Laurl Designs

Laurl Self is named one of the Best 15 Interior Designers in Birmingham

2015-06-03T19:10:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to be voted as one of the top interior designers in Birmingham by builddirect.com
You can vote for the best of the best, too! It's easy, just click on the link below and choose me!

VOTE HERE! Below are some of my greatest hits of the past few months!

Chairsh is the word! My newest vintage home accessory selections

2015-06-02T11:38:00.000-05:00

I have joined the Chairish community with some of special vintage selections. These gorgeous items have links below to Chairish!

Versatile Danish Modern candlesticks designed by Jens Quistgaard for Dansk

The elegant curves interlink to create a tight or a long line of candles. {BUY ME!}

Or they can be arranged short and wide. These candlesticks are 5" tall and 4.25" wide. {BUY ME!}

Who's got the handsomest mug? This guy! {TAKE HIM HOME!}

This pair of bookends are perfect for dog lovers and book lovers! Best of all the white ceramic bookends add brightness and light to a dark bookcase. {BUY ME}

Red Murano glass bowl, functional, practical, pretty! {BUY ME!}

This bowl features the aventurine, which is silver or gold flecks in the glass. {BUY ME!}

The murano bowl also have a bullicante pattern between the red and clear glass. This pattern of air bubbles makes a fibonacci spiral! {BUY ME!}

Miriam Haskell pearl earrings. Simplicity at it's best! {BUY ME!}

Historic Preservation- a tour at the newest project at The University of Montevallo

2015-05-25T11:25:00.000-05:00

I am working on a historic house project, at the University of Montevallo. Montevallo is a lovely town filled with houses from many eras starting with pre-civil war through to a delish modern house with glass walls.

The King House is a pre-civil war house dates to 1840’s and was the first house in Shelby County to have glass windows. The style of the house is called an I-house with two rooms downstairs and three rooms upstairs. The kitchen is detached, as is typical in houses of this vintage. It keeps the house cool and can aid in preventing fires in the house.

My focus on this project so far has been the living room and the fireplaces. The living room needed an update with more modern fabrics to give it a home-y bed and breakfast feel, while keeping the classical style in the furnishings. We choose a soothing french grey and aqua palette that complimented the wood tones in the house and the french grey woodwork.

The fireplaces, which are not working, were updated with unglazed porcelain logs. The logs nodded to the use of the fireplace with the white porcelain nodding to the "unconventional" art school reputation of the school.

Next on the list of updates for this project is the rugs, and upstairs soft furniture!

Birmingham Decorator ShowHouse- The Nerve Center of the Home

2015-05-05T15:52:00.000-05:00

I have spent the last two months working in the Birmingham Decorator ShowHouse on a space I call the Nerve Center of the Home. The space is all about functional, practical design that is also, green design. It is a mix of modern, industrial, and vintage with whites and grey surrounding the pink and orange center piece of the space- the desk and chair.

Most of the items in the space are recycled, recyclable, or from a renewable resource... but nothing about the space looks any different from a less environmentally friendly space.

These antique ceiling tiles have the original baked on finish which allows them to be used as a dry erase board, as well as a magnetic pin board!

Neutral greys with orange snakeskin rain boots! Natural elements like the sheepskin pillow and an antler as a tieback on the linen drapes soften the starkness of the modern space.

Picking and grinnin'- by fave find this weekend

2015-04-12T14:02:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted a fave find in a while. Once I found this set this weekend, it was a must post.

This doozie is so large, I can keep part of it for take-out dinners and sell the rest! Hot and sour soup just got a bit fancier with this place serving for 12!

The pattern on these dishes is called Rice Grain because grains of rice is added in the clay before firing the piece. When the dishes are fired, the rice grain burns away leaving rice shaped holes in patterns which are filled in during the glazing process. This gives the pieces a translucent pattern all over, the addition of the decorative blue and white pattern is an added bonus.

Innovative design work from long ago!

YSL Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils- review

2015-03-17T18:00:00.000-05:00

I am super excited to be chosen to review the newly remastered formula for the Yves Saint Laurent Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils. I am serious about eyelashes, so to try a new product is a real treat. My fave mascara is L'Oreal's, tried and true, Voluminous- love the fluff brush and the thinkness of the product. Tarte is running a close second.

So, how does YSL compare to my faves. Let's start out with the obvious- cost. L'Oreal is about $8.00, Tarte is about $20 and YSL is $32. However, sometimes price is not the whole story. You do often get what you pay for! And, I think this might be one of those cases, in that I feel like I need to use less mascara to get the desired long-length effect. This is furthered by the fact that there is less black marks on my nightly cleansing cloth, than with L'Oreal or Tarte. So, the more expensive could be the better value.

Image on the left, YSL, image in the right, Tarte. This is a straight-up, clean faced image with no lash curling, which I normally do. And, only upper lashes.
P.S. it is very hard to get this close-up with your cellphone.

On the functioning front, the mascara has very little clumping, even after reapplying to "push the limits" and maintains the same fullness that I feel that I normally get. So, good coverage, no clumps. On the Fullness front... well... clumping is in it's own way fullness. The lack of clumping makes a lack of fat lashes. So, this mascara is for those with lots lashes that need length. As I have an on again off again relationship with lash serums, the lack off fullness is fine for now... The lash serum and I are currently best friends.

YSL mascara has also added a fragrance. I am of two minds on this. Why do I need added fragrance in my mascara, would it conflict with any fragrance I want to wear and is this fragrance supposed to have a specific quality, in an aromatherapy way, that enhances the make-up application process. The answers for me are, not really, the fragrance doesn't last very long, and it doesn't seem to have an aromatherapy spin. It's a light, not unpleasant smell.

Final vote- Would I buy it on a reg basis? no, I'm very loyal to L'Oreal. Would I buy it as a splurge? Probably, I like the product and it feels like a splurge. Could a splurge become a habit? yep.

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

2015 Birmingham Decorator show house

2015-02-09T05:00:00.000-06:00

Perspective. Copyright: Laurl Designs

I am super excited to be chosen as one of the designers to participate in the 2015 Decorator show house! I am, also, really excited about the space I have been chosen to design.

I designed two spaces for the bidding process and which ever design I was working on was the design I loved best. So, I could not be happier to bring you the coolest "back hall" you will have seen!

To the left is a composite image of the space with the orange desk, vintage metal ceiling tiles on the wall, Sweater carpet from FLOR and black and white art work above the desk. The chair is the lead singer in this band! With a mix of pink and orange fabrics on a vintage chair of soft olive, she is a standout.

I am calling the back hall "the nerve center of the house" beacuse it is where you chart everyone's activities, plan meals, and organize life. And, organizing life can be messy at times, so I am adding organization tools that are cool, industrial and vintage and combining them with a classic desk that you can close when you don't want to see all the papers. The space can be used as a sitting area, as well as function in the more mundane back hall aspects, like storing the dog's leash and your coats.

Board 1. Copyright: Laurl Designs
Fun colors in pink and orange plays well with white and cream... and always a little lucite!

Best of all this space is about green design and great design. Beside the great design of function, function and function ( by the way the FUN in function is the colors), this space is designed to be budget friendly and green with each piece made from recycled materials, vintage (i.e. second hand) pieces, or from plant based materials and most are source locally. This space shows that green design doesn't have to be sterile and boring... or earthy and dirt colored.

Board 2. Copyright Laurl Designs
Luxe flokati rug over white bench with silver dipped legs, cool industrial coat rack and a custom file cabinet for storage .

Speaking of color, this space is color theory at work with bright colors to energize whomever is working in the space on possibly less than exciting tasks. Of course, bring colors and me together means pink and orange... or should I say PINK and ORANGE. It's bright and tempered at the same time. It is neutralized by a lovely light olive and lots of shades of white. The whites and creams brings a freshness, light and a sense of better organization to calm the mind. Welcome to the "Nerve Center" of the 2015 Decorator Show House!

Cleaning antique paper, archivally

2015-01-26T05:00:00.000-06:00

Every once and while you run across a problem that takes special knowledge... knowledge that you should pay someone big bucks for, but you can only invest little bucks. I ran across one of those problems last month. I found a pair of lovely, hand-painted etching of fish from the late 1700's. They were part of a famous book (Allgemeine Naturgeschichte Der Fische by Block) and had been removed- heart breaking to remove pages from a book, but that's another story.

These are beautiful and the one at the right even has a silver wash over it to create the iridescence of the fish. However, they were dirty, like dusty-type dirty, not actually soiled. I needed to have them cleaned, in an archival way, and my best bet was to drive over 2 hours to Atlanta and visit a paper restorer- BIG bucks.

But it was just the dirt I wanted to really remove, I could let the light water damage to the corner and a foxing spot stay. When I mentioned to a local framer that surely I could do a little research and do it myself he said, "could you read a book on baseball and throw a no hitter game?" Thanks Snarky Snarkington. It was then that I remembered why I do not use him very often to frame art.

Turns out there is very little on the web about cleaning antique paper. However, I know enough as a former librarian and trained artist, that there are accessible techniques. I remember products for removing dirt, cleaning book covers, repairing paper, etc. from archival library supply websites and finally found it. It is called a Dry Cleaning Sponge- note that it is for cleaning dryly, not a product from the dry cleaning industry.

These "sponges" are actually vulcanized rubber foam, cut into squares. Vulcanization is a chemical process that turns goopy rubber into firm or hard rubber.

To use the sponge to clean/restore paper, simple lay the sponge on the paper and pull it across- with the grain and using little to no pressure. Turn the sponge to a clean spot on the sponge and do it again. Avoid any pencil marks that you do not want to erase. Start with the edge of the paper to test the process. Do the important parts last and sparingly.

When your sponge is dirty, clean with soap and water, let dry, and then you can use it again. I bought a twin pack so I could complete a project at one time.

Doily chargers or placemats

2015-01-16T12:32:00.000-06:00

I am so often asked if my 12 inch doilies would work for a place mat or charger for wedding tables. And they do! Such a pretty, lacy edge around a 10 inch plate. They would be great as a whimsical addition to a Summer party, graduation party, or Mother's day tea!

So, I thought I would set up a simple table settings with new china and my Grandmother's antique china for comparison. All of these pieces are standard size- plates are 10 inches. The silverware is antique, so not the large restaurant size flatware.

Please click HERE to order you gold doilies!

Standard 10 inch plate with a salad plate on top

Standard 10 inch plate on 12 inch doily, such a pretty edge!

Grandmother china on 12 inch doily- place setting with soup bowl

Grandmother's china on 12 inch doily- simple place setting

New Twine collection from Owl and Thistle

2015-01-09T12:59:00.003-06:00

I am super excited about my new Mid-Winter twine collection on Owl and Thistle! It is the Metallic Neutral collection and it's full of golds, silvers, creams and greys.

These novelty twines can be found HERE!

It is a mix of metallics and neutrals that looks great with kraft paper gift wrap and perfect for white paper.

But it is not limited to gift wrapping! Here's a round-up of great ideas from across the web to use twines with.

Fantastic altered book from Phizzychick

Or this cute Christmas card book. Instructions from Honey Bear Lane found here!

Novelty twines are a great accent mixed with yarn on a wreath like this from Family Chic by Camilla Fabbri

Metallic neutral twines are perfect accents for a tiny wreath from Free People Blog

Wouldn't this little wreath be great on wedding reception tables!

Workroom tour - my re-imagined work space

2015-01-06T14:59:00.000-06:00

Color, color, color! I love to see the array of ribbons and twine.

I don't actually call my workroom a craft room. However, I realize that to most people, it looks like a craft room. It has crafting supplies, art supplies, gift wrap and lots and lots of scissors! By whatever name you choose, I have some ideas and inspirations to share from my remade work space.

The dining table, cleaned and ready for pricing linens. Check out that fab chair I found at a private estate sale!

This space is actually the dining room and for the first time in two years, I cleaned it out for Christmas dinner. This major cleanout allowed me to rethink how I use the space and how I want to use the space. I like the wood top on the dining table, but it is not a sealed finished and I want to protect it from paint, markers and abuse. So, pricing linens was going to be the last thing I did before covering it.

Goodbye nice wood tabletop, hello vintage cardboard cutting board.

TIP: using a cardboard cutting board not only protects my table top, but because it is for cutting out dress patterns, it has a grid and measurements. I use the yardage measurements to measure twine and ribbon I am cutting and it's a great tool for quickly checking the size of something without getting out a ruler.

The room needed to work for storing my vintage items that I sell online and items that are waiting to be listed or sent to my antique shop. Ideally, I would like these shelves to be able to separate online store items, brick and mortar store items and just purchased items. But I am not there yet.

Admittedly, this looks a bit jumbled, but it is actually arranged for easy access to the items, which are stacked in a way to protect them from damage.

And really, the "just purchased" items need to live with the cleaning supplies that I use for rehabbing them. Again, not there yet.

The "to be solds" cleaning supplies, art supplies, fabric books for my design business and photo props

I also needed to store everything I sell in my paper goods online store. I store my paper goods in a "Pick and Pack" system, so that I can quickly find the size, shape, and color I need for each item. This is a great store owner solution that I picked up from a big online retailer! I prepackage items and store them together so that I can quickly ship. I feel very Henry Ford when I am packaging them. It's also a great "down time" or "thinking time" project, too. When I do not have a project brewing, or I need to stew on a project, counting out doilies is a useful way to clear your head and re-focus. It's also a great time management practice to package everything when I get them in stock rather than when they are ordered.

Vintage metal drawer boxes, paper drawer boxes and clear drawer shoe boxes- all easy access storage. The turquoise paper sorter was spray painted to add color and store 10 inch doilies.

I want to package my items to ship from here, as well as do photo shoots here. A shipping center is a must for this space.

A collection of black and white art acts as a foil to the brightly colored ribbons and twine. And, they look great when the table is in the center of the room as the dining table.

Poly bags are stored, sorted by size, in a rack that I also use when I do outdoor shows. It's easy to empty the rack for a show and I don't have to store and empty rack somewhere for other 350 days in the year. It is still looking for a permanent home, for now, it's by the window.

Dual use vintage store display. perfect for storing shipping bags and works great for outdoor art shows.

Photo shoots are a preferred task for this space. This room gets great light and the table is by the window. I am working on a new method of photographing items, so I think this will be a good fit. I can store backgrounds beside the bookshelf, like the lovely antique enamel ceiling tile (above), and the camera can live on the tripod here. I found that shooting in natural light requires a slower shutter speed and a more stable grip than my hands!

Love a Sapien bookcase (also known as a spine bookcase) it is invisible when in use and keeps all book accessible! Check out my post on this fantastic bookcase HERE.

My lovely, Spanish, mid-century umbrella stand is holding my pre-packaged kraft gift wrapping paper. Eventually, I will find the perfect spot to store my 12 inch cardboard squares that are the shipping support for my 12 inch doilies... for now, they live by the wrapping paper. I have moved a bed for my schnauzer under my work table for the cold weather this week. He does not come in my workroom, normally. And even with a bed in here, he seems uninterested in the temptation of spending some quality sleeping time at my feet.

A new use for an unused item from the past. Umbrella stands are not much in use these days, but they make a great storage piece for rolls of paper and would be a fun addition to any craft or gift wrap room!

Do you have a great work room to share, please post a link below!

I'm featured in Birmingham Home and Garden's Top 15 photos of 2014

2015-01-01T18:33:00.002-06:00

I am super excited that one of my projects made the Top 15 photo's of 2014 from Birmingham Home and Garden! (find the article here) Thank you BH&G for making this such a great year, from cover girl in January to Top 15 of 2014!

Featured in "Custom Color," photo by Jean Allsopp

Need some custom color in your home? Give me a call and we will make it happen! Just click on the envelope under the Let's get social tab at the top of the page.

Pickin' and grinnin'- the best of shopping this weekend!

2014-12-15T12:38:00.000-06:00

Every week I have one or two favorite items that I have purchased from the variety of shopping sources. This weekend was no exception, though this week, it is something I will keep mostly for myself!

This is an exceptional collection of paint brushes- though not the entire collection. Beautifully kept, this is about $500- $600 worth of brushes, many sable. Super excited about this buy, I will be sharing these with my mom and sister with the hopes that we will all have time to paint in the coming year! It's proof that you just never know what you might find when you open your eyes and take off the blinders!

Holiday bar cart and party accessories from Porch and Parlor

2014-12-09T08:19:00.002-06:00

You still have time to order your Mid Century Modern bar ware Christmas or ringing in the New Year! Full of glamour, this collect features brass and gold, silver and green.

clockwise: Brass Pineapple ice bucket, wreath swizzle sticks, Christmas ornament Swizzle sticks, Brass Tray, Grapevine wine coaster, square pump decanters, Sterling silver wine bottle coaster, Culver glassware

Mid Century barcart items from the 50's and 60's and perfect for celebrating the holidays or ringing in the New Year! Please click on the links to take you to the items pictured. These are one of a kind, vintage items, when they are gone, I cannot guarentee that I can find more!

Obsessions- well shopped

2014-12-06T16:31:00.001-06:00

I am obsessed with these silver bookmarks from England of HenryVIII, Shakespeare, Mr Pickwick, a queen and a yeoman.

Silverplate and sterling and fab!

handmade holiday gift wrapping with paper doilies

2014-11-30T13:49:00.001-06:00

I love coming up with new ways to use doilies as gift wrap! Today's project is a silver bow that is "lined" with the doily. The double sided cones gives the bow extra sparkle and is super easy to make! Here's how.

This project uses kraft paper as a base wrap and two sizes of silver doilies to make the bow. Easy wrapping at it's best!

You will need:
kraft wrapping paper
4 inch silver or gold doilies
5 inch silver or gold doilies
tape and/or hot glue (low temp glue for safety)

Wrap you package in kraft paper and collect four silver 4-inch doilies and four silver 5-inch doilies.

Fold the doily in half making sure to match the pattern for the neatest look.

Then, make a cone with one side of the folded doily and tape it place (tape the folded edge from the inside of the cone).

Next, make a cone with the other half of the folded doily by folding it in the opposite direction and taping. Continue making the cones with the rest of the doilies.

Place the four largest cone pairs in a cross on your package (you can tape or hot glue these in place).

Then place the four smaller ones together, again tape or hot glue, and add them to the center of the cross.

Pretty and pretty easy! This project also works great with 5 and 6 inch doilies or, for really big packages, 6 and 8 inch doilies!

pickin' and grinnin'- this week's awesome finds include longwy and blenko!

2014-11-22T21:43:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow's weather is supposed to be rough, so I will not be headed out to any sales to find more awesome finds... not that I left anything on the table. My faves this week include...

Lovely French faience, or majolica, pitcher pretty shades of green with that characteristic slightly runny look.
This piece will be headed to Hanna Antiques on Monday.

Fantastic little Longwy dish from the 1920's. I love this scarab-type pattern!

I cannot resist some Blenko owls! This rich amber color looks great with old books.

Set of 7 Laurel Burch plates- I love the colors and patterns, even though I am not much for cats.

Etsy pop-up shop- day one

2014-11-17T23:02:00.000-06:00

Putting together an entire store takes longer than I thought. I am so used to everything being explained with nice images, keywords and good descriptions that to actually display items from my shops without these tools, takes a different way to look at things.

I got the giant crochet table cloth on the wall and the start of all the gift wrap items in place.

I have started with the shelves of boxes for gift wrap... coming up will be vintage items for gift giving.

And then, filling in with more silk dyed scarves!

pickin' and grinnin'- the best of this weekend's vintage shopping

2014-11-16T17:24:00.003-06:00

It's been a while since I have posted some of my great picks... but "good" shopping has been light on the ground lately. This week was different and awesome! It is mostly headed to my Etsy pop-up shop at Hanna Antiques! More images on that to come from the shop!

From this week's shopping, I found, this fantastic unsigned painting- looks like Chinatown, maybe? Love the more you look, the more you see. It is on natural linen and looks quite old and more vibrant in person. I think I may live with this one for a bit while I do some more research.

Some fantastic house details from one of the sales this weekend. Really lovely home built in 1905 with period lighting and original tile coal fireplaces.

side door to the screened in porch

Wowza of an art deco half tester bed

I'd buy the house for this tile work alone!

And possibly for the fantastic brass sconces!

This image is from the Multiple Listings for the house- which I understand is sold.*

This is the other end of that glorious staircase! *

Front of the house... I think a porte cochere, on the right, would balance this view nicely. *

*I do not own these images that contain the copyright of RealtySouth. All rights belong to RealtySouth.

Etsy pop up shop- I'm going hyper local at Hanna Antiques

2014-11-11T23:33:00.000-06:00

I am super excited to announce that coming November 17th, I will be opening an Etsy Pop Up shop at Hanna Antiques with items from my Etsy shops! This will only last through the end of December!

From Porch and Parlor, you will find items like this:

From Owl and Thistle, you will find your gift wrapping needs all met, like this:

All kinds of goodies to make your presents look like this!

From Laurl Designs, you will find fantastic felted and dyed items like this:

Felted and dyed, silk and merino wool

hand dyed silk

hand dyed softest bamboo rayon

hand dyed silk

hand dyed cotton knit

hand dyed softest bamboo rayon

And, on Wednesdays you will find me there in the store, helping customers all over the store to find excellent holiday gifts, perfect vintage and antique holiday accessories, and the best in vintage and antique furniture and home decor!

Best selling brass is back- vintage faves return to the shop

2014-11-10T23:03:00.000-06:00

I have just added two of my best sellers back to the vintage store on ETSY! I love finding these items and offering them to you.

Brass pineapple box is the best. It's a storage box, ice bucket, candle holder and all around perfect house warming gift!

These graduated brass candlestick work on thier own, mixed in flowers and table scapes... they are perfect for holiday gatherings!

Buying great vintage items is the best of living green! You will find them to be better made, stronger, and less expensive than their contemporary counterparts.

Easy Flower Arranging- breaking down the big one

2014-11-10T11:56:00.000-06:00

For the past several years, I have been helping with an art auction that benefits the University of Montevallo scholarships for art students.

Part of my job includes the floral centerpeice. I'm no florist, but I'm not afraid to cut some stems and stick them in oasis foam.

This years them was shades of purple and gold. Since purple is a great color to find a variety of flowers,it was perfect for the shades of purple!

It doesn't look like my original inspirations arrangements, but I still love to look to Pinterest to find great inspiration!

I assumed everyone breaks down a large arrangement into smaller arrangements after an event was over. Flowers are not made to live in oasis for long. However, some folks seem surprised that I would do that. I guess the assumption is that once you go to the trouble of making an arrangement, you would want to keep it in that form.

Here are the flowers I was working with... the theme of the event was shades of purple and gold, our school colors. There are also to small cabbages from my yard in the arrangement.

So, I thought I would share two of my arrangements from the larger arrangement. For tips on how I generally do arrangements check out this post HERE! And to see my inspiration for this year's arrangement, check out this post HERE.

The spray roses, caspia, and a purple cabbage from my yard

Since making the arrangement for this event for the University of Montevallo was not something I would bill my hourly for and the container was one from my antique space, the only cost was the flowers, which came in at under $80! That's a lot of look for 80 bucks!

Lilies, caspia, and some spray roses

The key to both of these arragments is to make one type of flower the stare of the arrangement and the rest as the back-up dancers. Each arrangement have different stars, so they relate, but do not look like the original arrangement or like each other!

When re-arranging flowers that have been in a less than ideal environment, remember to re-cut the stems and change the water frequently. You don't drink three day old water, why would your flowers want to either. To prolong their great good looks, keep them away from direct sun and heat sources, like the TV or other heat producers.

Fear the kefir? never again!

2014-11-05T22:21:00.001-06:00

Fermented milk drink sounds dubious, like opening a bottle of milk and asking someone to "smell this and see if it's still good."

So, when my sister and I decided to try some of these "new" fermented drinks, fermented milk sounded this the best and the worst option. It took me a week, after this decision to buy a bottle. Then a few more days to actually crack open the bottle!

Strawberry Banana Kefir smoothie

Little did I know that it should be described as yogurt thinned with milk. I think it even has the same benefits as yogurt. So, want to give the texture a taste test before buying the bottle? Buy some honey yogurt, then add it to a nearly full glass of milk and stir.

Personally, I like it thinner than what's in the bottle. And, I think it would be great as the liquid in the smoothie above! I leave reading the blogs associateed with the Cultures for Health website. HERE you can find more info on how to make kefir at home!

So, Fear the kefir no more! Or just eat yogurt.

Who is Dorothy Thorpe?

2014-10-26T15:30:00.002-05:00

My love of lucite is no secret. It goes hand in hand with my affinity for designers who use it as a design element, ultimately they are designing in the "there and not there" of the material.

I found these groovy lucite knots at a recent estate sale. I first thought about making them into stations on a necklace, but decided to do some research first. I was pretty sure they were napkin rings and I had a vague memory of a 1930's designer who worked in home accessories in lucite. It turned out the name that kept popping up was Dorothy Thorpe- be it sites about her, her work, or her works faked. I have no idea if these are her actual work. I do know the are in her style.

Dorothy Thorpe was raised and educated in Utah in the early part of the 20th century. She moved to California in her late 20's. It was there that she designed her tableware, barware and all around delicious things to serve delicious things from and on!

{please click on any of the grey links for more info!}

Hallmarks of her works include:

Botanical etched crystal

Etched Vase from Etsy

I am WILD about this combo of lady-like etching and Mid Century pretzel handle on this teapot from Ebay

Silver banded and smoke-fade glasses

Silver fade tumblers from Etsy

Silver fade martini pitcher from Etsy

Silver band punch bowl with cups from Etsy

Lucite knot or pretzel candlesticks tableware

THE pretzel knot napkin rings! Can't you see them as necklace parts?

Lucite spiral style

Lucite spiral umbrella stand from Etsy

These candle holders recently sold in my Etsy shop... but I love them so I had to add!

Dorothy Thorpe's work us often marked with her initials or a label. However, since most people remove labels after they purchase an item, the labels are often gone on those pieces. When in doubt, do your research on the piece and purchase with that knowledge. If it seems legit, then pay appropriately. If it seems dodgy and you have "that feeling" that something's no quite right, buy low or walk away.

Etsy finds- Loving Lucite

2014-10-20T22:23:00.000-05:00

I have long loved Lucute in any form! Ghost chairs, 1030's bedroom furniture, and Dorothy Thorpe knot home accessories.

Today, I sold a favorite recent acquisition.

These candlesticks were one of those items that I bought for resale and one of the few I considered keeping. I often have to remind myself that things are bought for resale.

My other recent fave was a set of napkin rings I purchased and considered them as a jewelry part.

But, I kept my self inline and did not design a gi-NOR-mous necklace.... but can't you see these as stations on chunky necklace. Yeah, maybe they will not sell and I'll have a new necklace.