Powder Room Redo with Vintage Swimsuit in Shadowbox
On Friday, I shared a beachy wreath (click here) that I had made for the powder room. After rearranging the things on the wall, and changing out a few things completely, I'm going to call this fast little redo done. I had bird feathers on a chain hanging from the shelf, which no longer worked with the mermaid theme, so they came down and were replaced with paper fish that I cut (randomly without a pattern) from coordinating scrap-booking paper...a very simple and whimsical addition...
And, there's my Mama Smith's vintage swimsuit- This project had been on the back burner and I decided to go ahead and tackle it, because it was going to be perfect in this room. I spent yesterday working on it and took lots of pics. It is the shadowbox that you will see hanging on the wall to the left. The back story- My grandparents spent weeks at a time in Florida every year when I was a child, and they always brought back oranges and souvenirs for everyone when they returned...I remember postcards, stories about mermaids and glass-bottomed boats, and things made of shells...Fast forward about forty years- My mother passed away three years ago. I was going through her things, and came across a bag of items that she had kept that had once belonged to her parents- the grandparents I'm talking about. In the bag, I found an old swimsuit, along with a rubber swim-cap like the ladies used to wear in the water at the beach or in pools. It must have been my grandmother's! I had envisioned her just sitting around the pool or on the beach, but never getting into the water...She was the most modest lady I have ever known, never wore pants or shorts, and I didn't even know she owned a swimsuit....but, here it is, and it's such a treasure! Also in the bag were postcards like the ones they used to show us. I knew as soon as I found them that they were going to be framed in a shadowbox. And now, I have the perfect place for them...the powder room. Even though the rubber cap has deteriorated over the years, I was still able to use it. It's just permanently folded and stuck to itself. I also had a photograph of my grandparents sitting underneath one of those "old Florida" style umbrellas that were at the motels. And, because I'm thrifty, I recycled an old frame. I will share how I did that in the next post. But for now, I want to share the shadowboxed treasures and the rest of the room.
There's a lot to see in this tiny little room...so, come along with me and let me show you! (Please excuse the poor quality of the photographs. The lighting in the room is not the best and it's so tiny, it's hard to get a shot without reflections.)
And, there's my Mama Smith's vintage swimsuit- This project had been on the back burner and I decided to go ahead and tackle it, because it was going to be perfect in this room. I spent yesterday working on it and took lots of pics. It is the shadowbox that you will see hanging on the wall to the left. The back story- My grandparents spent weeks at a time in Florida every year when I was a child, and they always brought back oranges and souvenirs for everyone when they returned...I remember postcards, stories about mermaids and glass-bottomed boats, and things made of shells...Fast forward about forty years- My mother passed away three years ago. I was going through her things, and came across a bag of items that she had kept that had once belonged to her parents- the grandparents I'm talking about. In the bag, I found an old swimsuit, along with a rubber swim-cap like the ladies used to wear in the water at the beach or in pools. It must have been my grandmother's! I had envisioned her just sitting around the pool or on the beach, but never getting into the water...She was the most modest lady I have ever known, never wore pants or shorts, and I didn't even know she owned a swimsuit....but, here it is, and it's such a treasure! Also in the bag were postcards like the ones they used to show us. I knew as soon as I found them that they were going to be framed in a shadowbox. And now, I have the perfect place for them...the powder room. Even though the rubber cap has deteriorated over the years, I was still able to use it. It's just permanently folded and stuck to itself. I also had a photograph of my grandparents sitting underneath one of those "old Florida" style umbrellas that were at the motels. And, because I'm thrifty, I recycled an old frame. I will share how I did that in the next post. But for now, I want to share the shadowboxed treasures and the rest of the room.
There's a lot to see in this tiny little room...so, come along with me and let me show you! (Please excuse the poor quality of the photographs. The lighting in the room is not the best and it's so tiny, it's hard to get a shot without reflections.)
This is looking into the room. I wanted to show this view so that you could see the scale of the mirror when compared to the pedestal sink. It's really tall, and it was also a thrifty find. Remember the cardboard pictures that people hung over their sofas in the sixties? Well, I picked one at an auction for $10!!! People were looking at me like, "Is she crazy? Doesn't she see how ugly that faded cardboard picture is?" Anyway, I popped the ugly picture out, put it into the garbage and painted the frame for the mirror. I LOVE it and and I have a great story to go along with it!
This shot shows the corner going around to the left, with the new washstand (that post here).
...and here's the swimsuit, shadowboxed with other treasures!
The wreath that I just made and the fish that I found a few weeks ago...
The shelf is now lined with seashells and colorful paper fish hanging from clips on a chain.
Details...
...and my mermaid has been relocated to the opposite wall, to the right of the mirror.
Now that I'm finished with this little project, it's time for the next one...Hmmm...what's it gonna be?
Have a great day, and I'll see you next post.
Judy
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