Curbside Chic

Snow Day!

2010-02-10T14:19:00.000-05:00

Since it's been so snowy outside I thought it would be a great time to share these gorgeous postcards that I stumbled upon at an estate sale. The gentleman who mailed these was stationed in Belgium in 1944 and these were souvenirs that he sent back to his daughter and wife. The illustrations are gorgeous but the sweet commentary on the backs were truly what did it for me!

This one says "Typical of Belgium Notice the Pump"

There is a lot of water between my two dears and me.

Our house on the hill?

Typical of Belgium

This one isn't snowy but it was just too sweet not to include. It says Heureux Anniversaire (Happy Birthday) on the front in gold and on the back is a very touching note about how he wished that he could be there in person and that the flowers could be real.

Prayers for Haiti

2010-01-15T13:00:00.000-05:00

Over the last few days, the news coming out of Haiti has been just overwhelming. My prayers are with anyone who is affected by this disaster.
If you are at all in a position to send aid of any amount I encourage you to do so to the extent you are able. A charity that has a history of work in Haiti is Food for the Poor. You can visit their site here for information on how you can help.

Also, most of the major news networks have vetted charity listings on their websites. Even if you are not in a position to help financially, please spare a few minutes to pray for the people who are suffering.

Also, if you could spare a few extra prayers for my brother who has been battling a serious illness and is facing surgery out of state on Monday, it would mean a lot to my family and I. Thank you.

Kerry

Curbside Coup: Sweet Poem

2010-01-14T18:21:00.005-05:00

Sometimes the best treasures are ones that you come across unexpectedly. This is a cute poem I found in a 1907 Aldine Second Reader which had been cut out by a Clifford, years old 8, from a newspaper or magazine:

The Weather

When the weather is wet
We must not fret;
When the weather is cold
We must not scold;
When the weather is warm
We must not storm;
But Be thankful together
Whatever the weather.

Curbside Chica: Kim of Camp Whimsy

2009-07-14T13:36:00.005-04:00

Today, I'd like to take the opportunity to share a lovely blogger with you, Kim of Camp Whimsy. She's graciously taken the time to share a bit about herself, her favorite tip and some of what inspires her style. I hope you'll enjoy reading about her and seeing some of her favorite finds--be sure to stop by her lovely blog and say hello!
Kerry

I was introduced to vintage junk early on when I attended sales with my mom and grandmother. And I haven't stopped looking for good junk since! My favorite things to find are chairs and things for my garden including gates, old mirrors, concrete figurines and pagoda statues. I'm a sucker for things painted light blue or aqua.

My best tip is to find a local place that sells estate goods and definitely hit the yard sales if you live in a good area for that. You'll be surprised at what you may find.

As for my style, I guess I'm a little bit country, but I like ocean colors and incorporate a lot of blues in my decorating. I have several prints throughout my home of vintage travel posters from places I've been and loved, including Cannes and Nice. I've used the colors in those prints as inspiration for the rest of my home. I prefer old to new and as a result there are area's in my home that I feel are not completely decorated since I am holding out for just the right thing. I think it's better to find something you really want and identify with than to decorate with something that will be outdated and you will be tired of in a short time.

Prior to blogging I read many magazines and used their photos and articles to help me shape my tastes, my favorite magazine was Cottage Living (sadly not in print any longer) and also Country Living. Blogging is a great way to find inspiration from many talented and creative people. Smiles, Kim

Curbside Coup: Lloyd Loom!

2009-07-04T13:32:00.003-04:00

Happy 4th everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful and safe day spent with the ones you love!

I would like to apologize for not being as attentive as I should be with the blog lately. I own a small vintage cottage style shop with my mom and we've been very busy gearing up for the "season". I will try to be much better about this in the future!

I wanted to share something with you today which is an example of American ingenuity, and one of my favorite finds to boot: a vintage PINK Lloyd Loom hamper.
Lloyd Loom furniture looks like wicker but was actually made from twisted kraft paper in a process created by the founder Marshall Burns Lloyd. You can read more about the history here. Lloyd Loom can be recognized by its destinctive weave, its sweet feet, and its signature trim.

Once again I was out with my mom and it was her sharp eyes that spotted this at the booth of a man at the Waynesville Spring Antique Show which is held on the streets of Waynesville, OH. I shrieked when I saw it. The sweet man, had marked it $16 dollars but told me I could have it for $14. I still have a hard time believing it! This is my second piece of Lloyd Loom ( I also have a smaller rectangular shaped turquoise hamper). which is often gold.

Curbside Kit

2009-06-05T19:19:00.003-04:00

It is important to always be prepared for curbside finds. There will be days when you don't set out to look for anything but you find something fabulous. Nothing is worse than having to pass it up because you weren't prepared. With this in mind, I have compiled a short list of items that you should always keep in your vehicle in your Curbside Kit. If you were a Girl Scout or were inspired by Nancy Drew you will probably have most of this in your car anyways, if not you probably should.

The most important item is a charged cell phone. I like to go out in a van (one without stow 'n go seats) and if I haven't planned on curbing or doing the sales I probably won't have taken the seats out. If I have a cell phone I can call one of my friends or their menfolk who can come with a truck or van to help cart off the find. A cell phone can also call for muscle to help move a heavier piece.
You also want to have a large pump style bottle of hand-sanitizer. Believe me there will be times when you don't want to have to mess with the cap. This is always handy to have anyways.
A roll of paper towels is great too. If there is a lot of dirt/dust/??? hanging off of your find you can try to get the worst of it off prior to loading it into your car. Plus you can wipe off the worst of whatever is now on your hands before slathering them with antibacterial gel. This is something also good to have to check fluid levels when stranded at the side of the road.
An old blanket or drop cloth is handy to protect the inside of your vehicle from getting too dirty. I would pack a separate one to actually use yourself if you should get stranded on the side of a road in the middle of winter.
Bungee cords, ropes etc. Just in case your trunk or tailgate can't contain your treasures.
A heavy duty flashlight, to better see your treasures and scare off the critters I mentioned in the last post!
A box or bags to put your smaller treasures.

That's all I can think of at the moment. What would you add?

Curbside Coup: Vintage Wrought Iron Candelabra

2009-05-22T20:56:00.007-04:00

Sometimes it is worthwhile to be a little gutsy and go curbing in the light of day. After all a girl has got to get her vitamin D and a little touch of sun is good for you too. And sometimes you can find something fab. Something so hidden in a pile of overwhelming debris that you wouldn't dare approach at night. Whether you fear something small and furry might already be exploring or you really don't want to catch something dreadful by running up against something truly horrid. (Believe me--its not always so easy being a slightly oc, shy, type a, germaphobe curber!) You might just have missed the most glorious find.

Just look at this wonderful candelabra that my mom and I found! We like to do this together when we can and she claimed dibs on this one. Isn't it exquisite? The pics just don't do justice to the glorious patina. I am not sure of the age of this but it certainly looks to date to the early 20th century. I think it might have come from a garden or possibly a church but for right now, it has found a new home on my mom's porch .

At the same place where we found this, there were all sorts of goodies including some vintage iron salvage pieces that still had tags from an antique shop on them. I will be sure to share them in future posts. The gentleman of the home was very graciously pointing out certain treasures he thought that my mom and I would appreciate and encouraging us to take them with us as he continued to pull out goodies while doing some spring cleaning.

I would love to find some sort of citronella chunky pillars to put out on it to keep those pesky mosquito's away when she is entertaining on her porch. Especially since they seem to think I am the human equivalent of Dom Perignon. Does anyone know of any place that sells them?

The Curbside Chic Mission

2009-05-06T16:15:00.002-04:00

My goal here is to share my love of curbing and garage/estate sale-ing (technically you have to go over a curb to get to a garage!) with the world. I want to share my finds and my ideas and plans for them. I would also love to feature your finds and ideas.

What is curbing you may ask? It is when you see that fabulous antique dresser, pretty pot or formica table sitting there on the curb nestled between the trash can and (one hopes) the recycling bin. It has been abandoned by its former family because maybe it needs a little tlc or because their tastes have changed and it doesn't fit in any more. It just isn't loved any more. But like an abandoned puppy or kitten you see its potential and realize you do have space in your heart and home for it. You pull over to the side of the road (hopefully signalling and giving those behind you plenty of warning, perhaps circling back around the block so as not to cause a bigger pile at that curb!) and get out and wrestle your find into your vehicle and take it home, where hopefully you will have a long and happy relationship.

If you are like me, you might feel a little furtive and want to channel your inner cat burglar but it is ok. Be strong and remind yourself of the service you are doing for this find and for the environment by keeping such finds out of the landfills.

Where I live it is perfectly acceptable to curb...many take a lot of time to display their goodies much like the "free kittens/puppies" signs you see in the country so you don't have to ask but depending on where you are and your local curb culture it might be a good idea to ask the owner before you take anything away with you. Certain municipalities actually have outlawed curbing so be sure you know your local laws. If that applies to you, know that you have my sympathy and remember you always have garage and estate sales. Or the option to take your curbing elsewhere.