CHALKBOARD DECANTER TAGS

We are still in the midst of fixing up the dining room. There's been lots of painting and sanding and patching and staining and drilling and repurposing going on. One of the many projects in progress is creating an area designated for cocktail preparation and liquor storage. We've never been one of those houses that has a fully stocked bar but I do love the idea of being able to offer guests a legitimate cocktail. Particularly old-timey ones like Sidecars and Manhattans. So we bought the ingredients necessary to make a few such drinks...and while Justin is brushing up on his bar tending skills I am busy making him a place to put his wares.

First step: whip up some labels for these cute old decanters I picked up at a yard sale last sumer.

Materials:

thin sheet of plywood and/or precut plywood shapes

pencil

scissor

craft knife

sandpaper

chalkboard paint

sponge brush

white charcoal pencil

small link chain

hot glue gun

I'm sure you can imagine exactly what I did with these materials...but just in case:

I sketched the basic shapes I wanted for my labels onto the plywood and cut them out using scissors where possible and a craft knife for any small curves. Then I sanded down the edges. (You can also skip these steps and use precut plywood shapes. Nobody will judge you. Promise.)

I applied two coats of chalkboard paint to the front, back, and sides with a small sponge brush, letting the pieces dry thoroughly between coats.

When the chalkboard paint was completely dry I used a well sharpened white charcoal pencil to write the names on each tag.

Then I decided how long I wanted the chain to be for each bottle, cut it, and attached it to the back of each chalkboard piece with two small drops of hot glue. Voilà!

BIRD’S ROOM DETAILS

So, here is a little bit more about the bird's room.

Above: Budge and his best friend. (Budgie doesn't seem to mind that he is made of plastic.)

This bird cage was supposed to be Budge's temporary home...until I found him a lovely and affordable antique cage. But he really seems to like it...and at this point I would feel bad switching it. So until I find something antique that is FAR superior I'm just going to live with this one. At least it's on a pretty vintage stand. ($25 from The Water Street Market in New Paltz.)

The window seats are storage boxes from Ikea that we had in our old apartment. They are a great place to stash all of my shoes that don't fit in the closet.

I covered the cushions with this vintage fabric I picked up at a garage sale years ago. I mean...a traditional toile hunting scene in a crazy pink and mustard color pallette?! What's not to love?

We picked up the folding screen at auction for $15. I hung some dainty lady things on it so that we could use it to cover up the tv. (Note: Our tv is NOT one of those flat-screen plasma jams. It's a big old BOXY jam. MAJOR eyesore).

And I found the antique wooden hangers at Boulevard Attic in Kingston. $1 each.

We got the big antique wardrobe for $90 from The Wayside Shop in NJ. It's perfect for hanging our nicer stuff and it has a great big mirror...which is great for getting dressed AND it makes the room look bigger.

AND you can lock the door with this skeleton key! (So if you were planning on stealing any of our evening wear...think again.)

The bed was a craigslist find. I think we paid $100 for the whole set -- frame and mattress.

The bedding came from the Saugerties Antique Center. It's hand embroidered silk and I don't think it was ever even used. The set came with a coverlet, 2 pillowcases (a large one and a small decorative one), and a slew of matching dresser scarves.

I love this lamp shade! I'm crazy about the pattern and colors and the way it's perfectly faded. I got a set of 5 for $25 at the Water Street Market in New Paltz. (The rest of them are on the sconces in the dining room.)

I also got this wall lamp there. It's some crazy homemade looking metal thing. I think it was intended for two small candelabra bulbs and no shades...but I wanted our guests to be able to use it as a reading lamp, which requires much brighter bulbs, so I threw these shades on. I'm not crazy about them. I think they are a little too white...and maybe I want a slightly different shape? I'm not sure.

The last bit of lighting I have to contend with is the ceiling fixture. I picked this chandelier up at garage sale in NJ years ago ($25!) and have been storing it in my parents' basement ever since. (See dad! I told you my junk collecting would come in handy at some point). I think it will look lovely the bird's room. Right?

BOY’S ROOM DETAILS

Here's the low down on some of the stuff in the boy's room.

I got the lead soldiers at a yard sale for a dollar and the those are my mom's old Audubon Nature Encyclopedias.

The antique mission style desk was a craigslist find. We had to drive out to Westchester to pick it up...but it was only $70! It is made out of the most beautiful old wood with a striking grain pattern. I'm not sure what it is. Maybe tiger maple?

It has bookshelves on both sides. Perfect for storing little old leather bound books.

We picked up the old desk lamp at Barneche Design...a teeny tiny shop on Route 214 in Chichester.

And the wooden folding chair came from an estate sale in New Jersey ($5!)...

...which is also where we found this trunk....

...and the one at the foot of the bed. We paid $20 for each.

I plan on putting plants under the glass cloches and making little terrariums. I want them to look like old timey horticultural experiments!

We got the barrister bookcases at auction for $60. Usually they go for a lot more...but this set of three was all middle pieces with no real top or bottom...so we were able to snag it on the cheap.

I have all of our vintage Penguin paperbacks inside and some of our Heritage Club Collection books on top. (We got a slew of these at a yard sale in New Jersey. They all have beautiful cloth covers and each comes in its own slipcase. Fancy!)

In front of the bookcase is Justin's Harvard chair....

...and a vintage camping stool turned footrest.

The blanket and the pillows are from a yard sale in Dallas. The woman selling them got them years ago in Peru and they are made from the softest alpaca wool. We were about to buy them...but it turned out that she was friends with Justin's mom and she insisted on giving us the set as a wedding present. So sweet!

The navajo rug is a hand-me-down from my dad.

The bedside table is actually an antique smoking stand. It has a hole in the top for an ashtray which is covered by the lamp, and smaller holes on both sides for storing pipes. I got it for $16 at The Wayside Antiques Shop in Pompton Plains, NJ. I'm a sucker for anything with a skeleton key.

I also got the lamp at the Wayside Shop. $20 for a set of two. The fiberglass shade is something I had kicking around. And the headboard was another craigslist find. Justin and I drove to pick it up, fully prepared to pay the $30 asking price, but when we got there the husband said we could just give him $15. You could tell that he thought we were CRAZY for for paying ANYTHING for a rusty headboard.