Decorating with selfies.

Since our dining room is all decked out in red, white and blue for the upcoming holiday,

 I thought I'd share some photos of the room and a few selfies, too.

By now, you all know what a selfie is, but for those of us who don't own an iPhone,
(I'm assuming there are more than one of us?) a selfie may be something
  completely different.

For example, last winter I came across this vintage bathing suit
and I purchased it as a birthday gift for a friend with a lake cabin.

How thoughtful of me!


Of course, now that summer's arrived, I couldn't bear  to part with it!
This is my first example of a selfie.

Selfie: gift purchased for somebody else but kept for myself.  Shameful, I know.

The suit is stitched up in our high school colors of navy and white, and it's even
got the school emblem of an anchor tacked under the mesh overlay.
Go Bluejackets!

(I hope you didn't expect a selfie of me wearing the suit!)

Around the corner, my plant stand holds the sea captain that was made for me

 by a talented friend.  He's dressed appropriately for Minnesota summers,

 freezing cold one day, hot and humid the next.

  I hope he's wearing his Speedo under his wool knickers.

My window treatments are finished!

I showed up for work one rainy day this month, only to find that the schedule
 had been updatedand I had the day off.  (I'm sure you've all done that, right?)
  Since I was already in work mode, I worked at home instead.
  I spent the day cutting and sewing my stagecoach blinds
with music playing in the background, and coffee brewing in the kitchen.
Now that's my idea of a good day at work!

I didn't get paid for the day, but I got my blinds done!

The blinds add a pop of color without blocking the light.

Continuing with the nautical theme, I rolled the blinds around
pool noodles from the dollar store to keep them from drooping.
It's a cheap trick and it works like a charm!

 

I brought out the transistor radio as a summery accent in my cabinet because
it brings back memories of sunbathing while listening to pop tunes on AM radio.
Nowadays, I live more like a vampire, trying my hardest to escape the sun's damaging rays!

My drum major stands guard outside the cabinet while Shirley Temple smiles from within.
*Can you see her ghostly image on the blue glass next to the drum major?

Over the extremely long winter (it ended last week),
 I knit up a pint of wool strawberries.
Once you get past the first round, they're pretty simple to knit.
Free pattern here.



I've always thought that heart shaped items were somewhat contemporary,
but look what my sister sent me for my birthday......

...a sweet vintage heart shaped clock!!!
be still my <3

Spot's looking a bit forlorn these days and I know just how he feels.

We're both a little sad that cherries from Pottery Barn
 have replaced the chocolate that once filled my candy dishes.
woof woof

Pop bottles in patriotic colors hold miniature flags.

I may be tempting fate by screwing a hook into our
much-adored-by-the-3-and-under-crowd-sparkly-ceiling,
but it was necessary to hang my birdcage.  There are teensy weensy hairline cracks
near the edges of the textured ceiling and I hope I didn't start a
mini ceiling earthquake up there!

As for the empty cage,
there's a nasty merlin hawk in our neighborhood I'd like to stuff into the cage,
after he's been stuffed!  Bad, bad, bird.


I actually made 3 blinds for the room, but I didn't care for the look
on the double-hung window, so I made floor to ceiling panels instead.
 The blue & cream ikat fabric from Hobby Lobby drapes so beautifully
 that all I had to do was finish the raw edges and hang the panels from drapery rings.

Sew easy!
(Iron on hem tape would work just as well for those of you who don't sew.)

There are 2 finished panels, but I'm standing at the far end of my kitchen to get this shot!

There.  

As you can see, they're purely decorative since they won't close around the radiator,

but we've got plantation shutters for privacy and a roller shade to keep the sun out.

Remember, no central air at 911.

Do you recall the $2.99 thrift shop chairs from my last post?


I had absolutely positively no interest whatsoever  in keeping the chairs for myself
until I brought them into our dining room to photograph.


  I loved that I could place one at each end of the table and they didn't block the fireplace.

Perfection!

Well, they were already promised to our daughter, so I added them to my search and find list.

We took a road trip to Duluth on Lake Superior the very next day,
 and what do you think I discovered at the only antique shop we visited?
 Another pair of the exact same chairs!!  Same chippy paint, same size,
 not quite as cheap, but reasonable.  Coinkydink?  I think not!

Perhaps they were quadruplets separated at birth.


Selfie: purchasing a gift for somebody else and then
      purchasing the same gift for myself.

haPpy biRthday to me!

Thanks for bringing your little selfie over for a visit and have a....

Vickie

*I'm joining the parties at:
Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Mod Vintage Life Mod Mix Monday
Savvy Southern Style Wow us Wednesday
Ivy and Elephants What's it Wednesday