really don't need all that stuff on my arm.  I'd rather not know who trying to sell me something via email 25 times a day.  And I have decided that I don't need to track my steps as I almost always reach 10,000 steps a day.  My record is 34,000.  

So what's a woman to do?  I bought this Timex from Amazon and I'm going to start hoarding Timex watches.  These babies are $35 each (or less).  I can have one for every day of the week and my hunch is a year from now they'll still be ticking....

Etsy Finds

Perusing Etsy is so much fun especially when you uncover some great finds.  Here are some fun Etsy finds......

Love this needlepoint rug made by someone else, lovingly in 1978.  Wonder what the story is behind the labor of love here?  

I've had my eye on this rug for a while but am not sure where I'd put it. I've ordered from this vendor in Belgium. 

Love this stationary.  This shop has great stuff and I'd love to order multiple sets from here.  See this one here.  I keep a nice stash of stationary for snail mail, a mixture of Crane engraved, Caspari note cards, and some Etsy finds.

Love these vintage sconces that would look great in a garden room, a patio or deck. Paint them to add some color but then sand to make them look old.

This is a Birds of a Feather canvas and it looks like a small part has been stitched but just take that out.  Great deal on a very cute canvas.

Love this vintage wood tray by Wedgewood.

Love this vintage cache pot!

I have a set of 12 of these dishes that I have collected over the years. They are smaller than regular dinner plates and I use mine for serving lunch, or for dessert.  You can add to your collection over time. Just a fun set to own.

Love these vintage plates too.

Love this vintage bracelet - a perfect mother's day gift?