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15 Festive Finds for Early Christmas Decorating

November 17, 2020 by jessica Leave a Comment

15 Festive Finds for Early Christmas Decor
image source

With how difficult this year has been, I think we all deserve carte blanche to start decorating for the holidays on the early side! I typically wait until after Thanksgiving to deck the halls and I’ll probably follow suit this year, but that doesn’t mean I can’t add a few things to my cart this year in anticipation of the merriest season of all. Here are fifteen festive finds I love:

  1. This tiny faux pine is the sweetest addition to a bar cart.
  2. A sweet enamel ornament.
  3. Glass trees for a modern mantle.
  4. I’m a sucker for German smoker decorations.
  5. While not specifically Christmas decor, a buffalo plaid throw is a must.
  6. I have and love this mini tree.
  7. Such a charming doormat!
  8. Add a faux pine spray to your favorite vase. This one with pinecones is great, too.
  9. A set of dessert plates adorned with little trees.
  10. No room for a tree? Fill this bowl with your favorite vintage ornaments.
  11. If we didn’t already have stockings we like, I’d be opting for these.
  12. This colorful candy dish reminds me of old-fashioned ribbon candy.
  13. I have a similar set of glass icicle ornaments. They’re perfect for filling in space on the tree.
  14. It’ll take some patience, but a vintage brass reindeer or stag is well worth sifting through listings.
  15. I already purchased this little bunch of faux mistletoe.

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Filed Under: Home Tagged With: christmas, holiday season

15 Finds for Thanksgiving

November 11, 2020 by jessica Leave a Comment

15 Fun Finds for Thanksgiving
image source

Thanksgiving is going to look a bit different this year with families opting to forgo large celebrations in favor of small gatherings with just those in their own households. While you may be sad about missing out on cherished traditions, it doesn’t mean you can’t make the day special. I rounded up 15 fun finds for Thanksgiving, below, to make this year’s holiday memorable. (And be sure to order early since shipping is expected to take longer this holiday season!)

  1. If you’ve wanted to try gold flatware, now’s the time! Especially when there’s an affordable set with service for four.
  2. Vintage-inspired glasses in a great autumnal hue.
  3. I just purchased this linen tablecloth for our Thanksgiving table. It comes in at under $30 no matter what size you need!
  4. This inexpensive gravy boat has a beautiful shape.
  5. I love the black rim on these classic appetizer plates.
  6. A set of small, versatile bowls. Use them to serve appetizer-sized portions of soup, set out dips, or to corral nuts and jams accompanying your cheese board.
  7. Save yourself the trouble of making your own turkey brine and pick up a jarred one.
  8. This sweater is a perennial favorite of mine. It’s incredibly soft with a flattering relaxed fit, making it perfect for Thanksgiving. There’s a striped version, too!
  9. A set of taper holders in various heights makes decorating the table a breeze.
  10. I have this platter and it’s great because its simple design coordinates with just about any decor.
  11. Clearly these earrings aren’t just for the holiday, but their chunky shape would look beautiful with sweaters all season long and they’re not too fussy to wear while you’re cooking.
  12. Cloth napkins in a striking, yet classic windowpane design.
  13. My favorite coasters continue to get better with age. I’m probably going to order a second set.
  14. An elegant, heirloom-quality carving set.
  15. Finish the meal with a slice of pie, presented with a vintage server.

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Filed Under: Home Tagged With: thanksgiving

How to Remove Paint from Original Antique Hardware

October 20, 2020 by jessica Leave a Comment

How to Remove Paint from Brass Hardware

As far as I’m concerned, people who paint over hardware are the worst kind of people. (Well, no, but they’re up there.) I know that taking hardware off of the door and frame is a pain. It’s difficult to rehang a door. It’s annoying to take precious time away from painting in order to do the prep work. However, please, please, please just do it for people like me who have spent literal hours removing paint and polishing the original brass hardware in her 1920s home. That said, removing old paint (be it latex or lead-based) is an easy one, even if it can be time consuming.

How to Remove Paint from Brass Hardware

All of the hardware in our home was painted over to various degrees. (I mean, look at that green hinge from our guest room.) For the most part, the door hinges and mortise locksets were in the worst shape and only a few splatters were on the door knobs and rosettes. After doing some research, I found the following to being the most efficient process to removing the paint and bringing back luster to the brass.

Materials:

  • Old stock pot – You’re going to be boiling water and your hardware in this, so use an old one that you never plan to use for food again. If you don’t have one that you can dedicate to house projects, check Goodwill. Alternatively, here’s the cheapest one I found on Amazon with Prime shipping. You can also use an old Crock-Pot. This can be on the smaller side, but a lot of water will evaporate depending on how much hardware you’re cleaning at once.
  • Tongs – The cheaper the better for the same reasons as above.
  • Heat-resistant rubber gloves – For handling hot hardware when it’s done boiling.
  • Nylon bristle brush – You’ll need it to loosen some of the paint. If your hardware is already scratched and you don’t mind a few more scuffs, you can use a brass bristle brush. Keep in mind, though, it’s much more abrasive and you’ll be leaving scratches in its wake.
  • Utility knife – Useful for getting bits of paint out of small crevices.
  • Flitz polish – This metal polish has rave reviews on This Old House and it works really well. I used it for this project, but also on other vintage brass pieces.
  • Citristrip paint remover – You’re using boiling water for the majority of your paint removal, but as you’ll see below, there are a few times you’ll want to avoid dunking your piece in water: namely glass door knobs and mortise locksets. More info is in the “tips” section below.
  • Latex gloves – Between the metal polish, paint remover, and old flecks of paint, I promise you’ll want to keep your skin protected.
  • Old rags or paper towels – You’ll use these for polishing the hardware. I opted for paper towels to make cleanup easier, even if it’s not the most eco-friendly of choices.
How to Remove Paint from Antique Hardware

Steps:

  1. This step is crucial to making your life easier: Take each hinge off and slip them into plastic baggies labeled with the location of each component. I had labels such as “main bedroom door frame top” and “main bedroom door frame bottom” to keep everything as organized as possible. While the hinges all look the same, I didn’t want to risk swapping anything around if there had been imperceptible warping over the past 90 years. To that end, if there are shims behind your hinges, keep and label those, too. They’re there for a reason.
  2. Bring water to a boil in an old pot. You can also use an old Crock-Pot and let it simmer overnight. I prefer using a pot on the stovetop so I could move through the process in an afternoon for each set of hardware rather than waiting until the next day.
  3. Drop your hardware in and bring it to a boil. (Again, I did this section by section to avoid mixing up any hinges.) It takes about 20 to 30 minutes at a boil for the paint to loosen from the hardware, so be patient. And, please do this in a well-ventilated area. Theoretically, the latex paint will peel off in sheets and lead-based paint flakes off. Apparently in this situation, the lead isn’t as much of a concern compared to sanding it because the wetness is keeping it from being airborne. (Don’t hold me to this, though, it’s what I read on This Old House and I trust those folks. We’ll see how my lungs fare in a few decades.)
  4. Once the paint is starting to come off the hardware, remove it from the boiling water with a pair of tongs. This is where your heat-resistant rubber gloves come into play, too. You’ll need to hold the hardware and use your brush to scrub the remaining bits of paint off — and the hardware is extremely hot. Some of the paint might be stubborn. In those instances, I used a utility knife to gently scrape away the paint. This was also useful for getting into the crevice of screwheads. If that doesn’t work, put it back in the boiling water for a bit longer.
  5. At this point, you’ll need to let your hardware cool. It’ll look similar to the photo below. If you have bits of paint leftover after cleaning it, you can use the utility knife to get at the little bits before going to the next step: polishing.
  6. Polishing your hardware is incredibly satisfying. I prefer using Flitz polish. It’s non-toxic, but you might want to crack a window as it doesn’t smell the best. Donning a pair of latex gloves, smear polish on your hardware and give it a minute to start reacting. Then, using either a clean rag or paper towels, rub the polish over the hardware. You’ll need to keep finding a new area of your rag or paper towel as you remove more and more of the black tarnish from your hardware. A rag will be less abrasive, but I found that I preferred using paper towels as I went through quite a few of them.
  7. Rinse your hardware under running water, dry it, mount it!
How to Remove Paint from Brass Hardware

Tips:

  • Do not boil glass doorknobs. Water can get stuck in the knob itself and take awhile to evaporate. In this instance, use Citristrip, a chemical-based paint remover that’s safe for indoor use, to remove the paint. You’ll need to protect your hands with a pair of gloves and smear on the chemical remover and wait a half hour or so. The paint will start to pull away from the hardware and you can wipe it off. I then rinsed it well under running water to remove the chemical and stop the reaction.
  • Paint on the glass portion of the doorknob can often be scraped off with a utility knife without scratching the glass.
  • I also did not boil the mortise lockset to avoid any accidental rust of the interior components.
  • When remounting the hardware, I put a fresh pair of latex gloves on. If you weren’t careful about removing every last bit of patina when polishing your hardware, it’s easy to transfer some of that black grime to your fingers and inadvertently get it on your door and frame. It didn’t clean off particularly well when the smudges happened to me, but a bit of touch-up paint did the trick.

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How to Remove Paint from Antique Hardware

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Filed Under: DIY, Home, Interiors Tagged With: diy, Doors, Hardware, House Projects

The Best $0.79 to Spend on Your Home

September 23, 2020 by jessica Leave a Comment

Ikea Tekla Dish Towel

IKEA’s Tekla dish towels are a cult favorite for their low price and durability, but what makes them even better is that they can double as cloth napkins. I don’t know if you’ve looked at the price of cloth napkins lately, but they’re surprisingly expensive for a swath of fabric that’s inevitably going to be stained with red wine. With these, however, you can afford to stock up. They’re generously sized with a charming red border that reminds me of a French bistro, and I love the idea of pairing them with a linen tablecloth for casual dinners this fall. Plus, let’s face it, Thanksgiving is likely going to be a low key affair this year, so you may as well take it a step further with a selection of brass candlesticks (preferably vintage and cleaned up with Flitz polish) for a farm-to-table-inspired look.

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Filed Under: Home Tagged With: dining room, Ikea, Kitchen, Table Settings

Help me choose a rug

September 9, 2020 by jessica Leave a Comment

Living Room Rug Options
rugs one, two, and three

Hey, I hope you had a great Labor Day weekend! We spent Saturday in the Milwaukee area going to a county park, having an outdoor lunch at a brewery, and swinging by IKEA. The latter of which didn’t feel nearly as safe as the other activities of the day. While IKEA is usually a madhouse, it felt more claustrophobic in the midst of a pandemic — not exactly what I was hoping for during my first retail outing since March, aside from Target and the grocery store. I definitely scratched that in-store itch that day, but a couple of hours of looking at home decor inspired me to continue making upgrades around the house before winter sets in.

As far as exterior projects are concerned, I finally painted our front porch railings matte black (see the before; progress photos to come). Inside, I started looking for a new living room rug. We’ve been using this wool rug that we purchased when we lived in the apartment. It’s nice and all, but it’s too small for the space and doesn’t really work with the direction our living room is moving in. We really want a vintage rug, but affordable ones are hard to come by and we’re not exactly frequenting antique stores to find one. So, we’re going the cheap route for the time being. I’ve read good things about the Loloi II line (they’re often cheaper here with the option for in-person returns) and narrowed it down to my three favorites above and put them into a collage with some of our other living room pieces. (The coffee table is also from the apartment and I’d like to replace it with something that better fits our mid-century-meets-traditional aesthetic. Possibly this one.)

Of the three we narrowed it down to, I really love the second one. However, in the up-close view, I don’t like the tufted look for a vintage-inspired rug as much as I like the thinner woven look of the other two. So, here’s what we’re looking at:

Living Room Rug Options

Dave is leaning more toward this one and I think I’m in agreement. I prefer blues and greens over warm hues and the background of this one has more of those cooler tones. That said, I don’t love the center medallion, but the coffee table will be over that. My biggest hesitation here is if the geometric patterns of our throw blankets and pillows will look out of place with the rug. Clearly I’m no stranger to pattern mixing, but those just seem so dissimilar that I’m pumping the brakes a bit.

Living Room Rug Options

Then there’s this rug that has a lot more red than I’m necessarily on board with. However, the pattern of this one doesn’t compete with the plaids and stripes as much as the other one does. Plus, I like that the border has a lot blues in the design.

Which one do you like? We’d be opting for the 7.5′ x 9.5′ size, so it’s only around the $160-170 mark and returnable at Walmart. I could always order one and see how it looks, but I’d really rather avoid the hassle and nail it on the first try!

Sources
Credenza (by Ekais; I don’t think they’re in business anymore.)
Artwork (c/o Minted)
Striped Pillow
Plaid Pillow (similar)
Leather Chair (ours has wood legs)
Couch (amazing quality; looks new after three years)
Coffee Table
Side Table
Throw Blanket

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Filed Under: Home, Living Room Tagged With: living room, Rugs

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Hello!


Jessica Hamm
Hello there! I'm a first-time homeowner updating a 1920s house in Madison, Wisconsin. I have a penchant for travel and a love of costume jewelry.

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I’m challenging myself to get through a backlog I’m challenging myself to get through a backlog of travel photos before we book our next trip. First up, photos of the gothic York Minster. I’m not religious in the slightest but I can’t resist stunning architecture and the opportunity to climb hundreds of cathedral stairs for a city view. This one only had a single rest stop about halfway up the flight of 275 steps for a closeup view of the flying buttresses — and a waiver you had to sign before your ascent to promise you’re healthy enough to make it.
Can you hear meow? 😸 Lily is putting the phone Can you hear meow? 😸 Lily is putting the phone nook to good use.
Christmassy mornings. Christmassy mornings.
Thanksgiving Bake: Flourless Chocolate Wave Cake f Thanksgiving Bake: Flourless Chocolate Wave Cake from Dessert Person by @csaffitz

#dessertperson #thanksgiving #eastfork #eastforkdoesmydishes #eastforkpottery #dansk #food52 #dessert
Visiting York earlier this month put us in the Hal Visiting York earlier this month put us in the Halloween spirit. While it claims to be the most haunted place in Europe and is dubbed the city of a thousand ghosts, we only encountered the wire-mesh sculptures of Ghosts in the Gardens (@the_york_bid) and the family of souvenir ghosts I brought home from @yorkghostmerchants. 

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