For the Love of Rusty and Crusty

Rusty and Crusty? Are you saying to yourself “I know it’s a design trend, but how would I put anything like that in my house??” We are here to help inspire you with a few creative ideas.

Consider these possibilities for adding great vintage or antique metal pieces to your home décor:

1. Hang it on the wall.

Windmill blades, ceiling tins, architectural pieces, miscellaneous auto parts, water pails - it all can look like art when it is displayed well. 

Who wouldn’t LOVE this display of rusty and crusty metal and wood pieces on their wall? Incorporate pieces like these with your family photos for a very personal display.

2).    Keep it small.

How about vintage watering cans on a windowsill or corbels with chippy paint on the mantle or a bookshelf?

3)    Still can’t put it in the house? Then look outside… your garden, patio and front porch are perfect spots for antique metal décor.

This adorable weather vane is the perfect accent for any area of your garden or landscaping.

These rusty metal street signs would look great either mounted to a pole and placed on a garden path or resting on top of a porch rail.

Put this antique cast iron heater on the patio and add some happy hostas or brightly colored geraniums in and around the opening – the leafy greens and colorful flowers will make a striking display with the vintage white metal surround

5 Spring Must Have's

Who doesn’t enjoy adding a few new things to their home and their wardrobe as the seasons are changing? Here are a few ideas for how to bring some fresh fashions into your life this Spring without breaking your budget: 

1)     A pretty sun hat – perfect for gardening or an afternoon tea party. Wearing a unique style accent like one of these cute hats will make your friends and neighbors want to know where you have been shopping. 

2)     Vases for fresh cut flowers – think outside of the box – use vintage pitchers, antique apothecary bottles, mason jars – anything that holds water as a statement piece flower vase.

3)     An artistic piece for the garden – iron, tin, wood – anything with an appealing architectural shape. Get out the spray paint if you want to change the color of your new garden piece.

4)     The perfect front porch chair – something comfortable for relaxing at the end of a long day. Add a colorful pillow in an outdoor fabric that ties in with your home’s exterior color scheme.

5)     Cheerful drink glasses - for entertaining friends or for enjoying a quiet moment to yourself. Lemonade and iced tea will be even more refreshing when served in a fun, vintage glass.

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Author - Dianne Ripper is owner of D-R Designs Jewelry and Eclectibles Antiques. 

Travel with Us to Paris

It is always inspiring in the antique business to work with a decorating theme. We are loving the beauty-filled and romantic theme of “Springtime in Paris” at Good Ju Ju this April. Our vendors are busy adding touches of cheer to their spaces with vintage and antique French themed items. The combination of vintage, Spring and Paris lead creative minds toward many enticing decorating options – bursts of color inspired by the arrival of Spring flowers, chippy flower pots, concrete bird baths, elegant iron garden gates, rain drenched stone walkways.

Even if you aren’t planning a trip to Paris this Spring, here are a few ideas to help you feel like you have brought a little vintage French spirit into your home and into your heart:

Feel the Romance of the French Flower Markets – Gardens and Flower Markets in France are epic in their beauty and richness. Make your home feel like Springtime in Paris by bringing a bouquet of fresh flowers into the house. If you have blooming flowers in your yard, this couldn’t be easier. If you don’t have flowers or flowering bushes in your garden, stop by the supermarket on the way home from work and treat yourself to a Springtime bouquet. Fill a favorite antique vase, metal garden planter or mason jar with freshly cut tulips, daffodils, daisies or forsythia branches. Put a large bouquet in a prominent location and smaller bouquets (or even a single stem) on your nightstand or bathroom sink. Smile, smell the fresh floral scent, and think of Spring and nature’s simple beauty before you go to bed and the first thing when you wake up.

You can almost smell the flowers at this market in Paris.

Be a Tourist – Decorate your home with images of your favorite French tourist spots – the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Versailles – pick any favorite and add a lovely picture, print, or vintage statuette to your existing décor in a place where you can look at it often – the dining room table, your bedroom dresser, a windowsill in the kitchen. Every time you see it, smile and think of sightseeing in Paris – exploring a treasured site on a carefree day.

Treat Yourself and a Friend – On your next trip to the grocery store, pick up some freshly baked croissants or a baguette. Call a friend and invite him or her over for brunch or afternoon tea or for an evening drink. Decorate the area where you plan to entertain with a few simple Springtime pieces. For brunch or tea, set the croissants on a pretty floral or antique silverplate tray. Set the table with linen napkins and get out the china teacups. Don’t forget the fresh flowers that you now have in the house. For an evening get-together, set out some wine and cheese with the baguette. Toast the celebration of Spring and friendship. Most importantly, appreciate that fact that you have taken time out of your busy schedule to sit back, relax and enjoy the company of a good friend. 

Dianne Ripper is owner of D-R Designs Jewelry and Eclectibles Antiques. She loves vintage pieces with character and a story, elegant design details and chocolate chip cookies.

West End Salvage Joins Good Ju Ju

Don Short, host of HGTV’s West End Salvage, and his team of pickers and designers will join Good Ju Ju, a local West Bottoms Vintage Store, in August. As seen on DIY & HGTV, West End Salvage centers around Short’s store, West End Architectural Salvage and follows him and his crack team of pickers, carpenters and designers as they find and create amazing one-of-a-kind pieces out of salvaged treasures.

Whether they're prying unusual details off the sides of old buildings or competing with quirky Midwest pickers for the ultimate find, they take their haul back to Don's 50,000-square-foot warehouse in downtown Des Moines to spin gold out of straw. In the end, whether it's a lamp made from a bakery whisk or a bench fashioned from a pig trough, these items will ultimately become the centerpieces of stunning room makeovers for customers in the know.

Don Short of West End Salvage

“We are beyond thrilled to have Don and the guys join us”, said new Good Ju Ju owners Pam Kenney and Penny Sweeney. “We’ve been talking to them for months, but never thought it would be happening. Besides their wild imaginations, they are just fun to hang with.”

Good Ju Ju will introduce Short and his team to their customers at their next event, August 7 and 8.

There are over 40 unique vendors at Good Ju Ju – all with their own flare. Each month our vendors bring in new merchandise found traveling the countryside. At Good Ju Ju you will find a diverse collection of carefully curated items like rural farmhouse primitives with great patina, handcrafted and restyled jewelry, industrial furniture and art, colorful painted or repurposed furniture, reclaimed wood and architectural pieces for projects, mid-century furniture , unique light fixtures, vintage apparel and a large selection of parts and pieces that can be re-purposed by you. Come see the fascination and join the shopping experience. We are open First Fridays Weekends, Friday and Saturday from 9:00 – 7:00 both days