My life is much quieter and more introspective of late. I find I use Facebook (though I am not particularly fond of it) as my main daily post/thought/world share. I even tried using an ap for blogger so I could return to daily posts, but my "smart phone" which is the cheapest most 'frugal' type I could get, cannot handle it. Even a girl living in the modern world can't let go of her 50's thrift.

Thus, if any of you are out there I think I will just post my basic FB page and if you wish to follow me or see my daily quips then, that is where you will find me. Somehow that window of time that the internet and blogging existed for and of the people seems to have slipped away. It is sad really, but one must live in the world I suppose.

Maybe I shall see some of you there. Here is my FB link: 

14 January “In the Studio”

Here at Toad Hall I have had two studios though we have only been here under a month. That is because prior to our coming here full time, I took over a small room that was cleared of the previous ancestors ‘things’. It was a lovely small room with bright views and warmth, both of which can be a rarity in a New England Winter. Once I began moving bits and bobs of things in as well as having truckloads of things rolled out, we were left with a fairly empty house. Hubby, who writes and tinkers with old typewriters, rather liked the small room I had used as my studio and suggested the largest room at the end of the hall. I agreed and many buckets of white paint later I was settled in.

Having gone from this Summer of nesting in my little barn building at our Cape House so we could let the main house made me appreciate tiny spaces. Though the Barn has two floors, built with my own hands and the help of friends, I basically settled on the first floor. I had a bed a sofa my computer a little kitchen, a bath, far too many old books and my dogs. It turned to be a rather idyllic Summer. It left me contemplating European sojourns held up in tiny garrets in old cities whose mere names breathe Art into the world.

Now, however, we are here. It is not a mansion by any means but it is a rather large house. We joke that one does without when we have settled into office and studio because the trip down the long hall, then through the large living room to the kitchen is too far to bother. So, we huddle with our cold coffee and tea and biscuit crumbs and stare out the window at the lovely view; wrapped like the aged in old moth eaten wool blankets found in the Granny’s old blanket chest.

The house was built in 1950 by an architect who wanted to play with new ideas. The entire front of the house, which is built like a chevron or arrow point, has glass facing the water. This glass, though cutting edge at the time, has smoky and faded sections. We don’t complain because there is always another window right next to it to catch the view. There is enough ‘modern’ in this house to please hubby. The angled ceiling. The walls of glass. Smooth level floors. But, there is an equal amount of decay to suit me. I am not sure why this should be, but I have always felt most comfortable around old slightly off and decrepit things. Therefore, windows that have cracked due to hurricanes and were never replaced, or chipped antique corner cabinet that belonged to a dowdy Victorian aunt that somehow managed its way here all seem to fit here some how. Most like I posit myself as an odd or slightly chipped thing in the world, never quite varnished enough or never up to the times and can see myself in the decay around me. Who can know?

Today I am in my studio. The aforementioned larger studio that received buckets of white paint. I see myself doing some interesting work here. I like that it’s at the end of a long hall in a long house at the end of a long point of land down a long twisting road. It makes one feel like the beginning of a wonderfully dark children’s tale. The good ole kind with witches or lessons learned by fire not the kind that teaches one to pick up their room or hug their neighbor.

Well, this post is rather rambling and a bit cracked like our present home and my current thoughts. I will therefore simply share some photos of my studio. It is not entirely set up yet as we have just had staying relatives head out. I believe a house such as this will most likely come with many visiting relatives and friends not long seen. Though introvert, I shall welcome them all in with smiles and happiness to share this lovely spot. It really shouldn’t be left to a few old curmudgeons such as we. As  long as I get a few days in between to sulk and work in my studio, then I shall be bright and chipper to our future guests.

As you enter my studio there are large windows at one end. Here the view seems mottled, that is because the windows were covered in plastic by me this past weekend. The house is large and though solidly built, a bit drafty. We will not waste too much on heat and so therefore the plastic helps considerably. You can see a dolls house in the corner. It is a new obsession of mine. The tiny rooms and recreated moments of life are intriguing to me and will play a role in some of my future work.

Here is my main drawing/art table. You can better see the lovely view here. It is greatly covered by trees and grown up shrubbery. I will attack these this Spring but will leave most of it simply making views through. The birds and insects have come to love this cover too much for me to take it all away from them so that I might see the water a bit better; share and share a like, I say.

The crack in my window was from an old Hurricane. It is a double window and the replacement of such a large window is so expensive that I am happy to leave it as is. There is another pane on the outside so it matters little. And I rather like the look of it with some of my bone collection. These are various whale bones. The larger were found and given to me by a dear friend who worked with Piping plovers on the beaches and was allowed access to closed beach areas early in the morning. She knew I would love these, which of course I do. The longer thin one was a Christmas present and is a bit of whale rib bone.

The studio is large enough that I have put an antique bed into it. It was a great great grandmothers. It takes up very little room and will be nice for Summer time naps. You can see behind it a taped up window that has an air conditioner in it. It was built in and so I taped insulation around it and then shrink wrapped it. I will hang a curtain in front of it at some point, but was rather proud to have stopped the draft. It gets quite toasty and cozy in here now as evidenced by my little dog’s face peering out from the covers. Lurking under there is my other dog, an Italian greyhound. They, too, love my new studio.

And of course the view is worth any amount of taped up windows and cracked glass. I look forward to Spring when I can be out amongst the plants and earth with the gulls calling overhead. Though they entertain now as well, for we watch them dropping their dinner from beak to stones below. And there is such an array of birds here that I will have to jot them all down to remember everyone.

I hope all are having a lovely new year and that good and happy things are in store for you. Or, at the very least, that you are happy with the cracked and slightly odd things in your life. If we look for perfection we shant ever be happy, but if we revel in the commonplace and enjoy the marred moments of life, we can make our joy anywhere.

2 January “A Bathroom only a 50’s gal could love”

A quick post today from Toad Hall. Where we currently live we have dubbed the main house: Toad Hall. This is mainly due to the fact that Hubby was in the midst of re-reading the Wind and the Willows when the house was put at our disposal. It is more 1950’s than Edwardian England, but the name stuck. I will be designing a pattern that I am going to print as wallpaper, fabric, and possibly dishes for the place including Toads and Bunnies. My Hubby’s Late grandmother who once lived here was called ‘Bunny” and this place was, during the 1950’s, called “The Hutch”. I digress.

The house, by other family members account, has been called ‘un-livable’ due to its odd dated rooms and long rambling nature. We, on the other hand, love it FOR its idiosyncrasies. And the main bathroom off the long hall is a dream for a 50’s gal like me. I shall share a bit of it with you in today’s short post.

As some may remember my love of Robin’s Egg blue, a very 1950’s hue, was apparent during my sojourn into the past. My vintage dishes bore this shade, many of my clothes and even my 1950’s telephone, a birthday gift, was in this shade. Therefore the bathroom here at Toad Hall is perfect for me. And I should not change a thing, except the flooring was changed in the 1970’s and will most likely be replaced with a 50’s style tile when I get around to it.

The walls and ceiling of this bathroom are covered in a vinyl-like melamine in robin’s egg blue on the walls and the ceiling a white with gold and blue starbursts. All of the seams of these panels are edged in lovely vintage chrome. Here you can see how they meet and the brilliant starburst ceiling.

The sink, toilet, and bathtub are also in this lovely shade. And the sink has the original faucets and is also edged in chrome. There is also a place on the counter which holds the sink a space for a vanity chair, room for make-up and this little chrome and glass wall niche which will hold my vintage perfume and makeup supplies. I am rather excited to have a designated makeup area in the bathroom. As there is a large mirror well lit with wall lights edged in chrome.

Speaking of the large wall mirror. The medallions which hold this in place are also lovely 50’s acrylic starbursts. You have to excuse their condition, we are still cleaning and polishing up our new abode.

Here you can see the entrance to the bathtub and shower area. The sun breaking through onto our vintage melamine walls and the sea just outside the window. You can notice the ceiling light also original cut glass 50’s edged in chrome with the original working vent fan.

Again, this may be only loved by hubby and me and other family members think us odd to not rip it out and start new. Now, I am dreaming of lovely vintage 1950’s bathroom accessories like perhaps a series of glass fish or toothbrush holders such as these. Or I rather like these sword fish:

I may even be so bold as to do the floor in high gloss black vinyl and use pink and red-accessories as we see here:

They were certainly not afraid to mix bold colors during this time period

That is my word from Toad Hall today. I hope all are enjoying their new year and wonder if any are making resolutions?

1 January “The Return”

After three years of living in the 1950’s I needed a break. I felt the need to creep my way back into the modern world. I did not know how to do that.

It began with leaving the house and taking a cafe job three days a week. I needed to talk to random strangers, have a focused easy task each of those days (I still say working out of the home is easier than being a Homemaker, though not as much fun). During that time I met some wonderful new people. This lead me back to Art.

Art has always played a role in my life. Rather I was drawing or painting, it was happening. My years as a 1950’s Homemaker also drew upon those artists skills. The kitchen was my studio and my home and dinner table my canvas. The constant need to make things stand out, be lovely, or simply more wonderful and special was very much the life of an Artist. I still stand by my ideal that Homemakers of yore were artists in their own right. And some day, maybe when I am in my dotage, I shall pen that Art History Tome on the “Homemaker’s Art Milieu”.

During this voyage back to the Present I tried to manage my blog. I toyed with hopping about time periods and just found I really needed a clean break. I am, at heart, a introvert. I am also, I find, quite happy to be a hermit. I can spend days without needing to speak to anyone and just occupy and amuse myself. This made it far too easy for me to simply walk away from the computer and never even think of my blog. It was true I thought of my readers often, but it was as if they were truly people who had dwelt in the past with me and I could not take them with me back to the present.

To return to my role as Artist. In the Summer of 2012 I was asked to be one of two resident artists in our main town’s Art Building. I occupied a wonderful little barn with an artist friend and returned to working on my art. I set up a small studio with printmaking and silkscreen my main medium. With no surprise, my work focused on women and history. I ended the Summer with a show, sold rather well, made some friends and then, again, hid away.

This past Summer I spent completely alone. We rent our home on the Cape out to Summer guests and I had finished my barn building enough to move into it whilst renting out the main house. It was not quite habitable for Hubby and he was able to stay with a friend of ours. I was originally meant to stay with him, but my two little dogs would not get along with their large dog which had just attacked a neighbors small dog. Long story short, Hubby stayed in town close to work and I camped out in my barn whilst managing our rental property. It was a good experience. As previously stated, I am an introvert and a hermit. I spent my days playing with art ideas, sketching, playing in my little growing garden, and returning to a lost love of mine: Walking.

Though it was hard to be apart from Hubby, we were both so busy that we made ‘date nights’ to see one another and actually had more fun together time this Summer because of it. When we weren’t together he was busy working and I was busy playing at art and quietly enjoying my seaside walks and my growing passion for wild flora and fauna.

After Summer and the return of Hubby and I to our little house on the Cape, a series of off events with family members left us in possession of a seaside retreat. My hubby’s grandfather’s home where we had once lived on the property in the boat house, was now to be at our disposal. I had also accepted the opportunity to be the featured artist in our town hall for the month of December and had to create an entire body of work. So,driving daily to the new place I set up a studio of sorts and in between hiring dump men, carpet cleaners, and chimney sweeps, I made art. I found my new path I wish my work to move in and managed, though Christmas was looming, to get our house set up enough to get Hubby and I in two days before the New Year.

It is from this locale and this place in my life that I am returning to my blog. I am a solitary artist with the luck of an empty house on Buzzards Bay to take a look at the new direction of my life. That life will include writing for my blog. The blog, however, will not only time travel. However, my love of the past and history will always play a role in my day to day and so will therefore play a significant role in my writings and artwork.

As an example of the past and present having a happy marriage, hubby and I spent last night ringing in the new year at our new/old seaside shack scanning old family negatives from the early 1900’s. These will feature in my artwork but also remind us of those who have gone before us here. I hope my random passions and musings on my life now by the sea, doing art, increased love of garden with smatterings of historical domestic time travel trips will amuse enough of you to stick around. If not, I believe this return to blogging is more a way for me, the self-proclaimed hermit, to reach out to the world in my own way.

The added humour to our current home is that it was built in 1950 in a very modern style. There are wood paneled walls, flat roofs and a bathroom resplendent in robin’s egg blue laminate walls and matching lav, bowl, and tub. There is even a makeup station with built in mirrored and chrome niches for “mi’ladies” cosmetics and perfume. It seems Mid Century will always play a role in my life in some way.

I shall end this post with some photo snippets of my new surroundings. I will surely share more in the future. I also want to connect up my various bits and bobs. My very new website is www.donnadavisart.com .  facebook page link is Donna Davis Art and my Facebook Fanpage is Donna Davis Art. I have not done twitter in some time, but I shall do. One has so much to keep up with today but one must be of one’s time I suppose.

One of my latest pieces. I work on board. I build up layers of painting, screenprinting, assemblage, and poured acrylic for a dreamy view of the past.

Here is the view from our back windows of the new place.

Here is the view from my Studio Window. I plan to trim up the tree and clear some of the area, install bird feeders and plant a robust perennial and annual garden here.

The very 1950’s teak Eames wall unit in the living room with a view of the beach stone fireplace. The stones were collected from the beach out front to make this when it was designed and built in 1950. We are still in transition so the shelves are a disarray of old books and things to be put away. The clock was this year’s birthday gift from hubby. A 1930’s clock with the Westminster Chimes he repaired himself. It sounds lovely in the house.

Well, that is enough for me today on this fresh new January day of a new year. I look forward to returning to the blogosphere and I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas and New Year.

31 January

I was rather surprised this morning when my hubby said to me, “Did you see there are over 40 comments on your quick post on Apron Revolution?”

To which I responded, “That can’t be. I checked it everyday for three days and then gave up”.

Of course I was happy to see he was indeed correct. I had been using a Nook, which is a touchscreen Android device. Words I am not comfortable saying let alone using! I had just not refreshed and therefore thought no one even noticed my sad little call out into the vast wilderness of the internet.

I am glad to see some are still around. I shall begin posting again. Not everyday, not just 1950’s, but about my new life and new adventures, boring though they may be.

I am in a new house (well for us) and a new locale and have returned to art. I look forward to getting to know all of you again in the New Year as well as meeting new people.

Happy New Years Eve.

hello...anyone out there.

This is 50s gal. I am not sure who still visits my site but I sort of left abruptly and just needed a break. With the coming new year I would like to return to posting, though my life is a bit different lately. I shall see who responds to this by 1 January 2015 to see if I should bother.
I hope all are well.

2 february 1925 “Breakfast Alcoves: dreamy intimate seating”

I have always loved a kitchen alcove. The idea of the little breakfast nook (as opposed to an entire breakfast room which would be lovely as well) just seems so homey.

The 1920’s kitchen really considered these a necessity. Homes were getting smaller for the middle classes post war and the decline in the ability to have staff made eating and prep in one room more important. The middle class family would most likely have their dinner in the formal dinning room off the kitchen, but early morning with kids off to school, father with his morning paper and Mother happy to have all her new gadgets to hand found the kitchen eating alcove a wonderful addition to her busy morning.

And when space saving is par for the course with the need and want of a breakfast alcove, why not make it do double duty: a guest bed! This would be a great solution for any small house or even for a getaway cottage. With a darling set of curtains in coordinating fabric that says pulled back most of the time, close them when your guest is in there and he’ll have a bit of old 'fashioned train sleeper privacy while you get the eggs and coffee on in the morning.;

Even when one considers the small bit of space needed, you could almost see simply adding a bump out to your small kitchen. Some 2 x 4 framing, a simple shed roof and this simple 6 foot wide by 4’10” room would be easy foe many a DIY. A 6 x 5 addition would be very low cost and probably quite doable by a family of a few Summer weekends.

I am going to share this little silent film clip which is rather funny but also a good little glimpse into an early kitchen. The clip says 1920’s but it must be very early 20’s I would almost say late teens, as the ladies hair and dress tell me late teens. You can see their higher waisted dresses, popular before the dropped waist of the 20’s. And their hair is taking on the look we will have in the cut styles of the 1920’s but were managed in the teens WWI era with still long hair but wrapped and style to frame the face.

Have a lovely day and don’t forget to put a little Vintage in your Day.

30 January 1955 “Educational Color Decorating the 1950’s Way and Using the Color Wheel”

I have been busy trying to update and coordinate the blog. Trying to ‘keep up with the times’ as far as interactive and layout of the ever changing blog and its subsequent social media can be fun but is also rather tricky and a bit of a headache.

I spent a large portion of yesterday trying to get a simple feature to work on my Facebook page. There is meant to be a button on the right of posts that shows an ‘embed’ button. This allows the ability to cross share things on your blog and Facebok. My main Facebook does not have it. After hours of exhaustive searching for help, asking Facebook (no answer) and messing about. I found out that my Apron Revolution page on Facebook will allow it. So, that is going to simply become my new main blog Facebook page. So, I hope any of you that follow me on the facebook will simply like and move over to that. It is continuing process today.

Thus working on how to integrate Pinterest, Twitter et al into the blog (as I said a somewhat quickly changing experience on the internet) it made me think of planning ones home for decorating. Another aspect of my life that changed with the 1950s. Having been a always of the ‘artistic’ temperament I have always decorated with a sense of my own inclinations, buying and arranging as I find. I like our home and feel it represents my own taste of antiquity and the past (Probably much more 1895 than 1955 with the exception of my kitchen). But, as with most of the learning of the 1950’s, I find that with thought, planning and careful consideration, even decorating can be a science. It allows one to plan and thus save money. Having an organized plan in any way makes for an organized budget. One will spend less overall if you have a plan. You will know you want or need a sofa in this shade and two chairs and a picture here. Things won’t be bought on a whim throwing a plan off.

I, myself, learned this the hard way. And am still now suffering from this. Having bought things at yard sales, auctions and when the fancy struck, I still have furniture and accessories stored in a barn building I have. This building is now slated for a specific purpose and remodel and sorting through the detritus to prepare for that shows how one is better served with a plan.

Therefore as I work away today trying to manage the new look of the blog and the correlation of the other social media, I will leave you with another instructional film. This one was most assuredly put out by a paint company. It is obviously commercial like in that sense, but there are some great images of vintage materials. It also shows the use of the color wheel in a very helpful way. It made me think how we could possibly make our own to help us decide how to approach a room in our home before we commit to buying paint, paper, rugs, accessories, and furniture. Here is how I think we could make one similar to the handy one you see being used in the video.

First here is a color wheel. This gives you the general layout of the colors.

This one devoid of color but more simply descriptive gives you a good layout of colors.

What I would propose is take a copy of these on paper with you to your local paint store. And then by your choice of what you are drawn to, pick pain samples, the type wiht the three or four color variations on them from darkest to lightest, that meet all the color. Even if you think, Well I am not a big red/peach fan, still pick some samples in that color range that you are MOST responsive to as you look through them. Then when you have collected at least on sample corresponding to the colors in the color wheel, make your own wheel at home. Using the more simple layout as a guide. Now you have a wheel of color to work with. And I think you could see by the video how the three sections are cut out to coordinate with the wheel. This could be made easily with scissors and a sheet of opaque Mylar paper found at any craft store.

This would be such a helpful tool as you tackle the scheme for any room. Start with your wheel and work from there.  It is much cheaper to find your colors this way, then cut out images from magazines or downloaded images printed in color and pasted to paper than to buy first and think about it later. You can endless change color schemes and design choices this way quite inexpensively before you make the final purchases. And think how wonderful and powerful you would feel when it is all planned out and you know when you head to buy that sofa EXACTLY what you want.

Here, then , is the film and I am off to try and tackle the decorating of the blog and the coordinating of the Social media. Wish me luck. And a wonderful vintage day to you all.

29 January 1950 “My Handy Kitchen and The Death of the Blog”

I know I am a bit heavy handed with video posts of late, but I really feel as if the daily post needs to be my main goal. In the old days, I would spend large parts of the day researching and composing and editing for my longer posts. I know they were appreciated and I always felt good when they had been done. But, all in all, I feel that the world of blogging is really changing. Even the format and devices one uses to view such things are changing.

I read an interesting little article the other day about the death of the blog. That it is moving away from what it once was. The increased use of more fast paced and easier means of communication i.e. twitter tumbler et al, is better suited to the low attention span of the user as well as their need to have constantly new things to “look at”. I have given up my idealism and hope that one day we would see that this ease of modern technology would lead to more people being self sufficient and enjoying the good old ways with the new easy things. I know that is not the case. I see those around me simply move with ease from one modern thing to the next, as I suppose is the norm of social/technological evolution.

Now, don’t think me embittered about that view. I know what I like and still enjoy seeking it out. But, I feel less like I need a soapbox upon which to stand to try and point out the Emperor is not wearing any clothes. I’d rather be in the crowd saying, “Yes sure he looks great”, then wandering off to my own home and focusing on what I like to do and how much of those likes I wish to share. The Emperor is not going to listen to lil ole me and I am ok with that.

Thus, as my blog became more and more involved and intertwined into my life, I began to sometimes feel a slave to it. I enjoyed it and felt a responsibility to it. And, maybe if I was getting paid in some capacity, like a job with a paycheck, that would have continued to be a mix of passion with reality so I would have the time to continue putting more and more into it. But, like the blog world seems to be realizing, things get outdated quickly in the 21st century. There is no staying power. And our continued love for things Vintage is a sort of anchor it this turbulent sea of rapid change and eddies and swirls of this new device, that new technology. And I am fine with that.

So, my blog is going to evolve, if it can, into more of a touchstone of little moments. A daily drop of a tiny little raindrop into a vast sea of information and entertainment. I continue to find and wish to share old vides and images and books that I think relevant for us to use as branches to hold onto as the current pulls us ever forward towards the future. A few seconds to click and look and think, “hmmm cute” or “whatdya know bout that?”

In some ways the future is bright. I think amid all the turmoil of the unknown situations that we are heading into: continued bad financial times and increasing unemployment (despite what we are actually told), the ever reaching arm of the military and the wars and conflicts that seem just a part of our lives, the pointless items we are sure to need and must have being put before us, are a part of a dying system. 3-D printing, Changing climate of self-sufficiency, a need to connect, while we can, with others in the world before the ‘firewalls’ begin to go up that utterly changes the freedoms of the internet for the little guy like you and me. In its very uncertainty and the mish mash of control and out of control is an interesting path none the less. And, rather we like it or not, we are all going to be going there, the Future. So, until I can manage a Real time machine to get me outta dodge, I have to look more brightly or at lest with more studied vision to that future.

And again I have rambled on. My point is I am going to keep evolving this blog into I don’t know what. But, I want to keep sharing things daily even if it is just a picture or a film or even one sentence and a shot of a darling vintage woman at work. And in that hope there is some relevance to whatever this 2014 shall turn out to be.

Today it is the great little film about a perfect little 1950’s kitchen. It shows the layout and has great simple really common sense ideas to make a small kitchen a great place to function. I love, too, that in this part of the days chores are shared by the children. I often see modern people talking about how much they need to do to try and have some ‘old fashioned’ things in their life and it is always they alone working away while their children do nothing. Helping with the chores and running of the house must be an outmoded form of child care? I don’t know. I have no children and therefore can’t ever give real advice for it would be worth nothing. But, from an historical perspective, it is interesting to note that once we considered it important for children to learn to work. And before the last World War we even treated children like adults in that we expected them to learn and do and that play was a treat or reward that happened sometimes but not always. A good lesson for the world in which they would live as adults. But, today, I suppose with our own endless fun and amusement a lesson in play and constant praise and diversion is a good lesson to teach as our current adult populace seems to be rather good at that as well. But, I digress.

The film and the cute kitchen: Enjoy and Happy Vintage moments, if you can get em.

27 January “Some Wonderful 1930’s Commercials seen at the Picture Shows”

This is a wonderful compilation reel of commercials that would have been viewed at the pictures.There were no TV in the home here and  so these would have been filler at the picture show.

There are some surprises, such as Snap Crackle Pop prior to their 1950’s incarnation, Coffee at a price that is equal to $8 a pound today (which is about what we have to pay in my area if not more). A very dramatic advert for Eveready batteries.And two wonderful ads for Singer Sewing machines and centers where they teach you to sew! There are some wonderful glimpses inside 1930’s kitchens.

 

Next we have a funny rather long Hoover advert from 1940’s England. Its rather fun and a good look at the decor of the time as well.

Now, today we are having a reprieve from some rather extreme cold temps in my area. We often don’t have too harsh winters in my area, as we are surrounded by the sea so it tends to keep our snow at bay. When Boston gets inches we get a dusting and we always have 45 F days to punctuate the cold snaps. But these past two weeks have been a bear of cold below freezing weather and snow has even stuck around. Today, however, I went out and it was like Spring. It was over 50F the snow melting, birds singing and the Rhody’s leaves are unfurling in the warming sun. So, I am off for a walk into town to the library and to enjoy this weather while we have it.

I hope all have a lovely day.