1934 Curtain Tie-Backs

I decided it was finally time to make something to hold back my curtains, and I remembered a booklet I have from 1934 with just that type of info in it!

DIY Vintage Table Linens with Stencil Revolution

I recently got a new dining room table, which I LOVE. However, it is much larger than our previous table, and I didn't have any tablecloths long enough. When Stencil Revolution emailed to ask about collaborating, the dots connected and I knew the perfect way to fix this tablecloth dilemma!

I love the vintage stencily/painterly style tablecloths, and I thought it would be fun to give something similar a try for myself. What I love most about creating your own linens is the ability to pick exactly the colors you want.  I knew I wanted something jadeite green and red to go with my kitchen and dishes, but I also wanted to throw in some other colors to make it summery and bright!

Bedroom Refresh with Minted Art Prints

"Jacob, you know what we should do?  Rearrange the bedroom.  We've lived here for a whole year and we've never changed it around."

"We haven't lived here a year."

"What?  Of course we have.  We moved in in... in..."

"We moved in here last October.  It's been four months."

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?  How is that possible?!  It feels like forever!"

Vintage, Modern, & DIY Holiday Gift Guide

I may be weird, but I actually really love looking at gift guides this time of year.  Admittedly, since I have so few real-life vintage friends... It often helps me discover cool things I've missed for myself, haha!

So if you are like me and have many non-vintage-wearing friends and relatives, you'll still find this gift guide helpful.  There are vintage, modern, and handmade items to inspire and equip you for the season's gift-giving!

Vintage Gifts

Decorating a Renter's Kitchen on a Budget, Vintage Style

As many of you have read on Instagram and other places, my husband and I just moved from a house into a new flat.  I won't go into all the details of the jankiness we dealt with in our previous home in the "Springfield slums," but I will say the straw that broke the camel's back was

The Lost Art of Housewarming Gifts

Where has the housewarming party gone?!  I don't know about you guys, but I love the idea of housewarming parties.  In fact, my husband and I just moved into a new flat, and I'll be darned if I won't be having a party when we're a bit more unpacked!

Healthy Living: Is Pyrex Poison?

I was pretty devastated when I read vintage Pyrex, as a general rule, has high levels of lead.  I had registered for a lot of vintage Pyrex for my wedding and had been happily cooking in them for months, thinking I was actually using a healthier option for food storage because it was glass, not plastic.  I really loved the size and convenience of them along with how they look!  In fact, I kind of swept the lead info under the rug for a while because I just didn't want to believe it.  If it was really that poison, why do so many people use and collect it still?

Vintage Pyrex Succulent Garden

We went to the home improvement store for nails, but when we happened to walk by a clearance cart full of $1 succulents.... How could I not buy them?!  The nails turned into some potting soil... and some pebbles... and some plant fertilizer... and as my husband carried all the other bags I carefully carried six little succulents to the register, then held them on the car ride home.  The little plant babies have joined my indoor garden!

Dried Flower Box DIY

When I went to my friend Molly's house, I noticed she had several shadow boxes filled with beautiful arrangements of dried flowers.  I asked her about them, and she explained how many of the flowers were from special occasions, like her wedding.  She had dried the flowers and made these lovely boxes herself!

They remind me of antique and vintage frames that often hold a wedding veil, photo, and flower crown to commemorate them for decades after the event.  It seems a perfect way to save flowers that would otherwise be ruined over the years, and Molly was kind enough to work with me on a tutorial to share with all of you so you can make your own!

Supplies you'll need: dried flowers, a shadow box, scissors, straight pins, and dried flower preservation spray

First, dry the flowers you would like to use.  You may need to experiment a bit because not all flowers dry well, and oftentimes they may even change colors completely.  Baby's breath, roses, and many types of greenery usually dry quite well, while daisies and other many-petaled flowers may not do so well in the drying process.

Next, spray all of the dried flowers with the preservation spray in a well-ventilated area.  This will help them retain their color.

Now crank up some tunes and grab a coffee; it's time to start the art!  Remove the back board from your shadow box.  Use straight pins to secure plant bits to the board.  (Molly has tried using both pearl-topped and plain straight pins.  She says both work well, but it will affect the look of the piece.  Pearl pins will add an antique, feminine touch, and the plain silver ones will blend in more subtly with the piece.)

Arrange the flower petals and leaves in a way that looks good to you.  Don't be afraid to take flowers apart or cut pieces off to make it aesthetically pleasing. 

When your arrangement looks good to you, pick up the board and shake it a tiny bit to make sure each piece is secured to the board.  Add more pins where necessary.

Next, take the top of your shadow box and lay it on the board.  If any blossoms look especially squished by the glass, you may want to flatten it out a bit.  It's up to you, really.  As long as you like it!

Finally, place the board inside the frame and secure it on the back.  Your piece is done!

Now find the perfect place to hang your beautiful work! Molly has made several of these boxes, and below are a couple more of her examples.  The frame of the box and the colors of the flowers make such a difference, don't they? 

While many of us have the time and desire to make our own, Molly is also available to take commissions!  If you have special flowers you would like to preserve, Molly would be very happy to work out shipping logistics and the process with you.  If you're interested, you can email her directly!

I have personally commissioned Molly to make a couple boxes, and I will share them with you guys when they are done!  I LOVE dried flowers, and there really can't be too many around one's house, in my opinion!

What do you think of these dried flower boxes?  Do you have any special flowers you would like to immortalize in art?

The Rogers Home: Our Living Room

It's been a while since I posted pictures of my living room, and since that last post, we've moved!  While some pieces of our living room have stayed (like the curtains and my Sudanese sword), we have also updated some things.  We saved up for a new couch, and over the past several months I was gifted a record player and family rocking chair from my mother-in-law.

While you look at these photos, sure, not everything is Pinterest-perfect, but... well, you're lucky you're even seeing it clean, haha!  This is a real, lived-in house!

My house is not a perfect time capsule of vintage home decor, and there are a few reasons for that.  The top one is our young-couple-small-budget, but I like to think that in our small budget world we're capturing the make-do-and-mend spirit of the 30s and 40s.

We live in a rental, so the walls were already painted gray and white when we got there.  We've made use of those colors in our other pieces and worked with the numerous and somewhat randomly placed nails and screws left in our janky house by the previous residents, hence the strangely placed sword.

Although it's not a vintage replica house, there are still lots of vintage touches.  The travel posters on the wall are reproductions of ones from the 1960s. The photo albums are of my grandfather's war experiences in World War 2 and Korea and of our wedding day.

The two military hats are also special.  The olive one is an Army hat from the 1940s, and the navy blue one is the enlisted Air Force hat my husband wore when we got married. To me it signifies the heritage of military life we are going into and to learn from generations past.

There are lots of tidbits here and there from my time in Egypt and Sudan, too.  Obviously, the sword is from Sudan.

Several of the pillows are from Egypt, and the one on the rocking chair is Arabic calligraphy in the shape of a whirling dervish.

Are there any objects you see that you'd especially like to know about?  How have you worked around budget or rental constraints in your own home while still staying true to your individual style?

January Vintage Table Setting

Happy New Year, everyone!  I find January a bit of a tricky time as far as decor goes. Pretty much all home decor is a major, un-festive letdown after a holiday like Christmas. Also, where I live, December and January are really similar weather-wise, and January often even gets more snow than December... so wintery decor is still appropriate, but it can't cross the line into "Christmasy." (You lucky Southern hemisphere people probably don't struggle with any of this.)

My solution to a wintery-but-not-Christmasy table is cozy patterns and pinecones!  I used a classic navy plaid fabric to make these napkins and a table runner. I love navy blue because 1.) It goes with my house colors, and 2.) it's wintery but not a typical Christmas color.  

I took inspiration from a 1936 article I've shared below.  These fringed napkins and table runner are super easy to make, and the "homespun" fabric I chose fringed nicely. If you try this, just be sure to sew exactly parallel to the grain of the fabric on the edges so it fringes properly. A plaid fabric like this makes that really easy because you just have to cut and sew along a stripe.



I cut my napkins to be 14" squares, and I used the rest for a small table runner. My table isn't big, so this smaller center fabric works for my table. You may want to adjust the sizes of these to fit your own table. That's the beauty of making it yourself! You can adjust it as you like!

I paired it all with wooden napkin rings I thrifted, an evergreen arrangement, and some pinecone accessories.  I bought navy wire and wrapped it around the pine cones, then I coiled it into a place card holder. Super easy and super affordable!

When I registered for household things before my wedding, I went with clear dishes because they're so versatile. Clear matches everything!  And as for the silverware, my grandmother found it at an estate sale, and it's a full set from 1937!  It's in great condition and adds some class to everyday eating.

Project Details
fabric: 45" Homespun (navy plaid, and it's on sale online right now!)
pinecones: medium-sized
wire: navy blue craft wire

Do you guys do any wintery decor, or do you just wait until a later date?  If you do decorate, what are some of your go-to winter pieces?  (If you're in the Southern hemisphere, what does your January decor consist of?)

*This post includes affiliate links. See my policy page for more info.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!  Today I've got an easy, quick read with lots of pictures!

This is my second year in my own home, so I have a few more Christmas decor items I've added for the season.  Last year's tree was a bit scant (but budget-friendly, may I add!), and a find in a flea market last year has helped fill it out!  I found two plastic garlands of bells and lanterns with holly leaves and berries interspersed throughout. I also put up my cookie cutter ornaments I made last year. I just love the old pictures of random people in them! 

We've also got other Christmas decor from my travels and as gifts from other friends. I am not as much into the brightly colored, wacky Christmas decor of the 50s and 60s, but I like more traditional items from earlier decades.  (Although I love seeing midcentury decor in other people's homes, I just feel like it doesn't fit mine as much.)

(And for some record-player and decor fun, here's a short video!)

Year by year, we add a bit more to our Christmas decor, and it's a fun process!  I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas as well!

6 Gifts That Fit in a Mug

Christmas is looming ever closer, and I'm still working on finishing up the last few gifts.  I love giving people thoughtful gifts that they can use in their daily life.  You know what everyone does in their daily life?  They drink stuff.  This is why a mug is great gift for nearly anyone!  Below I've got six ideas for gifts that fit in a mug (both of these "friend mugs" are c/o Pavilion), and you can tweak them to fit the personality of the gift.  I picked the mug on the left because, obviously... it's so true.  And the mug on the right just states it like it is and sparkles blue and gold, also a win!



1. The Sewist
If you ask nearly any sewist, they'll tell you that nothing beats a delicious hot beverage and a sewing day.  Make a mini sewing day kit for them with bits and bobs all vintage-loving sewists appreciate:

mug + tea bag + vintage fabric + universal sewing machine needles + vintage notions



2. The Naturalist
Think out of the box and create a gift for the plant-lover in your life.  Instead of giving a plain mug, put a succulent, herb, or other small plant in it!  The giftee can move the plant to another container and use the mug or have a cute planter as-is.  Just in case they decide to leave it, put a layer of small pebbles at the bottom to help prevent root rot, then fill with potting soil and a plant.

mug +  pebbles + potting soil + plant



3. The Tea Fiend
Oh, tea lovers.  Those that love tea, REALLY love tea.  And the great part about tea is that one can never have too much!  If you're always drinking it, you will always need more!  Give your tea-loving friend a gift they'll use and appreciate by filling the mug with varieties of tea and little tools to make their tea drinking more convenient. 

mug + tea balls + loose leaf tea + tea bags + infuser ball



4. The Cozyist
Many people warm up to mug-worthy beverages when the weather gets cold, so it's a great idea to pair the mug with cozy winter items.  Create a "cozy kit" with fluffy socks, a comforting holiday beverage like hot chocolate, and a gifted Christmas or relaxing song list from iTunes or Amazon.

mug + fluffy socks + hot chocolate mix + marshmallows + candy cane



5. The Caffeine Queen
Last but not least, a gift for the caffeine lover!  Fill the mug with bags of ground coffee in different flavors, chocolate covered espresso beans, and small squares of nice chocolate or truffles.  Everyone loves a bit of delicious luxury in their day!

mug + ground coffee + chocolate covered espresso beans + chocolate 



6. The Stylist
For that friend that loves to doll up, fill a mug with little makeup bits and accessories she is sure to appreciate.  If you're on a budget, collect makeup samples and artfully arrange them in the mug, or go high-end and include a nice lipstick and a couple makeup brushes.  You can also throw in some small accessories like a pair of earrings or bracelet to complete the gift!

mug + cute washcloth + makeup + makeup brushes + jewelry



I hope these ideas help you finish out your holiday gift list!  Do any of them sound just perfect for a friend or family member?

Click here to pin this post for later!


The mugs in this post were provided c/o Pavilion Gifts, and you can find them here and here!