An Appreciative Note and a Small Giveaway

Dec 8, 2009 by Grace

I’m so grateful for the holiday love the Olivetti Valentine has been enjoying! Janine from UPPERCASE curated a beautiful collection of treasures for Etsy’s Storque inspired by the magazine, and I was deeply honored for her kindest mention of my shop’s Olivetti Valentine (Janine and I originally “met” on Flickr via our shared love for vintage writing machines!). It also brought a large smile to my face to see the Valentine as one of the picks from Bird and Banner for Design*Sponge’s 2009 bloggers’ wishlist. (Thank you for the keen eye Annie!)

More importantly, I’m also ever so grateful to YOU, my kind supportive readers and friends, for spending time with me in my little blogging space. As a wee token of holiday appreciation, I would like to host a small giveaway of universal typewriter ribbons from my Etsy shop.

To enter, simply leave a comment with your preference of a black or red/black universal typewriter ribbon (I’d love to hear about your typewriters too!) by midnight PST on Thursday, and I’ll randomly draw two names on Friday. Happy typing!

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If the Olivetti Valentine Typewriter was a Laptop

Dec 4, 2009 by Grace

Have you ever wondered what an Olivetti Valentine would look like as a laptop? From the University of Applied Arts – Vienna, Department of Industrial Design comes four ingenious students who have created a modern tribute to the revered Olivetti Valentine. If you ever imagined how Ettore Sottsass would have designed a laptop, your dreams have been answered with a flexible screen that seamlessly melds into the Valentine typewriter shape that we all love.

For your historical reference, here is the original Olivetti Valentine typewriter:

And here is the Valentine reinterpreted in modern glory! I love how even the case gets recognized in this design.

Don’t you think the modern design certainly does the Valentine justice? If only all laptops could be this inspirational!

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Oh Vintage Bottlebrush Christmas Tree…

Dec 3, 2009 by Grace

Vintage bottle brush trees add cheerful nostalgia to any room for Christmas. My favorite antique bottle brush trees are the ones that still have their mercury ball ornaments intact, although they cost a pretty penny these days. I’ve seen larger bottle brush trees with their mercury ornaments sell for upwards of $100, but with a bit of grease and DIY spirit, you can make your own!

At any craft or hobby store, you can purchase a bag of 10 – 15 green bottle brush trees for less than $10. In a large bucket or sink, add warm water and two tablespoons of bleach. Simply dip the trees in the water and let the bleach begin stripping the color until it is your desired hue. For all white trees, simply leave them in the water until all of the color is gone. You can also dye the bleached white trees any color, such as pink, red, or blue, with RIT dye (using this tutorial).

Now comes the fun part – decorating the trees! For an “authentic” vintage touch, consider adding mercury ornaments (Papier Valise has vintage stock mercury glass beads that work nicely) and dusting the trees with touches of glitter. Here are a few ideas for your inspiration!

These quintessential bottlebrush trees from the 1940s are both nostalgic and glamorous with their mercury glass ornaments (via Country Living).

Grouping antique bottlebrush trees together by color is a wonderful way to create a holiday theme, as seen in this lovely grouping from ALifeinFocusPhotography.

This grouping of charming vintage pink bottle brush trees from Cydneys Antiques caught my eye with how the ornament sizes were generously arranged.

More color-grouped fun! nellie loves vintage left the bottle brushes “as is” without glitter, embellishments, or dye, and they look simply charming.

Theresa Thompson created a nostalgic wonderland with her bottlebrush trees, cotton “snow” and the perfect Scottie!

Although they are petite in nature, bottle brush trees – even in simple white – can make a lovely statement on your mantle. (If someone knows the source of the above photo, please let me know!)

Have you caught the vintage bottlebrush bug yet?

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6 Repurposed Bookshelves for Your Literary Pleasure

Nov 20, 2009 by Grace

In searching for the perfect bookshelf for my son’s room, I have come up empty handed, and I’m turning to repurposing for a solution (remember the repurposed ladder bookshelves seen here and here?). I have wanted to stay away from cliche themes, hoping to create a place that simply inspires creativity and thinking outside of the box. With that said, here are a few creative repurposing bookshelf ideas that I’ve found, many of which would be perfect for a grown-up’s room too!

Petits Details, a delightful Parisian blog that provides me with much inspiration, creatively used an antique toy truck to hold a collection of kids books. Isn’t it ingeniously sweet?

This skateboard bookshelf from Skate Study House seems like a good way to repurpose of all my husband’s old skate decks….but don’t tell him about my evil plot!

As seen on Recyclart, French designer Elodie Flamant plays new life into a discarded vintage guitar case by decoupaging the inside with newsprint and inserting metal rods. I love how this bookshelf is perfect sitting on the ground, making it easy for baby to access.

Reading in Public curates a fantastic Library! exhibit, wherein a repurposed newspaper rack travels to different cities, encouraging a revival in the art of reading. I wonder if this will cause a revival in repurposing abandoned racks too!

While this is not necessarily suitable for a baby’s nursery, Country Home showcased a lovely powder room door that doubles as a bookshelf! Attach a few painted wood planks onto a door, and indeed, it serves as an excellent repurposed bookshelf.

Ah, this may quite a familiar photo to you from my home, but even a library card catalog can be used to create a mini-bookshelf for your favorite reads.

Do you have any repurposed bookshelves in your home? I’d love to hear about them!

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A Pumpkin Rainbow on My Mantle

Nov 13, 2009 by Grace

Taking advantage of heirloom pumpkins this year, I created a simple pumpkin “rainbow” for our fireplace mantle to celebrate fall and Thanksgiving. Aren’t all the colors of the pumpkin rainbow splendid?

Small hang tags stamped with fall messages accent some of the pumpkin stems, wishing all a happy fall!

May you have a wonderful autumn weekend filled with bounty and delight!

An Appreciative Note and a Small Giveaway

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If the Olivetti Valentine Typewriter was a Laptop

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Oh Vintage Bottlebrush Christmas Tree…

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6 Repurposed Bookshelves for Your Literary Pleasure

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A Pumpkin Rainbow on My Mantle

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