Postcard Pursuits

I am having the best time feathering our new nest on Martha’s Vineyard! Although it can be a bit daunting furnishing a vacation house from top to bottom, I am relishing every moment of it. The biggest challenge, aside from decorating on a shoestring budget, is the logistics of getting everything to a house located on an island that is reached via steamship. Through a variety of means (renting a van, hiring a moving company, and more), we have been able to get most of the large furnishings there in record time. Why the hurry? Because we want to be able to enjoy it with family and friends this summer. And eventually, we will rent it out during the high season in summers to come.

For the next few weeks until we return to MV, I am focusing on finding small home decor pieces. I’ve been attending estate sales like a madwomen, and last Sunday, we went to the Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market. In a couple of weeks, I will make a pilgrimage to Brimfield with a friend to see what I can find there. In the meantime, I am working on budget-friendly wall decor projects.

When we moved into our 1925 cottage in Norwalk three years ago, I noticed a small casement window leaning against the wall in the basement. Original to the house, it is no longer needed, so I planned to replace the panes of glass with mirror. However, when I came across my collection of vintage Martha’s Vineyard postcards recently, I decided on another use for the window.

John sanded, scraped and cleaned away all of the window’s loose paint. I then adhered six of my favorite cards to the back of the glass using Zots which are small, flat adhesive dots. Easiest project ever!

A neighbor of mine kindly gave me a couple of 1950s floral lithographs in curvy wooden frames. Unfortunately, the prints had seen better days, so I took the pictures apart and painted the frames white to match the window. I enlarged two more vintage postcards on a color copier and placed them under glass in the refurbished frames.