Tag Archives: vintage

Dining Room Rugs for Families – Form Meets Function

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I’ve mentioned before that we use our formal dining room for most of our meals. This was a tradition my mother started when my sister and I lived at home, and I enjoy continuing it with our family.

I’ve posted about durable tablecloths and table runners to give your dining room a more formal look while still holding up to the kids. Recently, I have been debating about adding a dining room rug. I never even entertained (ha) this idea until the last few months, now that the kids are older and (a little) less messy. I really wanted the finished look of a rug, but I need to keep things practical as well.

I’m going to share my inspiration rooms, our current space, and the rugs I’m considering. There are literally thousands of options out there, and I’ve narrowed them down to my favorites.

First, here’s how our dining room looks now, without the rug.

So, you know I have a design crush on Amber Interiors. These are a couple of my favorite dining rooms designed by Amber Lewis and her team.

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The vintage rugs in these rooms feel accessible, because the complex patterns will hide small stains. This set me on a hunt for a vintage-style Persian rug for our dining space. While part of me would love to find a gorgeous high-quality wool rug, I am just too chicken – or too smart? – to put a few thousand dollars under my table for my kids to drop food on and my dog to lick… so, at least for now, I decided to look for an inexpensive synthetic rug that won’t make me cry every time something falls on it.

Here is my short list of rugs. My color scheme is greys and blues, and I was looking for something that had pattern but was still muted enough to feel neutral.

Rug collage

1 Unique Loom Rockwell Berkshire Area Rug

2 Safavieh Evoke Vintage Oriental Silver/ Ivory Distressed Rug

3 Freetown Distressed Vintage Inspired Gray/Ivory Rug

4 Willoby Vintage Oriental Charcoal Area Rug

5 Benson Bone Area Rug

And I have more rug ideas and inspiration rooms on my Pinterest board.

So, what do you think? Here’s another picture of the room currently. Our mantel is pretty busy, so I don’t want to add more busy-ness to the room, but I think it would really define the space and also show off the base of the table, which is a lovely Craftsman design.

I haven’t made a final decision yet, and I like all these rugs so much, that I might by more than one and put it in the living room or upstairs hallway…

So, whadya think?

“Jewels”

Big Closet Dreams in a Small Space!

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I can’t help drooling over pictures of gorgeous walk-in closets with romantic and glamorous touches. We gave up our walk-in closet when we created a fourth bedroom upstairs. I don’t regret this extra room, which was first a nursery and … Continue reading →

Festive Boho-ho-ho Christmas Stockings

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Yup, I have become one of those people who does a themed Christmas each year. I am still not sure if this is a sign of greatness of madness! While I admit to having accumulated many boxes of decorations, I … Continue reading →

Retro Mid-Century Ornament Wreath

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So, if you have been following along, you will know that I have a colorful Mid-Century Christmas planned for this year. So far, my preparations have included a new Christmas tree skirt, and next up was this pretty ornament wreath!

I found a lot of beautiful inspirations for this type of wreath, including some beautiful and whimsical examples from Georgia Peachez.

There are a lot of different methods out there for making ornament wreaths, and I read through several examples before starting my own.

I used a piece of foam leftover from another project as my wreath base. It was flexible, but once the ornaments were glued in place, it held its shape. I used a piece of heavy beading wire to create a hanger on the back, before I started attaching the ornaments.

To attach the ornaments, I hot-glued a ring of the large balls in this year’s colors of pink, turquoise, and red around the entire outside and inside of the wreath base. I then added a few large ornaments to the top and filled in with medium and smaller ornaments. I included a few pine cone ornaments to change up the look. Also, I kept the hangers visible on a handful of the ornaments for more visual interest.

Some methods include tinsel on the base or painting the base. Since I didn’t do either, I needed to make sure I filled all the gaps, so I finished off the wreath with some vase filler and large beads. This is definitely one of those projects, like L’s birthday quilt, where it takes a long time and a lot of planning to make it look “random.” By the time I went to bed, I was seeing ornaments float before my eyes…

But it was all worth it! I am not decorating quite yet, so for now, the wreath is adding some cheer to my craft room window, and as Nicola said when she came over for our recent Creativity Circle, it looks pretty good there!

Mid-Century Retro Ornament Wreath | Jewels at Home Mid-Century Retro Ornament Wreath | Jewels at Home
Mid-Century Retro Ornament Wreath | Jewels at Home  Mid-Century Retro Ornament Wreath | Jewels at Home
Mid-Century Retro Ornament Wreath | Jewels at Home  Mid-Century Retro Ornament Wreath | Jewels at Home
Mid-Century Retro Ornament Wreath | Jewels at HomeWith the new tree skirt and this wreath, I think I am well on my way to creating this year’s theme, but I do still have a few projects I’d like to add, if time allows! Looking forward to seeing it all come together!

“Jewels”

Patchwork Quilt Tablecloth for a Tea Party

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A few years ago, I arranged a tea party baby shower for my dear friend, Nicola. Each year after that, I have hosted a tea party, combined with a Stella and Dot Jewelry Show (this is a fundraiser for our Avon Walk team and until June 21, 10-15% of the sales will go to our team!). I’ve been slowly adding details to the tea party, and this year, it was this tablecloth quilt. The floral fabrics create a romantic vintage feel that is a bit kitschy and a lot fun.

Patchwork Quilt Tablecloth for a Tea Party | Jewels at Home

Here are some pictures of the quilt. It’s a mix of fabrics from my mom’s and my stash, including scraps from the curtains that hung in the first townhouse Steve and I lived in.Patchwork Quilt Tablecloth for a Tea Party | Jewels at Home

Patchwork Quilt Tablecloth for a Tea Party | Jewels at Home

Patchwork Quilt Tablecloth for a Tea Party | Jewels at Home

Patchwork Quilt Tablecloth for a Tea Party | Jewels at Home

Thanks to my friends for another lovely and relaxing afternoon!

“Jewels”

 

 

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Birthday Party!

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This year, L is turning 9, and since his birthday falls at the start of his youth baseball season, I thought it would be fun to celebrate with a retro baseball theme.

He wanted to hold the party at a trampoline place, which took care of the activities for the kids. This allowed me to have some fun putting together decorations, favors, and a ballpark menu.

Decorations:
Since we had a table in the middle of the trampoline space, I couldn’t make use of the walls for decorations.

I did find a little spot to hang our reusable birthday banner, customized for the baseball theme.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Birthday Party! Jewels at Home

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Birthday Party! Jewels at Home

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Birthday Party! Jewels at Home
I also bought a set of these 12″ table number holders to display posters and signs. I found various retro-looking baseball posters and printed them with birthday messages and signs for the food and displayed them around the table.

Here are the sources for these great retro posters:Baseball player batting and Pitcher poster.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Birthday Party! Jewels at Home

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Birthday Party! Jewels at Home

Menu:

We had a ballpark-inspired menu including:

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Birthday Party! Jewels at Home

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Birthday Party! Jewels at Home

Party favors:

I decorated blank youth baseball jerseys for the boys with iron-on letters and numbers.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Birthday Party! Jewels at Home

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Birthday Party! Jewels at Home

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Birthday Party! Jewels at Home

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Birthday Party! Jewels at Home

Each boy also got Cracker Jack in old-fashioned packaging.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Birthday Party! Jewels at Home

I created these charming gift tags to go with the party favors.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Birthday Party! Jewels at Home

What a fun time we had celebrating!

“Jewels”

Chippendale Chair Makeover

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I’m a little crazy for these chairs. As in, I told Steve that if I go before him, he should feel free to get rid of most of my stuff, but could he please consider keeping these chairs?

I have a faux bamboo fetish that includes these Chippendale chairs. They are a good match for the chinoiserie theme in our living room. I had been scanning craigslist for a while when I scored these great chairs. They weren’t exactly cheap, definitely not free like the Queen Anne chairs I found, but they were still a good deal for well-made pieces in this classic style.

I still have four side chairs waiting for their Cinderella moment, but the three armchairs in this set are ready for the ball:

Sharp-looking Chippendale chair makeover with glossy black paint and a geometric seat fabric | Jewels at Home

Sharp-looking Chippendale chair makeover with glossy black paint and a geometric seat fabric | Jewels at Home

https://jewelsathome.com/2013/03/26/living-room-tour/

https://jewelsathome.com/2013/03/26/living-room-tour/

Sharp-looking Chippendale chair makeover with glossy black paint and a geometric seat fabric | Jewels at Home

Are you looking for your own chairs to transform? I’m excited to share that my friend Ari launched a slick new furniture re-sale site over at www.revolvingdecor.com. Check it out to participate in a curated online marketplace for great furniture finds!

“Jewels”

Striped Felted Bag

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I may need to have a new series called “Felting Fanatic.” Since raiding my mom’s stash of yarn over the Christmas holidays, I’ve been so excited to try making some felted projects. The first was a felted basket to my knitting. Steve calls it “Knitting Inception,” because of the yarn within the yarn thing… he’s a bit quirky that way. The next project was this felted shoulder bag.

Knitted felted handbag with colorful stripes | Jewels at Home

I was having a lot of fun with the big needles and chunky yarn, because everything came together so quickly. I had learned a little bit about the proportions from making the basket, and so I adapted my plans for this bag a little bit. It’s a simple shoulder bag. The main color is dark blue, and I used a mix of many colors for the stripes in between. Like the basket, I was able to mix different types of yarn by doubling or tripling the ones that were thinner.

Like with the basket, I knit on my chunky needles with a gauge of 3 stitches per inch.  I cast on 90 stitches and knit in the round with stocking stitch until the bag was 22″ high, finishing with 4 rows of garter stitch at the top of the bag, so it wouldn’t roll over.  The shoulder strap is 8 stitches wide in garter stitch, and I sewed this onto the top outside edge of the bag and started as 47″ long.

To assemble the bag, I sewed the handle onto the sides of the bag, overlapping the pieces by about an inch.  I used a whip stitch to close the bottom of the bag from the inside.

Before felting, the bag was 21″ wide by 22″ long, and the handle was 47″ long. It was comically enormous, as the boys modeled. K said, I should go into business making bags for giants. If I ever meet a giant, I’ll think about it.

Knitted and felted handbag with colorful stripes | Jewels at Home

Knitted and felted handbag with colorful stripes | Jewels at Home

Knitted and felted handbag with colorful stripes | Jewels at Home

Thankfully, the finished bag is a much more comfortable 13.5″ wide by 11″ high, and the strap turned out about 30″ long.

Knitted and felted handbag with colorful stripes | Jewels at Home

As a finishing touch, I made a lining for the bag out of some vintage fabric, also from my mom’s stash.  I sewed a simple rectangular lining, with some pockets on one side.  I then folded down a hem along the top and hand-sewed it into the felted bag.Knitted and felted handbag with colorful stripes, lined in vintage fabric | Jewels at Home

Knitted and felted handbag with colorful stripes, lined in vintage fabric | Jewels at Home

I’m excited to use my new one-of-a-kind bag with all its fun colors!

“Jewels”

Stella & Dot Trunk Show and Romantic Afternoon Tea

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I had so much fun last weekend hosting a Stella and Dot Trunk Show with afternoon tea for my girlfriends!

I’m especially proud that our stylist Stacey and I are each donating 10%, so 20% of the total sales, to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. If you feel so inclined, you can check out their beautiful jewelry, bags and accessories and participate in the fundraiser through May 25, 2013.

Here’s a glimpse at our fun girls’ afternoon, which I hope to turn into an annual event!

Ideas for a charming vintage tea party. {Jewels at Home}

Decorations

  • I was excited to use my eclectic mix of vintage tea cups, plates, and serving dishes that I collected for a baby shower last year.

Vintage afternoon tea party. {Jewels at Home}

Vintage afternoon tea party. {Jewels at Home}

Vintage afternoon tea party. {Jewels at Home}

  • Fresh flowers are a beautiful touch. I clipped some Cala lilies from our garden, and on of my friends brought a colorful bouquet that looks beautiful on the coffee table. I’m brainstorming about something similar I can put there long-term.

Vintage afternoon tea party. {Jewels at Home}

  • Paper lanterns are so popular right now, and I’ve been looking for a way to use them. I love the garden feel these lanterns created for our tea party. I hung them using fishing line and clear Command Mini Hooks.

A collection of colorful paper lanterns brings the garden party inside. {Jewels at Home}

A collection of colorful paper lanterns brings the garden party inside. {Jewels at Home}

  • Tea cup garland – this was a fun and easy project. I was cutting out paper tea cup silhouettes to make signs for the food, and I was inspired to string some together with lace to make this little garland that I hung over the buffet. I love the romantic feel of the colors and patterns.

Cute paper tea cup garland for a vintage afternoon tea party. {Jewels at Home}

Cute paper tea cup garland for a vintage afternoon tea party. {Jewels at Home}

  • New table runner and trivets – I’ve been meaning to make these for a while out of the same fabric I used for cushions on our hallway bench. They worked perfectly for our party and will get lots more use in days to come.

Table runner and fabric trivets for a romantic afternoon tea party. {Jewels at Home}

Fabric trivet for a romantic afternoon tea party. {Jewels at Home}

  • Luggage tag party favors were a last-minute project using some of the same prints as the tea cup garland. I printed the names on cardstock backed with decorative paper and slipped the paper into these clear vertical badge holders and added luggage tag loops.
DIY luggage tags with beautiful paper backs. Party favors for a charming afternoon tea party. {Jewels at Home}

DIY luggage tags with beautiful paper backs. Party favors for a charming afternoon tea party. {Jewels at Home}

Menu

  • Cheese plate for a savory snack
  • Fruit salad in a watermelon basket – everyone said, “My mom used to do that!” My mom did, too!
  • Coffee cake – a great sour cream cake that my mom also made.
  • Cookies – classic Walker’s shortbread and some cute flower-shaped sugar cookies
  • baklava – hubby made this. SO good.

Vintage afternoon tea party. {Jewels at Home}

Vintage afternoon tea party. {Jewels at Home}

Vintage afternoon tea party. {Jewels at Home}

Drink list

  • Mimosas
  • Tea – LOVE this vintage candy tin I found in an antiques shop on my birthday.  It fits a collection of tea bags perfectly.

A vintage candy tin makes a perfect place to store and display tea bags. Part of a vintage tea party from Jewels at Home.

  • Citrus water

Are you feeling inspired by our charming afternoon tea party? Here are a few of my favorite pieces from the Stella and Dot collection, if you’d like to participate in our fundraiser:

Red Ikat Bag, Julep Bangle, and Dot Bloom Necklace from Stella and Dot. Shop with 20% going to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer through May 25, 2013.

Red Ikat Bag, Julep Bangle, and Dot Bloom Necklace from Stella and Dot. Shop with 20% going to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer through May 25, 2013.

Thank you so much to all my friends who came out to socialize and shop for a cause. I’m looking forward to seeing you next year!

“Jewels”

Vintage afternoon tea party. {Jewels at Home}