Accessorize Your Door!

I have a confession. For the past 15 months, I have completely ignored my front door. There, I said it.

I, myself, can't even believe I made such a terrible gaff. I mean, my front door is my guests' first impression of me, my home, my family! I can't have the pizza delivery guy thinking that I run a ho-hum operation in here. And what about our Thai delivery lady? I'm sure she just shakes her head in wonder at our boring door...and our incredible knack for consuming mass amounts of Crab Rangoon.

Well, no more. Trusty moss "B" door decoration for the past year, you have more than served your purpose; now step aside. It's the holidays and our door is getting the makeover it deserves.


Now, where to begin...

Do I go traditional winter greens with a big beautiful red bow wreath hanger? No, but isn't this wreath hanger out of this world?

What about a great set of vintage jingle bells. Super cute...but no.

So what did I decide on?

First I started with this awesome door swag that I picked up from Home Depot for $5. It smelled great and served as the basis for my door's new look. Next, I ditched the red faux velvet bow.

I added a pair of 1930's Dutch ice skates. Oh, how I love these.

To finish off the look? A great big, beautiful natural burlap bow trimmed in red.

Recognizing that I don't have the best track record for switching out door decor, I am starting seasonal. Instead of a holiday-specific decoration, I opted for a look that will last all winter long.

Now, I best get started thinking about Spring! Do you have any ideas to share? We want to hear them! Tell us in the comments section.

Monogram-a-holic!

My name is Nikki and I’m a monogram-a-holic. Not long ago, I was not comfortable talking about my addiction. I tried to hide it from my family and friends; but, when my three favorite letters started popping up on pillows, towels, silver spoons and trays, my husband was quickly on to me.  I think it was the large embroidered “B” on my shower curtain that compelled him to ask – what’s with the obsession? 

The answer was simple.  Monograms and initials, in every form, are beautiful.  They personalize your home, they are great conversation starters, and gosh darn, I just plain love them!

My personal philosophy on monograms follows traditional schools of thought:

• The monogram in your home should always represent the woman of the house
• A traditional monogram is:
• small initial of your first name, large initial of your last name, small initial of your middle or maiden name

I think there is one exception to the rule. I love the idea of embroidering a beautiful "married" monogram on a European size pillow to display in the middle of your bed. Follow this pattern:

• small initial of wife's first name, large initial of your shared married last name, small initial of husband's first name
  

 It's a wonderful way to visually depict two becoming one.

Happy monogramming!

One Door’s Past, Present & Future

As many of you know, I am newly married and I used my wedding day as an opportunity to combine my love of all things vintage with my love of repurposing. The culmination was a day I will never forget, and a ton of great repurposing ideas I can share with all of you! 

It’s hard to say what my favorite repurposed item was. But, for the sake of this blog post, I am going with the 100 year quarter sawn oak door that I found at a local salvage warehouse. Man, did that door have character and I fell in love with it immediately. 

After thorough investigation, we determined this relic needed a good cleaning and a little TLC to take care of some light water damage. Georgia’s Crew was up to the task!

We used Formby’s Furniture Refinisher, a fantastic product that allowed our team to easily redistribute the original stain without affecting the patina. After a coat of tung oil we had our result - a fabulous vintage door ready for repurposing.

To me, doors are symbolic. On our special day, we positioned the door front and center as guests entered our wedding ceremony and reception venue. Adorned with a large moss “B” (for Bechtold, my married name), the door welcomed our guests and symbolized the entrance to our future.



Photo Credit: Carasco Photography 

But that’s not the end of the story for this great piece. After our wedding, we brought the door back to our new home: a modern loft with bright white doors, 12 foot ceilings and expansive hardwood floors (except for white carpet in the bedroom - something I would like to change, but that's a topic for another blog). We immediately tore down our white, boring master bedroom door and replaced it with our 100 year old vintage one. The transformation to our condo was immediate. To this day, the new door is not only a great conversation starter, it warms up our condo and brings me such joy when I enter my bedroom each night. We'll take this door with us every place we move because it is something we truly treasure.

Dishing on Dishes

Sometimes style and function are born out of practicality.

When it comes to dishes, I have used everything from the indestructible Corelle dinnerware to fine china. I have always felt like service for six was sufficient as we are a family of four. Without fail, however, pieces went missing like socks in the laundry. They were broken, ended up under my son's bed or even went out the door transporting brownies to a neighbor. Finding replacements was always a chore and often meant buying another set. While browsing around in Crate & Barrel, I came across a set of white stoneware dishes in a casual cafe style that I loved. Be honest, it all comes down to the bowls. You need a cereal bowl that isn't cavernous and a soup bowl that isn't shallow and all rim! I started from square one again, bought a full set, and got rid of my remnants. These dishes have been great; I think white makes the best canvas for food. After a few years, though, my inventory began to dwindle. I immediately went back to Crate & Barrel to buy more only to find that they were discontinued but might still be available in their outlet store. Oh you know I Googled the nearest outlet and rushed over. Luckily, they had them and I bought another set, service for twelve this time. At last, I could relax as I had a substantial stash of replacements stored in the basement. That was five years ago and I have since made a serious dent in my stash.

Not long ago, while organizing and rearranging my kitchen hutch, I pulled out what was left of a white ironstone set of dishes given to me by my mother as part of a hope chest before I got married. I love these dishes and decided there was no reason why I couldn't use them along with my Crate & Barrel stoneware. Since then, I keep my eye out for white dishes at flea markets or tag sales to add to my mismatched collection. I don't worry about the diameter or pattern as long as they are white. I now have a stack of pretty white dishes on my hutch to supplement those Crate & Barrel favorites in the cabinet and my table has charm.  

Re-Purposing Vintage Tool Caddies

Hi Friends:

Welcome to Georgia's Home Inspirations first blog post! Over the years, while sifting through treasures at antique and flea markets, I have often come across vintage tool caddies. I am always drawn to their craftsmanship and time-worn patina. You can't help but wonder about their age, who made them and how they were used.  These caddies range from the truly rustic to works of art with lovely detail including dove-tailed corners.  As I have a small kitchen, I bought my first caddy to hold cutlery. It has worked out so well! I was able to save drawer space and can also transport cutlery from the kitchen table to the coffee table to the patio. (We eat everywhere!)   

Cutlery Caddy

A second tool caddy was purchased to corral all the pens, pencils and markers that were scattered throughout the house. This has been an organizational gem. My third caddy (yes, I have three) resides in my bathroom and holds cosmetics and toiletry items. I have a very small bathroom, too! 

Tool Caddies Re-purposed for the Office and Bathroom

Is there a fourth caddy in my future? I can't say no! I love them! I think they would be great for sewing, pet or cleaning supplies, needle crafts, toys, gardening tools, storing fruit or just used for decor filled with pine cones, gourds and greenery.

Have you found a great tool caddy and re-purposed it in a fun or useful way? Tell me about it!