Sunday, October 25, 2009

Vignettes Here! Vignettes There! Vignettes Everywhere!

It is Saturday Night Special time (Yeah, I know it is Sunday.) at Funky Junk Interiors and I am joining the party. But first, a little history...

When I first moved out of my parents house and into my very own apartment, I had so much fun designing and decorating my living space. You could even say I went a little crazy...with it. I had more ideas than I can even remember stuffed into 400 square feet. Just imagine (if you dare) a shabby chic theme that somehow got sidetracked to countrified angel. Not something I am completely proud of...notice no photos! But at that time I loved it.

When my husband and I bought a townhouse, my design sensibilities had changed...now imagine lots of gold, sparkly, ornate items. And, we had just gotten married so there were plenty of new gifts - vases, frames, platters, etc. - to decorate with. I liked that everything was new (but that was then, this is now!)!

Next stop, our first house, which I will say carried over the same theme (for awhile anyway) as the townhouse....until my son was born. Once he came to stay, anything that wasn't hanging on the wall -at least 5 feet off the ground - or firmly attached (to the foundation) was put away. No, seriously...I caught him at 10 months swinging from the dining room chandelier!

Once again we moved...to a new house - an older home with low ceilings, not a lot of natural light, and in need of major updating. I got preoccupied with fixing what was "broken." I didn't do much in terms of decorating even though I was always wanting to break out the chatchkes (one of my fave words!). Painting, decorating, and making a home was one of my favorite things to do and I had left is by the wayside.

Well, recently, I jumped back on the wagon (it's only been 8 years+/-). I have begun a new love affair with treasures that I find in thrift stores, at flea markets, at the Goodwill, passed on to me from past generations, and the wonders found hiding in my parents attic.

Then, while perusing blogland one night, I found Funky Junk Interiors. Each weekend Donna hosts a Saturday Night Special with a new theme. This weekend it is "Vignettes." At first I thought I don't have any, then I took a look around, and surprise, surprise I did (see, now, I must have done some decorating)! So here is a peek at some of my favorite little rays of sunshine throughout my house.

Yes, it is Fall and almost Halloween and I have not really begun to decorate...a few things here and there, but I did pull this little vignette together with some pumpkins, big and small, a thrift store topiary frame, a rustic container left over from my wedding planning days, and a cute little pumpkin man that was a gift.


I have an old Victrola in the corner of my living room that I {heart}. Every once in awhile we play it, but mostly it houses a little vignette of some things I love...."Maui on My Mind" book, a couple of books about California (one vintage, one new), some seashells, and this cool "L" I found recently and {gasp!} paid full price for....but I had to have it..love at first sight!

My family room is already filled with toys...and more toys...and more toys. Yet, there is a little table in the corner that is an homage to some things my hubby and I (and my own munchkins) adore! The gumball machines are antique and passed down from a relative. The little blue tractor was my hubby's, the Raggedy Ann Doll and "Nursery Tales Children Love" book, mine. The teeny tiny Raggedy Ann was a flea market steal...the doll and a music box for $5!


As I mentioned my Halloween decorating is virtually non-existent. Nothing spooky or creepy allowed here...the kids don't like it, my son especially. He does love science and magic and potions. So I thought I fun vignette would be a Halloween inspired one..."Dr. Joseph's Spells, Potions, and Elixirs" is the inspiration for this Halloween vignette. I grabbed a flea market tray ($2) and the glass top of a broken cake plate (shh..don't tell!) as the base. Then, I layered a "spell book" and some old glass jars and vases filled with different elements to make potions and cast spells...garlic, feathers, beans, magic sand, crystals, "Potion No. 9 for Happiness," and "Potion No. 13 for Luck." I think is is fun...the kids thought it was cool (the little one keeps stealing treasures form it). To really make it "feel" like Halloween, I altered the photos to make them look old...and it looks way cool!



There ya go! A peek around the house and a little view of some things that make me happy when I see them.

Holly

24 comments:

  1. Heehee! Creeeeepy! Your raggedy ann had me smiling for I had an identical one! I always loved that sweet heart on her chest.

    Pretty vignettes! Thanks for linking up to the party!

    Funky Junk Donna

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  2. Lovely! You have a creative flair for decorating. It makes me smile! :)

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  3. What a fun post and a neat idea.

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  4. I love your vintage toys, so cute :)
    I found some great find at goodwill last week, some beautiful metal wall hangings and a wrought iron wine rack for 1$! :)

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  5. I love the vintage toys---I wonder where my Raggedy Ann went all those years ago?

    Sadly I do not have a flair for decorating at all....so maybe you can come to my house and work your magic!!

    ;-)

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  6. You have a great imagination, and an uncanny ability to see the end result when you're out shopping. You took things from the past, and things you bought, and made it all fit together in your home. I bet your son appreciates that magical creation you did just for him.

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  7. Fabulous vignettes. Ya know, I never had a Raggedy Anne!!!

    Thank you for visiting me! You sayd you like witches, did you see my tutorial to add a wrong way witch to a small pumpkin?

    http://sassyminidolls-tutorials.blogspot.com/2009/08/wrong-way-witch.html

    http://sassyminidolls-tutorials.blogspot.com/2009/08/wrong-way-witch.html

    Hugs,
    Marsha

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  8. I love your vignettes! I am so impressed by people like you who can look at what they already have and turn it into something out of a magazine. This is true for table-top vignettes and for clustering wall stuff too -- photos, shadow boxes, sconces, framed posters -- I own all of these items but the notion of creatively displaying them defeats me.

    You're my design flair hero!

    Liz @ twenty-firstcenturyhousewife.blogspot.com

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  9. You should come do my house next! Seriously, not only can I not craft to save my life, but I am totally creatively challenged. My idea of decorating is changing the coloring book page that's hanging on the refrigerator. I want to...I want it to look pretty. However, I still have little fingers that like to mess up everything that I attempt to do. So...yeah...come do my house next. But, bring a hammer to nail everything down with!

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  10. Love, love, love seeing how people decorate their homes. Also love the raggedy anne. I had one too:) In general, I hated dolls...except my suntan Barbie and my raggedy ann. Thanks for the tour. I'm hoping to get some pics up of our home soon. Holly at lifelaughlatte.blogspot.com

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  11. So cool; if you ever make it up to Santa Cruz, there is an awesome shope called Saffron and Genevieve on Soquel. It has a great mix of vintage and new, very eclectic and fun.

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  12. Very cool stuff!

    Visiting you from SITS today...have a good one!

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  13. i have my grandmother's victrola chocked full of turn of the century vinyl records! i also use it to keep my sheet music in. i love old stuff

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  14. I like it! You have goos style sense :) We have gone thru many themes here too, and I hear ya on the kids thing...makes you have to rethink your decorating :)

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  15. You definitely have a flair for vignettes! I have a few around my house, but nothing seasonal. I had a few of the small pumpkins I was going to use, but I noticed yesterday that they had gotten soft and moldy on the bottom.

    When I saw your thrift store topiary frame, I kicked myself for not picking up a similar one I saw in a resale shop. It was so cute and I meant to go back and pick it up, but sadly, I got sidetracked and forgot. I wonder if it's still there?

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  16. I love the one with the vintage gumball machines & the Raggedy Ann's. Too cute!!! Your Halloween one is pretty cool too. I love how you spookified it.

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  17. Your style changes as you were moving sound just like mine...I'm embarrassed to show some of my past decorating faux pas!
    Great vignettes...we're not into spooky here either, but I love your potions set up! My guys would dig that for sure :o)
    peace.

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  18. Cute! I love that paint color! I am not a white or beige paint kinda gal.

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  19. Adorable! Love your pics. oxox

    SC

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  20. Thanks for the little "tour" around your house and for sharing some fun ideas!

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  21. Love the pumpkin inside the topiary! Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

    Tamera@doubledelight

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  22. The toy vignette is awesome! I love old toys.

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  23. I love your vignettes! They all tell a little story and it looks so very cozy.

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  24. LOVE the Raggedy Ann & Gumball vignette!BRAVO!!

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Thanks for stopping by and joining the conversation! I sure hope you come back for more!