Do you share my cravings for the feel of glass typewriter keys as you hopefully pen your next best-selling novel (emails suffice too)?  If you can no longer tolerate the feel of plastic keys under your fingers, then my friend, it is time to steampunk your keyboard!  The Steampunk Workshop has a great tutorial (albeit complicated) on how to make the most fantastic keyboard ever.  For the not-so-technically inclined, you can purchase repurposed, steampunked keyboards, such as the one featured below, from Datamancer.  I wonder if this purchase could qualify as a tax-deductable office expense?

It’s not time to worry about your New Year’s resolutions just yet!   The first order of business in 2009 is to re-purpose all of those champagne corks from your party!   If saving the environment (and your pocketbook) is one of your resolutions this year, then enjoy these inspirational ideas on how you can upcycle your bubbly corks.  Even better, tune in each Monday in 2009 for a new re-purposed project.

I saw the sturdy base and porous nature of the champagne as a perfect, instaneous pincushion.  You can glue a vintage fabric scrap to the top or simply leave it natural with a sliver of ribbon trim. I have also re-purposed my antique wooden spools to hold my packaging materials, such as paper rope, jute, and raffia, while a lovely mini-branch serves double-duty as a natural thread spool.

If your dressers are asking for a makeover, make like Mary’s Creole cottage and switch the drawer pulls out for champagne corks!  Not only are these comfortable to the touch, but they add creative flair to any dresser, while serving as a reminder to indulge in bubbly more often.

Finally, you can say good riddance to those pesky plastic bike handle ends that always disappear!  Be inspired by Jon Heslop and replace them with champagne corks for the ultimate beach lifestyle statement.

And last but not least, taking inspiration from Modern Bride, you can create a fitting cocktail party place card holder with a champagne cork.  Or, you can use it to hold up love notes in the bedroom or to-do lists for your desk.  Simply use a knife to slice a line across the top, and display notes to your heart’s content.

Christianna’s London home is graced by a lovely Ercol day bed reupholstered with charming Designers Guild fabrics, which are a pretty respite from its original tan color (cleverly disguised in the “before” photo with a turquoise throw).  Blessed with a capable friend who kindly reupholstered the vintage 1960s piece, Christianna opted to replace the stiff back cushions with comfortable, relaxing bedroom pillows — smartly covered with removable (and reversible) covers.  With a flick of her wrist and a change of her mood, Christianna can revamp the look of her vintage Ercol day bed by flipping over her pillows.  Paired with matching Ercol armchairs, this set is perhaps one of the best charity shop finds in all of London!

May this New Year bring inspiration to revamp, repurpose, and reupholster!  Happy 2009!

The mixture of nature and vintage-inspiration is a reoccurring theme throughout my home, and the holidays are no exception.  Bringing together wood, moss, pine branches, glittered pine cones, and a strand of rechargeable battery LED lights from Ikea, my table centerpiece is a reflection of my winter wonderland inspirations — complete with a vintage Scandinavian carved deer.  My mantle features my collection of antique apothecary bottles filled with pine branches and dangling silver ornaments.  For Christmas wrapping this year, I opted for faux bois contact paper (which is easily reusable), topped with a vintage letterpress block for the recipient’s first initial.

May your holidays be naturally jolly and happy, and I can’t wait to visit with you regularly again in 2009!

How I have missed enjoying the holiday spirit with you!  Although my blogging hiatus officially ends at the close of 2008, I wanted to share with you this week a few last-minute, vintage-inspired ideas for your holiday celebrations.  Stay tuned for additional posts on quick-and-easy Scandinavian and vintage inspired centerpieces, mantle decor, and wrapping ideas.

The entire theme for my holiday decor this year has been “au natural” meets Scandinavian lore.  I was inspired to incorporate the same theme with my greeting cards, using vintage Bingo cards adorned with glittered snowflakes, which were cut from Trader Joes’ charming brown paper bags from this season.  Inside each card, I glued a strip borrowed from the same fantastically useful brown bags, each typed on my vintage Royal typewriter with its own custom message.  A bow of jute finishes the interior of these cards…bingo!

I would love to hear about the holiday greeting cards you made this year and your inspirations!

My friends, I will be taking a small break from blogging for the next few weeks to focus on professional endeavors and to care for health issues.  Thank you for your kind understanding, and I hope to be back before the holidays with decor and tabletop ideas!

In addition, Happy Election Day on this day where we shall (hopefully) make history!

Happy Halloween from my baby Mia and me! May your evening be filled with plenty of treats and a few jovial tricks! (She always gets VERY serious with her perfect poses in front of the camera…I think I should have dressed her in a high fashion model’s outfit instead…)

Dagstuhl, an innovative research center in Germany that hosts leading computer science seminars, further promotes creativity and exchange of knowledge through their honor system.  Everything is open 24/7 and unmonitored, including the library, computer labs, sauna, and game rooms — and all the soda, beer, bottled water, wine, chocolates, and other delicious snacks located in the research castle are available via the honor system.  During check-in, you are provided with a sheet that allows you to mark what you consumed, and you pay upon check-out.

This is such a stark contrast to hotels, such as the Bellagio, where their mini-bar is weight-sensored, and you are charged automatically when the weight shifts or changes!  Thank goodness for computer scientists and the honor system.  For more photos of the innovative Dagstuhl, visit this photostream of a researcher currently studying at the castle.  (Image courtsey of David Monniaux via Wikimedia)

On a day of tricks and treats, I would like to share with you a vintage industrial treat….that only costs $1!  Currently, this public surplus auction is selling five vintage industrial chairs for only $1.  They remind me of the ones from Anthropologie, except these are authentic and government-issued no less.  The catch is that you have to live in Virginia, as it is pick-up only, but there are many auctions occuring throughout the country for your fun and affordable perusal.   Most of these auctions end at $1 or $5, and thus, it is a true treat, especially in these economic times.  Happy Halloween!!

With excitement in the air, as well as candy by the door, Halloween is almost here!  If you don’t have time to carve a pumpkin, why not make a tackful one instead?  With a few tacks painted black, you can make your pumpkin spooky - without having to go under the knife.  Better yet, if you do decide to carve, you can take the tacks out and have the perfect outline for an elaborate creation (which is what I will do to beat my husband at the annual “carve off” we host)!

Tacks allow you to be creative with your pumpkin displays, which will last much longer than the carved variety.  For batty lovers, feel free to email me for the template file for the friendly pumpkin bat!

Vases are fantastic vessels for sending scary messages: Boo, Eek, or RIP !

Although tricksters and treaters are right around the haunted corner, you still have time to make your home frightening! Here are a few ideas from my home to yours, and tomorrow, I look forward to sharing ideas on how to carve your pumpkin (and keep it fresh for several days) — without using a knife!

Stacking together your collection of pumpkins on the mantle creates an easy yet dramatic Halloween ambiance.  Better yet, once the goblins have fled, you can make a few adjustments to make the mantle perfect for Thanksgiving.  Apothecary jars hold pumpkins (and persimmons, which look like baby pumpkins), while the chalkboard painted old books hung on ribbon make an inspired reappearance (from the first installment of Repurposed Tricks & Treats) for a shifting swag.

Who says all pumpkins have to be scary?  This pumpkin couple is ready to travel in style for Hallow’s Eve!  A vintage tweed hat for the man and a fur collar for the lady (borrowed from a vintage sweater) make Mr. and Mrs. Pumpkin the most fashionable couple on the block!

Janine from marvelous Uppercase Gallery was kind enough to feature my first installment of Repurposed Tricks & Treats, along with other typewriter-inspired Halloween decor elements, on her blog.   If you haven’t already perused the fantastic gallery lately, take an enjoyable meander, especially through the newly released Electonotes, which are stunning bound journals composed of thoughtfully selected vintage papers and antique books.   Thank you for the kind feature Janine!

Globes have been making appearances in decor magazines everywhere, but with these upcycled ideas, your vintage globes will enjoy fame around the world.

Left: The Idea Globe™, invented by NineInchNachosII, takes an ordinary globe and turns it into the perfect world for all your ideas and drawings.  Right: A vintage globe repurposed by slone2601 sheds perfect light on cosmopolitan workspaces.

Left: Serve up jet-setting snacks via Etsy seller’s streetwolf repurposed globe creation; the best part is that the entire bowl is made of repurposed materials, including vintage maps and an old cake stand.  Right: The South Pole is always on time with this fantastic repurposed vintage globe clock by Etsy seller IMOTIME.

Although card catalogs do not need any further nostalgic appeal, Summerswann repurposed a thrifted card catalog (which she purchased for only $7!) into a unique coffee table.  After putting in hours of sanding and staining, she added mid-century modern inspired legs, and voila!  A fantastic repurposed conversation piece was born.  Not only does she have plenty of storage, but I especially love the original organization tags.

This week’s honor system is in Tosa-Shimizu, a beautiful coastal city in Japan.  According to Omid Abroad (where you can read more about the city and see more of his pictures), along the road, there are surprising wooden cubicles that lovingly feature items for sale via the honor system, including artwork, handmade musical instruments, persimmons fruit, and other treasures.  You simply place the money into the box and walk away a happy, honorable customer.

Happy weekend everyone!  May it be filled with unexpected surprises and delights!