Well LADIES and GENTS, it's been another one of those Summers. . .where nothing has gone as planned. . .I DID take a little time this morning to gather up a few of the junkin' finds and fabrics for the 'new' VINTAGE BEDROOM. . .I'm only experimenting. . .Nothing is etched in stone. . .but I thought I'd show you what I'm thinking. . .It always amazes me how different a bedroom--or any room--can look with a minimum of expense. . .especially if you go a little bit shabby and a little bit farmhouse. . .or as I've said many times before. . .PLAIN AND SIMPLE. . .
Absolutely love the new BLACK FLOORS. . .John did such a wonderful job. . .They look old and painted. . .which is just what I wanted. . .I've noticed in Country Living either this month or the last one that black floors are beginning to show up more and more. . .Mine have actually been down since the first of the year. . .I chose them for two reasons. . .With the black and white checkerboard FLOOR in the kitchen, I thought black floors in the living room off the kitchen. . .and in the bedroom off the living room. . .would compliment each other really well. . .The second reason was the price. . .I actually hadn't thought about a painted floor until we were shopping around for flooring. . .It all looked too new for our old FARMHOUSE and for MY STYLE. . .Then the salesman said in jest, 'I have lots of old-looking black I'll sell you. . .Can't get rid of it". . .You should have seen his face when I said, "Let's go see!". . .He was kidding. . .I wasn't. . .Way, way back in the warehouse was where we found the pallet. . .I fell in love with it right away. . .but I didn't want to seem too enthusiastic. . .I needed a deal. . .AND I got one!!!! Only 88c per square foot. . .It retailed for much, much more. . .He was almost ready to pay us to carry it off! . . .Sometimes things just work out, don't they?
I thought the black might be a bit hard to keep clean, but honestly it's not. . .I keep an old-fashioned dust mop at hand. . .A quick swipe when necessary is all it takes. . .
The next challenge I had to meet was the ceiling fan. . .I needed one, but nothing looked old enough. . .Easy to find a fan alone that looks old. . .not so easy to find a light fixture. . .I did not see anything locally that fit the bill. . .'OH, JOHN. . .' Bless his heart. . .He's always game to try out my ideas. . .
We bought the fan in black. . .Found a silver cage that we spray painted black. . .John gathered all the other makings. . .and in a few short hours, the one-of-a-kind FARMHOUSE FAN was completed. . .The above right photo is the fixture I took down. . .a little fancy for me. . .Remember. . .I'm PLAIN AND SIMPLE. . .
I ran across this BEAUTIFUL QUILT while cleaning out the sewing room. . .I've had it about 20 years. . .always loved the detail. . .the SMOCKING and CURLICUES. . .Lots of movement. . .I didn't notice until I was editing the photos that the whirls mimic the METAL DOOR piece leaning against the wall. . .
Looks as if I did that intentionally, doesn't it? . . .Of course, I did. . .(grin). . .I'm trying to find the WHITE DRESSER I bought a few years back so I can replace the dresser you see here. . .I don't know where we stored it. . .If I don't find the white dresser soon, this one may 'turn white' one day when I have an extra minute or two. . .Like I said. . .these are all elements I MAY use. . .I've been known to change my mind. . .(wink). . .
FABRIC is forever my friend. . .Found this piece of BLACK FLOWERED UPHOLSTERY in my stash. . .I laid it on the CHAIR I plan to use in the bedroom. . .not tacked down. . .in case I find something I like better. . .The more I look at it, though, the better I like it. . .
The colors certainly compliment everything else, don't they? What do you think?
On the floor beside the bed is another REMNANT find. . .
It's a bit blurred but I'm sure you get the jist of it. . .I bought the heavy upholstery to make an area rug for the living room. . .Had searched and searched for a black and white check rug with no luck when I ran into this find for $5 (It's doubled in the photo) . .figured I'd make a rug. . .Now I don't know if I want to use it in the bedroom or the living room. . .I may have to search further for the living room. . .I'm liking it right where it is.
That's about all the time I had to play. . .On to other things the rest of this week. . .I do have an up-date on the porch. . .In case you missed the post, we had a bad Summer storm that took the front porch roof with it. . .Since that post, it's been verified that we had a tornado. . .We are so blessed that we had a house left. . .blessed and thankful. . .
We had damage to other buildings also that we are gradually repairing as the weather permits. . .Neither John nor I can work in a heat index of 115!!! . . .Looks like this Fall we'll have to remain closed for maintenance and repairs. . .instead of having our tours. . .The storms threw us off schedule. . .and we do want it safe for our visitors. . .It's almost like we're starting over again in many ways. . .
Sure hope YOUR Summer is going well. . .Miss not being as in touch with you all but the time flies away each day before we know it. . .I do have a NEW COLLECTION of. . . .Oh. . .I think I'll save that for another post. . .Give you something to look forward to. . .I promise I'll share soon. . .They are prim and farmhouse and inexpensive (right now). . .Who knows. . .I may be setting another trend? (grin)
Sending BLESSINGS your way
