Friendly Strangers-- Decorating with Vintage Portraits

Remember my $5 thrift store find? I ended up naming her Millie, thanks for all the suggestions! She's still reading. That book must be hard to get into. I've since moved her to our dining room/kitchen wall. I kind of imagine her eavesdropping on our dinner conversations. 

Another amateur portrait, I'm particularly proud of finding at my local Goodwill, is this Spanish lady. She sold in two days for quadruple the price I paid and is now getting back to her roots in sunny, Southern California.

Country Living, in a decorating for Halloween article, showcased a wonderful, semi-creepy portrait of a bride-- creepiness courtesy of an added construction paper mask. I'm not really a fan of creepy decor, but even without the mask this woman must look ominous.

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Check out these rooms, replete with friendly strangers:

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I'm now thinking Millie needs a few friends to keep her company. Here are the contenders:

Toddler with a spray tan?

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Sad or spacing out?

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Particularly fond of the brooding 1920's gal in the lower right.

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This woman looks a little like a  young Judy Garland.

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By far, my favorite!

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What do you think? Yay or nay on adding a friendly stranger to your walls?

What Can Brown Do For You?

I love the color brown. It's warm, comforting and evocative of chocolate fondue or a comfy, worn-in leather chair. Maybe that newfound crispness in the air is getting to me, but I'm ready for fall and all the yumminess it brings.

I like the idea of using brown with unexpected color combinations-- steering clear of pairing it with other earth tones and instead juxtaposing it with teals, mints, citrons and pinks. Seems fresher that way.

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All these brown colorscapes made me think of UPS trucks and how awesome it is that the company hasn't changed its colors or done much to change the look of their fleet of bubble-nosed vehicles in over 50 years. Hats off to them. Does anyone else dislike the fact so many companies/sports teams/brands change their colors or overall look to be more modern? Keep the old, I say! I don't even follow sports, but really enjoy it when teams wear their throw-back uniforms (all the men reading this are breathing a collective, exasperated sigh). Maybe I'm the only one who has such passionate feelings about color...

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox. Read more about the evolution of the UPS truck here. Happy Wednesday, mes amis, it's all downhill to Friday now!

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A Total Success!

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Garden Market! We had a blast selling earring racks, tea cup lights, colander lamps, french glass lights, hoop wall art, key/necklace hangers, magnetic memo boards and more! This, being our first craft fair, far surpassed our expectations and breaking the $500 mark made all the hard work worth it!

After selling on Etsy for a year, it was so fun to get face to face reactions to my products and the positive feedback from countless strangers was extremely encouraging!

Thanks, also, to my awesome husband who drilled oodles of lamps, built me wonderful displays, put up with the house being a total war-zone in the days leading up to the fair, loaded and unloaded the car, and helped me sell at the fair. He always encourages me to step out, create, and achieve my goals. I love you, Nick!

If you are still looking for original, vintage and upcycled Christmas gifts, check out our shop. Don't see what you are looking for? Convo us for a custom order!

All Wound Up! Spool Decor at its Finest

If I had written the tune "A Few of My Favorite Things" for The Sound of Music, spools would have most definitely been an item included in the song... along with Nutella, wedding mints, acorns, marbles, and foreign currency, but that's for another post...

How utilitarian and cute are spools of thread, ribbon, twine, yarn, etc? They can hold such rich colors and textures and yet look equally dignified all empty and stripped down. I think I actual start to salivate when I look at this picture below. Perhaps someday I will open a dry goods store... Sigh!

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Consider using vintage spools as decor items in jars or baskets or for fun, Christmastime crafts!

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Love this DIY for spool wall pegs! (source)

Baker's twine, brilliant! (source)

Vintage spool trees (source)

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Crazy cute color starburst spool wreath! (source)

Spool tree (source)

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Thanksgiving Tabletops

It's October 28th and Thanksgiving is less than a month away. Time to start planning for feasting and giving thanks. Below are a few of my favorite, unexpected Thanksgiving tabletop arrangements!

Love this quilted runner! (source)

Driftwood! How clever. (source)

I love the power of gold spray paint ;) (source)

Let's not forget the kid's table... (source)

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Yarn Wreaths, Yes Please!

So, once again, it's time to sip apple cider and break out our nubby knits, but who says our doors don't need a little warming too? Wreaths aren't only for Christmastime. Check out my current fall yarn wreath  fav's from Etsy sellers:

Woodland Fox Handmade Yarn Wreath by Etsy sell KnockKnocking, $45

Peaches and Cream Yarn Door Wreath by Etsy seller AnnaHaily, $30

Fall Cozy Yarn Wreath by Etsy seller ginnywinny, $25

Yarn Wreath Felt Handmade Door Decor- Berrylicious by Etsy seller itzfitz, $30

Feel inspired? Here is a great tutorial to make your own, originally published in 2008 in Craft Stylish!

Vintage Picture Walls

I love the romance of old pictures! Lately I've been toying with the idea of entirely covering an accent wall with framed black and white pictures, like a gallery. Here's the thing... I love the look, but am having a hard time deciding if I'm okay with pictures of strangers from yesteryears in my house... Is that creepy or okay for art's sake? I mean, I do have a handful of old family pictures, but definitely not enough to make this kind of magic happen:

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I especially love old class pictures or sports team pictures. An easy way to get a lot of photos to frame, for cheap? Buy a year book from the 40's or 50's at an antique mall or flea market!

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Heartmade Blog Feature

A huge thank you to Mayi Carles for featuring my Vintage Lunch Box and Half Pint Thermos (#7) on her Heartmade Blog. Check it out, it's adorable!

Photo credit- Mayi Carles from Heartmade Blog

I'm Letting You In on My Secret...

For a good while now I've been scheming and dreaming about opening my own shop in downtown Marietta Square. A few months back I did the legwork to obtain all the forms and documents needed to apply for a business license and permits. I also drafted up a business plan, formally mapping out my business goals, the reasons we believe they are attainable, and a plan for getting there. Thanks to my incredible husband, whom I swear was born part accountant, part business man, I believe we have a pretty good thing going.

What type of shop will it be, you ask?

Mostaza Seed will be a vintage resale boutique for the Marietta and Cobb County communities. It will also carry upcycled design and handmade items from local artisans. 

Our target group is the emerging market of socially, environmentally, and budget conscious individuals who seek to fashionably furnish their homes with upcycled, repurposed, and unique vintage and handmade items. A steady flow of vintage items (procured from local estate sales, resale shops, and wholesale flea markets), coupled with readily available materials to craft upcycled products and wares of local crafters and artisans will allow us to create and deliver our value proposition.

They overarching goal is to be a welcoming, Christian presence in the Marietta Square where community thrives and creativity flourishes. Eventually, we'd love to see a coffee shop incorporated into the shop.

Here's the catch. Retail space in Marietta square is roughly $2000 a month and that's currently out of our price range. So, in the meantime, I'm continuing to sell my little heart out on Etsy, making connections in the community, and hoping to rent out some dealer space at a local antique mart by the end of the summer.

I was discouraged when I realized how much overhead would be (and that's probably not even that much for gorgeous historic spaces like this (see below) when you compare it to other places in the country), thinking my dream was impossible. BUT, I've regained focus and am more excited than ever to inch my way towards this goal. An option that I am very open to, and praying about, is partnering with a creatively minded person in the Atlanta area who shares this vision and could bring in more of the handmade element to compliment my vintage wares.

So, that's the dream and it's alive and kicking! I'd really appreciate any thoughts and advice from people who have ahceived this or have dreamt about doing something like this! If you prefer, shoot me an email at mostazaseeddesign@gmail.com

I Heart Hoop Wall Art

There is, perhaps, no better way to display lovely, vintage fabric than to stretch it on to an embroidery hoop, add embelishments (vintage buttons, jewelry, embroidery, appliques, etc) and hang it on your wall. Here are a few examples from my own home:

I have plenty of extra fabric and vintage buttons, so all of these hoops can also be purchased in my shop:)

Check out a tutorial here.

These are a few hoop wall art groupings that have me itching to make more!

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Ideas for your own hoop wall art:

- Vintage screenprinted t-shirts, perhaps a sentimental scrap of fabric from one of Grandpa's old shirts

- Upholstry squares (they are cheap and the perfect size--not to mention durable)

- Chalkboard oilcloth fabric (purchase here) for writing notes!

-Vintage curtains, sheets, or pillowcases offer super fun and funky patterns (especially barkcloth!)

Embellish with:

-Vintage buttons (easy to find at flea markets or in Gram's sewing basket)

-Criscrossed ribbon (ala french memo board) and insert photos and ticket stubs!

-Cutout appliques-- cut out a heart, flower, or any other shape from fabric, rustically stitch it

to the canvas and leave a bit of room to insert batting before you stitch it up

(it makes for an adorable 3-D hoop)

-Vintage jewelry (clip the posts off of large, round earings and hot glue on to fabric,

affix a strand of beads or faux pears to the rim of the hoop)

-Silhouette cutouts, in black or contrasting fabric, of your loved ones or favorite shapes

Feel free to comment with your own ideas for hoop wall art decor!