If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance...

 Spring is in bloom but it just won't warm up.  This has been one of the longest winters I can remember in New York...Lately I have been trying to preoccupy myself with visions of summer to bring some light to all the gloom.

"In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer."

 I made little bird's nests in my antique Victorian tea cups complete with little ceramic swallows.  I would like to add something in the middle cup's nest.  Maybe some mini eggs?  Or a cute bow?

 

In the past I have gone for more BOLD bright colors in the spring and summer...pastels...psychedelic hues with a 60's vibe but I have been falling head over heels for the 1940's.  I love the muted "dusty" tones on Sienna Miller  here in The Edge of Love.

 Adorable cardigans everywhere!  A romantic lace dress like this would be perfect for a warm summer's day.  Throw on your pretty pink cardigan and lay in a field watching the sun set. Ahhh...

Found this dress on eBay...way out of my price range but without a doubt one of the most breathtaking vintage pieces I have ever come across.  The dress is almost a Hershey-copper brown, very unique. 

This is by far my favorite summer dress of all time.  Worn by Allie (Rachel McAdams) in The Notebook.

Actual vintage dress from the 1940's and just my luck, I found it on etsy yesterday!  I looks almost identical except for the trim and neckline are a bit different.  It even buttons all the way down the front.  I want to roll the sleeves up and put a darling floral fabric around the cuffs to match the collar like the blue dress seen above.  I will cherish this dress it is too good to be true.

Could you imagine waking up to this every morning right outside your window?  Out in the middle of the woods.

The 1940's brought us some great blouses in woman's fashion.  Kiera Knightley wears this sheer floral blouse/robe in Atonement.

Even under garments were prettier back then.  Silky, smooth girdle you would have a matching corset or bra under your pencil skirt.  Complete with garter belt to clip up your stockings.  Too sexy.  These look crazy but they truly do wonders for your curves.  There is nothing you can buy today that would work better than a girdle under formal wear trust me I have tried. 

All my life, I've been looking for class...but this, is real class!

So with summer on it's way I have been digging through all my old head scarfs pondering over the best ways to wear one...

 

"This is the best thing to wear for today, you understand. Because I don't like women in skirts and the best thing is to wear pantyhose or some pants under a short skirt, I think. Then you have the pants under the skirt and then you can pull the stockings up over the pants underneath the skirt. And you can always take off the skirt and use it as a cape. So I think this is the best costume for today"

-Edith Bouvier Beale

 Classic 1940's style

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, always looking lovely.  She owns the best sunglasses in the world.

 

 Little Miss Twiggy rockin the thin brows like no one else can...she looks like a 1930's doll with that cute lace top.

 This was a look by Chanel a definite tribute to Miss Edith Bouvier Beale.

 Pretty face with a nice sweater head scarf, yet another nod to Miss Edith Bouvier Beale

 I don't know what this is from...but I like it!  Very pretty makes me want to go to my old camp and lay out in the sun all day long.

 A modern twist on a Hollywood 1940's look.   The curly Q on the side and the bright red lipstick really pull it all together.

 This is the first thing I imagine when thinking of a summer head scarf.  All the outfits in this movie were like a dream.  Rachel McAdams playing Allie Hamilton in The Notebook.

 Very similar to the scarf and style worn in The Notebook.

Look at that sassy shimmer and shine!

Audrey Hepburn elegant and stunning!

The best for last...the one who inspired John Galliano, Chanel and so many more, I am absolutely captivated by her...Miss Edith Bouvier Beale.

Her majesty is a pretty nice girl but she doesn't have a lot to say...

Alas!  My french dresser has arrived!  A HUGE thanks to my cousin Peter for helping me pick up the large parcel and deliver it to my humble abode.  Sorry for the iPhone pictures I was far too excited and needed to share them ASAP!

The little drawers have green velvet liner and spots for each item of silverware you would have.  These will be fantastic to put dog leashes, car, keys and all sorts of accessories. 

(My darling Pugsley can not resist the spotlight.)

 This was originally the bottom to a dinning room hutch set made by Harmony House Company.  

Here is a photo of one just like it I found on Google with the top section included.

Ohhh the details in the wood I adore.  The entire piece is dovetailed except for a few screws to keep drawer pulls in place.  I did a little research and found one almost identical to this one.  Come to find it is made of solid Mahogany.

Here is another shot of it at night.  I was trying out a few display options.

This is where I have her right now.  Looks so much more inviting than a mound of boxes and an electric floor heater when you walk in the door.  I am working on the curtains as you know.  Some flowy sheer panels would look so romantic behind this piece.    

As you can see the whole thing is pretty scratched up.  Have no fear!  I plan on refinishing this big beaut!  I think I will paint the body a nice grayish blue with an shabby chic look to it.  Sand the paint down make it look weathered again.  

The top I would like to sand down and re-stain the same color as it is now with a nice satin finish to stay true to the original piece.  Similar to this adorable dresser seen in The Restoration Shoppe

Close up of white paint and stain to highlight the detailed woodwork.

 

So since purchasing a church pew is a bit far fetched right now, I have been on the hunt for simple designs I can use for a model to build my very own.  I found this church pew on eBay.  I think it would be really easy to make.  Use a jigsaw to get that nice rounded shape on the sides.  You will be able to sit down and put on your shoes and store them beneath it's genius!

Time to shop for some supplies...

This is the dusty blue color I would like to use on the body of the dresser and church pew/bench.

Accents will be painted with a nice bright antique white.

This is how I would like the top surface to be when I am done.  You gotta have respect for Mahogany.

The smell of it reminds my orchestra days.

And because you were thinking about it the entire time:

Ron Burgundy: I don't know how to put this, but I'm kind of a big deal.

Veronica Corningstone: Really.

Ron Burgundy: People know me.

Veronica Corningstone: Well, I'm very happy for you.

Ron Burgundy: Um, I'm very important. I have many leather-bound books, and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.

Ready Freddy?...

First time I have gone treasure hunting in a while but boy oh boy was it a success.  We got a late start at 7:45, the rescue mission closed at 8:00 & the salvation army closed at 9:00.  So we had to be quick like bunnies...or deer...

"Deer Man" by Coco de Paris has finally arrived & he needed a proper frame.  I want something more Parisian and ornate to frame this eventually. But for now this will do just fine.  He looks so admirable does he not?  Ahhhh mon cheri!!!

This was the find of the night...a 1950's ice cream maker by Sears, Roebuck & Company.  It looks as if it was never used.  The tarnish on the steel barrel is not rust either it just needs a good shine!  Look at that Tiffany blue steel motor.  Best part is...IT WORKS!  The motor is shockingly quiet.  It makes less noise than a modern mixer.  I could make a serious cake with this thing.  Total impulse buy but for $8 I had to take it home. 

The blue outer-bucket part is made of that fabulous 1950's Eames era fiberglass too.  So classy.

Right beside the ice cream maker was this brand new in box 1960's heating pad.  $3.99 I can not refuse.

Cutest fabric ever!

Close up of the dial...loving the font and little numbers.

Look at the new artwork I found of this cute hound!  Fits perfectly above "Wipe Your Paws."  This is actually hand painted oil on canvas.  The signature says 'L.Cruse '80' so wherever you are your painting is awesome and it completes my home.  Thank you!

I found this little mini green suitcase on the RIGHT to match my other two.  I love traveling with these they are perfect for a nice weekend getaway or road trip.  They also make a great cooler if you're lacking resources.  Tee hee...I found two $1 hardcover books at the Salvation Army on Erie Boulevard.  One is "My Life with Dr. King Jr." first edition 1969 copy by Coretta Scott King.  Also a copy of "The Complete basic book of Home Decorating" 5th edition 1976 so you can only imagine how glorious those photographs must be.  I won't spoil the surprise though.  I plan on doing an entire post dedicated to the photos in the book.  They are amazing and you will wish you owned a time machine.

The vase/pitcher on the right completes my Marie Antoinette display with dolls heads and hands in a jar & a lovely Coco Mademoiselle bottle in tow.  On the pitcher there are 2 pictures one on the front with Marie in a pink ruffled gown with Louis.  On the back a picture of them frolicking in the queens peasant retreat at Versailles.

Here is the old photo album I get all my flapper girl photographs from.  It is stuffed with old photographs from the late 1920's-early 1940's.  There are pictures of ladies on the beach, gentlemen in fine suits, flapper girls in the park...such an inspiration.  I rescued this from a junk pile at the flea market.  I don't even think the guy charged me because it was all going to the dump.  Tragic...

Christmas is over and so is winter...thank god!  But I love how this string of icicle light looks across the windows in the dressing room/record room.  With spring in bloom and summer on it's merry way I am thinking more lightning bugs than snow.  

I have been keeping my eye out for one of these juice jars for a while now.  Can't wait to make some lemonade and throw this in the fridge much prettier than a plastic carton!

A shiny new champagne bucket to add to my "bar."  

Some trinkets in the hutch...owl pitcher I bought from a lady selling her 30 year owl collection on craigslist.  Drove out to the real life "Farmville" and got this and about 50 more owls for $10...I need to find all of them proper nests in my home.  On the lower shelf is a matching 1970's milk glass sugar bowl and cream jar with stainless steel tops.  A milk glass vase sits in back flowerless for now.

People throw away such incredible things.  I found the top artwork at the Salvation Army on Erie Boulevard for $2.99.  It is a print on a burlap sack of the street that Van Gogh painted in the artwork on the bottom right.  The two artworks on the bottom I got in a book full of high quality prints.  This frame was on the curb outside the house here when we first moved in along with many other beautiful old frames.  All of these I took inside of course and plan to use them.

 

This isn't the actual dresser I found...but I found one EXACTLY like this tonight for $35.  I did a dance when I spotted it.  My jaw dropped to the floor.  It is how I pictured it in my wildest dreams but I could not find one for a price I could afford.  Was expecting it to be a while before I found one too, but alas!  Sooo thrilled to start my new project!  My cousin Peter has a truck so he is helping make this a reality he truly is the best!!!

I will have pictures tomorrow night posted for sure.