My Vintage Home: Making Progress....

Happy June everyone! Gosh, I feel like I have been away from blogging for the longest time! Eeek! I don't like being away for this long! But I do have a good reason! The painting process in my home began and we are now mid-way through. 

I feel as though painting is the foundation. Once you have that done then you can clean, organize, and redecorate. Of course we have met some challenges; rainy days, hot days, hubby's work schedule, my dad's schedule, etc. A project that I thought would take two weeks is now going into its sixth week. But the foyer, living room, kids bedroom, and bathroom are painted. We just need to finish the moldings in the dining room and hallway. I was going to leave our bedroom and kitchen for the fall but I decided to do our bedroom this summer as well. That will just leave us with the kitchen and front lawn to deal work on come September. The fall is usually super busy for us anyway so this way we can focus on those areas and it won't be as overwhelming.

A part of creating a home with your loved one is to compromise. Our home originally was painted with simple shades of cream and white and I yearned for some color. So we compromised-light colored walls and dark curtains and decor. That way hubby has his light colors and I get the darks that I love, plus it creates a fantastic contrast giving the home more depth and warmth as well.

For the foyer we choose a color by Behr called Full Moon. We added a beautiful shade of grey curtains to the foyer which has given it incredible contract. The the living room, dining room, and hallway were painting Sterling. Which is just a shade darker than Full Moon but it has made such a difference. It is like a light grey/blue and not heavy on the eyes. I am so pleased with the way it is turning out! Whoot!

We originally worked on the kid's room first. Their playroom still needs to be decluttered, organized, and set up for them to play in but their bedroom is about 90% completed. It was painted a shade of light blue and as you can see from the photo below-all three little bunnies sleep in a row!

I have to still hang their decor-their belly molds (each one has one), frames, and this super cute garland where you can clip on photos of their artwork. I chose sheep so I can put it over their beds and help them sleep. Cheesy I know but I couldn't help it! I will add a few more touches as time progresses to their shelves, but so far it is on its way to being done.

The curtains and wall you see above are from my foyer and a frame I purchased at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for the living room. Painting and redecorating is a challenge but trying to add something vintagey to each room has proven to be uber tricky! Hubby isn't a fan of things that are old and so we compromised and he agreed he wouldn't mind retro (new) decor here and there. Trouble is what to get and where to get it!!! Gahhhh!

So, that is what I have been up to so far! Do your spouses/partners have a hard time with  your love of vintage in your home? How have you compromised?

Tune in for more on My Vintage Home segments as well as loads of jam packed posts to come soon!

xox

My Vintage Home: Playroom Decorations

At the beginning of this month, I shared with you all my plans to redecorate and reorganize my home as well as add a vintage feel to my everyday living. I mean, your home is your sanctuary, right?

Last time showed you my children's rooms and my hopes, wishes, and dilemmas in redecorating them. I am still staring at the paint booklets that I have and I am thinking of either going with a shade of blue for both rooms (because I want them to flow into another-almost being the sibling of the other) or a shade of green/blue.

My plan is to score the paints during the month of March so that during the month of April we can clear out the rooms, paint, and begin the process of redecorating. I decided that the touch of vintage that will be represented in each room (the children's bedroom and playroom) will be in the form of decoration. I also decided to keep my daughters furniture in the main room and store the boys furniture in the garage. The playroom is so small, I really don't want any large pieces of furniture in there.

And since their ceiling fans, curtain rods, and furniture are all white-the dash of color will come from the walls as well as the decorations. This will hopefully give me a shabby chic yet vintage look and feel.

I decided I will focus on my search for decorations in Etsy and The Land of Nod. I found so many great pieces in both places. I love the look of the photo of the room above-so that is now my inspiration.

Here are some things I found on the website in The Land of Nod:

 The suitcases are another from of storage-I love storage! I adore this growth chart-it can be used for all three of my babies and I adore how it has bunnies on it hehe The theater you see can be changed into a food stand and a post office so its very versatile and I like that-more bang for your buck, right?

 I love the wall storage bins as well as the idea of stacking crates. Their main bedroom will hold their bookcase and a toy bin (both white) so the playroom really need smaller and more compactable storage. I am also looking for something for the living and foyer-something where I can hang the kids outerwear, put shoes away, and book bags because two years from now all three will be in school and mama need order in the home! LOL

These pieces were found in Etsy. I adore this house shaped shadow box-small little things can be placed in it. I also love the idea of including some vintage toys-as decoration only. And let us not forget banks! Isn't this clever dutch girl bank the cutest thing ever!

Do you like my finds? Are there any shops you would recommend to me? (thanks!)

xox

My Vintage Home: My Children's Rooms

I made a decision a few months ago that even if it takes a few years, I have to have my home repainted and redecorated-even just a little. I also decided to add a dash of vintage into my everyday life in my home as well. I have some things around the house already like signs and knick knacks but honestly once babies become toddlers you just cannot have too much delicate stuff lying around.

I thought since my goal is to work on the kids rooms between April and June of this year that perhaps you could all join in me in this exciting process and even if possible help me along? I mean, what are vintage sisters, right?

My two eldest sleep in the same room at the moment. That room was my former craft room so it still has the shabby chic look that I decorated it as back in 2006. The nursery is painted in sage green and it was that color for all three babies nursery themes. The photos below were taken in 2011 prior to my eldest son moving into his sisters room, he was still in the nursery (was a Winnie the Pooh theme and is now a Monkey theme), and the baby was in the bassinet in our bedroom.

I was thinking of just having the kids toddler beds lined in a row against the wall (away from the windows I prefer) and having only their dressers and armories in the room-no toys at all. My only concern is that there are two white pieces and two brown pieces. Do I put all four in the room? Do I only leave two?

The nursery aka future playroom is a really small space as you can see from above. There is a closest there that I cover with a curtain and one window. Making this space fun to play in and functional is going to be a challenge for sure.

The photo below is of a 1950's child's playroom. I would love to put a chalkboard in the room and not paint the wall with black chalk paint because it will just damage the wall in the long run.

Two color combinations I have liked so far are red and blue (dash of yellow?) and light aqua and orange. I am thinking of maybe a 1950's themed playroom only because the colors are so vibrant and fun and I want my babies to be comfortable in their special room.

I also this great article on how to create a 1950's playroom. Sweet isn't??! I have NO clue how to decorate the kids sleeping quarters. They all love different things. I need to figure out something generic but nice and defiantly no decals. My lil monkey boy would tear that up in two seconds hehe

So what do you think? This will be one of my new series that I will include on my blog along with "My Vintage Wardrobe", "Weekend Cinema Spotlight", and "Classic Film Actor Spotlight".

If you have any suggestions, tips, or any help at all--you can email them to me at bunnysvictory@yahoo.com or share them with me on my Facebook page. I have some time to work on this project but I know my baby will need to be in his toddler bed no later than the summer.

Boy, this is going to be fun!!!!

xox

The Truth About The 1950's

My neighbor Mary comes to every birthday party of my children's. You may remember me mentioning her before on other posts. Mary and her husband John were the nicest people to us when we first moved into our house.  John was a WWII war hero, having fought as a Marine in the Pacific. We lost John in 2009, but I have created a new friendship with Mary through the years. My children adore her and so do I!

She is now 85 years old and ironically celebrates her birthday the same day my grandmother did~May 1st. I have been sharing with her little by little my passion for the 1940's and what I do. Although it is hard to explain blogging to her generation, my dad is more than twenty years younger than her and he doesn't understand blogging either LOL

So, the other day at my son's second birthday party, Mary and I started talking about the 1940's and 1950's. I asked her something that I have been wondering for sometime now. After women were in the workforce and becoming more independent in the 1940's because of the war, why does the 1950's depict women as the perfect housewife and hostess? Why does it seem like women happily took a step backwards?

The answer was simple, at least for Mary. She explained to me that after the war people just wanted to get back to "normal". They knew that so many of the boys suffered greatly and missed out on a great deal of everyday life such as, attending college, dating, etc. She also told me that because the boys basically grew up while at war, people back home, especially the women, wanted to cater to them and make them feel good. It was also their way of saying "thank you".

All this time I thought women were forced back into the kitchen when it was women who put themselves back. Not out of feeling pressured to do so but they naturally felt inclined to continue to do their part. Mary told me that it wasn't a conscious thing that people spoke about openly but rather an unconscious understanding and need to want to help the boys get back to their lives.

She made me feel even prouder of being a women. By golly, we are capable of such sacrifices and such heroism, even in the simple confines of our own homes!

Oh and I have to throw in this bit that she shared with me about the 1950's-she told me that no one she knew had the same hairstyle. Mary still pin curls her hair and we were talking about how difficult of a time I have been having trying to learn how to figure out my full head of wavy hair. Hers is pin straight but I would have never known because it is always curly! LOL She also told me that women matched everything-their hats with their gloves with their dresses with their shoes. I love that! I have always been one to match my clothing from the inside out and I dress my children in the same fashion. Matching is fun!

I hope you enjoyed a little peak into the past through my friend Mary's eyes. It is always a pleasure to be able to talk to her and share with her my thoughts and ask her questions. I am so grateful that she is willing to share with me. It was like talking to a friend I have known forever-I was in bliss!

What are your thoughts about women in the 1950's? Did you ever wonder why society attempted to depict itself in such an ideal manner? Let me know your thoughts!

xox

The 1940's House

"The 1940's House" (2001)

For a week or so I have been wanting to share this little discovery with you. An acquaintance on my facebook suggested it to me and I looked for it on my Netflix but quickly discovered that it was only available via dvd.

You all already know I do not give up that easily so I searched for it on Youtube and I found it! Within two days I watched the whole thing and found it fascinating. I think you all will too!

This is the house that was converted completely

in the inside to be just like the 1940's-incredible!

Back in 2001 BBC produced a show following a modern family's adventures back into the past. They chose the Hymer family which consisted of Michael (father), Lyn (mother), Kirstie (daughter), Ben (grandson) and Thomas (grandson).

Filming lasted nine months and they went through 1939 to 1945 between those months. There were just five episodes and this is the way is was broken down:

Episode 1: The Home Front (aired 2 January 2001) - The series is introduced, the family moves in, war breaks out, and food rationing is confronted for the first time.

Episode 2: Into the Unknown (aired 4 January 2001) - Michael Hymers leaves the house for three weeks for work-related reasons, and the family confronts additional rationing.

Episode 3: Women at War (aired 11 January 2001) - Lyn and Kirstie join the Women's Voluntary Service and work in the war industry.

Episode 4: The Beginning of the End (aired 18 January 2001) - The family suffers from air-raids, sleep deprivation, and bomb damage before learning that the war is over. They also listen to radio stories about the liberation of Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp.

Episode 5: The Homecoming (aired 25 January 2001) - Six months later, the Hymers reflect on their time in 1940s House

The Hymers Family all decked out in their 40s best!

I think they made an interesting choice of families-they were outspoken yet argumentative so of course that made for good television. I was honestly very surprised on how little they knew about what their own people went through during the war. The father knew a great deal but he was very quiet about his knowledge and at some point he had to get back to his real job-in a way many men were gone either working or in war so the women left behind had a great deal of adjusting and struggling to contend with.

The family and producers were advised by the "war cabinet" historians to make the experience there as authentic as possible. There were moments of joy and many moments of true suffering. It made me really think about what people especially women in the UK went through during the War. It also made me more curious about what women went through in America as well.

Here is the entire show for you!!

A lot of vintage enthusiasts focus on the clothes and pretty things of an era  but the history and true life experiences of an era are so important to know and be aware of. This show defiantly gives you a little taste of that time. I think it was well put together and really makes your eyes open up a bit more to what it was like so long ago.

Enjoy!!

xox