Merry Christmas!
Though I’m not completely over my affinity for polka dots, my current obsession seems to have shifted to metallic surfaces. Perhaps it’s because holiday season is drawing near, which generally means lots of glitter and gatherings. From clothing to accessories to home decor, there are many options for those looking for a little shine. I’ve rounded up some of the favorites I’ve come across in the three primary metallic colors, starting off with the golds.
Clockwise from left: 1950s vintage “Before Thangsgiving Comes” dress ($168, Etsy), gold on cream mums fine paper ($4.95 a sheet, Paper Source), gold on chocolate mums fine paper ($4.95 a sheet, Paper Source), Dijon animal brocade fabric ($30 a yard, Mood Designer Fabrics), Tiffany reversible tote in camel/gold ($595, Tiffany & Co.), 2011 letterpress calendar ($32, Seesaw Letterpress), Michael Kors gold and luggage faux leather reversible double wrap belt ($27, bluefly.com), Pyper pump in gold ($89.95, Steve Madden), dainty plate stud earrings ($16.99, Banana Republic)
I once had a manager who told me she only wore silver colored jewelry. I don’t think I could have such unwavering dedication to a particular personal style, but silver seems to be the most ubiquitous metallic out there, and it’s one that instantly infuses a touch of class to its wearer.
Clockwise from left: Palmilla lace pencil skirt ($178, J.Crew), charms necklaces in silver feather and silver key ($39.50 each, Banana Republic), Bijou: Black & White Wallpaper ($50 a roll, Graham & Brown), embroidered taffeta ($7.98 a yard, fabric.com), Midas Touch decorative paper ($4.49 a sheet, Paper Mojo), Round Arthurian Knob ($14, Anthropologie), Dior Vernis nail polish in Silver Pearl No. 604 and Black Sequins No. 905 ($21, various retailers), L’Oreal HiP Studio Secrets Professional Metallic Eyeshadow Duo in Platinum ($7.99, Walgreens)
Copper metallics are a bit more difficult to find and have a wide range of shades, some of which are more accurately called bronze. Whatever the label, copper has a radiant warmth that can easily be appropriate for the daytime.
Clockwise from left: metallic copper/chocolate/cashmere floral brocade ($40 a yard, Mood Designer Fabrics), Lokta copper lotus on sage fine paper ($4.95 a sheet, Paper Source), Electra copper pressed glass panel (for pricing, visit 3-form.com), white copper paper vessel ($25.00, Etsy), brown copper paper mini bowl ($10.00, Etsy), the delicately fierce Elizabeth copper flower earrings ($29, Etsy), grandmother’s patchwork bracelet ($128, Anthropologie), metallic toe bow flats in bronze ($19.50, Charlotte Russe), Salvatore Ferragamo “Varina” logo flats ($440, Bloomingdales), Escher pump ($79, Nine West), Tiffany-style vintage-inspired heart toggle charm necklace ($24, 1928 Jewelry), Samhain dress ($258, Anthropologie), glitter wallet ($8.80, Forever 21)
For the longest time—up until about a couple months ago, in fact—I didn’t have a nightstand. Any books, my clock, my phone, my glasses, etc. lived either on my bed or on my windowsill, while I squished myself into the wall when I slept. Fed up with things falling on me from the windowsill and afraid that I might accidentally shove my new smartphone off my bed in the middle of the night, I began looking into some furniture solutions. Unfortunately, the space between my bed and the bookshelf had such strange dimensions that it made finding something that fit and was reasonably priced pretty much impossible, so I just had my dad build a simple table with a shelf.
The great thing about making things yourself is that first of all, it’s way cheaper—my dad already had most of the materials. Second of all, you get to decorate them how you want from the start! I decided to spray paint the nightstand light blue and glue on decorative paper from Paper Source as an accent (but not before using it as a backdrop for my Lac Léman cupcakes; gotta make the most out of my materials!). All my things have a place to live now—a place that is thankfully neither my bed nor window—and moving my extra desk lamp has greatly improved the lighting situation in my room.
(P.S.: I know that Sunday dinner posts have been missing for the past two weeks, but because the sun is beginning to set so early and it’s been overcast, the now horrible lighting in my kitchen has led to some really blurry photos. It’s only going to get worse with the blasted time change, I’m afraid. I’m looking into fixing it.)
Continuing on my quest of making the top of my dresser a functional (and beautiful!) space, I once again scoured Etsy and purchased this vintage jewelry box from Stacey of Happy Day Vintage. Although Mele has been in the jewelry box business since 1912, the history on their website doesn’t include images, so I’ve been unable to track down what year this box was made. Stacey had little idea as to the box’s provenance, but similar ones suggest the 1960s. However old it is, it now has a new home in my room. :D
The adorable little plate I bought to house bobby pins and other random small items that always get lost on the top of my dresser arrived yesterday! It’s a Limoges porcelain produced by William Guérin & Co. sometime between 1891 and 1932. I was able to find the pattern on Replacements Ltd., but there is no information about it. The plate arrived wrapped up in tissue paper featuring a toile pattern and even had a wax seal! Kudos to Fearless Nesting for such a beautiful presentation. It now lives happily on my dresser, though I can’t help but think that using it in such a manner is a little debasing for an object that’s at least 80 years old.
About a decade ago, when we first moved to the United States, my parents bought a dining table and chairs set at a garage sale. Over time, the fabric on the chairs became faded and worn and the foam underneath started to disintegrate. I’m not sure how long the previous owners had them, and though their Ontario furniture manufacturer has listings in various online directories, it doesn’t have a website, so I haven’t been able to track down when they were made. Suffice it to say, the set is old, and even if it was brand new when we got it, ten years of use would have required some reupholstering love.
Of course, as is our luck, we picked the one bolt in the store that had no price, no barcode, and wasn’t in the inventory book, leading the poor salespeople to run around for about fifteen minutes, trying to figure out what this fabric was. The selvage only noted that it was a Premier Prints Outdoor and didn’t have a pattern name or colorway noted. Whatever it is, the colors definitely brighten up the room without being funky.
The longest and hardest part of the reupholstering process was pulling out all of the old staples; the original upholsterer definitely did not scrimp on these! First we had to remove the staples that attached the papers with the manufacturer name and addresses to the bottom of the chairs, then we were greeted with the hundreds of staples holding the fabric. With a pair of screwdrivers and pliers, however, we managed to finish it all in a little more than an hour. The chairs now look brand new and will hopefully last another ten years.
