Grandpa's Violin

This isn't exactly a decorating post. Nor is it an organizing post. It's a post about heirlooms. One heirloom in particular. And music. And my wonderful grandfather. Come to think of it, maybe I should change my blog header:






This post does relate to decorating in the sense that I believe that we should fill our homes (but not stuff them) with objects that we love. Music is an important part of my life. I'm in a music group, and when I can find some free time, I like to sing, play guitar, and write songs. My love of music is definitely reflected in my home. On the wall of my family room hangs the guitar that my mom played when she was pregnant with me. We also have (though not all of these items are out on display lest our house look like a shelter for abandoned musical instruments) two other guitars, a harmonica, a didgeridoo, and a 1908 cabinet grand piano. And then, in a league of its own, there's Grandpa's violin.

My grandfather was 98 when he passed away peacefully in his sleep this past February. He was an amazing and inspirational man. A carpenter, he built over 14 houses with his own two hands. (Fifteen if you count the yellow dollhouse with the bay window and wraparound porch that he built for me when I was a little girl.) Grandpa's first car was a Model T Ford, and I have a great old photo of him sitting in that car grinning with his feet up on the dashboard. He was an avid gardener and photographer. He was tirelessly optimistic and had a great sense of humor.




















When my grandpa was 13 years old, he found a broken violin floating in the Neawanna River in Oregon. He took the violin home to his father, who rebuilt it! I can't imagine having the skill to build--or rebuild--a musical instrument like that. I love the symbolism: something that was broken and forgotten that would learn to sing again. Grandpa learned to play a song or two on it, but he mostly loaned it out to friends who needed cheering up. He was just that kind of person.

When I phoned Grandpa on his 96th birthday, I heard festive music in the background. It sounded like a party in full swing, but it was actually just a local fiddler who had come over to the house to play the old violin for Grandpa. I can picture my grandpa--who was legally blind at that time--sitting in his armchair with his hands folded on his belly, listening with a small smile on his face. Grandpa had what you might call an "impish" smile. He always looked like he'd just snuck down to the bakery for a doughnut. (Which, most of the time, he had.)

Here's a picture of the violin:




















I love how fingers have worn away the paint on the fingerboard and the finish is rubbed off where musicians have leaned their chins over the years. I don't play violin (yet), as evidenced by the fact that I forgot to include the bow in the picture, but I do love the sound of a violin.

The violin has a mysterious, spooky head on the scroll. I don't know what kind of animal it is. A monkey? A lion? Whatever it is, it reminds me of the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz. It matches the screeches that emanate from the violin whenever I attempt to play it:














Even the case is cool. It's covered in peeling paint, a few gobs of old glue, and traces of duct tape! I imagine Grandpa, with his Scandinavian practicality, taping the case closed to protect the violin. I love it!























What heirlooms do you treasure most in your home? Are they tucked away in hermetically sealed boxes, or are they out on display? This post has been linked to other heirloom-themed posts at Emma Calls Me Mama. If you like to read about special family heirlooms, stop over for a visit!

Fancy Shmancy Towel Fold Tutorial

Fancy shmancy towel folds are a fun way to welcome your house guests. Your guests may even be so impressed by your pretty towel folds that they will fail to notice the "free acupuncture" offered courtesy of the springs that jab them through the holes in your sofa bed.

To pamper your guests with the royal shmance treatment, you will need:

• 1 bath towel*
• 1 hand towel*
• 1 wash cloth*
• 1 towel bar OR a chair with a back
• tiny "tuckable" toiletries or flowers

*Note: Although luxurious fluffy towels are much more welcoming than thinner towels, the latter are actually easier to fold because they're less bulky. Using a bath towel and wash cloth in one color and a hand towel in a different color is a fun option.

Step 1: (Not pictured)
Fold the bath towel into thirds the long way, and drape it over a towel bar or over the back of a chair in your guest room.

Step 2:
Lay the hand towel flat with the front facing up.






















Step 3:
Fold the hand towel up from the bottom as pictured. (Note: the corner is turned down in the photo just so that you can see the edge of the towel--you should not actually fold the corner.)






















Step 4:
Fold the hand towel as pictured.










Step 5:
Flip over. (The towel, Silly, not you!)


















Step 6:
Fold the sides in, tucking one side into the "pocket" on the other side.






















Step 7:
Turn over (still referring to the towel here). (Note to Self: to become billionaire, must patent Towel Fold Twister.)























Step 8:
Drape the hand towel over the bath towel (not pictured).
Step 9:
Accordion fold the washcloth.







Step 10:
Fold the washcloth accordion in half so that it looks like a fan.

















Step 11:
Tuck the washcloth "fan" into the pocket on the hand towel.






















Step 12:
Add some goodies for your guests, such as tiny toiletries, flowers, wrapped candies, or a little note. By a note, I mean something sweet and welcoming like, "Make yourself at home!" as opposed to something like, "Mess up my towel folds and you're DEAD!"























That's it! I can almost guarantee that you can fold your towels in less time than it took you to read this tutorial! Fancy towel folds are great not only for pampering guests, but also for staging a home to sell.
























Love DIY projects? This tutorial has been linked to other great DIY projects at A Soft Place to Land.

The Alternative Home Decor Database

Years ago, I started collecting alternative home decor ideas. What qualifies as "alternative home decor"? I define it as anything unexpected that you can hang on your wall or prop on a shelf for decorative purposes. The roulette wheel in the photo above (from the most recent Pottery Barn catalog) is a great example. How many people think to themselves, "Let's see, now what should I hang over my mantle? I'm thinking either a mirror, a family photo, or a roulette wheel." I love design surprises like this. Leave it to Pottery Barn to have the chutzpah to pull this off.



















Because I like to organize things-- and because I'm just the tiniest little bit compulsive--I saved all of these alternative decor ideas in the form of an alphabetized list. I published the list a few years ago in article form, but quickly discovered that without images, the list wasn't very useful to the average home decorator. Turns out, most people don't just intuitively know how to decorate a wall with napkins, driftwood, or...zithers.

Now that I have joined the blogging world, it occurred to me to again share my list...but with a twist. I invite you to contribute links to photos (your original photos, or photos that you have found on the web). My vision for this post is that it can become an Alternative Home Decor Database (doesn't that sound delightfully nerdy!) in which every item on the list is linked to an internet image of that alternative item in a room setting. So for example, if the item on the list is an apron, and you have a framed apron above the stove in your kitchen, you can contribute a link to your photo.

If you would like to contribute, please leave a comment with your link and the name of the decor item and I will add the link to the list. If you have used an alternative decor item that is not on my list (or you have an item that is already linked on the list), please send it to me anyway! If I have linked to a photo of yours and you would prefer not to be linked, please let me know and I will remove the link. And now, with no further ado, I give you The List.

Decorative Items from A to Z

A-Advertisements, Aprons (vintage)

B-Blueprints, Board games, Baby clothes, Bandanas, Batik fabrics, Ballet slippers, Beach bags, Buttons (mounted in rows), Buckets, Baskets, Branches, Birdhouses, Birdcages, Birdbaths, Bottles, Banners, Books (stacked up or propped open to a favorite page), Bowling pins, Bells

C-Chalkboards, Canvases (painted a single color), Calendar images, Collages, CD Covers, Ceramic tiles, Curtains (not just for windows!), Candles, Coins, Clocks, Children's blocks, Charts, Comic books, Chopsticks (gathered in a vase), Calligraphy pieces

D-Driftwood pieces, Doilies, Dishes, Dish towels, Diplomas, Dictionary Definitions (enlarged), Doorknobs (displayed in a row as coat hooks or towel hooks), Dolls

E-Empty frames, Evening bags, Embroidered fabrics

F-Fans (wooden, paper, or silk), Flowers (fresh, dried, pressed, or silk), Fabrics (framed or stretched over store bought canvases), Footprints (in a baby's room), French memo boards, Flags, Finger paintings, Fruits (whole fresh or dried), Fiddles, Fossils, Folding screens, Flowerpots, Finials

G-Garden tools, Gold leaf papers, Greeting cards, Garden gates & statues, Garlands of Garlic or chili peppers, Guitars, Geodes, Gloves, Globes, Glass blocks

H-Hats, Handkerchiefs, Handprints, Horticultural charts

I-Ice skates, Illustrations cut from books (A favorite picture book can provide enough pictures to decorate a child's room-be sure to buy a second copy!)

J-Jewelry

K-Kites, Keys, Kids' artwork, Kimonos

L-Leaves (fresh, pressed, or photocopied), Lyrics, Ladders, Lanterns, Lavender bundles, License plates, Love Letters, Looms

M-Mirrors, Marionettes, Magazine covers, Mantels, Maps, Masks, Mason jars, Menus, Mobiles, Musical instruments, Model airplanes, Marbled papers, Mr. Potato Head

N-News articles, Nests, Numbers (salvaged wood or metal), Napkins, Names (spelled out with individual letters or children's blocks), Negatives, Neckties, Needlepoint pieces

O-Oars 1, Oars 2, Origami papers,
P-Pie Plates, Plates, Player piano music rolls, Purses, Photographs, Poems, Postcards, Posters, Postage stamps, Paper dolls, Programs, Passports, Picket fences, Placemats, Pinecones, Pinwheels, Pennants, Pins, Puppets

Q-Quilts, Quilt squares

R-Rugs, Record album covers, Roller skates, Recipes, Religious symbols, Roulette wheels

S-Scarves (framed individually or displayed on hooks in a row), Seed packets, Sewing patterns, Saris, Sheet music, Scrolls, Shutters, Stained glass, Shoes, Sconces, Silhouettes, Shells, Sports equipment, Street Signs, Spectacles, Stones, Suitcases, Surfboards, Scrapbook papers (framed individual sheets), Spoons, Swimsuits

T-Teacups & saucers, Tablecloths, Tin lids, Trays (metal trays can be used as magnetic message boards), Ticket stubs, Toys, Twigs, Tin ceiling tiles, Typewriters, Telephones, Tricycles

U-Umbrellas

V-Vases, Valentines, Vintage fabric scraps & dish towels, Veils, Violins, Vests

W-Wallpaper, Windows, Wreaths, Weathervanes, Wrapping papers (framed individual sheets), Words (spelled out with individual letters or children's blocks), Windchimes, Wine labels

X-X-rays (hung in a window or pieced into a mobile in front of a light source)

Y-Yardsticks, Yarn Skeins (displayed in a basket or a wooden bowl)

Z-Zithers

I'll keep adding links as I find images and as you send them my way!

Photo credits: Roulette Photo: Pottery Barn, Purse Photo: Red Chair Home Interiors, Photo Border: Stock Xchng.

5 Minute Decorating: DIY Faux Preserved Botanicals

This project involves fake plants, so if you happen to be either A) Martha Stewart or B) A botanist with a collection of cherished pressed fern specimens adorning every wall of your home, you may want to look away now. Martha, surely you have something else to do--sculpting a dragonfly out of butter, perhaps, or cataloging your collection of Medieval leather doilies?

If you're an ordinary human who's "pressed" for time, here's a fast, easy, and affordable way to make some DIY faux pressed botanicals for your home.

Step 1:
Pick up some realistic-looking silk greenery from a craft store. Fern fronds work well for this. Not sure whether your greenery looks real? To help you decide, I've provided the sophisticated Faux Plant Self-Test below.

Faux Plant Self-Test

1. Are the leaves blue?
2. Does the plant resemble a fright wig?

If you answered "Yes" to either of the questions above, the silk plant in question does not look real. Do not buy it.

Step 2:
Once you have found a few realistic "specimens", arrange them in a mat and frame. You can use spray adhesive if you'd like, but you may not even need to--for the example above, the pressure of the glass was enough to keep the ferns in place.

Step 3:
Hang your frames on the wall with confidence. They look great in groups of three. If anyone asks whether they're real, just answer, "Yes". After all, they are real; if they were imaginary, no one would be able to see them, now would they?

Love DIY projects? This project has been linked to lots of other great DIY projects at A Soft Place to Land and The Shabby Chic Cottage.

Blue-Themed Bargains

Save a little green this summer with these blue-themed bargains:

This sweet little "Hush Baby Sleeping" felt door pillow is just $3 at Plum Party:























When the summer heats up, these Chris Madden Accent Pillows from JC Penney (3 styles available) are a cool deal at $11.99 each:















The Kidkraft Nantucket Blue Table Set is $67.97 (for all three pieces) at Smart Bargains.com:


















World Market offers the Madison Storage Basket in Light Blue. It's made from paper rope and priced right at $4.98:



















Here's one more "sighting" for you: the appropriately-named UFO Tealight Holder in blue is just 99 cents at Bed, Bath, and Beyond!

DIY Hammock Pillow Tutorial

With the dog days of summer upon us, there's no better place to be than in your backyard swaying in a hammock under a shade tree. OK, correction, lying on a white sand beach on Kauai while sipping a strawberry daiquiri might be a slightly better place to be, but just try to work with me here.

Assuming you're stuck with your same old hammock and your same old backyard, here's a fast, simple DIY tutorial for you. If you've got a few minutes and a handful of plastic bags, you can turn a cloth placemat into a fun hammock pillow.

Materials
For this project, you will need:

• One double-sided cloth placemat
• Two ribbons
• Plastic bags (dry cleaning bags, bread bags, newspaper bags, and produce bags work best)
• Scissors
• Sewing machine or hot glue or hemming tape
• Needle & thread or two safety pins

Instructions

1. Start with your cloth placemat. This cutie was $2 at Kmart. (Corner is folded down in photo just to illustrate that placemat is double sided.)


















2. Using scissors or a seam ripper, cut the threads on one of the short sides of the placemat. This placemat actually had two layers of threads--the decorative topstitching (#1 white threads in photo) and the seam stitches that actually held the front and back together (#2 blue thread). The easiest way to cut the threads is to start by snipping a few of the topstitching (#1) threads until the side of the placemat opens up enough for you to wedge your scissors in there and cut the #2 threads. From there you can easily cut/pull the threads until one side of the placemat is open.


















3. Stuff the placemat with plastic bags. Yes, folks, I said plastic bags. There are three advantages to using plastic bags over regular stuffing/batting: first, it's a "green" idea and keeps your hoarded plastic bags from overrunning your garage and swallowing your neighbor's house, second, the bags are essentially free, third, if you choose to leave your pillow out in the dew & the rain, it will dry quickly. Plastic dry cleaning bags, bread bags, newspaper bags, and produce bags work best for this because they're "quieter" & don't crinkle as much as grocery bags. Grocery bags will work too, but you may notice a Pampers-like crinkle sound when you rest your head on the pillow. Not so relaxing.






































4. Keep stuffing in plastic bags until your pillow is pleasantly plump, but not overstuffed. Think Christmas here, not Thanksgiving.




















5. Use your method of choice to close the seam that you cut open in step two. A sewing machine would be fastest, but hemming tape or hot glue would probably work just as well.



















6. Attach two ribbons to the back of the pillow. Ideally, these will sort of match your pillow--I used white for mine so you'd be able to see them. You can use a needle and thread or two safety pins. The third picture below shows the placement for the ribbons--my ribbons are a little shorter than you'll want yours to be. These ribbons will be used to tie the pillow onto your hammock so that the pillow doesn't fly off when your kids try to tackle you butler brings you another smoothie and you need to sit up to take a sip.




















































7. Tie your pillow onto your hammock and relax! Ahhhhh.


















Love DIY projects? This project has been linked to Great Idea Day at Infarrantly Creative, Do It Yourself Day on A Soft Place to Land and Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage.

For more placemat pillow (and table runner pillow) fun, visit Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick.

A Handful of Vintage Finds

Here are a few fun vintage (and vintage-inspired) items that I've discovered online and wanted to share with you.

These Found Soda Crates will be available at Pottery Barn at the end of this month. Each one is unique, as they are real wooden vintage soda crates. Previously owned stuff for sale at Pottery Barn?! Who knew?! At $15 each, these would make a fun addition to a screened porch (fill with small potted plants), a child's art space (imagine this full of jars to hold crayons, chalk, or paint brushes), or a teen room (use to corral school papers or as a holder for the ubiquitous teen mags).



















These Vintage Look Alphabet Flashcards from Paper Luxuries would make delightful wall art in a child's room or nursery. To see a similar set of cards in action, take a look at this sweet nursery.



















This Money Bag Pillow ($29) made by Etsy seller Leslie Janson is made from an actual vintage U.S. Mint bag that held $2,ooo! This just makes me smile. For some reason, I imagine a burglar laughing maniacally as he dashes away from a house clutching this little Etsy pillow to his chest.


















These darling tea light holders from Etsy seller Carolina Cottage are made using decoupaged images from an old dictionary.














Frame this 5x5 Fine Art Photograph of a 1950's typewriter and you'll have a fun piece of artwork for your home office--or a unique gift for your favorite writer. Photo is $12 from Etsy seller FriendlyMade.

Have a Safe and Happy Holiday!

Just a quick post to wish all of you a safe and happy 4th of July!

See the little red chair in the photo? Get it? Because my blog is called--well, you know!

Notice the table?If your front porch is crying out for a little chalkboard table like this one (which is ever so handy for holiday messages), you can transform any old tabletop with just two coats of chalkboard paint!

Now go sip some lemonade and enjoy the fireworks!