The art of display or how to make the most of your collections

I love finding new additions to my collection but I often have to restrain myself as I have to deal with a limited amount of space in my flat. Two weeks ago, I found a cool chicken wire cabinet that I use for my porcelain cups and saucers. It was a great find and it is a practical way of displaying my collection. I decided to look for more display solutions - and the internet is full of great ideas that I felt I needed to share here!   

This picture shows two of my all-time favourites: blue and white ceramics and plates used to decorate a wall. Love it: it is a great way of showcasing a collection and spicing up a neutral wall:

The Willow Collection at Bluebellgray.

Giving wine crates a second life by using them as display cases, for jewellery or other:

Wine crates upcycling project on the hgtv website.

Another use of upcycled wine crates:

Pretty collection of bird figurines from the HousetoHome website.

 
Got some beautiful shoes but don't know how to display them? The solution is in your garden shed:

Clever use of a vintage ladder! Picture from the Alix Rose blog.

Simple but effective: organising your items on a shelf by colour:

Stylish toys collection from the Apartment Therapy website.

What about solutions available on Etsy? Well, for the last few months the website has been full of these little glass and brass display cabinets (I even sold one myself). They are great for small pieces (like jewellery) or plants:

Vintage cases by IonesAttic, £18,00.

 Printers' drawers are also quite trendy and add a cool vintage and industrial touch to a room:

Stylish printer's drawer beautifully decorated with vintage prints by Vialila, £160.

And here is an original DIY idea to showcase old postcards or pictures:

Pictures holders made from vintage roller skates wheels by Jollytimeone, £11,50.

And finally from Etsy, a quirky way of displaying vintage books: in a glass dome.

Large vintage glass dome by Littledogvintage, £42,50.

Want more ideas? Take a look at the September edition of Homes & Antiques: they have a great article on how to make the most of your collection with beautiful illustrations. You can see some on their website here (absolutely adore the jelly moulds on a kitchen wall- very Christmassy)!

And finally, my own humble attempt at making a jewellery holder for my necklaces and earrings... I must admit that I am quite satisfied with the result! :)

5 minutes DIY project: jewellery holder! An easy way to display necklaces.

Do you know any other great way of displaying a collection? If so, please share in the comments below!

Have a great week ;-)

Repurpose Heaven

I hope everybody is enjoying their extended Easter weekend! For me, it is an opportunity to do some DIY and repurposing - not very successfully, I must admit! However, even if my attempts have failed, it has inspired me to take a look at  'proper' repurposing - and I must say, these people are geniuses! These ideas are great and beautiful in their own way:

Beautiful chandelier made of milk plastic crates by Made. Picture from Apartment Therapy. 

 Love the quirkiness of this fish tank fitted in an old tv! Picture from Aquahobby.

Such a gorgeous idea: a desk made of books! Made by the Architecture students at Delft University of Technology. More pictures at Inventorspot.

Grace from Poetic Home gave a new lease of life to this antique horse carriage and the result is stunning!

Unique furniture with a twist: repurposed suitcases by SalvageShack (etsy shop)

Such a simple but pretty idea: using spoons as wall storage hooks! From Country Home.

Love this one: an old dresser turned into a home garden! Instructions by Kate on Shelterness.

And here is a new Etsy treasury I just did with some great other repurposed items! Enjoy ;-)

ElizabethSt $58.00	Artistique $62.00	lightexture $115.00	daimblond $12.00
JeanRameyArt $20.00	reeveswilliam $26.00	SaveTheBarns $42.00	redelephantsto... $9.00
SwedishGuyDesi... $145.00	TheDoorStop $56.00	Artistique $46.00	electricheirlo... $285.00
TRWpainted $26.00	twostringjane $54.00	RusticDuck $100.00	WhiteWeathered... $20.00

What do you think about repurposed items? Have you ever tried yourself? Please share in the comments below ;-)

Bon appetit! Using still life pictures to decorate your kitchen

When I noticed that a neighbour was throwing away this vintage painting, I couldn't help but ask him if I could keep it. My lovely neighbour was happy with me taking it away and I was excited to have finally found THE picture I was looking for to decorate my kitchen!

Okay, the painting was in a grim frame and had a nice layer of dirt on it. However, it was worth spending time cleaning it as I love the idea of decorating kitchens with this kind of pictures. Here are some stylish kitchens with this type of vintage-style still lifes:

(Above the chopping boards, on the right) Katrin Arens's kitchen, photograph by Jordi Canosa.

Above the stove - from the CountryLiving website.

Susan Jenkins's colourful kitchen / art gallery

On Etsy, one can find any kind of still life pictures, vintage or not, often for a very reasonable price. Here are some of my favourites:

Pomegranate and Turnip, original oil painting by SuzannesStudio, $35.

 

Paint by numbers still lifes by Kitschcafe, $22.

Vintage still life oil on board by Vintagehomerecycled, $31.

 

Something a bit different: beaded still life by LoverlyVintage, $18.

Jalapeno and a Half by Polly Jones, original still life, $50 at PollyPainting.

 

What about you? Do you dream of a vintage kitchen? How would you decorate it? Please share your ideas in the comments below ;-)

New antique DIY project: repurposed cast iron bracket

I finally have access to the Internet again and I am now trading from the other side of Oxford!
To start this new era, I found an exciting antique DIY project:

I discovered this antique cast iron bracket hidden under a bed of ivy in my new garden. As soon as I saw it, I knew it would end up in my studio :)

Now that I have cleaned it, I have a couple of decisions to make:

- do I get rid of the original white paint (half gone), then leave it in rusty colour, or do I paint it again in white (or black)?

- (the fun part) what do I do with it? Here are some ideas:

• use it as a bed ornament or headboard...? 

(image from European Antique Market blog)

(Image from Man_of  Steel on Flickr)

• use it as a banquette arm (love this idea - but difficult as I don't have this kind of sofa):

(Image from Susan Burger Living Beautifully)

• Make some kind of lamp out of it?

(Image from Under Spanish Moss blog)

• or just sell it? :o)

I need your help to decide wisely! What do you think would be the best option? Do you have any other idea about how to repurpose it? Please let me know in the comments below :-)

Christmas-themed home decor: Vintage Santa

Don't know how to decorate the house for Christmas? Want to invest in art and find something to put above the fireplace? I have the perfect solution for you! What about Andy Warhol's "Santa Claus" from the "Myths" portfolio (1981)?

Not bad, eh? This screenprint on board with diamond dust (yes, diamond dust!) is available on artnet.com for a cool $16,000 (!). Hurry, only two days left!

 Just in case you don't have $16,000 to spend on a Warhol print right now, here is a small selection of vintage Santas you can find on Etsy for a much cheaper price:

1958 Santa Claus advertisement for Coca Cola by FrenchFrouFrou available here ($12.95).

 

Santa Christmas Lemon Crate Label by Labelstone available here ($9.99).

'Nose like a cherry' Christmas print by SkitterCats available here ($12.00).

 

 1951 "Flying Santa" vintage Christmas print by ArcaniumAntiques available here ($75).

More Christmas-themed posts to come!