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A couple of years ago, Greg and I were traveling down to flea markets in Missouri and Kansas. One of them was in White Cloud, KS – it was a smaller event, vendors up and down a main street and then off in a small field at the end of the last block. Out in the field, one of the vendors had an item that caught my eye – and the more I studied it, the harder I fell for it. It was a wallpaper sample book from the year 1940 – thick, heavy and mostly intact.

It was like looking at a mini-time capsule!

At this time we were looking primarily for objects to buy and flip, but this was something I wanted solely for myself. I tried to negotiate the price, but the seller had only recently acquired it and wasn’t in the mood to haggle over it. I walked away – but it remained on my mind and eventually I went back. Fortunately it was still there, and I paid the asking price for it.

The book contains samples of a variety of designs, some of which have companion borders. Paper samples are about 16 x 14 inches. In 1940 there were a variety of design categories, including:

Cameos

Toiles

Colorful tropicals

Character Motifs

All-overs

and textured geometrics, among others.

There was also this section showing different ways to use one of the patterns:

Here is the pattern, called “French Urn,” featured in the above page:

I would love to find a way to use some of these designs today, but I don’t want to ruin the integrity of the book by removing them. Maybe there’s something digitally that could be done – they would make great backgrounds or elements for vintage-inspired blog images, for example, if I could find a good way to scan them.

An awesome vintage find offering a peek into design options of more than 70 years ago!

I don’t usually put up a lot of decor for Valentine’s Day, but I do like to change up Grandma’s table to keep it seasonal. I’m soo tired of the cold and snow, and was thinking I might jump ahead and put out a touch of Spring. But then I came upon this sweet quilted tablecloth at a recent estate sale, and knew I’d want to use it before Winter was over – it’s so cozy-looking and has this adorable ball-fringe around the bottom!

Right? How could I resist?

I ended up really liking the white, blush pink, and lightest champagne-tan colors of this table.

Here are the elements I used to set this sweet little scene – all extremely inexpensive thrifted or post-season specials at various stores and shops.

Probably the most amazing find (to me, anyway) is this sweet little tic tac toe set. I found this several years ago at the Goodwill, but what made it really unusual is that I found the pieces in a bag on one visit, but didn’t find the board until a return visit several weeks later. All are highly detailed and made of heavy resin.

I found this dandy young man at the store-closing sale of a vintage shop here in my neighborhood at the end of last year. I’ve decided he’s French so I named him Lafayette.

Silk flowers in white and blush sit pretty in a softly detailed pink vessel by FTD.

And I rounded up a few tassled velvet heart ornaments from the after-Christmas sale at Hobby Lobby, placing them here in a pretty pink-and-white bone china dish. I shared these on Instagram awhile back and  one of my friends there commented that they looked edible! I agree – they look like little champagne-colored tea cakes!

A very sweet little scene for Valentine’s Day!

I’m sharing my dear Layfayette for the “Dear Valentine” link party over at Deb’s lovely blog, Debby Goes Shabby!

Here is a Pin-able image for this post!

Back when Greg and I were flipping furniture, we acquired some pretty cool pieces… a few of which I wish we hadn’t sold. This little chest of drawers was one of those – pretty, a few charming flaws, and some great details… just the right size for… something.

But sell it we did, to a great gal named Traci who owns a furniture painting and upcycling business called The Shabby Nest. I would see pictures of it in her squares on Instagram, and I always felt that pang of regret at selling it.

Several months went by, and Greg and I stopped flipping, but I would occasionally buy another piece here or there. One of them was this one, acquired at a great price because it was in pieces. Here it is after Greg re-assembled it (in my living room because it was freezing-fricking-cold outside at the time!) –

I stared at it for a few days trying to decide what to do with it… It was really beautiful, and I shared a picture of it on Instagram stating that I was torn between keeping and selling. Traci replied by saying I should let her know if I decided to sell, and I replied to her by saying that, by the way, she should let ME know if she ever decided to sell the little three-drawer cabinet.

And just like that, a trade was made! Amazingly, I had the original piece back – the one I wished I hadn’t sold! Same perfect size, same charming flaws and beautiful details… only now it had undergone Traci’s magic touch and looked absolutely perfect in my little cottage home!

I immediately filled it with tablescaping treasures… cloth napkins, napkin rings, candles, and other miscellany.

I’m so happy to have it back!

Of course, Traci has a new piece, too – better suited to the space and the intended use she had in mind. Look for it in her Instagram feed!