Vintage Glass Knobs and Doin It Yourself

Hi -

I'm about 1/2 way through blogging how we got to this little beach house and how we are having such a blast working Chandeliers.  Shortening it up for this blog, when I heard the little white gate click and latch behind me I knew I was home and we made a deal with the seller about an hour later.  

As I entered this very small entryway I saw only one door and it had an old glass knob on a backplate....this house had me at hello.  Here's how it greeted me -

As we looked around, some doors had the original old glass knobs and some did not so I started to wonder if my stash of vintage glass knobs could actually be used for working door knobs - why not?  

On one of my visits to Liz's Hardware (a favorite place) they were having a sidewalk sale of fabulous stuff so I scooped up all the old backplates that I could and begged Mr Beachy to make em work with the knobs.  Not easy - we had to find the right inner workings and this and that and modify holes...it was as I call it a 10 Damnit job - and that's alot.

When we added the french doors in the Dining Room we put knobs inside and outside -

These are outside - the doors open out to an outdoor kitchen - all original with some band aids.

Here's the door to the hallway - it's a funny place for a door but I like the way it looks opened against the wall.

This is the door to the bathroom and then the other side...

This is a door in our bedroom -

Here's the other door in the bedroom 

I love each of these - they make me happy and when the sunlight shines in just the right spot for just a few minutes it's so great.

See you tomorrow - I'm trying to link - I sure hope I got this right...maybe one day I'll be able to figure out the button deal! http://asoftplacetoland-kimba.blogspot.com/

Marco .............. Polo

I'm bringing you up to date on my brother Keith and the Marco Polo Mural in Santa Monica that he is doing.  Then I'm off to blog my great yard sale haul last Saturday, my Tablescape and how we enjoyed every minute of weekend houseguests - I think we made it look easy.   A few fabulous Chandeliers on ebay in case you want to take a look 

Here's the front of Marco Polo - Keith and Collin just hangin out shootin the breeze on the stoop........there's no doorway or stoop or steps, sure looks like there is though, don't you think?

Here's the Mural up to date almost finished - the kids on the top of the scaffolding are Alexis and Collin real kids, and the guys working on the mural are not real guys.

The final day of painting will be this coming weekend and then I'll get photos of the completed Mural - 

See you tomorrow -

 

Hooked On Vintage Beach Art & Chandeliers

Hi Blog Friends -

It's been crazy hot here in So California lately - almost to hot to go thrifting. Staying inside really helps me catch up on what I should be doing so I have caught up a bit and have posted some Chandeliers below that I currently have on ebay if want to take a closer look - id is chandeliermagic. 

I'm hooked on Vintage Beach Art - I especially like the older ocean paintings on canvas or board.  The ones with the darker muted colors that have highlights on the water -they're the best.   The 1st one is in my Living Room - I found it at a Garage Sale and didn't know how much I really loved it until I got it home. I think I fell in love with the size too - there's so much of it.  The little one I also found at a Sale and the colors in this are perfect sea colors - you can see the old 8 X 10 stamped on the side with the staples and I think it's charming.  

I found the one below recently - I think the little metal title tags are so cool too - like a plaque.

This is a Vintage French Chandelier - I think the scrolls and curves are fabulous and I I love the beads and crystals - easy and elegant...
This is one of my fave's these days, I'm loving the funky beaded strands - this one is a larger one and the next one is petite.  Both are beaded with old crystals all in different sizes and shapes and different lengths in perfect condition.  

This is a little lamp that is one of a Pair - they're very beachy and perfect for anywhere!
Please visit me on ebay if you get a chance - Our house guests are leaving on Sunday - so I'll be back after the weekend.

Make it great!

Marco Polo Mural Update -

G'Morning All -

This is what you see turning into the driveway - the blue is outta this world beautiful.

This was it through Sunday  -  Monday we spent the day eating, cooking, and talking on the couch while we both worked on laptops.  Quite a sight I'm sure.    Back to work today so I'll be snapping progress photos tomorrow.

In the meantime I'm anxious to post some photos of some chandeliers we've been working on lately - I'd love to know what you think -

Keith Blum Murals - Santa Monica Style

Hi Blog Friends - Thanks for joining me...Meet Keith Blum - he's my brother. He's a fabulous artist/muralist whose Trompe L'oeil works have amazed me my whole life and I'm so happy to share it all with you. You may have seen one of the murals he painted at the famous F & S Fabrics in West L.A.

That's him standing in front of the mural next to a car so you have some perspective of the size of the building. He can draw and paint anything - he prefers to do it with wide brushes with huge huge strokes on the side of a building, but can fool your eye even if in a little niche painted with a skinny brush. A true artist.

Currently he's doing a mural in Santa Monica featuring a tribute to Marco Polo - the store is Marco Polo Imports and they have very cool imported furniture, chandeliers, pillows, shells, candles etc. Located just up the street from this landmark in Santa Monica, California -

Here's the pencil rendering - you can see that it's in a 3-ring binder and is notebook size...The side of the building will be completely covered with his artwork

This is the side of the building chalked out with some outline done and check out the major scaffolding going on - can you imagine painting something that large that close that high?

This is really close up -

And here's what it looks like looking straight up!

Walk right around the building and you'll see the front...(remember this was Day 1 so it's just the beginning) see the chalk marks on the left where there will be a mural and see the door and staircase on the right? it's painted no real stairs or door there at all.

Here's a closeup of the Trompe L'oeil door and stairs...there will be another photo when the left side when is done - amazing don't you think?

This was all for Day 1 - you can see the building taking on it's new look - and I'm sure the final picture will be out of this world mind blowing great.

And then we headed home...

Day 2 on Monday - wait till you see the progress...Santa Monica's got it!

www.keithblum.com

Welcome Beach Bums Swinging on Chandeliers

Well, I don't know what happened to my 1st blog but I've heard this is 'show your entry and foyer' week - so for me, it's the perfect time to begin again. I hope my entry keeps you wanting to come back for more to see what's new around our place and to check out our Chandeliers and other vintage lighting.
My kids call this Peace & Love because of the design in the swing which cracks me up. A few years ago my neighbor moved and couldn't take the swing so they hauled it over here and it's perfect - really solid even has the perfect crickety squeak.
I found the Sconces at the Santa Monica Flea Market - they were freshly painted black and they just weren't right so I painted them white and made them look aged and weathered and I love em. Couldn't decide what Chandelier to put right here and when my contractor friend brought this one over that he rescued that day up it went. It's been there a few years weathering and getting all chippy-love that!
If you can see the Adirondack chairs and rockers on the Porch - they're great and I would never admit this to Mr Beachy but it's a little bit of a regrettable purchase. We overpaid and they're such good quality they'll never weather or look old-bummer. But they're solid and steady and comfortable and they're here because I wanted them really badly.
Our Beach Bum doormat gets much use and paves the way for everything imperfect. There's a cool old cement Peacock statue to greet you and a pile of inspirational rocks the kids have set out. Come on in!
PS Gotta figure out how to change the order of the photos and a few other things...