Project: Restoring Vintage Enamelware

While I was out thrifitng recently I came upon a vintage Cathrineholm (if you are into mid-century Scandinavian design you know what I am talking about) lotus design fondue pot. I rushed over to the extremely collectible pot in a frenzy...OK I probably just pregnancy waddled, but whatever. I hustled. Anyway, I picked it up and realized that it was very badly burned. The entire bottom was black and the burns licked up halfway around the bowl. If it weren't burned, I thought, the piece was in amazing condition. I tried to scratch it off with a fingernail, but it appeared to be a lost cause. I tried to just walk away, but I couldn't.

I remembered that I am a more capable person than I give myself credit for and maybe, just maybe, I could restore this fondue pot to its former glory. So I bought it and took it home. My first stop was to sit in front of the computer to search for a good cleaning method. Everything I found for restoring enamelware was pretty abrasive and or ridiculous. So I just decided to try to invent my own technique and it worked! So here is the scientific process I have devised to restore burnt enamelware to its vintage glory. Unfortunately I didn't think to start taking pictures until about halfway through, so you'll never know just how badly burned this pot was...but you can still get the idea.



So, first you need to find a pot larger than your enamelware. Fill it with water, high enough to cover the burnt enamelware. Add some baking soda. I think I added about 1/4 c. at a time. I really wasn't scientific about it. Bring the water to a boil. Add the enamelware and keep the water at a low boil for a while. I left it for about 20 minutes.



Then you can take a soft rag and start wiping at the burnt materials. My first pass over got some of the lighter burns, but there was still a LOT of burn. So I kept at it, checking it every 20 minutes or so. I would wipe off a bit more with the damp rag each time. As the water evaporated from the pot I added more water and baking soda (careful or the soda might boil over).



I just kept at the process, took about an hour and a half of boiling time and it was finally clean! Like really clean! I was so excited that the process worked.





While I really want to keep the piece I cannot start collecting Cathrineholm, lest I turn into a hoarder of mid-century paraphernalia.  So it is now available on our etsy site. Check it out and while you are there see what else is new!

Project: Update for Vintage Cups

Several months ago I saw a bunch of projects online using Porcelaine pens and I knew I had to give this new medium a whirl. So I ordered the pens and gathered up some vintage mugs. I was really pleased with the result...



Supplies:

• Vintage cups, mugs or any flat colored ceramic piece. I suppose you could buy new, but why?
• Porcelaine pens, I got mine here.

Directions:

• Wash and dry your mugs.
• Come up with an idea or a design. Maybe you want words or a pattern, but I recommend that you have an idea in mind before you get rolling. Remember to take into account the shape of your mug. I chose nature inspired designs because straight lines would have been challenging on the mugs and I wasn't inclined to tape off a design (though you could do that too).
• If you aren't a confident artist then I suggest you sketch out your idea on paper first.
• Follow the directions on the pen and start drawing. Set aside to dry.

I was pleasantly surprised by the end result of the pens on the ceramics, they look really professional and they are dishwasher resistant. I think they would make great gifts if they were filled with a bag of coffee or some tea. If you want a closer look at the ones that I made you can check out the mugs on our Etsy shop Wyoming Rose. We also have listed a bunch of new items, so please check us out!

Vintage Vegan

The other day I was checking out my friend Sarah's online shop, aptly named Sarah's Place. Have you seen it? Click here to check it out !She sells a variety of vegan goodies and vintage finds. While I was checking out the newest goodies on her shop I stumbled upon the adorable shirt you see below and it was love at first sight.



I mean look at it! When I showed it to Cordelia she exclaimed, "Oh! (Gasp) That's a cute sweater! Can I wear it?"



I love dressing my girl in vintage clothes for many reasons. First is that it is nice to recycle perfectly wonderful clothing instead of buying new stuff. Second, it is so great to have a kid with their own individual style, rather than the standard outfits sold at the local big box stores. Finally, it is great to support a small business. Do you thrift or buy vintage?

Also, just in case you haven't heard, Sarah is also a vegan cookbook author. I highly recommend her books! All are available from her shop or pretty much anywhere.

Thrifty Finds and Living Room Sneak Peek

Yesterday we went family thrifting; it's a sport around our house. The goal was to find a new bedspread that would go with our mid-century vibe and to find Halloween costumes. We had no luck on either front. Although Eric came excitedly over to me to tell me that he found an adult sized Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume. He was very excited...anyway we went to survey the costume only to discover that it was not, in fact, an adult sized costume---rats.

While we didn't find what we were looking for we found some other major thrift scores. Here they are in order of appearance:


We spotted an awesome lamp that had time traveled from the past to find us in our local thrift. Eric and I instantly agreed that we HAD to have it. New lamp total cost: $2.95

I also approached a stranger and said, "You look cool," and pretty much forced her to be my friend. She was lovely and kind about being approached by an outgoing lady with a wild haired toddler. New friend total cost: $0...well technically the cost of a business card so we had a way to stay in touch so perhaps the total cost was something in the range of $0.00001


Finally Eric found an amazing vintage chair and I think that I may have squealed in delight when I spotted it, it is perfect for our style and home. New chair total cost: $4







Also, you can see that we've been rearranging our living room. Perhaps I will have to give another tour now that things are looking different. So there you have it, our most recent AWESOME thrifted finds! Have you been thrifting lately?

Thrifty Finds

Late yesterday morning as Erin, Cordelia and I were preparing to leave for an outing my mother texted and offered to watch Cordelia so we could thrift to our heart's content. I took her up on the sweet offer and we hustled over to my mother's house.

When we arrived the carpet guy was there, Bode was going insane. I saw him actually jump up and down with all four feet into the air---like a dog pogo stick. There was barking, and shuffling, and carpet ripping. I asked my mother if she would prefer that we wait until things settled down before heading on our way. She assured me that she had it under control. So I left, feeling a bit guilty about skipping out on the pandemonium. A short while later I was sent a picture of Cordelia happily jumping on their trampoline. My mom had it all under control, of course she did.

So, Erin and I were free to thrift. We took our time. We had coffee. We ate lunch at a cute little shop. We had a wonderful, distraction free, conversation. I was so happy to just enjoy my beautiful cousin/dear friend. We ended our excursion with some new treasures, both of us showing major restraint on purchases that had no function. Here are the treasures that I gathered.



A sweet mustard-y cardigan


A few containers with various destinations in my home, from craft room to kitchen.


A much needed brown belt


Great necklaces!


A sweet sea-foam bud vase. I love the four handles..

Not shown: vintage cards, Eric's entry into the bad art show (more on that in the weeks to come).

Have you had any good thrifty finds lately?

Thrifting for the House

I was introduced to thrifting as a very young girl. I would say that it has been something I have done for my entire life. I got really into it in high school, it became an inexpensive way to express my own style. I would scour thrift stores in search of polyester bell bottoms and ball gowns. I would proudly wear them and I am sure my parents secretly breathed a sigh of relief that I was going in a different direction from the popular style at my high school of dressing like a teenage exotic dancer (yuck!).

Anyway, my thrifitng evolved beyond a desire to own exclusively polyester clothing (thank goodness) as I grew into an adult. While I still do most of my clothes shopping at thrift stores I also love to look for some vintage finds for around the house. My years of experience coupled with my education (history and art history--who says those degrees don't pay off?) have made me pretty good at spotting some awesome finds. I have some rules when looking for new items:

1) Do I really like it? I mean will it haunt my dreams if I pass on the piece?
2)Does it have a function? Sure the function might be to look cool, but I need to know what I am going to use a given item for.
3) Does it fit in my home/wardrobe/life? Sometimes I find amazing pieces, but they just don't work for me and I have to pass on them. I don't want to turn into a weird hoarder.
However, it isn't enough to just find a cool piece---I have to be able to incorporate it into my life.
4) Does it have real value? Really this is where our education has been useful. Eric and I are able to discern items of value, particularly with regard to artwork.

Here are a few of my favorites---or at least the ones that I felt like photographing today:

We found this Lester Varian set of prints in Denver, already framed and matted!


The pitcher was a gift from Eric and the table cloth was a thrifted find


Bread box


This hat box holds my yarn


Phone, handkerchief, record player, records


Ahhh, look at this orange beauty set along some gorgeous vintage books!

I think we are finally creating a harmonious balance between old and new in our home. I do love the sense of history that a vintage piece invokes.

Do you incorporate vintage finds into your style? If so do you have a favorite piece?

Vintage Photos

Have you ever been to an antique store and taken a moment to browse through the old photos? Usually they are all stacked in a box with little to identify them beyond the people in the photograph. My husband, Eric, has taken it upon himself to rescue some of these lost photos . They usually cost no more than a few dollars, but for him they are so valuable. They are about the person, but also the artist/photographer involved. I love that about Eric, he will search and search and then fall in love with the detail or some other little secret within the photograph.

Above is one of his many rescued photos. A young dancer. The photograph has been hand tinted, meaning the artist took the time to color the photo and really create a beautiful and delicate mood, which probably reflects something about the girl herself.

The photo above is of a somewhat stern looking woman. What you can't tell from the scan is that the photo is actually printed on glass. When Eric realized that I was going to use this photo in a post he had to pull it out and show me the whole production. The glass photo is in a small velvet lined case. The velvet has a pressed floral motif. The image has been hand colored, notice her rosy cheeks and the flower. Her golden jewelry has been painted in as well. I can just imagine her special someone carrying around the photo in his pocket. For some reason I imagine him riding in a train, pulling out the photo, sighing and gazing out the window onto a winter landscape...but I am always inventing scenarios like that.


The photo(s) above is actually from a stereoscope (click here if you don't know what a stereoscope is). Eric is in love with the detailed background. Doesn't it look like it is from the artists studio?

Finally, we have this photo of a little girl holding a large bouquet of flowers. She looks a little uncertain about the whole thing. I wonder what she went on to do in her life, what kind of a person she was. Did she have children? Was she a happy person?

Anyway, my husband is amazing for rescuing these little treasures. He seems to feel obligated to appreciate them and preserve them. He also has photos of guys, but those weren't nearly as personal as the ladies.