When I was young and reckless just five years ago, I would ride around on the back of my boyfriend’s (who turned into my husband) GSXR motorcycle wearing cocktail dresses and stilettos after partying around Honolulu.  While I thought we looked quite dashing then, imagine if we were riding around on this BMW motorcycle, as seen via materialiste!  It’s not just a rendering — but a real Art Deco motorbike that BMW recently found in a crate in one of their “sheds.”  It was created before WWI, but never went into full production.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it does one day!

Once upon a time, orange pumpkins were touched by a magical godmother, who transformed the gourds into pale, whimsical pumpkins with a natural vintage patina.  While the fairy godmother had already completed her duty for her famed goddaughter, Cindy, she still had plenty of magic to share.

Just in case another poverty-stricken goddaughter needed to be transformed into a princess for just one night (we are, after all, in a recession), the godmother readied her collection of pumpkins.  To expedite the transformation from pumpkin to carriage, she repurposed her Victorian-inspired orchid magnifier into a ready frame for a royal carriage.

But the fairy godmother’s work is not done!  After all, she is all about preemptive planning.  What’s next for this fall fairytale?  Tune in tomorrow, as this story is to be continued….

While I am gathering supplies for my next repurposing project and scoping out photo shoot locations (does anyone know of a retro coin-laundry place around Detroit?), I have a mini-photo series to share with you, not so aptly entitled “a study of vintage proportions.”

What a difference a bulb makes!

Now I only have to figure out how to electrify the enormous vintage lightbulb.

Cabinets of Curiosities, or Wunderkammers, have always piqued…well, my curiosity!   It’s quite easy to see how these Cabinets were the predecessors of our museums.  I would like to one day have my own Wunderkammer in my home, sans natural history items that scare me, such as bones and bugs.  Instead, I think my Wunderkammers would be akin to the one below, comprised of shells, gems, pressed plants, and perhaps even Cabinets of Curiosities filled with antique typewriters and vintage cameras!

As captured by astropop, Teylers Museum’s impressive Wunderkammer — which truly is a Room of Curiosities in every sense — displays magnificent collections of fossils and gems.

This wunderkammer showcases a beautiful collection and examination of shells and coral.  I especially like how the red stands tie the exhibit together.

I particularly like Real Simple’s interpretation of Cabinets of Curiosities!  While the naturalalist elements are clearly not involved, it is a fun vintage twist on an antiquarian concept.

Maissa Toulet, a French artist, combines the allure of Wunderkammers with an artistic aesthetic.  Instead of grouping items solely by species, Maissa Toulet considers color pallate as well.

Are you on your way to creating your own cabinet of curiosities?

For three reasons, I am delighted to welcome Colleen from FreshVintage today to share some of her favorite vintage things.  1) She has fantastic taste in vintage treasures.  2) I marvel over her scores of treasures that she finds for mind-blogging low prices.   3) Most importantly, she is the Conan O’Brian of the junking and antiqing world.  How can you not appreciate a vintage lover who shares her stool samples? (We’re talking about the antique furniture kind silly!)    Without further ado, here’s Colleen on the mic!

“This aqua painted shelf has that crackly alligator patina that is impossible to reproduce. At one point in its life, someone added another piece of wood to extend the top of the shelf. This makes it the perfect depth for a pair of fans that I found at a yard sale for a few dollars.”

“I purchased this folk art red schoolhouse at a yard sale five years ago. The woman who sold it to me said that a friend of the family had made it for her when she was a little girl in the 1930′s. It is difficult to tell from the photo, but it is rather large at 18 inches high. There was probably a school bell on the roof at one time, but it has since been lost.”

“My favorite part can be found when you open the doors. There are several rows of little benches and a rustic teacher’s desk hidden inside.”

“This painted orange tin was one of my first purchases when I began to collect vintage items for my home. I have an affinity for orange, so it was the color that first caught my eye. And I love the simplicity of the hand-painted daisies and grass.”

Thank you Colleen very much for sharing your wonderful favorite things! (If the schoolhouse goes missing, it wasn’t me!)

Janine from UPPERCASE Gallery never ceases to amaze me with her creative projects (including a new magazine on the way!), intriguing curated exhibits, and of course, her fantastic taste in vintage treasures. While she has an enviable collection of drool-worthy vintage typewriters on display at UPPERCASE, today she shares with us a space in her lovely home that showcases some of her favorite vintage things.

I have many favourite vintage things (many of which are typewriters, typewriter memorabilia and paper ephemera). Most of my typewriters are actually on display in UPPERCASE, but at home the one vintage thing that makes the biggest impact in my small house is this classroom map of Canada from 1962. My husband Glen bought it in a small town in British Columbia when we were on a road trip together. We lounge on the couch and look up at the map and think of places we’ve been or plan future trips. I’ll sometimes quiz Glen about where a particular lake, river or town is located and he’s nearly always right.

The dark wooden chest, dating back to the early 1900s, was given to me by my grandfather and is lined with old patterned paper and smells terribly of moth balls when opened. The red table is not vintage at all, but a lucky garage sale find from down the street ($4!).

Hanging non-traditional artwork that has meaning to you is such a wonderful way to decorate your home.  Thank you Janine for giving us a lovely peek into your home — as well as inspiring us to dream of road trips via vintage maps to come!

I’m delighted to share with you the vintage treasures that Livy from A Field Journal enjoys in her home.   Her photos perhaps do not need any introduction, as her graceful aesthetic, artistic composition, and nostalgic ambiance are instantly recognizable by those of us who love her work and inspirational blog – which will charm you upon the very first visit.  (P.S. For further Field Journal inspiration, take a “peek” into her drawers from a fun previous pH feature.)

Old Spool: They’re the tiniest among my vintage treasures, but I love them just the same. Colorful, made of wood, and most of them quaintly labeled or stamped with things like “15 cents” and “American Thread Co.”. Last summer I became a pretty dedicated yard sale girl and I bought these one morning from a woman who asked if I sewed.. Well, to be honest I’m still working on that skill but maybe one day.

Like a Glove: My most recent (and favorite) vintage acquisition. I went antiquing over Christmas break with my roommate, and we hunted through booths and booths before I finally settled on these. The best parts: they’re pale pink, with delicate embroidery and tiny scalloped edges, plus they really do fit just perfectly.

Snapshots: I have such a habit of gravitating toward old paper things – letters, envelopes, photos, old packaging – I’ve been hooked since the first 1918 postcard I bought at an antique store in northern California five years ago. The photo above is one of a small collection that I picked out at the local flea market in West Hollywood. When and why did photos stop having pretty scalloped edges like that?

Lamp: I bought this at an estate sale last summer for only a dollar. It’s has a mid century shape but its soft off white color is so versatile. It’s the perfect bedside table lamp.

Thank you SO much Livy for sharing a few of your favorite vintage things! Stop by for tea tomorrow with the next series guest contributor — whose creative craft projects and delicious recipes may have already made their way into your home!

Do you sometimes feel that in your past life (if you have one), you may have been a gypsy?  I find myself constantly lured by the western winds that taunt me to experience a new place (which is perhaps why I have lived in six different cities and states since graduating from college…or on a less romantic note, perhaps it is simply my quarter-life crisis speaking).  If more gypsy caravans were on this side of the Atlantic, I could imagine adopting the lifestyle instantly.  Alas, if only RVs were a wee bit more romantically and nostalgically appealing.

For all of us, however, we can still live the dream — for about 70 pounds a night via gypsy caravans for rent!   France is home to the first caravan, while West Wales is the charming location of a historical gypsy caravan that maintains its yesteryear charm.   Aren’t these fantastic alternatives to hotels?

What are your plans for the weekend?

Perhaps a pinch of gypsy freedom is in order for all of us!

Oh the stories vintage pieces could tell!  Vintage treasures have tremendous appeal to me, as I always imagine the adventurous lives each one has enjoyed before arriving to me.  Some treasures are placed into the Poetic Home Etsy shop, where they journey forth to happy new homes.

It makes me incredibly happy to see how Poetic Home’s vintage treasures “live” in their lovely new homes, and how they are styled and incorporated into the decor.  Today, I would like to introduce you to two new homes!

This vintage deer couple made the long journey from California to Glasgow to happily reside in Kim’s home.  I think they look quite quite happy amongst her lovely vintage treasures and other deer friends, don’t you?
These vintage wooden alphabet blocks did not travel far.  In fact, their new home was only 10 miles away from mine!  However, Grace Kim gave new life to these wooden blocks by stylishly incorporating them into her wedding “save the dates” invitations and adorable blog header.

Thank you Kim and Grace for sending me photos of these vintage treasures in your happy, beautiful homes!  And if there are any other readers who have brought home treasures from the Poetic Home Etsy shop, I would love to see photos of the pieces in your home!

Amidst all of the uncertainties 2009 holds, I am finding more solace and serenity in the Wabi Sabi philosophy.  The stark contrast of Wabi Sabi against the last decade’s gluttony of HELOCs gone wrong is refreshing, to say the least.  You don’t need the latest high-brow design couch, and you certainly don’t need to revamp your entire home with the trendiest colors.  Instead, the treasures already in your home that symbolize your life, emotions, and personal history are perfect!  In fact, the only elements in your home should be ones that you absolutely love, undoubtly need, or ideally fulfill both prerequisites!

British stylish Tonya Goodwin, whose lovely portfolio has been featured on many design blogs of late, embodies a peaceful Wabi Sabi aesthetic that combines the beauty of raw nature with polished yore.  Her use of materials on this flourished European mantle is unexpected, yet so pleasing to the eye and soul.  Truly, especially in these tumultuous times, don’t you find that less is indeed more?