Blog Loving

HEY ALL!

I know what you're all thinking, where the hell has MaryDeluxe been this Summer?? Right? Okay maybe not my Mother as she has my phone number and checks up on me on a regular basis....I'm just mainly talking about the rest of Y'all out there in internet-land! Well, I've been just a busy little buzzing bee over here in my new state of New Jerzee! I'm still trying to get boxes unpacked!! GAK! Moving is such a big deal for people who have way to much stuff...ya know. But a good thing is the Sgt and I had a big ol' yard sale in front of the Belvidere Library last week and got rid of a lot of crap-o-la....we also made some nice *cha-ching* chunk of change...which I will happily say, some of that chunk of change was used to fill my belly with yummy Thia food tonight! Sgt also used a bit of the cash to finally fix the dripping shower in the bathroom...such a handy guy that Sgt and I learned a few new curse words to boot! Now onto business!

New Blog Alert!

Here's a fab new blog for you guys to check out! If you enjoy collecting vintage as much as I do, you'll have to drop over and check out My Life as a Collectorator! Now here's a gal after my own collecting heart!

Chartreuse pottery.

CollectoratorToo writes.... I am a Collectorator....It is not a disease but an obsessive state of mind. Technically, I am Collectorator Number 2 as there is a Number 1 Collectorator out there... Visit www.flickr.com/photos/collectoratorone/, and you will see the collection of CollectoratorOne who is the one that inspired me (or is that infected me?).

Wondering what a Collectorator is? It is a person who decorates with collectibles! I should probably change that to obsessively decorates with collectibles. We like to call it Collectorating for short. Oh and decorating yourself with collectibles counts as Collectorating as well.

I cannot take credit for coming up with the Collectoration terminology. Credit goes to Knifezilla, the one that tries to keep CollectoratorOne's obsessive collecting "somewhat" in check.

So if you are a Collectorator, we are here to be your support group! We understand, condone, and fully encourage the obsession! Enjoy our Collectorations and be sure to share your own Collectoration with us as well!

Part of her box purse collection! *Drool*

CollectoratorToo is in the process of packing up her things in hopes of moving into a bigger house in the near future. She's taking pictures and talking about her collections as she goes... which is fun to watch... but I feel her pain over having to pack everything away as she waits...I really do. I also know what it's like to part with things along the way. As much as it hurts, it does feel really good to declutter!

Until next time Dear DeluxeVille Readers....Keep calm and carry on!
xoxo
MaryDeluxe

Milo's Master Bathroom

Here's a look at the first step on our master bathroom remodel. I have always loved how new paint color can make a huge change in the way a room looks and feels. Originally the bathroom was a beige color and had a counter sink that was fake wood with a matching medicine cabinet above the sink. Hello 1980's! I took some white paint to the sink cabinet which was an easy upgrade and replaced the matching medicine cabinet that stuck out of the wall with a flat vintage 1920's wall mirror. Eventually, I would like to replace the sink cabinet with an old pedestal sink...I've been keeping an eye out for a cheap one in good condition. I also plan on tiling the floor down the road because I love tiling! But for now the floor will do just fine and so will the basic shower stall.

I removed the doors from the sink stand because I hated them :) I replaced the doors with hanging 50's bark cloth fabric that I had in my kitchen previously at DeluxeVille. I also made Sgt replace the wood grain toilet seat with a nice new white one. It's a small master bath but does have a linen closet and those built in shelves in the corner by the window. That helps a lot with storage.

Milo on the toilet........ Can't a guy get some privacy around here!??

I love old planters! I have a variety of ones I've picked up over the years. I like to use them for more then just plants. The green one on the sink is holding my soap bottles. The fab turquoise one holds Q-tips and cotton balls, while another planter on the sink holds our tooth paste and tooth brushes! I also have a plant in one! For real!!

Look there's my plant. Actually the poor thing has turned into Milo's salad bar. The peeping window got covered with cheap opaque contact paper I found at the dollar store. It works great and the only reason I know this is because I sent Sgt outside at various times of the day and night to stand in the back yard to check if he could see me peeing! He couldn't......or at least he said he couldn't!? He's a good sport! :)

Get out of my bathroom!


I also like using old boxes to hold things. Recently I received a bunch of old boxes from my cousin Sheri and they turned out to be the perfect size to be used in the bathroom! Thanks Sheri! I also have old boxes other places around the house too. Here's a great tutorial on how to make your own wooden boxes, if you're interested!
House of Smiths : DIY Vintage Crates

This is step one of my bathroom remodel. Down the road as time and money allows, we will be moving on to step two. If you've followed my blog for awhile, you probably have noticed by now that I never do a complete room renovation all at once. I like to go in stages. I do enough to make a space livable for my current standards/needs, make a to do list of what I also want to do with the room, and then do a little more when time and money permits.

A New Motto

"Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become."

All the new changes I have been experiencing this Summer have given me a new motto to live by. Changes, changes, changes...nothing boring happening here in my life lately! Exciting changes, melancholy changes, happy changes, sad changes, wanted changes, and some unwanted too. Lets face it, life is always changing and it's up to each of us to see what we can make out of our changes. I just keep reminding myself to keep my chin up, take risks, and remember that things happen for reasons.

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.

One of the exciting changes I've made recently was to finally open up a spot in a local antique shop to rid myself of all the crap-o-rama I have acquired over the years. Honestly, I have been wanting to do this for a long, long time. In fact, my dream is to someday have a little shop full of the things I find on my adventures, but mixed in with something else like coffee and pie-in-a-jar. hahaha Dreams are fun, they give us something to work towards. So I decided, since I've started over in a new life, why not take some small risks and see what happens!

DeluxeVille Vintage @ Sleepy Hollow Antiques Center

I have a small spot, but as you can see, I've crammed a lot of crap in there! I'm looking forward to decluttering and simplfying my life by getting rid of things. I'm seriously just trying to prove to myself that I'm not a hoarder of vintage things, but instead, now I'm a business woman! Plus, it also makes your husband happy when you finally get crap out of the garage... a win-win if you ask me! :)

Sleepy Hollow Antique Center

954 South Delaware Ave (Route 611) Mount Bethel PA 18343

610-588-7422

Meet Me At The Candy Store

The Carmelcorn Shop, Easton PA.....the original since 1931!

On Saturday, the Sgt and I headed over to Easton, PA to check out the local Farmer's Market held in the center square in downtown Easton. After grabbing some veggies and fresh baked bread, we headed into The Carmelcorn Shop, also located on the square. What a neat little blast from the past, I couldn't help but take a bunch of pictures of the cute, colorful interior. I love the red and white stripped color scheme! The Carmelcorn Shop will be celebrating the big 80 years in business on Oct 8th and we will definitely be going back to enjoy the festivities.

You can read more about the history of The Carmelcorn Shop here!

Button Up and Fly Right

Some how, I've cultivated a small collection of vintage buttons. Geee, I wonder how that happened??? The other day I decided to snag an old printer tray from Sgt and try to organize them a bit better. I ran out of room in the tray and still have a tin of buttons yet to go through. Not all the buttons are bakelite, but they are all old! Now, what to do with all these buttons? Perhaps a little inspiration is in order!

An old printer drawer filled with vintage buttons.





Buttons aren't just for sewing anymore!


Source: Button Down Designs



Source: Etsy Bakelite Baby



Source: Lorimarsha



Source: Morning Glory

The Morning Milo Monster

I fight this guy every morning for sink space. I call him my bathroom buddy. He demands I turn the water on for him at the sink faucet first thing every morning. I'm not even allowed to pee first.

I've been working on the master bedroom bathroom this week. Hopefully I'll get around to finishing it up and posting some before and after photos. The challenge to this bathroom is the window in the room! I guess it's not a big deal if you don't mind people watching as you use the toilet/shower/have private time/etc. I personally don't like anyone being able to see me pee other than the cat so, I slapped up some cheap shelf contact paper over the glass. It gives privacy but doesn't block the light, which I love. It's a temporary solution until we get around to removing the current window and putting another window higher up the wall. I have a love affair with simple, cheap, creative, temporary fixes. You will probably see me using them a lot as I work on this old house.

Here's a great before picture!

Heeheehee...What the Hell, really? Who designed this house? Okay so the house is over 150 years old, but really, no one since then has ever thought "what a stupid place for a window" and moved it? Oh well old window, your days are so numbered!

Grand Slam Frocks of 1934

Grand Slam Frocks of 1934! Found at the local Bon-Ton Dept. Store York, PA. $1.69 each and unbeatable price with 12 models to choose from. I love the colors, the patterns, and the fact that the ladies are pictured on playing cards. Pretty cute advertising for 1934!

Which one is your favorite? I'm partial to the Ace of diamonds and the King of diamonds myself. I guess bows were a big thing in 1934?