Botanicals ~ A Modern Approach to Display

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INSPIRATION 2014 #86: Shown above are a few examples of several contemporary approaches to displaying pressed plant material. These images are so versatile ~ they look great in just about any environment. The last image shown is actually wallpaper ~ could make a lovely statement in the right place!

Botanicals ~ Ways to Display

{wonderful juxtaposition of industrial and antique found here}

 {lovely way to add nature to your interior surroundings from here}

 {beautiful large scale botanicals by Stuart Thornton from here}

INSPIRATION 2014 #85: What to do with a wonderful botanical? Above are a few ideas to start with ~ from simple and fleeting to a big statement, the possibilities are endless. Now, just to find some wall space!

Marvelous Medical Cabinets

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INSPIRATION 2014 #59: Medical Cabinets ~ one of my very favorite types of furniture!

While visiting Mister Finch's Facebook page today, he shared a photo of a metal cabinet that is available at Ikea. While this is quite a nice piece for the price, I have to admit I am partial to the vintage ones ~ chipped & painted or stripped & bare metal. Antique medical cabinets can be found, but not often and unless you are extremely fortunate, they are very expensive. Below are a few I would love to find ~ love the curvy legs!

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Hanging with Hangers

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INSPIRATION 2014 #57: Another great way to display photos or other bits of ephemera AND utilize a vintage hanger. This was spotted at littlebyrdvintage on Etsy ~ while this one is already sold, these aren't too hard to come by at an estate sale or flea market.

Quick & Easy Photo Display

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INSPIRATION 2014 #27:  Another great & simple way to display photos ~ rusty metal corrugated "board" where photos are attached using magnets. This looks especially lovely because of the selection of monochromatic photos. One could get a similar effect using contemporary photos by scanning them, then converting them to black and white or sepia.

Photo Display Inspiration

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INSPIRATION 2014 #23:  Love this creative display of old photos! If you look closely, you can see that the frames are actually crocheted borders with a charm added for a bit of extra interest and a spot of color. The addition of the crochet borders gives the grouping a unique and cohesive look ~ why not try this with contemporary photos too?

Fabulous Find ~ McCaskey Credit Register

As I mentioned earlier, I have begun selling some of the vintage items I have collected over the years. While doing some internet research on McCaskey credit registers, I came upon this magnificent piece here.  I would LOVE to add this one to my collection, but at this point, I am short both space and money.  Isn't it gorgeous?  I have never seen one like it before ~ the upright style nor the color.  This would look great with photos or as is shown ~ the piece is being sold with all of the ephemera as well.

In case you were wondering, below is a more common version of what one of these registers looks like when complete. When I have found them over the years, they are usually in pieces, so they aren't easy to spot.  If you do find one that is complete, it is usually quite expensive and amazingly heavy!

Below are two ads for McCaskey registers ~ these registers were basically the precursor to the credit card of today. In one of the registers I bought several years ago, I actually found the original manual and instructions on how it was to be used ~ it seemed rather complicated to me!

At any rate, I love the look of these obsolete filing cabinets ~ they are wonderful repurposed for use as photo or ephemera holders. I think a wall filled with them would be amazing ~ it would make it easy to change out whenever you wanted a different look. So, while I don't have a whole register to offer, I do have single "pages" at the moment. If you are interested, check out my vintage etsy store.  Below is a vignette of one of the pages in use.

Old Summit Antique Show ~ Fall 2011 ~ Part 2

{lovely little oil painting}

Woman's work is the theme of this selection of antiques spotted at the autumn Old Summit Antique Show last weekend. Don't get me wrong here ~ I am not being sexist, it is just that these items seem to lean towards the feminine in my mind. Many times when reviewing the photos I have taken on an outing, I realize I have inadvertently gathered images of a similar theme ~ or I impose a theme just to come up with a different way of presenting the interesting items I see at these shows! So, please bear with me and enjoy the show!

{large carved mother of pearl button}

{cardboard & glass windowed thread display}

{gold bullion and beaded needlework}

{animal themed candy molds}

{fabulous medical book with lovely die cut layered pages showing different parts of the body}

{brass soap and sponge dish ~ to hang on side of bathtub}

{papier mache santa}

{sleigh ride holiday decoration}

Fabulous Friday Find

On Fridays in the summer my day job has summer hours ~ we get to leave at 1:00 if we have put in 3 additional hours earlier in the week. So, thanks to the summer hours, I am able to get a start on my antiquing for the weekend. I try to convince myself that a Friday afternoon antiquing will provide the fix for the weekend, but it usually just gets me in the mood for more!

Well, this Friday was a good one ~ I scored a great vintage Star Sewing Thread Display ~ just like this one! Mine is still in the car, but I found these photos online (at twentytimesi ~ already sold!) of an identical display ~ love the internet! This will come in handy for some storage in the studio as well as a nice way to display small handmade items at a craft show. All the drawers slide back and forth and are even removable. My display still has some paper labels attached ~ I will have to post a photo later when I get mine cleaned up and in working order!

{all photos from here}

Treasures for a Tailor

While at the antique show this past weekend I snapped a few photos of some sewing items I admired. Although that forlorn dressform was calling my name, I held back and settled for just a photo instead. I loved the thread display as well, but I didn't want to spend $169. The pincushion was beckoning as well, but I think I may just start collecting hatpins and mourning pins and make one of my own. How about that sewing ham?! Has anyone ever seen anything like that before ~ or know what it is used for?

{Dick was drooling over this as he loves bacon}

{beautiful old laces and notions at Beth's booth}

BH&G Christmas Ideas

Better Homes & Gardens Christmas Ideas is now on newstands everywhere ~ this year, it was exciting for me to have some of my work included! Debbie Dusenberry's (Stylist & Owner of Curious Sofa) beautifully decorated home is featured in a lovely multi page spread ~ her unique style and impeccable taste is evident in every image. Debbie borrowed some of my book sculptures and paper ornaments for the photo shoot ~ I am flattered that she chose to use my work and I love seeing how beautiful it looks in the vignettes she styled! Even though only one of the images shown below made it for the final cut, I thought the other photos are worthy of sharing too.

There are lots of great ideas in this issue, so go pick up a copy ~ visit Curious Sofa Diaries to see more of Debbie's home.

{book sculptures ~ image from magazine spread}

{Paper ornament ~ see more here}

{more book sculptures}

Fabulous Find #7 ~ Clark's Spool Display

I have to confess, the real reason Sprocket didn't end up buying much of anything at the Sparks flea market is because I spent all of our money. Here is my favorite find of the show ~ an amazing accordion style spool display ~ I plan to use it to as a display for my brooches when I participate in shows. I have another spool display that I have used in the past ~ while I love that one as well, this one may serve better for my new brooches as the trays are not as deep ~ also, the color of the display is a nice neutral gray. The photos show it all cleaned up ~ there was a free coating of dirt/dust on every surface ~ the spools came with it as well. Happy Day!

{folded up display}

{unfolded display ~ it is glorious!}

Lovely Stores ~ Anthropologie

Another of my favorite stores to visit is Anthropologie ~ I'm sure almost everyone has either visited an Anthropologie or is at least familiar with their catalog. What you might not know though, is that each store is designed according to the space it occupies. Usually a vacant building is refurbished according to the Anthropologie aesthetic, utilizing and adding to already existing elements ~ creating a unique shopping experience at each store. So although I can shop at my local Anthropologie anytime, I still think it is worth visiting their stores in other cities because the shopping experience and the displays are always unique. Below are photos from the Anthropologie in Soho this spring.

{wonderful window displays ~ bug themed cut paper patterns}

{more paper cut creations throughout the store}

{chandelier made of folded book pages}

{clever use of screen as a sculptural material}

{great cabinet ~ love the mix of greenery!}

{unique way to display a variety of knobs}

{my favorite ~ gorgeous felt flower bench}