Monthly Feature at the Queen by {Home-ology} modern vintage

It's April 15th! Let's give a big "woot" to the fact that taxes are over with for 2013 and we can all move on to more pleasant things such as outdoor gatherings, family vacations, and warm summer days! ;)

Along with writing that annual check, April 15th also marks the end of cold weather frosts. And with spring in full swing here in the ATL, I've packed away the home's winter necessities and have begun to lighten up the style in my home.

One of my favorite ways to lighten up for the warm season is to pack away my ironstone and pull out my collection of clear glass containers. I love glass containers. I love how they don't clutter a space visually and how beautifully they bounce the light around a room. And when they're filled with beautiful things, glass containers allow their contents to shine without overwhelming a space. Yep, I'm a sucker for them.

And this season I had a very specific idea in mind for some glass containers, yet I didn't have exactly the right combination of three. So when I spotted a real beauty in the Alpharetta location of the Queen last week, I knew another piece of glassware was coming home with me and my little idea would soon become a reality.

After finding the first container, a hunt ensued as I scoured the remaining booths for the perfect combination of glassware to complete the set. The inventory at the Queen is always vast and varied, so I was quickly able to find complimenting sizes and shapes and didn't have to run all over town. I love that!

Don't you just love the unique shapes?

This one is a vintage cookie jar.

And here we have an interestingly shaped decorative apothocary jar.

Last we have this fabulous storage container impressed with a patent date of 1904 and made by Lucas Prouty and Co. {I love the impressed markings!}

They fit so well as a grouping, don't you agree?

Want to see what I did with them?

I made terrariums!

So easy to make and so easy to care for, they're the perfect vignette for the summer season and are virtually maintenance free. Want to see how I made them? Jump over to my blog for the tutorial "Making a Terrarium - Gardening for the Commitment Phobe." There I demonstrate how easy these were to create and show you how to make a beautiful terrarium of your very own.

So modern and fresh, i love how mine turned out!

This is a guest post from Sarah Krouse at {Home-ology} modern vintage. As well as being a dealer in our Alpharetta location, Sarah blogs over at homeologymodernvintage.com. If you enjoyed reading her post and would love to see more, we encourage you to stop by her blog. There you'll see many of her vintage finds in their raw stage, get a story of where they came from, and see transformations of the pieces she revives and repurposes prior to their display at the Queen.

Monthly Features at the Queen

Hi vintage peeps! It's Sarah from {Home-ology} modern vintage here to feature more of the Queen's talented dealers and the awesome finds they are constantly bringing into each of the three locations. This month, in celebration of spring, I'm focusing on outdoor spaces.

As the days become longer and warmer, it's preparation time for the outdoor gatherings to come {think Easter} so that your outdoors will be as pretty as your indoors. It's time to pull out the planters and garden furniture, and time to get your hands dirty.  I can't wait to bring my outdoor spaces back to life!

First on my list of outdoor projects this year is acquiring a proper potting bench for myself. I am in dire need, but no out-of-the-box potting bench will suffice. No, no. In an attempt to stay "green," I'm in search of a salvage find that I can repurpose.

In truth, I had great plans to give you a diy on this particular subject in this month's guest post; but alas, it was not to be - just.too.darned.busy. So I'm hoping to have a treat for you next month by sharing my DIY potting bench. Stay tuned & cross your fingers ;)

So this month I thought I would take you along for the tour as I search for the perfect piece. I'm currently in the planning stage and was so happy to see all the vintage outdoor inventory being brought in so early in the season. These dealers are always on top of their game and such inspiration to be found! Let me show you a few finds I came across as i search for

A Repurposed Potting Bench

First off on my hunt is this wonderful metal cabinet found in the Queen's Buford location. If you need something a bit smaller in size, this is an ideal piece for a garden bench! It's metal and will hold up in wet conditions like a champ. Just look at the wonderful storage inside, the drawer for your small implements, and that amazing enamel top! Perfection - especially when you see the price!

What???? Shut the front door!!! What kind of crazy is that?

I had to hold myself back from purchasing this so that you, my peeps, could have this sweet puppy for yourself. Do you see the things I do for you? No thanks necessary. Okay, it was actually a little too small for my space. But, really, I wanted you to have it.

Yep, that metal cabinet is the deal of the month. But this next one really has my heart.

Dealer ELP, I love your Hoosier cabinet with its zinc top and upper cupboard! So much potential in that exquisite piece of goodness... Did I mention the zinc top? Did I mention the upper glass cabinets? And more storage below? I seriously wouldn't mind toiling in dirty pots so long as I had you to look at, my beloved.

At $259, this hunk of lovely is a steal. Seriously, go price a good potting bench at a retail store and tell me that isn't a great buy! {also at the Buford location - if I don't grab it before you do.}

 
And the deals just keep coming! Another enamel top table of a larger size. Love that old chippy black painted surface. I also like the larger sized top - perfect for spreading out your plants as you're working. This one would work well because you could used the underneath as a storage area for your vintage child's wagon that you {no doubt} use to house your garden supplies as you tow it behind you from flower bed to flower bed. We all have an old wagon as part of our garden supplies, right? If not, go get yoself one right this instant - they're fabulous!!! This one was spotted in the Alpharetta store for $99. Dealeo!!!

Okay, I know this idea has been done before but it was just too cute to ignore. People, it's a chair that's a flower pot!!! Who doesn't love that? Call me a rebel, but I would be inclined to remove the back for some reason and make it a stool planter. Is that odd? Anyway, for $35/pair, do what you want! {another Buford find}

Second to my love of vintage goodness is my love for gardening. Cheap therapy, peeps. If you've had a bad day and are pent up with tension, go pour a glass of your beverage of choice and take it outdoors. Next, find a flower bed in need of some weeding, then pull to your heart's content. Trust me, you'll feel loads better after you aggressively tear lovingly pull each and every tap rooted noxious weed from its hold in your expensively nourished soil. Trust me on this one.

And if your pining for some outdoor greenery after this long winter, go check out my own personal garden and at summer blooms.

This is a guest post from Sarah Krouse at {Home-ology} modern vintage. As well as being a dealer in our Alpharetta location, Sarah blogs over at homeologymodernvintage.com. If you enjoyed reading her post and would love to see more, we encourage you to stop by her blog. There you'll see many of her vintage finds in their raw stage, get a story of where they came from, and see transformations of the pieces she revives and repurposes prior to their display at the Queen.

Bedroom finds from the Queen: Guest post from a Queen customer

Our last blog post in February is a guest post is from Lauren Harris, a favorite customer at the Queen of Hearts, and a blogger for 'A Vintage Affair'. Lauren has done many blog posts incorporating items she has purchased from the Queen of Hearts into her home, and is even working on a nursery blog because she is expecting a baby! Because February is focused on redecorating the bedroom, we are sharing Lauren's blog posts when she redecorated her guest bedroom in June of 2012, and the bedroom of their beach house in May 2012.

A Whole New (Old) Look!

Published on Friday, June 29 2012

I have been so excited about this bedroom change in our home. I always like the back guest bedroom, but something about it felt too country and dated to me. I wanted an updated, yet still vintage look. I also wanted more patterns and color. Here is what the room looked like before:

Here is the after:

The bottles on top of the armoire, the picture over the bed, the floral candelabra, and the small teal table by the chair are all from Queen of Hearts in Alpharetta.

Bringing the Outside In

Published on Wednesday, May 16 2012

These are a few of my favorite things; monograms, distressed furniture, beautiful fabrics, unique lighting, and bringing the outdoors in!

When I had the chance to decorate our bedroom at the beach, I wanted to incorporate all of these things. I wanted a nautical, vintage feel, with a clean and preppy touch here and there. After long searches for the perfect accessories and lighting, and countless hours with the sander and paintbrush, I finally accomplished what I had set out to create. The accessories I choose are pieces that you might find at the beach, on a boat, or at an old fishing pier.

The nightstands were found at Queen of Hearts, an antique store in Alpharetta, Ga. The drawers were sanded and kept natural, and the body was painted navy. I also found the large shutters that I used for the headboard for a great deal at my favorite booth at Queen of Hearts. They were originally red. I used CoCo Annie Sloan paint and dark wax to finish them. The best part of chalk paint is that there is no sanding involved!

  

The piece that took me forever to find was the dresser. I just could not find the right size and style for the space for the RIGHT PRICE! I finally came across the piece I ended up using at Queen of Hearts. It was built in the late 1800s and weighs a ton! It was originially hunter green. I used the same CoCo chalk paint and used the dark wax to “antique” the new coat of paint. I then put a coat of clear wax over the piece to protect the paint.

While the room has a vintage feel, the bedding and pillow fabrics help to give it a modern touch. I am so happy to finally be done with the room so that we can relax and enjoy the space!

Read more from Lauren Harris's blog at 'A Vintage Affair', or follow her on Pinterest for more great home decorating ideas!

Monthly Feature at the Queen

Hi guys! It's Sarah from {Home-ology} modern vintage here to feature more of the Queen's talented dealers and the awesome finds they are constantly bringing in. There's some great stuff to be had this month!

Since it's February, the month of LOVE, I'm going to highlight a few finds that would be great additions to a bedroom in need of some updating. These finds are from the Queen's Buford and Alpharetta locations.

Starting off with one of my most favorite finds of the month is this unique set of gradient carpet samples. I w.a.n.t. them. Now. For my own. Yes, I have a crush on them, and I'm not ashamed. I can't help but drool over the luxurious little tufts of gradual color and the fact that they weren't meant to be so beautiful, but they are.

Spotted at the Buford location in DBW's booth, these panels are a great pop of color that will work with any color palette without overwhelming the room. Go get them before I can resist no longer.


Oh, and while you're at it, head over to the Alpharetta Queen to add this awesome table in as a bedstand.

   

So cool. This piece is made of ancient cedar wood. I love the organic feel of this petrified piece mixed with the modern glass top. So creative. From dealer LAG {Alpharetta}.

Moving from modern to vintage, I am also in love with this beautiful display for a vintage bedroom.

   

As much as I love modern, I also have a soft spot for this sweet vintage look. So soft and delicate in its colors and textures. Love how they used an old window as the frame and backed it with a beautifully faded wallpaper. This creative find can be found in DI's booth {Buford location}.

And I would totally want to add this beautiful mantle-made-into-shelf to my vintage boudoir. It just speaks cozy. This is in Dealer LOLA's booth {Buford location}.

Lastly, I found the perfect accessory for your vintage bedroom, these French riding boots. These would be the finishing touch for a bit of French flair. From the talented David, dealer ATK {Alpharetta}.

So there you have it, my favorite finds for February - the month of love, and the perfect month to make a few updates to your bedroom.

Bedrooms are such a personal space. It's the one room in the house where you are allowed to express yourself to the fullest. Take advantage of that freedom by really letting your personality shine. This room is where you start your day and where you end your day. You spend more hours in your bedroom than you do any other place in the home. Make it yours!

This is a guest post from Sarah Krouse at {Home-ology} modern vintage. As well as being a dealer in our Alpharetta location, Sarah blogs over at homeologymodernvintage.com. If you enjoyed reading her post and would love to see more, we encourage you to stop by her blog. There you'll see many of her vintage finds in their raw stage, get a story of where they came from, and see transformations of the pieces she revives and repurposes prior to their display at the Queen. Sarah also blogs over at themodern-lifestyle.com - a lifestyle blog for women of a "certain age."

Boudoir Before & After: Guest Post from a Queen Dealer

Each month we are inviting a customer, dealer or staff member at the Queen of Hearts to do a blog post for the Queen of Hearts! This guest post is from a Queen of Hearts dealer/merchant, Linda Howard, of Chic Country Atlanta (CCA) on Battery Street in Alpharetta and Meeting Street Marietta.

Queen of Hearts Bedroom Makeover

Recently I felt inclined to redecorate our master bedroom. I started with a neutral palette: boring beige! Bedding, carpet, and walls, were all shades of beige! My favorite piece in the bedroom was the antique iron gate that I had purchased from the Queen of Hearts Alpharetta, that I hung sideways to serve as the headboard.

Pink is very trendy right now, and you can see it in various shades in all of the decorator magazines. So with that color palette in mind, I decided to accent the beige room with my Mom’s favorite color, from the 50’s, PINK! 

I began with the idea of finding pink pillows for the head of our bed and found the perfect pink and beige striped pillows from Queen of Hearts. I refreshed the bed by purchasing three of these, slightly overlapping them over each other. Then I purchased two solid pink smaller pillows for in front of the larger ones, also purchased from the Queen of Hearts. Things were looking good, but I wanted a little masculinity amongst all the added PINK! 

Solution: I had a burlap square pillow at home, and I added it to my pillow mixture. Burlap is a big trend, which you see at the Queen of Hearts all the time, and I knew this would break up the pink and give a new texture to the mix. To dress this burlap pillow up, I added a pink and gold tone vintage pin in the center of it (You can purchase vintage pins at any Queen of Hearts if you like this idea).

Now, because I love eclectic and shabby chic things, I wanted to add some of that to my mix. I had an antique quilt that had a lot of pink in it, along with blue and green, and I folded it and added to the bottom of the bed as a much needed throw.

Lastly, I purchased a PINK, shabby chic small rocker, from Queen of Hearts, Alpharetta. This was the finishing touch!

If you like the way my bedroom turned out, why not start your own neutral palette today, and go hunting for some treasures to bring your bedroom together? It's an easy (and fairly cheap) way of updating your bedroom for the new year! Happy shopping (hunting) and I hope to see you at Queen of Hearts! 

Color Trends for 2013 from the Queen

We are a full month into the new year! Did you set New Years resolutions or goals this year? In my opinion I find it is always easier to set goals than resolutions, and that sometimes you need to change things up in your personal space, not only to get rid of clutter, but to reinvent your home to change your life. What you liked five or ten years ago when you may have first decorated, may not be your taste now, or even match your personality. This year on the Queen of Hearts blog, we are going to devote a post each month to reinventing a new room in your home, with tips and ideas to help you jumpstart your creativity and improve your living spaces!

For January, COLOR is key! Whether it is your bedroom, bathroom, living room or kitchen, once you decide the right color scheme in each room it will help you when searching for those perfect pieces, and making that room your favorite.

Pantone, the pros in color, have revealed new colors for 2013 that soothe, renew and may even surprise you. These have ben talked about in Country Living, the Etsy blog, and many other decorating websites, so you know these are the hot hues to look for. And the color of the year? EMERALD.

COLOR PALETTES FOR 2013

Quirky and whimsical: Shades of pumpkin and bright blue with goldenrod, lime, and violet. Bold colors look awesome, especially if you do them as accents with pillows, a throw or a lamp, to give those great pops of color.

Starting top left, going clockwise: Pale green Vintage Dresser at JRR in Buford, Turquoise Chalkboard Frame at Desert Rose (DRI) in Buford, Saffron Lamp at Southern Exposure in Alpharetta (SOEXPO), Violet Cupboard at BDOG in Marietta, Orange two-tier table at FINCH in Alpharetta.

Tribal Tones: The palette that mixes sandy brown, vibrant tangerine, peacock blue, and fiery pink together, is not for the color shy. Don't try and overdo it by using all these colors, but find patterns that compliment each other, or use a bold color on an accent wall.

Starting top left, going clockwise: Aqua Headboard and Goldenrod Chair at Desert Rose (DRI) in Buford, Bright Green Dresser at Home-ology (SLK) in Alpharetta, Tangerine Polka Dot Chair with Lemon Sweater Pillow at ReLoved (MILLIE) in Marietta, Peacock Blue Chairs with goldenrod and navy pillows, and Fuschia Chair all at RICHIE in Marietta


Surface Treatments: Earthy textures lay a new foundation for palettes of blues and greens. Breathe new life into an existing hutch with several coats of ocean-blue paint, and add white ceramic objects and natural wood and wicker.

Starting top left, going clockwise: Aqua Blue Stools at PEAR in Buford, Wicker Chair with cream and blue pillows at MRM in Marietta, Teal and Brown table at TEA in Alpharetta, Yellow and Tan SunShine Sign at RKF in Marietta, Aqua Secretary Desk at Halo in Marietta

Dark and Glamorous: A gray room punctuated by one wall of deep, dark blue or green creates a sensuous atmosphere. This sleek scheme takes a cue from Pantone's glamour palette of moody shades of gray and hints of metallic shimmer. Introduce rich red or cobalt blue accents to add a bit of classic drama.

Starting top left, going clockwise: Deep Red Cabinet at HILDA in Buford, Blue Table at RICHIE in Marietta, Emerald Green side table at Charm Home in Marietta, Emerald Green and Grey Chair from RICHIE in Marietta, Dark and Light Gray Side Table at COCO in Alpharetta


Shades of Orange: Using shades of orange—from melon to coral—creates fresh combinations. Add a dash of cinnamon red or a burst of tart green apple for a fresh balance of color.

Starting top left, going clockwise: Coral End Table at RICHIE in Marietta, Melon Colored Couches at Moonie Moose Sisters (MMS) at Buford, Lime Green Chalkboard Frame at Desert Rose (DRI) at Buford, Tan and Cream Pillows and decor at The Vintage Styled Life (CAT) in Alpharetta, Pale Green chair PDG in Alpharetta


Sojourn Shades: This palette combines quiet moss green, cobblestone gray and shitake brown with vibrant fuchsias. To bring a neutral area to life add clusters of purpley-pink blooms in green vases, or put pops of bold purple in places.

Starting top left, going clockwise: Pale Yellow Vintage Side Table from Odds & Ends (ODDS) in Marietta, Light Purple/Blue and Tan Dresser and accent pillows at SILVER in Alpharetta, Moss Green Door Wall Tree with Mirror at La Bella Maison (BELLA) in Alpharetta, Fuchsia Pink printed pillows at LOVE in Alpharetta, Purple-Grey Dresser and Gold Mirror at JOJO in Buford.


Preppy Primary in Jewel Tones: Use the color of the year, emerald green, along with ruby red, sapphire blue and bright white to create a modern look. Pair this with shades of gray, gold—or black! Painting just one wall, or one big piece of furniture in one of these bold jewel tones can help create a focal point. It makes it look really clean to pull white furniture in front of a dark wall or create a gallery of prints and objects on it with painted frames.

Starting top left, going clockwise: Ruby Red Wagon Wheel at ROY in Buford, Emerald Green Hutch from KML in Alpharetta, Blue Bench at Whippoorwill Antiques (WHIP) in Alpharetta, Green Chevy Fender from MABCL in Buford, Yellow Chairs with Sapphire Blue Print and Crimson Floral Pillows at RICHIE in Marietta

Hope that these color schemes and great items at the Queen of Hearts gave you some decorating inspiration! And if you ever want to change up some furniture in your home, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is amazing, and comes in every delicious color to suit your taste.

Looking forward to next month, where we will pick the first room of the house to give an amazing refresh, and show you how you can make easy changes to create the perfect living spaces for this year, with help from the Queen!

See you next month...

JJ