'Northern Lights ...' by opendoorstudio

Inspired by clcort aka lunchladyvintage's photo ! I hope you have a chance to catch the Northern LIghts sometime in your lifetime! They are gorgeous! Happy Wintertime!

The Northern Lights, pr... FotosbyCindy $20.00	Vintage Rhinestone Stud... ShopHedgerowRo... $26.00	Playsilk Northern Light... DesertDyeworks $13.00	Black Lace Circle Scarf... TheSilkMoon $25.00
Northern Lights Glitter... AshleySpatula $14.00	Perfect Mason Jar / Aqu... RollingHillsVi... $8.75	Northern Lights Photo, ... j2studiosphoto... $30.00	Holiday Garland, Birch ... sesameandsparr... $12.00
Black Friday Etsy Vinta... charliesnest $14.50	Black Friday Sale Vinta... LunchLadyVinta... $87.50	Vintage 1940's aqua... AkoVintage $22.00	Vintage Mid Century Til... VivaVera $14.00
iPhone 4 Case, iPhone 4... bomobob $30.00	Set of 25, Plastic Butt... Retransmission $6.00	Paper Globe - Large 10 ... bookBW $98.00	Miniature photography, ... ErinTyner $40.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

You will find OpendoorStudio set up at the Nook Friday November 30th through Sunday December 2nd.

   I will be bringing my Warm Woolen Blankets and lots of Plaid stylings.... something a bit different for OpendoorStudio.  It is sure to put you in the HOLIDAY mood! Come and Bring a friend and enjoy Downtown Naperville for the HO HO Holidays!

  Can't wait to see you there!

    martha

You never know what you will stumble upon... and where.  Found this in a little shop in Morris, Illinois...on a chalk board, tucked under a table.  Caught my eye!  This IS my life...Those who know me... know that!   I would not have it any other way!

Home tour series from the original interview Spring 2012 with Katherine from The Vintage Bazaar

Part 3  

part 1 published on 11/11/12

What’s your favorite room in the house?

I spend the most time in my living room. It is flooded with light from the large southern windows and is my winter painting studio. I love my dining room but spend the least time in it!  Kitchen is great, is newly done and I love adding vintage touches where I am able… like adding little mirrors onto the chipped saucers and hanging them above the archway between my kitchen and dining room.  Something unexpected but brings a little bit of light to an otherwise dark spot!

What do people say when they visit?

They enjoy browsing around.  I have a story for everything. They love the creative touches and things they would have never thought to pair together. They love the bright pops of color and feel comfortable here. It is lived in and time-worn. I never use a coaster on a table.

Extended family and friends love gathering here for Christmas. They often wonder what I will have up my sleeve to decorate it with each year.  My Chromatic Christmas tree is still the talk of the town. Some call it my “rainbow” tree — ornaments arranged from top to bottom on a white tree using the color wheel as inspiration… all vintage and wonderful!

 

 

How long have you been re-selling?

I began in 1993.  I have been collecting all my life and needed an outlet.  My dad passed away on January 13, 1989 and on January 13, 1993 a new antique mall down the road advertised they were looking for dealers.  I took that as a sign… and I have had my hands in it since then! I have had booths at local malls and have done many flea markets including The Vintage Bazaar at the Dank Haus.

 

 I also throw open the doors of my “studio” on occasional weekends / catch as catch can.  I post the sales on myFacebook page.

 

 

What kinds of things do you sell at the Bazaar? Will you be selling at the markets at Aragon this summer?

I will be at the Aragon this summer for sure! I love bringing a feel of what you might find in my own home: Mid-century, scientific, schoolroom, colorful, bold, oversized vintage finds! Globes, boxes, industrial tables and chairs… color, color, color…. that is what inspires me!

 

What advice do you have for people out there on how to get your look?

Collect what you love. Use things in different ways. Don’t be afraid of adding bold statement pieces to your space. Think in terms of collections. Don’t over clutter but pull in things you might not normally find in a home, like the Lube drum side tables, cast offs from local schools and warehouses… just LOVE what you have and use what you love.

 

What’s one piece you got rid of that you wish you never threw away?

After getting married and having my dad pass away, I found I was pregnant. Everyone I knew was having little boys and I thought for sure that would be me, too. I lived in a townhome and had a storage unit. When my mother announced she was having a garage sale, I told her to go ahead and sell the little doll houses that my father had made for me.  

She did… and they sold to a neighbor. A year later I had a baby girl, and would have loved to have been able to pass that on to her. I called the neighbor but she had donated it to a charity. That is ONE thing I wish I had kept.

How has your taste evolved over the years? What did your place look like 10 years ago? 

I was really into “shabby chic” before it was given that name, everything white, feminine (my poor hubby) and roses all around! YIKES! I think I am still trying to sell some of that, but it doesn’t fit into the aesthetic I am going for in my booth these days.  Oh well… I can always donate it to the resale shop where I work!  After all, one man’s (or woman’s) junk is another man’s treasure!

 

Be sure to check out part one and two of the At Home interview with Katherine from the Vintage Bazaar in Chicago

Home Tour Part 2

HOME TOUR PART 2 FROM THE VINTAGE BAZAAR INTERVIEW WITH KATHERINE

with new photos added

part 1 published 11/11/12

 ( found a photo of the house being moved... thought I would add it here!)

You’ve got a great mix of cottage, antique, vintage, and industrial. Where are your favorite places to pick up each different style?

Thank you for your kind words about my scattered style.  I call it “Warehouse Chic”. That is a combo of the industrial, schoolhouse, cottage and shabby styles all rolled into one!

My blue velvet couch and chair, as well as my living room table, are from my mother’s living room,  a room that was almost roped off from the rest of the house — and God forbid you put something on the table without a coaster back then. It was passed down to me after her passing and I love it. The diminutive size fits beautifully into my little living room!

                       

The industrial dining table was a display piece at a little shop in Dekalb.  I love the combo of the massive size, the glass and the industrial feel! It is perfect in every way!

Aside from that, I love a good road trip.  I am a back roads taker at heart!  I travel to Michigan with friends. There is a GREAT place along the roadside just south of South Haven. Wonderful industrial finds there, nice and chippy and rusty!  Aged to perfection!  Up the road a bit, near Saugatuck and along the Blue Star Highway, there are some great antique shops.  

I LOVE road tripping to Milwaukee and beyond. Our favorite place to go is Door County, Wisconsin, stopping at Dodge Antiques along the way in Algoma (that is where I found the old windmill piece I use on my dresser). The owner will tell you the back story on each and every piece he has… and after his regular shop closes the party begins at his ‘in-town’ barn.  I have yet to stop in there… but that is on my bucket list!

On the way to Door County last year we took a little detour through rural Wisconsin and came upon a vintage travel trailer that was in need of restoring.  I bought it on a whim and we now use it for our Wisconsin flea market road trips.  It is our U-haul and Motel 6 all in one!

I find great things along roadsides and am not afraid to stop in a posh area, drop the top on my vw convertible and stash what I am able inside.  After all, the sky’s the limit!

Talk about some of the pieces in your house that you salvaged from the aftermath of Katrina.

After Hurricane Katrina, my sister and daughter headed down to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast on a mission trip. While there, they had the daunting task of cleaning up some out lots and trying to pull them together and rid them of debris. An old Shell Oil sign that had been lost in the mud years ago was unearthed. The owner of the home was not interested in it and my sister brought it home for her son. It sat in their garage and when they had to sell their home, she asked if I would like it, I jumped at it and it has spent some time on my mantel.  I love old colorful signage. 

 I found some old lube barrels in her garage as well… before they hit the dumpster, I salvaged them, cleaned them, and now they sit proudly as our living room side tables. Pop a round piece of glass on anything and make it a cool functional piece!

Speaking of salvaging things from nothing, do you have any favorite dumpster or curb finds?

I would have to say my most functional is the lube side table collection, but I found a wonderful old hutch top outside an antique mall… curbside.  I was just moving into the mall and needed something to elevate my pieces for display.  It fit in magically and I now use it as a piece on top of another curbside castoff, a  science table I found in front of the old Cenacle in Warrenville. Both work together to make a great art space, and a place for me to display my work and my ever growing globe collection. 

(I remember stopping a Chem-Lawn truck and asking the driver to help me hoist the scientific table into the convertible. So happy I did — would not have lasted long on that curb!)

Watch for part 3 in the days to come.

     martha