why hello there! some of you may recall that way back when...we were honored & excited to have our home photographed for the WINTER issue of fleaMARKETstyle magazine. we were asked to kindly hold off until mid december to show the interior pictures. well...of course that time has come & gone. it caught me @ a time when things were silly busy like everyone else.
but now...here in january...i am granted a little extra time & thought you might enjoy a peek @ the pages if you haven't seen it. and if you HAVE...perhaps you will enjoy some extra explanations that the writer could not possibly squeeze in. i have to giggle @ christine hoffman-bourque {word weaver} the day she did the interview w/ me. she told me to expect about 45 minutes for her to ask me questions. well...an hour and 1/2 later...she couldn't get me to stop! she laughed and said "i think we have enough info".
so we will start w/ the basics...here's the cover {below}...
and with one flip to the inside and you may recognize a cluster of vintage sign letter S's {below} as seen in our little dining area. see the tiny bit of my created beadboard mirror? i love them so much i have {3} in our home!
you'll see a view into our living room {seen FAR below}. in lieu of a "fire*box"...i did a collage of vintage papers on the wall. the ottoman was very tatty & needed a cover. so a quick solution was to cover it w/ a large pillow sham. i found one i liked w/ a recycled canvas union jack flag. i tied up the corners w/ heavy jute.
there's more texture found in the seagrass toss pillows and the leather of our club chairs. when the seats were worn out...i found a piece of heavy canvas @ the thrift store for .25!
also thought i'd mention the "side table" is a former metal croquet stand. complete still w/ it's metal carrying handle and holes for the mallets + balls! it's a bit rusty but still trusty!
this is a closer peek @ our mantle. showcases my matte white pottery. and the tiny bellows is such a cutie. we have a GIANT version in our basement too.
moving on is another view of our living room. where i reference "bessie" our giant cupboard because she's a big & heavy ol' "heifer". the "coffee table" is actually a rusty & retired {of course!} casket roller.
i did most of the staging prior to the photo shoot. and the only item the sweet lisa evidon added to our home {that wasn't ours} was the chunky knit throw. which i ended up buying from her because i was fascinated with those tassels! the leather ball...incase you were wondering...is a flea market found medicine ball. it doesn't get used for strength training anymore...but looks good just hanging out.
then there's an outside view of our home. plus a peek @ our entryway that has a hook {4} everyone...lucy & the occasional guest too!
just some details...details...details...
then it rolls into our dining space. the light fixture and the slips are from pottery barn & about the only new*stock in this area. i did change out the their slipcover ties with manila rope to give them some personality. we hung the CASH & carry GROCERY sign up before we moved in. that's how excited i was about it!
next up is a view into our kitchen {below}. our neighbor, the area dairy*man who moonlighted in woodworking, worked w/ me to create the cabinets. i have a extensive collection of buffalo china + ironstone i wanted to not only be able to use daily...but enjoy seeing them. so glass fronted cabinets it was!
the base counters are actually reclaimed plank flooring we rescued from storage in the barn of a friend. and then the upper breakfast bar is covered in a slab of dark charcoal tinted concrete.
a story on the barstools. i found {quite accidentally} the industrial stool on the left first. i loved it's wood seat + weathered painted finish. when i couldn't find a somewhat "matching" mate due to price or availability restrictions...i picked up the other wood top stool {on right} @ a flea for a few dollars. now i am so THRILLED that i didn't end up with (2) of a kind. i love their "same" but "different" aethestic!
i have a love of old signs. and if you will peek closer you will see i happened on an old road marker number 73 that was from COOK county. seemed appropriate to pop it as the backdrop to our range!
final note for this area...there is a pair of the lights that you see one of suspended above the breakfast bar. i ordered in two socket lights. and added some honey colored twisted cloth covered cord. i looked for a pair of matching milk*glass wavy shades for almost a year while the building was going on. and found them @ different times from different sellers on eBay. they are "topped" (bottomed??) off w/ old time styled edison bulbs. you can find them @ various antique hardware supply stores online.
oh! bet you'd like to see the picture now...if you're still reading! :)
are you still out there with me?? i'm still moving thru the pages. so, next up is some random detail shots again {shown below}. a glimpse of our cast iron claw foot tub. our sandy spot in our bath that allows for special messages to share and my "mannis" that stand proud in our bedroom. i wear these jewels often and love to display my baubles when not in use.
the "floor mirror" was really just an old door w/ mirror insert that i found visiting my family in nebraka. when i was driving home with it in my pickup the temps dipped below zero. my only concern @ the time was that i didn't break the mirror. when i got home after 9 hours of winter drive time...i quickly brought it inside. to discover later upon inspection that the silvering had crackled & started peeling. @ first i was bummed to see it. as time when by...i actually started to enjoy the patina look brought on by yours truly!
the bottom corner of the above photo doesn't show our bath photo...here is that shot {below}. the lights were actually table lamps that i drilled holes in the bases and then attached to the walls.
the vanity was a sideboard that i found @ a rummage sale. it was truly on it's last leg. our cabinet / milkman friend again helped by butting out the legs i designed to raise it up and then we cut out holes for matching white drop in sinks. and there's the other {2} beadboard mirrors that i mentioned earlier.
our his and her faucets are really inexpensive wall mounted sink faucets reminiscient of what you'd see in a farmhouse kitchen!
i think i know how christine must have felt taking notes that day now as i click away here. she probably set the phone down for half of the conversation because...as i recall...she didn't get a word in hardly. which is kind of the same here. i type...and type...AND type...and then there's you...reading...reading...and probably scanning by this point hoping i will be just be "quiet" and just show some more pictures!
but in my typical form. i like to give descriptions. in lengthy details. as such i will stop for today. and do a part #2 so i can collect my thoughts & hopefully not lose you to my very lengthy musings. please pop back, if you will, to see the rest of the magazine shoot. there's more fun pictures i'd like to share. and you can bet that i will have something to say about them!
hope you've enjoyed this start to the tour of our home via the wonderful fleaMARKETstyle magazine. i'm looking forward to picking up where i left off...until then...
happy day to YOU!
ps- my GRATEFUL {PRIZE} bracelet giveaway is still going on...please peek @ the last post for more details on how to "enter"!
