hidden potential.

Published on by Quandie11 Comments

You may remember that my friend Kathy gave me a bunch of metal boxes last summer.

I just have a few left that haven’t been given makeovers yet, including two plain metal index card boxes that I didn’t really think had much potential.

But then the other day I was watching a YouTube video where the creator was adding Christmas scenes with bottle brush trees and little Santa’s or reindeer into vintage tins (Ginger Chick Rehab), and it looked like so much fun.  But I didn’t have any fabulous vintage tins on hand.

So I decided to try ‘making’ my own out of the two index card boxes.

I started with the smallest box.  I gave it a quick sanding with 150 grit sandpaper to rough up the surface a little to improve adhesion, then I also gave it a coat of Dixie Belle’s Bonding Boss for the same reason.

Next I gave the box a coat of Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth to create a base.  Once thoroughly dry, I pulled out an old re.design with prima transfer called Gingham Red (I’m not sure why it’s called that since both included designs are plaid, not gingham, but don’t let that throw you off).

I had used most of the red plaid on this sled back in 2019 …

But I had just enough left to cover the entire box.

As you can see, it didn’t go on perfectly.  I have a couple of spots where the transfer cracked and you can see the white underneath.  But that’s OK, I wanted the box to appear vintage.

FYI, I did not apply any sort of sealer over the transfer.  I’m never happy with how a topcoat looks over these full coverage sort of transfers.  This little box shouldn’t get much wear and tear, so I think it will be OK without a sealer.

Now for the fun part.  After adding some floral foam inside the box, I hot glued in some bottle brush trees and a cute little reindeer.

Then, after adding some moss around them to hide the floral foam, I tucked in a couple of vintage glass ornaments.

Those of you who are fans of A Christmas Story might appreciate the book I used to stage the photos 😉

I went in a completely different direction with the larger of the two boxes.  I noted that when open, the lid falls all the way back, which didn’t lend itself well to the same treatment as the smaller box.

So instead I decided to just paint it up inside and out with Dixie Belle’s Dried Sage after sanding and giving it a coat of Bonding Boss first.

Then I pulled out I.O.D.’s Fairy Merry Christmas transfer (a 2023 release, now retired).  It has a really beautiful woodland wreath in muted colors.

I had been ‘saving’ it for just the right project.  I’m sure many of you know that feeling.

It was time to just go ahead and use it!

I didn’t want to just slap a wreath on the top of this box, so instead I started cutting it up to make it work on the box.  Part of it went on the front, and another section went on the top.

I also added a stamp to the box.  As I’ve mentioned quite a few times, I’m still struggling to get a result that I like when using rubber stamps.  This was actually attempt no. 2.  The first attempt was too smudged, so I tried to wipe it away with a damp cloth before it dried.  That ended up turning into a eureka sort of moment for me because I really liked the faded image that was left behind (although still not the smudging).

So I painted back over that area, and once the paint was dry I applied the stamp again.  Then I waited about 60 seconds or so, and wiped it away with a damp rag.

I’m sure this technique does not work with just any kind of ink and/or paint.  But in this case I was using VersaFine Clair ink in Pinecone over Dixie Belle paint (a chalk style paint).  I had not sealed my paint before applying the stamp.  I highly recommend playing around with this effect before attempting it on something that might get ruined.

I also added a transfer from the Fairy Merry Christmas set to the inside of the lid.

I finished the box off with a coat of Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat.

What could one use this box for?

I guess I’m not really sure.  But it definitely is pretty.  And also not overtly ‘Christmas’, so it could be popped onto a bookshelf and left there all year really.

What would you put in it?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for their products used in this makeover.

copper and gold.

Published on by Quandie14 Comments

Good morning from the garden!

It’s been a while since I brought you a Sunday morning in the garden post hasn’t it?

So far we’ve had a rather mild fall.  There have been a handful of nights just below freezing, but nothing really cold.  As a result, I still have some plants that look pretty darn good in the garden, like this Alexander’s Great brunnera …

and my Hakonechloa, or Japanese forest grass.

Up until a few nights ago I could also have said that some of my hostas are still looking great as well.

Except they no longer look like that.  Every last hosta that was still green was chomped down to stalks by roaming deer a couple of nights ago.

I really only seem to have trouble with deer in the early spring when they come and eat all of my tulips, and now apparently in late fall when they turn my hostas into a salad bar.

I’ll count my blessings since they don’t bother my garden in summer.  Knock on wood.

But today’s post isn’t about the deer, or what still looks good in the garden.  It’s about my front window box.  I’ve shared it here many times, but for those who may not be familiar it’s quite large at about 12′ long.  One thing I didn’t really think about when we made it so big was how much it would cost to keep it filled with annuals in the summer, and evergreens in the winter.

Unfortunately I don’t really have anywhere that I can go to forage for free evergreen cuttings so I have to buy them, and they aren’t cheap.  So last year when I went to the Bachman’s after Christmas sale I picked up two lengths of faux evergreen garland for 75% off.  They were originally priced at $79.99 (egads!), so I got them for about $20 each.

I think it looks realistic enough from the street, and no one really gets any closer than that except me.  And now I have a nice, full base to start adding further embellishments to.  Plus I’ll be able to use this over and over for several years at least.

I still have all of the faux red berries that I used in the window box last year.

But I wanted to try something different this year.  That being said, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on all new embellishments.

Plus, I put in a little extra effort in early fall drying quite a few flowers from the garden, like this Astilbe.

And of course, lots of hydrangeas.  So I wanted to use those.

But I didn’t want a ‘brown’ color scheme, so I decided to add a little bling with some metallic spray paint.

I took advantage of some lovely fall weather this past Friday and set up a work area outside to spray paint the flowers.

They hydrangeas look amazing, but I’m not as impressed with the painted astilbe.

I also didn’t love the copper paint as much as the gold.  I chose the matte metallic copper and this is one time when I should have gone shinier.

I had also dried a bunch of allium, and they are awesome painted in gold.

As are the handful of dried poppy seedheads from nnK’s garden.

After tucking all of the painted flowers in with the faux evergreen garland, I decided that I needed to add a few items with a bit more impact.  So I pulled a few different elements out of the workshop and gave them a spray of gold too.

Now, I’m sure that a few of you are wondering how well the painted dried flowers will last.  The answer pretty much depends on our weather.  If we get a heavy snowfall, it will inevitably crush them and they won’t look so good after that.

But hopefully we’ll just get the light and fluffy stuff between now and Christmas.

Fingers crossed!

Are you a fan of the more subtle copper and gold theme this year?  Or did you prefer the pop of red from last year?  Leave a comment and let me know.

the tate modern credenza.

Published on by Quandie26 Comments

I know it was a while back, but do any of you remember when I reviewed Amy Howard’s book Rescue, Restore, Redecorate?

There was a chartreuse green credenza in her book that I absolutely loved.

At the time I mentioned that I’d love to copy that look.

Well, I haven’t quite been brave enough to attempt it on a full sized piece of furniture, but how about a miniature one?

I found this fun mid-mod dollhouse credenza called the Tate Modern Sideboard Dresser at The Modern Dollhouse.

It seemed like the perfect candidate for a bright pop of yellow-ish green, and I had just the color in my stash.

That is Dixie Belle’s Everglades.

It’s not exactly the same shade as that Amy Howard color, but it’s close enough for me.

I painted the outside, and also inside the doors on the left.

To add just a little bit more interest, I used a tiny brush to apply Dixie Belle’s Gilding Wax in Gold to the ‘handles’ and the feet.

Just for fun I decided to create a few miniature boxes of vintage ornaments to stage my credenza.

First up, I downloaded the printable designs from Easy Print & Cut on Etsy for $2.85.

Next I used the templates provided to cut a piece of foam core board to build my box around.  Then after a lot of teeny tiny cutting and folding, I glued the paper around my foam core ‘boxes’.

Yeah, I’m definitely going to need more practice for teeny tiny paper folding projects like this one.  But for my first attempt I don’t think they’re too bad.

FYI, the floor lamp is also from The Modern Dollhouse.

I have to laugh at myself because first of all, I forgot that it actually works.  So I took all of my photos without it on.

Then I thought, ‘wait, doesn’t this actually light up?’  I searched all over it trying to figure out where the switch was and I couldn’t find it.  Then I looked on the The Modern Dollhouse website to make sure I wasn’t imagining that it lit up.  Eventually I did find the little bitty switch at the base of the lamp.

Then I re-took all of my photos with the lamp on.

This piece will eventually find its way into my dollhouse renovation, most likely in the attic rec room.  Or possibly one of the upstairs hallways.

What do you think of a chartreuse credenza?  Would you be brave enough to use this color on a full-sized piece of furniture?  Leave a comment and let me know.

old world european.

Published on by Quandie8 Comments

After completing quite a few Christmas projects in a more traditional red and green, I felt the need to get out one of my favorite neutrals, Dixie Belle’s Dried Sage.

It’s such an interesting color.  Is it grey?  Is it green?  Is it beige?  I think it’s a little bit of all three.

Whatever you want to call it, I think works well for creating a primitive sort of look.  So when I was trying to decided what color to paint this rustic box that I found at a garage sale this summer, I decided Dried Sage would be perfect.

Although I love a good distressed paint finish, this box was just a tad too grungy for my taste.  The Dried Sage is not too far off the original color on the box, perhaps a bit less blue.

After giving it a good cleaning, I was able to get good coverage with just one coat of the Dried Sage.  Once that first coat dried, I added a fresh coat to the top of the box so that I could apply one of the I.O.D. Gloria paint inlays into the wet paint.

I just love the sort of old world European look of this inlay.

You can find my full step by step guide to using the paint inlays here.

Once I had the inlay applied, I immediately gave it a quick coat of Rust-Oleum’s matte spray sealer.  It is so easy to smear the paint inlays before they are sealed (trust me, I’ve done it many times), so I don’t start sanding or anything before giving it a quick spray.

Once that was dry, I sanded the edges of the box to distress them and then sealed the entire thing with Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat.

Although ‘noel en famille’ means ‘Christmas with family’, I don’t think the box is in-your-face-Christmas.  Except possibly for French speakers.  So I rather like the idea of using it to store my old family photos.

So although I had originally planned to sell it, I’m going to keep it for that purpose.

While I had both the Dried Sage and the Gloria paint inlay out, I decided to dress up this rustic old bucket as well.

After giving the bucket a good cleaning, I painted it in the Dried Sage and then applied another section from the Gloria paint inlay to it.

By the way, that is Dutch and it says something like peace on earth and goodwill to all.

I’ve staged my bucket with some white linens, ironstone and tarnished silver.

But it would also be the perfect vessel for a small faux Christmas tree.

I also gave this one a coat of the spray sealer to avoid smearing the inlay.

Last up in my trio of Dried Sage Christmas items is this wood tote.

I actually shared this tote back in June when I painted it in Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth, and didn’t embellish it in any way.

It was sort of an experiment to see if it would sell this way.  Spoiler alert; it did not.

So I pulled it back out and added a couple of coats of Dried Sage.  Once the paint was dry, I sanded fairly vigorously and as you can see I ended up with a very distressed look.  That’s likely because I had originally waxed over the Drop Cloth back in June, so that worked as a resist for the Dried Sage.

I know this look isn’t for everybody.  I love it, but if you don’t you may want to use caution when painting over a previously waxed item.

Next I added my Rudolph and Co stencil to the front of the tote using Dixie Belle’s Coffee Bean first, and then layering over ‘Rudolph’ and ‘Co’ with Drop Cloth.

That one doesn’t require any translation.  Once dry, I sealed it with Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat.

Once again I staged my piece with some white linens and ironstone.

But you could use this tote to create a table centerpiece with evergreens and candles.  Or use it for your Christmas buffet to hold silverware and napkins.

I took these last two items into Reclaiming Beautiful in Stillwater, MN where I sell on consignment.  So if any of you locals are interested, be sure to head down there soon!  They are open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Check out their Facebook page for more details.

As for the rest of you, what do you think of neutrals for Christmas?  Are you a fan of the old world European look of the paint inlays I used, or do you prefer the more modern ‘Rudolph & Co’ stencil?  Leave a comment and let me know.

another failed experiment.

Published on by Quandie16 Comments

Well, I promised to report back on my craft show experience and I have to tell you all that it was a total bust.  For me anyway, opK had better results.

Honestly, I just have to laugh about it.  It clearly was not the right venue for me.  Our booth did rather stand out amongst the Pampered Chef, Scentsy, socks and American Girl doll clothes.  There wasn’t even very much Christmas decor, let alone any that was vintage.

The location itself was a bit of an issue as well since there was very limited cell service.  I had service on my phone with t-mobile, but anyone who had AT&T had no service at all.  That made both Venmo and credit card transactions difficult.  Luckily we had an exterior door right in our booth, so people could step outside to get a signal.  It definitely was not a great set up.

opK’s clocks and lanterns were a big hit.  She sold quite a few of them.  In fact, I even purchased one of her clocks myself.

The original turquoise paint really spoke to me.

On the other hand, I only sold two things all day.  The first was a vintage measuring cup with a little faux feather Christmas tree in it.

It was only $10.

My second sale was one of my stenciled drop cloth stockings.

The woman who purchased it loved that it looked like a vintage grain sack with German writing on it.

Although I had also had some stockings with red stripes …

and also some stockings with stencils in English …

She just wanted the German writing, and unfortunately I only had one of those with me.

My friend Sue sewed these stockings up for me out of drop cloth, and I stenciled them back in 2022.  I’d attempted to sell them at the shop in 2022, and again in 2023.  I’d finally priced them super low at $5 each and tried to sell them at the Carriage House sale with no luck.

So, yeah, if you’re doing the math, I had a whopping $15 in sales for the entire day.

It was definitely disappointing, but now I know that this sort of venue isn’t going to work for me.

It probably didn’t help that there was fierce competition, especially for people who love vintage.  The Holly Jolly Market was also taking place this past weekend.

I definitely think I’d fit in better there.

Well, as they say, live and learn.  I’m not sure if will ever pursue doing another market of this kind, but if I do I’ll try to find one that better suits my style for sure.

How about you?  Have you ever sold at a craft show or market?  Or do you have a favorite holiday market near you?  Leave a comment and let me know.

christmas schoolhouse chairs.

Published on by Quandie5 Comments

A little while back I purchased a pair of schoolhouse chairs at my friend Amy’s garage sale.

Super cute ‘as is’ really.  But I decided to give them a holiday look.

I painted one of them in Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth, and the other in their English Ivy.

Then I went through my stash of stencils.  I have a few that fit on these little chairs.

In the past I’ve used this cute Milk & Cookie Co stencil from Wallcutz …

… a few times actually …

and this cute Christmas Farm stencil.

This sort of Scandinavian look was a good one too.

Sorry, I’m not quite sure where those last two stencils came from.

I liked the simpler look of this next stencil on more of a mid-mod style chair (stencil also from Wallcutz).

I may do another one like this yet this year.

But I was in the mood for something new on these two chairs, so I started searching online.  I ended up finding a stencil I liked from Three Birds Stencils on Etsy, and I was able to order it in the right size to fit my chairs.

I added it to the green chair using DB’s Drop Cloth, and to the white chair using their Coffee Bean, just in case someone out there prefers a more neutral Christmas color scheme.

I’ll be bringing both of these chairs to the craft show that I’m participating in tomorrow.

Unless of course a local reader wants to call dibs on either (or both) of them today.  Check out my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details.

As for the rest of you, leave a comment and let me know which of my many chairs was your favorite!

a new adventure.

Published on by Quandie7 Comments

This coming Saturday I’m sharing a booth at a craft show with my friend opK.

This is going to be a mostly new experience for me.  I say ‘mostly new’ because I did share a booth at Junk Bonanza way back in 2014.  You can click on this link if you want to read the full story, but here was my review of that experience in a nutshell after it was over:

“In the end the question is, “would I do it again?” and the answer is, probably not.  It was fun to be a part of it once, but it was a ton of work.  I did make a little more money than I make at my occasional sale, but that was ultimately eaten up by the overhead expenses of renting a truck, paying for half the booth rental, and gas to drive to Shakopee for 4 days.  In addition, there were a lot of ‘rules’!  No merchandise newer than 40 years old, no leaving early even if sales are so low that you are sitting there for nothing, you are supposed to wear official Junk Bonanza shirts, etc, etc.  I have to follow enough rules at my day job, I didn’t need them added to my fun hobby job.”

LOL, I have to laugh at that last part about the day job.  Don’t have to worry about that one anymore 😉

Anyway, this time it’s going to be a much less intense experience.  For one thing, it’s only for one day, rather than 4.  Second, we’re only driving to Stillwater (much closer to me than Shakopee).  Third, I won’t have to rent a truck because I’m not bringing any large furniture.  Finally, I’m pretty sure I don’t have to wear an official shirt.

All of that being said, I also have no idea if the shoppers at this particular craft show will be at all interested in our vintage aesthetic.  I fit right in at Junk Bonanza, but I’m not sure what sort of crowd (optimistically?)  this event will draw.

Speaking of our vintage aesthetic, opK popped over with a few of her items the other day so that I could photograph them.

She creates adorable Christmas scenes in vintage clocks and lanterns.

And most (all?) of them light up.

They are totally charming.  This next pink one is one of my favorites.

She has done a few of the lit up scenes in vintage wooden boxes as well.

I’m just in love with this aqua velvet reindeer.

Isn’t he pretty?

She also has a mishmash of other vintage finds that she has dressed up for Christmas.

As do I.

I’ll have a couple pairs of painted skates for sale.

And a few other things too, like my stenciled stockings.

And a few of my boxes.

So if you’re local and you’ve got some free time on Saturday, be sure to stop by.

And if you’re not local, be sure to stay tuned.  I’ll update you next week on how it went and whether or not I would do it again!

dreaming of a pink christmas.

Published on by Quandie10 Comments

Anybody else out there love a little bit of pink at Christmas?

Back in 2017 I painted all of my Christmas gift boxes pink and then used Fusion’s transfer gel to add some graphics that I printed out.

And then there was my Venetian velvet inspired pink and gold stenciled wrapping paper from 2018.

In 2019 I turned an old vintage pink dustpan into Christmas decor.

So when I was going through my paint cabinet trying to decide on a color for the inside of the toolbox that I’m sharing today, I saw Dixie Belle’s Pink Champagne and thought “yes, perfect!”

But let’s go back and start at the beginning.

My friend Sue gave me this toolbox for my birthday many years ago.  She had added a number sticker on either side.

It was simple, but I like simple.  I used it to store scrapbook supplies.

A while back I used it as a guinea pig to try out the then new I.O.D. white Traditional Pots transfers.  I removed the number stickers and painted over just that bit of the box with black chalk paint, and then applied the white transfer.

I liked that look quite a bit too.

But recently as part of my Swedish Death Cleaning kick, I really pared down my scrapbooking supplies and I ended up emptying out this entire container.  Then I put it in my stash for a makeover.

I pulled it out recently thinking that it would be fun to give it a Christmas look, but using a stencil this time rather than a transfer.  I wanted to keep the black outside, but the original interior was a dull white that definitely needed a refresh.  And that brings me to the Pink Champagne.  I love the idea of pink for Christmas, and I also think pink pairs beautifully with black.

The Pink Champagne is a cool and quite pale pink, sort of an icy pink.  Perfect for a pink Christmas.

And by the way, I did clean the box, sand it lightly and then add a coat of Dixie Belle’s Bonding Boss before I got started with the painting.  After two coats of the Pink Champagne, I applied a coat of Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat over it.

Now this box would be perfect for storing all of my pink and silver vintage ornaments.

Next up I added a coat of Dixie Belle’s Midnight Sky to the outside of the box to freshen it up a bit.  Once the Midnight Sky was dry I started stenciling.

There were several steps involved in the stenciling, with drying time in between.  I first added the “Rudolf and Co” section in DB’s Dried Sage on both sides of the box.  Then I went back in and added the “Fine Reindeer Treats” to both sides of the lid, also in Dried Sage.  Then I came back in and went over just the “Rudolph” and the “Co” in Drop Cloth.

I’ve gotten so much use out of this stencil from Wallcutz.  I have it in two sizes (it comes in 7 different sizes), the bigger one was perfect for making the ‘foot board sign’ that I kept for myself and put up every Christmas.

I’ve used the smaller one on countless items like boxes …

and trucks …

and grain shovels.

I’m not always good about cleaning my stencils after use, so this one is getting a bit worn out after so many uses and it’s not as crisp as I would like it to be.  I may have to order a new one.  I used it on a couple of other items this year that you’ll be seeing soon, so be sure to stay tuned!

In the meantime, I’m not really going to store my pink and silver ornaments in this box.  I really just store them in a bigger box along with the other colors.  So this box is for sale locally (check out my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details).

Are you a fan of pink at Christmas?  Leave a comment and let me know.

Thank you to Dixie Belle Co for supplying their products used in the this makeover.

the perfect christmas red.

Published on by Quandie11 Comments

Are you looking for the perfect shade of red paint to use on some of your Christmas projects?

The red I’ve used the most has to be Honky Tonk Red from Dixie Belle.

It’s a lovely cherry red, perfect for pairing with white.

It’s definitely my go-to red for stenciling Christmas signs.

If you prefer using a no-fuss acrylic style paint with a built in primer and top coat, then Dixie Belle’s Fiery Sky from their Silk Paint line would be a good option for a Christmas red.

I like to use this color on the inside of toolboxes.

Miss Mustard Seed milk paint in Tricycle is also a great choice for a Christmas-y red.  I used it last year on my North Pole Bed & Breakfast sign.

If you like the chippy look that you can get from milk paint, this is a great option.

Or if you like your red a little darker, Homestead House milk paint in Barn Red is another option if you want something chippy.

I used it on this pair of wooden skis way back in 2017.

Dixie Belle also has a Barn Red and I just finished using it on today’s project, this sled.

My friend opK found this sled for me at a garage sale.  Unfortunately the previous owners had given it a sloppy blue paint job.  After giving it a good cleaning, I decided to try a monochromatic look on this one, and I wanted to match the existing red as much as possible.  My usual Honky Tonk Red was just a bit too bright, so I pulled out the Barn Red.

I decided to work smarter rather than harder with this paint job, and this is today’s q tip for you.  When working with a combination of red and white paint, it’s pretty much impossible to prevent the white from turning pink if you sand the red after the white is applied.  It’s best to distress and then seal your background color first (whether it’s the red or the white), then add the stencil over it.

So after the Barn Red paint was dry, I sanded the edges to distress, vacuumed away any dust and then applied Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat before adding the stencil in DB’s Drop Cloth.

And here’s one more q tip for you, always put the approximate amount of clear coat you’ll need into a separate container when applying it over a vibrant color like this.  You don’t want to contaminate your entire jar with flecks of red, which are inevitable.

I like to use the Dixie Belle Finishing Pad to gently smooth out the stenciled paint without breaking through that clear coat down to the red, but you could also sand very gently with 220 grit paper, or just skip this step altogether.

Unfortunately, I did a terrible job of capturing the Barn Red color in my photos.   The color looks different in all three of my photos, but I think this next one is closest to reality.

After completing this project, I think I might actually prefer the Barn Red over the Honky Tonk Red.  I may have to switch up my go-to Christmas red.

I’ve painted up a total of four sleds this year.

I have this one in black …

And I also ended up painting the one that is to the right of the black one above.

These three will be making their way to Reclaiming Beautiful (the shop where I sell on consignment in Stillwater, MN) in time for their Christmas open house next Thursday,  unless one of my local readers wants to snatch one up before then.  Check out my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details.

As for the 4th sled, you’ll have to stay tuned to see what I did with that one.

In the meantime, which red do you prefer?  Or do you like a more neutral color scheme for Christmas?  Leave a comment and let me know.

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co for providing their products for this makeover.

the clark county museum.

Published on by Quandie2 Comments

My sister and I struggled a bit to come up with things to do while visiting my mom earlier this month.  Usually we like to do a bit of hiking at either Red Rock Canyon, The Valley of Fire or the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.  But with temps over 100° every day, hiking was not really an option.

In addition, we’ve pretty much done most of the other touristy things in the Las Vegas area like visiting the strip or the Hoover Dam.  We’ve toured the Ethel M factory, and we’ve been to the bird viewing preserve. We’ve seen quite a few Cirque du Soleil and other shows over the years too.

But strangely enough, we’d never bothered to check out the Clark County Museum despite that fact that it is literally 1.3 miles from my mom’s townhouse.

We’ve driven past it countless times, but it just doesn’t really look like much from Boulder Highway.

However, this time around I googled the museum to look up the hours and found that their website describes the museum as “a 30-acre site that features a modern exhibit hall with a timeline exhibit about southern Nevada from pre-historic to modern times and a collection of restored historic buildings that depict daily life from different decades in Las Vegas, Boulder City and Henderson.”

Wait a minute.  What?!  A collection of restored historic buildings?  If that isn’t right up my alley I don’t know what is.  I first fell in love with open air museums in Denmark, Sweden and Norway.  Since then I’ve been to others in the U.K. (the Beamish) and the Netherlands (Zaanse Schans).  We even have a couple of smaller ones right here in the Twin Cities (the Gammelgården Museum in Scandia and The Landing in Shakopee).

An open air museum is basically a museum that collects and displays historic buildings that usually have been moved from their original location for preservation.

Had I realized that the Clark County Museum was mostly an open air museum, I’m sure I would have visited much sooner.

And had I known that there was so much to explore I definitely would have worn better walking shoes that day!

The museum is broken down into several different sections.  There is a desert garden area, which frankly wasn’t looking so good.  That is not a criticism.  My garden isn’t looking so good at this time of year either, and we didn’t just break a record for 100 days over 100° in a year.  I may have to go back and check out the garden area in the spring.

There is also ghost town.

I’ve never actually been to an authentic ghost town, but my sister has been to several and she said this reproduction felt very authentic with its ramshackle buildings …

a cemetery …

and old cast off vehicles.

There is also a railroad exhibit with a depot building and some train cars.

However, that area was being re-painted and thus was closed while we were there.

My favorite area by far though was the Heritage Street of Historic Homes.

It was so interesting to see these historic homes and imagine what it was like to live in them, in the Las Vegas area, back before they had things like air conditioning!

The first home we toured was the Beckley House.

This craftsman style bungalow was built in 1912 on Fourth Street in Las Vegas at a cost of $2,500.  It’s interesting to me that this house looks like it could be anywhere in the U.S. with its green lawn and shade trees.  You don’t see much of this style of architecture or landscaping in the Las Vegas area anymore.

All of the houses were fully furnished to represent a particular time period and when you entered there was music playing from that decade which was a nice touch.

The next house on the street, the Goumond House, was a Tudor Revival style house built in 1931.

It was restored to represent the 1950’s, which I found to be quite fun.

I especially got a kick out of the mint green bathroom.

It’s complete with not only a mint green tub, sink and toilet, but even the toilet paper was authentic vintage mint green t.p.  Do any of you remember back when t.p. came in colors other than white?  Check out this article from Talking Crap if you’re wondering whatever happened to colored toilet paper.

My sister and I had to chuckle at the mannequins in the living room, especially the gal with a cigarette in her hand giving an authentic 1950’s vibe.

Am I the only one now picturing the atomic bomb test scene from the Indiana Jones movie?  You know, the one where Indy stumbles into a fake town full of mannequins performing everyday tasks only to realize they are about to blow it up with an atomic bomb.

This doesn’t feel too far from reality seeing as they did test nuclear bombs 65 miles north of Las Vegas from 1951 to 1992 (is this why we only drink bottled water when visiting my mom?)

I also enjoyed the Babcock & Wilcox house that was built in 1933 in Boulder City to house workers during the construction of the Hoover Dam.

That screen porch on the front could be used as a sleeping porch in the summer.

This house has a marvelously mint green bathroom as well.

Although the house is small and rather basic, it does have a pleasant kitchen/laundry room for the wife to slave away in while her husband was off building the dam.

You’ll also find a little section of Heritage Street devoted to “mobile America” with its motor court cabin.

and travel trailer.

These made me think about the road trip that my grandparents took my mom on in 1953 (I shared the story of that trip here).  They traveled through Las Vegas on that trip and in her scrapbook my grandmother noted that it was “mostly gambling places & motels”.

They stayed at the Monterey Lodge Motel in a double cabin for $8 per night.

I don’t really know why I find the history of this area so interesting.  I suppose I’m a bit fascinated by the idea of a city that sprouted up in the middle of the desert going from a population of 22 people in 1900 (for comparison, the population of Minneapolis in 1900 was just over 200,000) to a current metro area population of nearly 3 million.  It’s interesting to learn about the things that drew people to the area, first a railroad stop, then the building of a dam, then military facilities and finally legalized gambling.

These days I suspect most people don’t bother with a car when visiting Las Vegas, and unfortunately the Clark County Museum is not easy to get to without a car.  It’s about 30 minutes away from the strip, and I don’t know if there are any public transportation options available.  But the next time you’re in Las Vegas, consider renting a car for a day or two.  Check out the museum on your way to see the Hoover Dam and learn about the history of the area.

I’m curious, have any of you been to this museum?  Leave a comment and let me know.