Welcome to the Alphabet letter party from Etsy Cottage Style. This month we were challenged to showcase our vintage wares showcasing with the letters L&M. Very special vintage treasures near and dear to my heart and for more vintage fun click HERE to visit the many more participants joining in today.
So with camera in hand, I will share the letter L, which for me means, LAMPS, LACE,LOCKETS AND LETTERS! The letter M means MUSIC BOXES, MIRRORS, MUSIC SHEETS, and METAL BOXES.
This cherished lamp graces my studio and was given to me by my dear friend Ann, from Ann's Finds. I added the toile to the unique shade and when it is on, it makes the studio feel so cozy. I believe the lamp is from the late 40's or early 50's.
Beautiful and also cherished, is my 40's floor lamp, owned by my parents when they first married in 1945.
This lamp treasure was a gift to me from my mother as a house warming gift. I will always remember how dear she was when she gave me this.
Yards of handmade vintage lace edging made by my grandmother and other creative and talented ladies over the years when this was something you embellised all your gorgeous linens with. So glad we are seeing these beautiful pieces in pillows now and altered art designs. This lace has outstood the test of time as these linens have long been cut away from age, but the gorgeous lace lives on.
~~L~~~ can also stand for Lockets such as the vintage pieces I cherish.
The heart locket was my mother's, the silver oval was a gift from my mom and the small gold oval was a gift from my dear and best guy when we first started our life together. I have since added that one to my charm bracelet.
Now sharing the vintage M's. I have a music box, shaped like a piano, given to my mother from her God daughter. It plays, Somewhere My Love. She loved it and so do I.
The next M subject is this dear to my heart, hand mirror. It is from a metal dresser set belonging to my parents and one of the first pretty treasures they owned. I use it everyday on my vanity and have added some of my antique roses to the front.
Another smaller hand mirror found by my sweet friend Ann. It is wooden and has a small metal decoration in the center.
One of my favorite pieces is the swinging mirror that sits atop my vintage dresser in my shabby rose guest room.
Moving on with the M's brings me to vintage sheets of music. Cherished vintage music scores from the late 30's through the late 50's. I still play these piano arrangements now and then for fun.
From my studio store room, I couldn't leave out these vintage medicine bottles, just waiting for a redesign.
And, with it's age showing and rusty lid, I treasure this old metal round box used by my mother to hold vintage buttons. Love this one and the gorgeous rose on the lid graced by rust.
Another favorite metal box is this pretty round treasure that my dad loved and kept his keepsakes inside.
Lastly, and my very favorite, going back to the L's is my treasured album filled with 145 love letters written to my mother from my dad during World War II.
Here is his picture that mom had in the front of the album and every letter with their original envelope inside. The letter I share here, is one of the first he wrote while in boot camp in Lousiana. The rest are from England, France, Germany and Belgium. They are so wonderful and beautifully written sharing the love between two special people from 1942 through 1945. They start and end with my dad going off to war and coming home to ask my mother to marry him. It is a real romance in rare form and when I read these gorgeous letters, I know I hold something very special and dearer to me as time goes on.
Hope you enjoyed this portion of the vintage alphabet sharing the letters L&M
Till next time, thank you for stopping by and blessings to you always.
Hugs, Celestina Marie
Nearly every spring, I get the bug to recreate or upgrade my home. Being empty Nester's leaves us with 3 extra bedrooms. So given that, we have plenty of room for company. I love to have guests and make those areas of stay, inviting, comfortable and accommodating. Starting with a first floor guestroom, I want to share what makes this room the retreat my family and friends love to stay in. Walking in the room, I have on the entry wall, a long hanging cross stitch called the four seasons made by my mother. It is 4 trees designed for all four seasons giving my guests the feeling that they are welcome all through the year!
Receiving lots of sunshine in this room, I started off with a color made from several blends of blue, making a coastal color soft and relaxing. After several coats of color, I dressed the large double window with soft white sheer fabrics that hang very long to the floor and a full 91 inches. Over the top I draped a long length of sheers to soften and added 3 white scroll iron designs for interest. Light white blinds were added for privacy for quests, and are softened by the sheers. Right to the left of the window I have a white wicker chair padded for comfort, a table filled with hydrangeas making it a sweet little spot to relax. The double mirror wall opens to a large closet that I topped with three metal ceiling tiles for interest.
Moving on to the rest of the room, starting with the furniture set, which is vintage and originally a maple finish. I hand painted each piece in a light ivory and distressed all around. I dressed the bed with a mattlasse in white and layered with lacey pillows, vintage embroidery pillow cases handmade by my talented mother, a wedding ring quilt in blues and light coral and an eyelet bed skirt in crisp white. Above the bed I have hand painted a large canvas with one large coral rose. It is the focal point of the room and adds to the style and color.
To the long dresser I have layered a vintage runner doily made by my grandma and pitcher and bowl made by my mother. A small white TV sits on the end for viewing and relaxing if my company choose. On the night table, I keep on the lower shelf, a cookie jar made by Claire Murray filled with goodies for a little snack.
Looking on to the chest of drawers, also hand painted and distressed, I added a small lamp, hanky keeper holding vintage hankies for something unique to look at, standing mirror, and topped with a berry wreath filled with gorgeous hang tags made by some of my dear blog friends. In the center of the wreath is a ceramic sign that reads DREAM. Just what I hope my guests will do while visiting. Comforts, full of dreams.
Painting I did on canvas to the side of the dresser. Beach scene with blue waters and pretty blue sky.
Designed from a piece of an old quilt is this darling little heart gift from a friend. I cherish this piece and is perfect in this guestroom.
Sunny and bright with room to relax and attached with a hall bathroom designed to coordinate with the guest room. Again I have hand painted all the main pieces in the room the light ivory with distress. The wall mirror above the sink is a framed mirror given to me by my grandma. I needed a cabinet to hold essentials so my dear hubby boxed the back, added shelf's, hinged the mirror to form the door and in the end it made the perfect wall cabinet to finish the room. Over the commode area I also added a country style cabinet painted out inside and out to tie into the room. Behind the door I have a soft full length robe ready for use by a quest if they need. On the lapel I have a vintage pin for accent. To soften the hard edge of the shower doors I added a long white embroidery shower panel that puddles on the floor just a bit. On the back of the commode is a vintage sewing machine drawer to hold hand towels. On the wall between the cabinets is two darling framed prints that greet with a Good Morning and Rise and Shine. Showers for 5 cents is a print above the towel bar, along with three oval etched hanging mirrors for added interest.
Towels in corals, blues and white complete the style linking it to the guest bedroom.
To view Karen Harvey Cox Designs go to her blog on my favorites and click on her etsy shop! You will love her wonderful work!
