NumberNineteen

Traditional Design on a Dime -- Wall Art -- Plates, Trays and Other Non-Traditional Traditional Art

I'm back again with more "Traditional Design on a Dime"!  It's all about one of my favorite *cheap* ways to decorate walls --plates, trays and other traditional and/or vintage items.  

When I first got out of college, I worked in retail management and made *nothing*.  But, of course, I wanted a cute apartment.  My first decorating project was to put up blue and white plates that I found in TJ Maxx & Marshalls, all for around $5 each.  They didn't match, but I just wanted the feel of blue and white china.  Here is a picture of how I used them, years later, in our old house:

In this house, I've been using a lot of white plates on the walls (all purchased for under $5, with the exception of one real ironstone platter that was $20).  The powder room got the white plate treatment:

And the master bedroom....

A few years ago, I found these petite red and white plates for $2 each at a flea market.  They are perfectly at home in my family room:

 

I just love, love, love how these ladies used plates in their homes:

Nine and Sixteen

On Sutton Place

Savvy Southern Style

When we moved into our first house, we were again on a very tight decorating budget.  Tole trays caught my eye at antique stores, so I started picking them up when I could, never paying more than $20.  You may remember that it eventually became a large collection:

I may have gone a *bit* overboard, but it was an inexpensive way to fill up an awkward wall (that vent drove me crazy).  When we moved into our current house, I pared down my collection and have used trays in my kitchen.

Both Holly Mathis & Trisha Troutz show them in updated but traditional settings. And, I really like how our Southern Home used them with red transferware in their guest room.

Holly Mathis Interiors

Trisha Troutz Blog

Our Southern Home

Another thing that I see dirt cheap all of the time at flea markets and thrift shops is old silverplate.  I'm talking silver for under $10 or less.  You can pick up candlesticks, bowls and trays for a fraction of the cost of new. The trays look amazing in so many settings.  Holly Mathis hits it out of the park in the photo below (as usual), by mixing up elegant trays with wicker and ironstone.  Eleven Gables also used a large tray on her range hood when she remodeled her kitchen. 

Holly Mathis Interiors

Eleven Gables

Finally, here is a designer idea that you can DIY for just a few dollars!  You may have seen John Derian's decoupage work in magazines or blogs...

Dusty Burrito

Pentreath-Hall

I'd like one of each thankyouverymuch.  However, a John Derian original is out of my price range.  Luckily for you & me, decoupage is super simple and inexpensive.  I used this tutorial from Opulent Cottage and made plates using scrapbook paper & paper napkins.  I have them hanging in my bedroom.  You can see them in the photo with the white plates and here is a close up:

I'm definitely not a decorating expert, but I hope that you are finding a few ideas on how to decorate on a budget!

 

Easter 2015

Happy Easter from us! We had a great day, with both our little family and friends.  We started out with brunch at our place, just the three of us.  Neither of our parents could make it this Easter and many friends had other plans, so we did a cozy meal for us. 

I had a lot of fun putting together the table this year. My first "tablescape" if you will :). 

I picked up the salad plates and napkins at Target, which were the basis for the rest of the setting.  I found the round placemats at The Christmas Tree Shop/And That for $1.99 each!  I used my most precious glasses, ones that my Aunt Kay gave to me for either high school or college graduation (Aunt Kay, if you are reading, do you remember which it was?).  I've always had a strong love for old things.  And, the mossy looking chick and bunny are from Michaels.  Hope & I saw them over break & knew that they had to come home with us.  Even Glenn said that he thought that they were cute.

One of my favorite traditions at Easter is that I always buy fresh flowers for the table and create a special arrangement.  Wegmans has a wonderful selection during the Easter weekend & I had a hard time choosing which to bring home.  I ended up with huge blue tinted hydrangeas to go with the tablesetting, pink roses and white stock.  I put them in a glass vase that I placed into a basket that usually holds my curling irons.  Creativity is the name of the game! I must stop and look at the flowers about a hundred times a day. 

We had a little egg hunt at home (Hope used binoculars to assist her search).

We ended the day at our friend's egg hunt.  I've known the hosts & guests since shortly after college and now we have a passel of kids!  It's crazy.

I hope that all of you had a wonderful Easter!

Traditional Decorating on a Dime -- Free Wall Art

I don't know about you, but when I moved into our current house, I was overwhelmed by how to fill all of our bare walls.  Not only was I at a loss for ideas, but there was the whole "we just bought a house & have no money" issue.  My first thought in these situations is always, how can I be creative and make this work?  Enter: FREE (my favorite word) art.

You may remember a few of my free art projects from both this house & the old house:

The wine themed kitchen corner with a corkscrew printable.

Our gray bathroom re-do with a speckled egg print.  I loved that re-do but we didn't live with it for long because we sold the house soon after....

Animal studies mounted on fabric in our current eat-in area.

(I cringe looking at these dark pictures, taken with my old camera!)

Very recently, my "You've Got Mail" inspired art in our master bathroom.

Of course, in some cases I needed to buy frames (hello, Michaels 40% off sales, here I come!) or mats (ditto on Michaels sales), but I often had frames sitting around from old projects.  Also, I've recently noticed that thrift shops have a lot of picture frames for just a few dollars each.

Sources For Free Art

There are so many sources for free printable art on the web (what did we do before the internet???) -- just type in "free printable art" on Pinterest & you'll come up with 100s.  I've gathered here a few of my favorites and a few that I've just discovered:

The Graphics Fairy

The Graphics Fairy is my favorite site for free art.  She has over 4,500 high quality vintage images available for download.  The site is very easy to search and she even has a category called "Instant Art".  How great is that ?? Here are a few that caught my eye:

 

 

New York Public Library Digital Collection

Another thing to love about New York -- they share their art!  This site has over 800,000 images available for download.  I've printed a few of their architectural drawings as art for our front hall when we first moved in (I'm not sure where I put the photos).  There is so much here -- maps, the previously mentioned architectural drawings, posters, postcards, antique magazine images and more.  The children's book illustrations make me want to decorate a nursery all over again. Here are just a few that I found in a quick browse:

Extremely intricate monograms.

Old Maps of Paris

I just found this site & love it.  It has...you guessed it...maps of Paris.  There aren't a huge number of images, but the images are very high quality.  My favorite is Paris 1575:

They have a sister site, Old Maps of New York, that has...wait for it...maps of New York.

Free Vintage Posters

I could spend hours browsing through Free Vintage Posters images.  They have everything from turn-of-the-last century Parisian wine posters to wartime propaganda to the circus to public service announcements ("Destroy Syphilis" anyone??). 

This last one is beyond a doubt my favorite.  I'm printing it out today will find a place in my home for it, post haste.

I mean, who isn't drawn to the Underground like a magnet?

 

I hope that you find some free art on these sites that is just right for your home.  Start clicking & printing! :)

Next Up in the Series: Wall Art -- Plates, Trays and Other Non-Traditional Traditional Decor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keeping Accountable -- Month Three

I'll start off by saying that March was a far better month for me than February and it was reflected in how I kept to my goals.

Volunteering -- I did some research on volunteering in my community this month, but am still looking for the right fit.  Many of the opportunities require time in the middle of the week, which I don't currently have.  There are definitely one-off situations in which I plan on volunteering, but I still haven't found a place for ongoing service.  Grade: B

Involvement in Hope's School -- I again attended the PTO meeting, which I love.  I found out so much about what is going on in her school (and was thrilled by what I heard!) and was able to provide some input.   Grade: A

My Health -- I really focused on this area this month and have been doing a great job, if I do say so!  As I mentioned in a recent post, I've been eating very healthy foods and have continued to exercise.  I feel great in both body & mind! Grade: A

Reading -- I'm continuing to keep up with my reading, though my theme this month might have been "Quality, not Quantity".  I started several books that I really didn't like and abandoned them in the middle.  However, I read several books that were excellent; some of the best books that I've read in months.  If you are looking for a good read, pick up The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender (classified as a YA book, but I feel strongly that it is mis-classified) and A History of Loneliness.  Both will stick with you. Grade: I'm Going With An 'A' Because Any Reading That You Do Is A Good Thing

Getting Mom in the Picture -- Finally, there are pictures of me out there!  Sure, I took them, but at least future generations will know that I exist!  Don't be knocking selfies!  Haha!  Grade: B

So, like I said, it has been a good month.  April is now here and I'm feeling good about things.  I hope that you have a wonderful month, whatever your goals may be!