It’s getting steamy around here
Posted: April 18, 2014 Filed under: Laundry, This Old Row House, Vintage tablecloths | Tags: continuous steam iron, Rowenta iron, vintage, vintage tablecloths 9 CommentsDo you ever get stuck on a project because you can’t do it “right”? No? Well then you’re way more adjusted than I am.
Most of the Christmas tablecloths have gone to storage, but now I’m stuck looking at the mess I’ve made. Ugh.
I’ve had piles and heaps of tablecloths sitting in my dining room for a few weeks now. (Yes, I am the house slob. ManRay never makes messes like this in the house. His tragedies are confined to his garage.)
I sorted through most of my tablecloths before heading to Sage Farm’s show the first week of April. (“Most” because I found another tote stuffed with tablecloths in storage this morning.) And there they sat. And sat. And then…
I finally got my own tool box
Posted: March 16, 2014 Filed under: Home and Garden, This Old Row House | Tags: vintage tool box, yellow is a happy color Comments Off on I finally got my own tool boxWould you like to see what I got for Christmas? Yes, Christmas! (blush! blush!) It’s a vintage carpenter’s toolbox. Every woman should have her own toolbox. I’ve wanted one for years.
The kids thought I’d paint it. Absolutely not!
Maybe it was a school shop project way back when. (Do kids still make things like this in shop class? Do schools still offer shop class? Or home EC?)
My kids thought I’d want to paint it. Find out what I did
Thousands were without power but I built a table
Posted: February 6, 2014 Filed under: Fun Finds, Makeover, This Old Row House | Tags: Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, building a table, makeover 5 CommentsThis past week we’ve had two major winter storms. One brought over a foot of snow, the other brought enough rain and ice to knock out power to 650,000+ people. I couldn’t go to work. I got to build a table on my unplanned day off.
Last summer I rescued a weird industrial sort of “tabletop” from my dad’s hoard of stuff.
One of the weird things we found in my father’s basement hoard. It appears as though something once covered the middle area because it’s cleaner and lighter. Mysteries!
Why was it partially painted? What was it originally used for? Yep, there’s more!
Remedy for the winter blahs
Posted: January 8, 2014 Filed under: Decor, Home and Garden, Recipe, This Old Row House | Tags: Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Charade movie, granny square afghan, microwave caramel popcorn, vintage afghan 2 CommentsThe twelve days of Christmas are over. Partying, decorations and celebrating are fond memories now. The days are short, the nights are long. And boy, is it ever cold! It’s enough to give you the blahs.
Fortunately, we’ve got a strategy for winter blahs at This Old Row House: a thick afghan and a great, old movie. Oh, and some fabulously easy microwave caramel popcorn!
You shouldn’t be surprised to learn I’ve got a pile of vintage afghans. In this drafty old house you really can’t have too many.
I love their kaleidoscope of colors on a black background. Each one has a different texture and personality. Right now I’m favoring a heavy wool Granny square afghan that Luray bought for me at Sage Farm in New Hampshire. (Psssst! She’ll have a booth at Sage Farm in February!)
The weather forecast called for panic shopping
Posted: January 3, 2014 Filed under: Pyrex & Fire-King, Recipe, This Old Row House, Vintage tablecloths | Tags: bread pudding, Diner Desserts, Fire King jadeite, Fire-King 2000, Fire-King restaurant ware, McKee jadeite shakers, snow day!, Tish Boyle, Victory china, vintage tablecloth Comments Off on The weather forecast called for panic shoppingSnow! Snow! Snow! Snow! I’m enjoying a snow day at home because ManRay took my car to get to work (it has all-wheel drive and his doesn’t).
Okay, I know it’s not as bad here as it is at Luray’s house, but we’ve got at least six inches of snow. Maybe more. Hard to tell because it’s blowing madly and won’t settle down to get measured.
When we get weather forecasts like this, supermarkets always get emptied of bread, eggs and milk. What’s with that? Does everyone have a sudden, inexplicable need to make French toast?
Not me. But in honor of this snowy weather shopping mystery, I’m making Rich Bread and Butter Pudding from Tish Boyle’s “Diner Desserts”. And I didn’t have to run to the store to get the ingredients, either! Yep, there’s more!
luray
janeray