VintageKC Home. Fashion. DIY.
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2014 Holiday Gift Guide 2 Office Makeovers Warm Vintage Coats Decorating with Snowflakes
Winter 2014 | vintagekcmag.com
Cozy Cool
&
Sleep and eat in style at the Jefferson House B&B VintageKC / Winter 2014
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Contents 42
26
8
Features 10
2014 gift guide Our favorite local gifts from under $25 to $100
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Vintage Spaces The Jefferson House Bed & Breakfast
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Vintage fashion Get outside in style with these warm jackets and coats
Columns 5
ETSY FINDS Local Etsy sellers with cozy, warm treasures
6
Design Book Jennifer Bertrand keeps decorating from going crazy
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buying and selling Photos from the past: cabinet cards
46
Vintage memories A young boy gains more than confidence from his father
Do-it-yourself 36
DIY Crafts Decorating with snowflakes to last the whole winter season
40
Vintage rooms From bedroom to dining room, turn any room into a home office
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42
dustin’s diy Make a cafÊ table from various odds and ends
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vintage recipe Memories of cooking and a great holiday pie crust recipe
VintageKC / Winter 2014
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from the editor
Staff
Warm Appreciation
S
omething about winter makes me appreciate all that I have. We spend the summer being active, going on vacation, getting outside, running from one activity to the next. We spend fall re-grouping, cleaning up the yard, dressing up for Halloween, preparing the house, and holding on to any nice weather while dreading the coming cold months. But winter—after months of running, doing, prepping—is a time to reconnect. Holidays make it easy to reconnect with family and friends. But it’s also a good season to renew immediate family connections. We tend to hunker down, hide from the cold, seal up the windows in our 1940s house, and pile up under the blankets until March. We overuse the crock pot, relish in comfort food, drink hot chocolate and simply enjoy being together without a schedule full of things to do. Other parts of the world don’t have the dramatic weather changes that we do, and perhaps that’s why I love living in the middle of the map—it’s as if life should be this way. After all, if we were constantly on the go, out in the summer sun, we might miss the movie marathons, the board games, the plethora of homemade meals that are a product of the weather being unbearably cold. We might miss looking around and appreciating what we have in the quiet, stillness of winter. Luckily, this issue is full of ways to keep warm. Our Etsy finds are all cozy; the annual gift guide features gifts to warm the hearts of those you love; the Jefferson House Bed & Breakfast in our vintage spaces section is the perfect place to snuggle up to those you love, and a beautifully appointed home; the fashion section features vintage jackets and coats so you can step out in style when you do need to brave the elements; and we’re featuring a pie crust recipe to bake up some love this holiday season! But we’ve also got loads of DIY to keep you busy while you’re stuck indoors. Build a new café table from scrap, or a terrarium out of an old light fixture, decorate your home with versatile snowflake ideas, or makeover your home office. Of course we’ve also got expert advice from Michael and James on what to do with that box of old photos you found, and Jen Bertrand helps us reign it all in with advice on taming the crazy world of vintage. I do hope when you snuggle up this winter we’ll be on your mind and in your hands, inspiring and encouraging you. You’re always on our minds and we wish you the very best this holiday season. VKC vintagekcmag.com When I reflect on what I appreciate this season, you’re pretty high up on the list. After family, friends vintagekc and gluten free pizza, you’re right up there... I’ll see you when the land thaws.
Publisher/Editor Erin Shipps erin@vintagekcmag.com Fashion Director/Editorial Assistant Calli Green calli@vintagekcmag.com
Contributors Dustin Bates Jennifer Bertrand Michael Fry James Fry Kirsten Hudson Jamie Kaczmarczyk Audrey Kuether Abbie Marshall Kristen Shuler Heather Scanlon Deborah Vogler Quinn White
P hotography
Tiffany N. Cody, Smash Glam William and Jill DiMartino
Illustration Glenn Shipps
VintageKC volume 3, issue 3 is published quarterly by Vintage Media, LLC, in Kansas city, mo. Copyright 2014, Vintage media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or in whole without written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. Printed in the U.S.A.
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Erin
On the Cover
Gather ‘round this winter at the Jefferson House Bed & Breakfast. Photo by William and Jill DiMartino
our favorite Etsy finds
Cozy and Warm
Clockwise from top left: Original artwork by Cece Merkle on linen-cotton canvas fabric pillow, 16in. x 16in., $25 + free local pickup, handmadecece. etsy.com. Women’s slippers in S/M/L, $22, slippersandbooties.etsy.com. Vintage Victor coffee mugs with vinyl mustaches, $20 for the set + free pickup, passionnutaboutpaper.etsy.com. Vintage tweed scarf, $18 + free shipping in KC metro, maplevintage.etsy.com. Vintage quilt, 62in. x 75in., $185, kolorize.etsy.com. Little Monster hat, $20 + item pickup in North KC, ibyidesigns.etsy.com. Pillow made from cable knit sweater, 12in. x 12in., $20 + free local postage or delivery, deakynedesign.etsy.com. Hand-knit coffee cozy 9in. x 3-3.5in., $15, bysarahbeth.etsy.com.
All of these local Kansas City shops can be found on etsy.com, an online retailer.
VintageKC / Winter 2014
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design book How to use retro and vintage
HGTV ‘Design Star’ Winner Jennifer Bertrand knows all about thinking outside the box! By Jennifer Bertrand
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ellooo everyone!! Obviously if you are reading this article, you discovered this magazine because you, too, have a love for objects that have past lives. I am here to inspire you to think of vintage items in new and unexpected ways. We’ll start off simply; I may be pointing out the obvious to some of you. However, it’s best to address it all and really try to simplify the concepts. Because here’s the thing: In design, when you love vintage, you could easily become the crazy person whose whole house looks like a flea market. My goal in these articles is to teach you how to take a concept or passion and give it a highend twist. I also want to keep you on your toes as to what you are going to do next with your newly found objects! Let’s make it look like a designer designed your home and incorporated items you loved. Your home may be filled to the
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in design without looking
Crazy
brim with cool things, but perhaps you have no clue how to make them flow and not look themed or junky. Or, maybe you need to be re-inspired because you need a fresh change. Or, maybe you just need to challenge yourself to take your home design to the next level. Whatever the reason, get excited because you will stare at your home with fresh eyeballs after this! When adding a retro piece… 1 You can mix styles. Your retro table can have modern chairs or vice versa. It actually makes for an interesting mix when you push and pull styles throughout a space or home. With traditional design, keep in mind that a simple piece of furniture like a Mid-Century Modern piece can add a “calm in the storm” feel to a room. If everything starts to feel heavy or too fussy, you might surprise yourself by liking the simplicity of a MCM piece. I think often it’s just that the word modern is in
there and that can throw people off. When really, I want you to challenge yourself to bring in one element that is unexpected. If you adore contemporary design, then try adding a piece of furniture that has a softer, weathered aesthetic. It can add soul to a space, which is often needed when everything is sleek and modern. Coastal design is taking the world by storm right now! This design is all about textures. Picture bare feet, rolled-up pants, walking on weathered wood floors, carrying a basket of ... oh, okay, it’s not quite that picture perfect, but it is all about a feeling of being relaxed and a happenstance of textures. The color palette of coastal is the expected whites, blues of all tones, grays, khakis and tribal patterns thrown in there. However, coastal can evolve into whatever you want it to be! Just keep in mind, you never want to be kitschy coastal. You know, when only decoraing with boat oars
design book and nautical stuff. (If you are looking around and seeing you did that, I give you a design hug and it’s all good. If it makes you happy, then that’s great, too!) However, imagine a retro piece of furniture painted in a high gloss indigo and then brought into your bedroom or dining room and antique brass hardware added—it could be a showstopper! 2 Try to make it personal. Think of fun,
family stories of your childhood or your partner’s childhood and do a simple kickback to it. Perhaps you use actual toys from your childhood on the bookshelf. Or, perhaps vintage board games as wall art that remind you of happy times. Or, what if it’s even photos of you as kids blown up as massive art with vintage color tones that remind your kids that you were once kids too! Often we forget we can turn those images into poster sizes and buy the RIBBA poster frame from IKEA and voilá! Instant affordable art that has meaning. 3 Make it fun and have a sense of humor. You don’t have to be crazy everywhere, but
design doesn’t have to be super serious all of the time either. For example, as a kid I always did Jane Fonda videos with my mom. I grew up thinking that Jane Fonda’s burgundy and purple leotard was the absolute coolest thing of all time. So, if I had a workout room in my home (which I don’t, but wish I did), I could hang vintage Jane Fonda photos in a large scale grouping ... perhaps 16-20 IKEA frames filled with vintage images that will inspire me to work out and laugh at the great hair and great memories of leg lifts with my mom. 4 Find retro pieces and turn them into art! Having original art in your home is something that I don’t see people do enough. Often they get as crazy as a large scale wall grouping of images, but that’s it. Instead, start scouring vintage stores for items (or one massive item!) you can hang on the wall in large groups. Really and truly, that is the easiest way to make your house unique and fun. So, on that note, the next time you are scouring a flea market, I want you to think, Jen said I have to challenge myself on one ele-
ment ... what will that be? And use hashtag #jblovesdesign on all social media so I can see what you do!! Have fun and happy designing to you!
^
Xoxo,
Jen
Jennifer Bertrand is the winner of HGTV’s show “Design Star” season three and cohost of “Real Life Design” on cravingtalkradio.com. She resides in Weatherby Lake, MO, with her lovely English husband, Chris, and her happy son, Winston. She has big plans in life to conquer the design world … again. Email pics and questions to Jennifer jblovesdesign@gmail.com Instagram hgtvdesignstarjenniferbertrand Facebook Jennifer Oldham Bertrand Twitter jblovedesign
Where vintage, antique and repurposed mingle View photos of our 12,000+ sq. ft. shop at
facebook.com/LoneElmMall
913.768.0084
901 S. Parker, Olathe, KS Mon-Sat: 10am-6pm Sun: 12-5pm
vendor inquiries welcome
VintageKC / Winter 2014
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buy & sell
Picture This Pictures worth a thousand words ... and maybe dollars! By Michael and James Fry
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t is a fairly regular occurrence in the estate sale business to be working in the back of an attic or basement and run across a trunk full of old photographs. Whenever this happens, we let the family know what we’ve found and give them the option of either keeping the photographs or selling them through the estate sale. Generally, they’re surprised to find that selling them is an option; surprised that anyone would want to purchase someone’s old photos. We assure them that the customers are most certainly interested, and depending on what’s in the collection, it might be worth quite a bit. As photography has changed over the years from one technique to another, collectors have emerged and grown in numbers. From daguerreotypes to tintypes, glass plate negatives to the more contemporary polaroid images; each of these processes has a dedicated group of buyers. The full scope of what each of these categories might be worth is too large for us to cover here, so we’re just going to focus on cabinet cards. Coming on the scene in the early 1860s, cabinet cards replaced the carte de visite (commonly referred to as cdvs) as the photo method of choice. Both methods use essentially the same process but the cabinet cards were more than twice the size of their predecessor. The larger size made them a popular choice as they were easier to see across a room and were often used to decorate inside cabinets, hence the name. Three distinct qualities make cabinet cards easy to identify. The most obvious is the thick cardstock that the photos are mounted on. Second, the size of the card backing measures right around 4.25in. × 6.5in. And third, most of the time you’ll also find written information and a logo of the photographer.
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Cabinet cards have a wide range of potential value based mostly on condition and subject matter, with subject matter being by far the greatest factor in collector interest. Their height of popularity was achieved during the Victorian era and the vast majority of the subjects of these photos were studio-based, simple Victorian portraits. Basic supply and demand then comes into play. A large supply of Victorian simple portraits plus mid-level demand equals low prices. Most of these portrait images will only be worth $2 to $6 each. That might not sound like much, but if you happen to run across a box of 300 of these in a basement (which we have) you’re easily looking at around a thousand dollars of value. The value of individual images increases when the subject matter gets more interesting. When the photograph contains a subject matter not often photographed in that era, the value can go up dramatically. Pets were less-often photographed and command more interest, but an
uncommon animal in the image, such as a buffalo, monkey, or tiger, can push the value to $50 or more. Portraits of sports figures, such as baseball players or boxers have very high interest and can be worth more than $100 per image. Another group of higher-value cabinet cards are those with Native Americans on them. Several years ago we were holding a sale in Leawood and came across a cabinet card that had five Native Americans in the image with a caucasian man. We had a lot of interest in the photo and sold it the first day of the sale for $140. The prices can go over $1,000 if the Native Americans pictured were famous chiefs, such as Sitting Bull, Red Cloud, Chief Joseph, or Geronimo. In general, famous historical figures are some of the most sought after in cabinet card collecting. Previous presidents such as Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, and Abraham Lincoln are at the top of many collector’s lists, followed by other A-list
celebrities of the time like Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill Cody, Sojourner Truth, P.T. Barnum, and Jesse James. An authentic cabinet card of one of those individuals will sell between several hundred to several thousand dollars. So before you throw out that musty box full of photos of unknown ancestors in the attic, take a few minutes to assess what you have and what it might be worth to a cabinet card collector. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, well, sometimes it’s worth a thousand dollars, too.
^
Michael and James Fry are brothers and owners of Brown Button Estate Sales. brownbutton.com sales@brownbutton.com Facebook Brown Button Pinterest BrownButtonCo Instagram brown_button Twitter brown_button YouTube thebrownbutton
He said . . He said
How do you give a snowman a vintage vibe? Disco Dan the Snowman: I have two boys, ages 2 and 5, and “heaven on earth” for them is to play in the snow with their ol’ Dad. They very well may take over the estate sale business someday and it is up to me to teach them vintage value and fashion ... any way that I can. With the snow coming down we go on a vintage fashion hunt. First stop, our local Goodwill where we find an authentic period beaded peace sign necklace ($3). A trip to a friendly neighborhood estate sale allows us to locate a sweet red-striped headband ($1). Hot coco in Westport and a quick run through Arizona Trading Company reveals a festive red, wild-print, button down shirt with a long pointed collar ($11). A Craigslist ad for “Old Man’s pants” scores us a pair of green, size XL polyester trousers ($5). Black curly chest hair in the form of a wig from Grandma’s dressup trunk ($0) and we are ready to deck out our snow dude. After a few false starts due to my 2-year old, “I’m a wrecking ball,” and issues with trying to pants a snowman (!?) our 1970s snowman is complete. Putting together Disco Dan the snowman: $20. Spending a snowy Saturday afternoon chasing vintage goodness and playing in the snow with my boys: priceless.
Michael
Edwardian Snowman: Here are step-by-step instructions to outfit your very own Edwardian snowman. Step one: Procure the dressiestlooking antiquated-style overcoat that you can find. Step two: Immediately place the coat around your snowman. This has a twofold effect: Your snowman will not be left to suffer in the elements without adequate winter attire, and also will be properly and decently clothed. Step three: Borrow your grandpa’s cane and lean it against the snowman. This neither helps with warmth nor decency, but does make him look pretty classy. Step four: Hunt in your attic for an old top hat or bowler. Place the hat on your snowman’s head. Step five: Acquire a monocle. I have no suggestions as to where to find one. Monocles seem to be in short supply these days. When in need, you can create a makeshift one out of a Pringles lid. Step six: Find a very stylish and substantial curly mustache. This is quite possibly the most important step in the process. Possible methods of acquisition include: Borrow some hair from a pet, cut it out of a black piece of construction paper, or relieve a relative of their underused upper lip adornments. Apply the mustache underneath your snowman’s nose. Step seven: Step back and admire how incredibly classy your Edwardian snowman looks.
James
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Overland Park, KS I 913-814-0300 Paola, KS I 913-294-4499 Parkville, MO (La Bottega Market) I 816-741-6255 Kansas City, MO (Painted Sofa) I 816-474-8832 www.BellaBDecor.com
VintageKC / Winter 2014
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2014 Gift Guide
$25 & Under
dishwasher sign | The Tulle Box $14.25 thetullebox.etsy.com It’s the simple things that make life easier, like this adorable clean/ dirty dishwasher sign. Featuring a bright retro floral print, the signs are available with magnetic, adhesive or backing kit. State love necklaces | boots and arrows $24 bootsandarrows.etsy.com Show your state pride with these customizable, made-toorder necklaces. Choose your favorite shape, your material, your state and your word. States available: Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Florida.
o 15 strips of bacon inside! 10 VintageKC / Winter 2014
Holiday postcards | survival letterpress $12 survivalletterpress.com Essential Goods, Lawrence; Urban Provisions KC, East Bottoms Send seasons greetings in style this year with a set of four letterpress printed holiday postcards. Printed on Cranes Lettra 110# cotton paper, each card measures 4in. x 6in. and includes a mailing and note area on the back. Baby boy wear the fox and the owl $22 thefoxandtheowl baby.etsy.com Baby boys crawl out in style with this too cute tan tweed vest one piece with anchor buttons and snap on bow tie.
Bacon jam | our sassy pantry $14.95 (for Bacon Jam) oursassypantry.com Various locations, check website Bacom Jam is a sweet, spicy and savory jam that pairs well with sourdough grilled cheese, roasted sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, or a great burger. Other flavors include: Ancho Cherry, Balsamic Blueberry, Wicked Tomato, Cosmo Cranberry and Strawberry Margarita (each $10.95).
Bibs | mewe $14.50 meweaccessories.etsy.com These cute and durable baby bibs feature bias tape arm holes, which help reduce shifting when your little one wiggles and tugs. Featuring neck ties and bow ties for the boys and rick rack necklaces and hearts for the girls, gender neutral options are also available. The bibs are reversible with cotton on one side and heavy duck cotton on the other. They are machine washabale, and toddler sizes are also available!
gift guide
KC Baseball shirt | KC Cool $25 kc-cool.com Recognition Plus, Independence Wear your heart on your chest with this white KC imprint on a heather and navy/ midnight cotton/poly baseball shirt. Sizes S-XL $25; XXL $28.
boot socks the sock sisters $22.50 thesocksisters.com Glam up your winter routine with these frilly and fun boot socks, featuring a chevron pattern, with lace and pearls.
St. Joseph Auction and Antique Market
One block west Antiques & Collectibles
3600 S. Leonard Rd. St. Joseph, MO 816-279-4310 www.stjosephantiques.com
20 S. Gold St., Paola, KS Open M-F 10-6 & Sat 10-5
Open 10-6 daily
oneblockwestantiques.com dconeblockwest@gmail.com 913-294-8499
closed only for major holidays (easter, sometimes July 4th, thanksgiving and christmas)
We caRRy FieSta SecOndS! VintageKC / Winter 2014 11
2014 Gift Guide
$50 & Under
Heart String art | jocelyns original creations $35-$45 jocoriginalcreations.etsy.com Handcrafted string art features an assortment of color combinations available. Use code SHIPKC when ordering online for free shipping in the Kansas City area.
KC landmark print | Tammy Smith Design $34 tammysmithdesign.com Display your love for this beautiful city with an 11in. x 14in. KC archival print features five top Kansas City landmarks: Country Club Plaza, Union Station, Kauffman Center, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Liberty Memorial.
Front Porch Antiques 534 N. Main | O t t a w a , K S | 7 8 5 - 2 4 2 - 6355 M o n - S a t 1 0 - 5 | S u n 11-5 “You never know what you will find.” A wide selection of vintage, primitives, rusted and funky pieces at reasonable prices come in and out of our doors every day! “Come and see what you have been missing.” Chosen Best Antique Shop every year for 6 years! Find us on Facebook
Proudly stocking Mother Earth Paints! Custom painting & paint classes
6015 Johnson Drive Mission, Kansas 66202 Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-6pm 913-333-0026 12 VintageKC / Winter 2014
rechic@live.com
gift guide Simple wallet | Prairie Goods $45 prairiegoods.com Westside Storey, Kansas City This simple, handmade wallet is perfect for any gentleman. Made from premium natural vegetable tanned leather from a local midwestern tannery, it is available in four colors: natural, tan (shown), dark brown and black.
Tree of life necklace | rechic boutique and DÉcor $32.99-$36.99 Mission, KS Give the symbolic gift of life to your mother, daughter, grandmother, favorite babysitter, whomever! Handcrafted with various beads and crystals.
baby/toddler flats Bitsy Blossom $36-$38 bitsyblossom.com Cute, cute, cute polka dot baby or toddler girl flats are perfect for the changing seasons. They come in four trendy winter colors: Maroon, Butterscotch, Brown and Gray. $36 for sizes 0-7; $38 for sizes 8-13.
Want to be a part of next year’s gift guide? Email calli@ vintagekcmag.com to be considered. You must produce multiple similar items local to the Kansas City area.
Olathe's fun place to shop for all your Christmas décor, gifts and home furnishings!
green expressions VINTAGE • RETRO • REPURPOSED Vintage and retro furniture, home decor, neon signs, antiques, collectibles, vintage toys, an awesome selection of classic vinyl, and lots more!
Pitch magazine's Best Suburban Destination 2014!
Tues-Sat 10-6 • Sun-Mon 12-5 203 W. Dennis Avenue, Olathe, KS 913-780-4180 VintageKC / Winter 2014 13
2014 Gift Guide
$100 & Under fruit bowl | convivial Production $55 convivialproduction.etsy. com West Elm, Plaza; Coveted Home, Prairie Village; Season+ Square, Brookside This fruit bowl is hand-made by local designer Chentell Stiritz. Each bowl is crafted using traditional throwing techniques, is hand-carved referencing architectural structures, and is finished in a soft ivory glaze. It is a fresh, modern design that exudes simplicity and sophistication. The piece is perfectly designed for fresh fruit and farmer’s market finds, and it would be a lovely gift for any home this holiday season!
30,000 SQ. FT.
115 W. 5th St. KCMO 64105 816-221-0220 RiverMarketAntiques Open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Find your own look by recycling some amazing lifestyles from the past! For information contact: CustomerService@rivermarketantiquemall.com
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gift guide
clocks | Eighty Acres art $64; $72 eightyacresart.etsy.com M.A.S.H. Handmade, Westport This 8in. x 8in. and 9in. x 12in. clocks with multicolored drops are made from repurposed street sign vinyl on aluminum. Vinyl scraps from local sign companies are hand cut and then placed on the fabricated aluminum background. Similar designs are available. Clock mechanisms are American-made and batteries are included!
Sugar plum facial | ashley nelson studios $69 Solera Salon and Spa 913-620-7887 ‘Tis the season for soft, glowing skin! This facial features a sweet Holiday Berry Enzyme and a rich Vanilla Clove Hydrating Mask. Marionberry, fig and pineapple fruit enzymes gently exfoliate while infusing the skin with antioxidants. The Vanilla Clove Hydrating Mask locks in moisture and intensely hydrates dry, winter-weathered skin. Visions of youthful skin are sure to dance in your head after this festive facial. This 75-minute delight is on special for $69 for VintageKC readers only! Gift certificates available.
15,000 Sq. Ft. • 125 Vendors
Christmas Open House Dec. 13-14!
SHAWNEE ANTIQUE MALL 7410 Nieman, Shawnee, KS Mon-Sat 10-6 • Sun 12-6 913-499-7688
SAM
913-209-9479 6009 Johnson Dr. Mission, KS vintagemissionkc.com
Teeker Follow SAM and Teeker’s adventures on Facebook
VintageKC / Winter 2014 15
vintage spaces
Comfy cool cozy When you check into the Jefferson House Bed & Breakfast, you might never leave ... because it’s gorgeous and the company is simply the best. Words Heather Scanlon Photos William and Jill DiMartino
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esplendency abounds at the lovely, historic Jefferson House Bed & Breakfast. ‘Tis like stepping back in time; the exquisite, traditionally designed interior is an intentional nod to the more-than-a-century-old brick beauty. Ornamented with the contents of an impressive 40’ container (shipped all the way from the British Isles!), the Jefferson House is chock full of antique French and English furniture, vintage light fixtures, and one amazing and extensive European art collection. But the house is a work of art in itself—the sturdy architecture of the late 1800s risen by Kansas City-fired red brick. Inside, much of the original woodwork has been restored, radiators boast elaborate decorative patterns, and an ivory clawfooted bath as old as the structure itself remains grandly intact.
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The Jefferson House Bed & Breakfast (outside seen inset at left) invites guests to relax in the living room featuring original tiled fireplace and leaded glass windows.
VintageKC / Winter 2014 17
vintage spaces
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Opposite page: A secretary on the main floor adds charm. This page: Beautiful original woodwork rolls through the house.
VintageKC / Winter 2014 19
vintage crafts
The beautiful kitchen in the Jefferson House B&B, where European-style breakfast is prepared, is bold and inviting with every detail a useful and beautiful accessory. Guests are served on Teresa’s own ceramic creations, crafted in her inspring work space.
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vintage spaces There are three floors. The main level consists of a spacious entrance hall, where the eye is immediately transfixed on the original wooden staircase, where various posts and steps were repaired or replaced, coated with fresh stain. To the right, the sitting room, the left, a formal dining room, the kitchen just ahead. You’ll find no doors on this floor, save for the super-cool butler’s door to the kitchen that swings open both ways like an old saloon door. “It makes me really happy,” said Teresa Robinson, co-owner of Jefferson House with her husband, Peter. The Robinsons wanted to tell a fluid story; the lack of doors creates an unhindered, welcoming, and alluring space. Antique furnishings and interesting art pieces adorn the rooms, from Teresa’s own ceramic pottery creations to tin coins created by a friend of the Robinsons. The coins are intended to celebrate flaws. The hardware, hinges, and doorknobs are all treasures discovered in the basement when Peter and Teresa purchased the place. They’ve since refinished, repurposed, or refitted them. The ornate light fixtures
the pair brought along had to be adjusted electrically. The results were definitely worth the work. The kitchen is by far the most modern room in the home. The chartreuse cabinets, doors, and trim are a lively contrast to the darker
The Mulkey Suite features an 1850s Jersey linen press for clothes, a Victorian leathered writing desk and iron bed. Tucked away to the right of the desk is a cozy sitting room with a view of the garden. The en suite bath includes tiled walls and an artisan towel rail.
VintageKC / Winter 2014 21
vintage spaces wood and wallpapers throughout the rest of the house. Silvery tile and an enormous 150-year-old Irish linen press continue the bright theme through the cheery kitchen. Teresa used to be a sous chef, and her culinary talents carry over to the lovingly-prepared European-style food she cooks up for the B&B guests. The rest of the main floor keeps a continuous color (sorry, Peter—I mean “colour”) scheme in subtle greens and reds. Everywhere you chance to look, you’ll see something fantastic. A gramophone, the gorgeous green (original) tiling around the living room fireplace, the yellow metal handmade bulldog purchased from a local Mexican shop. It’s posh but it’s homey, and the house is a fully functioning gallery. Peter and Teresa deserve a round of applause for the work that went into the renovations and restorations. They tore down a (fairly useless) wall in the kitchen to open it into a cozy eat-in. They stripped radiators of layers of questionable pink, yellow and green paint colors. The walls and floors are sound-proofed, paint and varnish were removed from the beautiful
22 VintageKC / Winter 2014
leaded glass windows, and Peter completely rebuilt a crumbling fireplace in one of the guest rooms. They transformed one very tiny room into a sitting area in another guest room. And, as Teresa said, made decisions on “a hundred million details in planning” in the process.
vintage spaces The Blue Room showcases cozy seating and missionstyle furniture in the eating nook. Accents of blue follow from the plates to vintage cards, on shelves and in cases.
Opposite page: The Summit Room features a grand British craftsmanmade red-lacquered four-poster bed, an antique French light fixture, and etchings from 1835 by George Cruickshank. The private bathroom immediatly outside the door showcases an original claw-foot bathtub, antique sink and artisan fixtures and fittings.
Above: The Murdock Suite shows why the Jefferson House B&B stands out with much more than a small bedroom. The suite consists of a bijou living room with comfy couch, antique French armoire and original decorative tiled fireplace. It also includes a private deck with a killer view of downtown Kansas City! French doors open to the bedroom with an ensuite bath. The hall outside the Murdock Suite and Mulkey Suite features large statement art.
VintageKC / Winter 2014 23
vintage spaces
24 VintageKC / Winter 2014
Details abound in the Jefferson House B&B: From the original light fixture found in the basement to refurbished hardware and quirky touches. You’ll look around a room many times before you notice everything.
Designing with Deb Creating the Ultimate Guest Room
I
When Teresa isn’t hosting guests, cooking delicious food or tending the B&B, she escapes to her art studio to make lovely ceramic pieces.
From the foyer, take the stairs to a landing (and find a window seat one simply cannot resist trying out) and up another short flight to the second floor: the guest rooms. There are three: The Murdock, The Mulkey, and The Summit—named for the original owner, the founder of the Westside neighborhood, and the main street in said neighborhood, respectively. The art, the décor, the furniture; every bit of it is antique, and/or European, beautiful, and perfectly placed. The pocket doors in many of the rooms—again, a part of the original design, add even more character. Careful details can be seen all around—like a handmade towel rack, another creation from a friend (they have a lot of friends. It’s hard to find kindlier people). The Robinsons have coined what they call the Three Bs: good beds, good bathrooms (each guest suite has its own bathroom), and good breakfast. And they’ve got it down to an art. It’s this method that makes the Jefferson House B&B so successful—but you can’t discount the couple’s charm as a pretty big factor. The B&B attracts more and more patronage—at first, mostly only weekends, but now, being booked through the week as well— as their reputation and publicity grow. And last, the third and final floor. It’s where the Robinsons reside, but you won’t find any photos of that space—yet. It’s the final installment of the renovation project, and Teresa says it “will be fantastic ... eventually.” If the rest of the Jefferson House is any indication, we don’t doubt it.
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Heather Scanlon is a graduate of the University of Kansas in history and public policy. She is a freelance writer and editor now residing in Merriam, KS. Between her various odd jobs and spending time with her hubs and darling 1-year-old, Heather nurses severe addictions to strong coffee, genealogy, and The New York Times crossword puzzle.
love to entertain, and I love to have house guests— whether it is family, or friends that I want to welcome as though they’re family. When creating that Shangri-La for your guests, think about what you expect at a luxury hotel. Better yet, spend the night in your own guest room(s) and see what is working and what isn’t working for you. Depending on the budget—or lack of a budget— there are many things you can do to add that “something special” to each guest room and elevate your guests’ experience at your very own bed and breakfast. Clear out all the clutter. Make the bed the centerpiece of the room. Purchase the most comfortable mattress and most luxurious linens and pillows you can, and if you can’t purchase new, just make sure they are all clean and fluffed! When selecting your bedding and adding all those wonderful decorative pillows, make sure you have a place to store those extra pillows when it comes time for guests to undress the bed at nighttime. It’s always a good idea to have multiple light sources: Bedside tables with lamps are great. They allow your guest to get into bed and still see where they are going or have the room softly lit leading them into their temporary lair. Dimmer switches on any and all overhead lighting are a very economical way to create ambiance with lighting. Make sure you have a place for your guests to store their clothes, even if it’s an overnight stay. Should you not have closet space or drawer space, you can purchase plush padded hangers (three for $10) and hang over a door. It may not seem like a lot to you, but it lets them know you were thinking about their comfort ahead of time. Make sure you have a pretty tray (it can be on the bed itself, on a side table, on a dresser or chest). This is where you can take an already wonderful room to the next level. Pick up a few brochures of what’s going on in your community during their stay, a onecup K-cup coffee maker with an assortment of coffees and teas with a couple of awesome mugs, a few bottles of water, a small assortment of sugars and creamers, some chocolates, or a small sampling of their favorite snack. Don’t forget that the guest room experience doesn’t end there —remember the bathroom. Make sure it is stocked with all the essentials, fluffy towels, maybe a candle, and always a fresh bar of soap! This may be the least expensive and most important detail of the whole bathroom encounter. You can never go wrong with fresh flowers. Just make sure there are no allergies. It’s all about inviting those special people in your life into your home and creating that comfortable, inviting environment just for them.
Deb V ogler
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-Deb
Deb Vogler has been creating her own brand of Comfort by Design for more than 15 years. She deals with all aspects of design, from budgeting, to floor plans (renovation or new construction), to furniture, to color at her full-scale design firm. Have a designing question for Deb? Send it to debvogler@msn.com.
VintageKC / Winter 2014 25
vintage fashion
WEAR IT OUT Cozy up this winter with vintage jackets and coats at the height of fashion ... again.
On Winny Vintage German wool jacket, Blue Tape Estate Sales; purse, editor’s closet.
S
tyle does not stop at pants, tops and accessories. Vintage outerwear has been known to make a statement with quality fabrics that could only be purchased in couture lines today. We chose some of our favorite vintage jackets and coats that add statement pieces to modern looks. We hope that you enjoy them as much as we do. Just before we went to press, we were surprised to find that the German jacket on this page, which we randomly found at a Blue Tape estate sale, is the same style that Michael Bollner wore as Augustus Gloop in the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory! Really! Fashion is truly cyclical.
^
Photos Tiffany N. Cody, Smash Glam Hair Lotus Beauty and Kalvin Pugh Makeup Aisha Simon, Smash Glam Models Alaina Butler, Winny Duku; Benjamin Jensen, Augustin Kinney, Jason Pham, Brooke Purvis, Gill Williams, Voices& Concept and Styling Calli Green *Items not credited are from model’s closets.
26 VintageKC / Winter 2014
On Brooke 1960s knee-length coat with fur collar and cuffs, Vintage Vogue Apparel
VintageKC / Winter 2014 27
vintage fashion
On Brooke Vintage fur coat, vintage sweater, purse, editor’s closet.
28 VintageKC / Winter 2014
On Alaina Vintage fur jacket with knit arms, Vintage Vogue Apparel; vintage scarf, purse, editor’s closet.
VintageKC / Winter 2014 29
vintage fashion
On Jason Vintage Lacoste cardigan, white collared shirt, vintage military coat, Vintage Vogue Apparel; scarf, Re-Runs Vintage
30 VintageKC / Winter 2014
On Gill Vintage leather jacket, 1970s snap button collared shirt, Vintage Vogue Apparel; scarf, ReRuns Vintage.
VintageKC / Winter 2014 31
vintage fashion
On Benjamin Vintage wool U.S. Navy peacoat, vintage cardigan, scarf, Re-Runs Vintage.
32 VintageKC / Winter 2014
On Augustin Vintage tweed coat, vintage 1970s snap button collared shirt, Vintage Vogue Apparel; hat, editor’s closet.
VintageKC / Winter 2014 33
vintage fashion
On Winny Vintage white wool coat with fur collar, Vintage Vogue Apparel.
34 VintageKC / Winter 2014
On Alaina 1930s bead-embellished knee-lenth coat, Vintage Vogue Apparel.
VintageKC / Winter 2014 35
diy crafts
Let it
Try these fun ideas inspired by snowflakes for decorations that last all winter
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Snow!
“Thrift store plates and bowls turn into winter wall art with the help of a little spray paint, glue and plate wall hangers. Different tones of blue and silver paint cover the plates for an icy backdrop. Intricate, cut glass bowls are glued on to add depth and dimension. A simple hidden plate hanger is attached to the back for easy hanging. You can add glitter for extra sparkle or just stick with clear glass plates and bowls for a chic look. Just like real snowflakes, no two are alike!� Jamie, Kolorize kolorize.etsy.com
diy crafts
This snowflake mobile brings some holiday cheer to our entryway. It was super easy to make. I took a branch and spray painted it white. I used some snowflake craft paper punches to create the snowflakes, and hung them from the branch with thread. Audrey, Oh So Lovely ohsolovelyblog.blogspot.com
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“I look for any excuse to run to River Market Antiques, so when I saw a Martha Stewart Living post about snowflakes stitched on hankies, I knew just what I wanted to do and just where to find the hankies and the frame. I hand-stitched the snowflakes onto the vintage hankies and mounted them in the frame. I love the reuse of old materials!� Kristen, Hey Paul Studios heypaulstudios.etsy.com heypaulstudios.com/blog
200 N. Madison (58 Hwy), Raymore, MO 816-318-9009 Wednesday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. www.raisedincotton.biz VintageKC / Winter 2014 37
P
diy crafts
This fun DIY is an easy way to add winter style without buying (and storing) seasonal throw pillows. You can be as creative as your little heart desires, and you probably have most of the items in your craft supplies at home! Pillow wraps are an easy and inexpensive way to add holiday or seasonal joy to your throw pillows. You can customize your wraps to coordinate with your interior color palette. For this snowflake pillow wrap I used: scrap fabric, scrap burlap, white felt, white buttons, red ribbon, sewing machine and hot glue. Measure the size of pillow you want the wrap to fit. (You could go horizontal or vertical.) Then cut the burlap to the measurements, leaving it a little long so you can squish it up to create the ruffle effect. Cut out the snowflakes (I did mine by hand for a whimsical feel, but you can also find many great snowflake patterns on Pinterest!) Next, run the burlap base through the sewing machine with a stitch down the center, squishing the burlap a bit for the ruffle effect. Use hot glue to layer the rest. Then, hot glue ribbons onto the ends, fold the end over and hot glue it in place to give it a clean, finished look. Then, just tie the wrap onto your pillow! Abbie, Ecolectic abbiemarshall.com
For this project I reused leftover wine corks and crafted them into an easy-to-make snowflake ornament. I made it with just wine corks, hot glue and ribbon! Like real snowflakes, these are all one-of-a-kind. The colors will vary depending on the staining on your wine corks. Mine altered from deep magenta to blush-colored to the neutral cork tone. I chose complementary ribbon in a neutral cream and brown to keep with the natural color scheme. Simply, cut your wine corks in half and assemble them into a snowflake formation using hot glue. Then, hot glue a ribbon along the outline of the snowflake. (It helps hold the corks together.) Add another ribbon to hang your ornament and that’s it! It’s a five-minute craft that will add a pretty touch to your holiday décor. Kirsten, Red Leaf Style redleafstyle.com
Tips: Draw and measure a pattern on paper first to ensure the snowflake is even. You can use any pattern shape to make your snowflake and any design to lay the matches.
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I love the way this $2 project turned out! I like bringing the outdoors in, especially in the winter when it’s more difficult. The burnt wood on this matchstick project gives a rustic “cabin like” feel to my place. I already had a cardboard box, (measuring 9in. x 11in.) spray lacquer, and a bottle of school glue, so the only purchase I made was two boxes of wooden matches at .97 cents each. I didn’t even use all of them! First, I prepared my matches. I lit (one at a time) around 400 matchsticks to begin with, which ended up being plenty. I let them burn about 1/4-in. down and then placed them gently into a metal bowl so the charred edges wouldn’t break off. Second, I cut the pattern I wanted from a cardboard box and drew a vertical line (using a straight edge) down the middle of the cardboard, then a horizontal line making a cross in the center. I continued drawing lines diagonal through the cardboard until it formed the look of a cut pie. Next, I glued the matches along the drawn lines with the charred edges facing one another. Then I started with the pattern, gluing matchsticks from the inside of the “pie” pattern, moving outward. I turned the matches depending on the portion I was gluing to create depth and design with the charred edges. Last, I sprayed the entire piece with spray lacquer to make sure there wouldn’t be any matches or soot falling off. I let it dry and finished by gluing string to the back, in case I wanted to hang my snowflake. This could possibly be my favorite DIY yet! Calli, fashion director VintageKC Magazine
Last year I grabbed a bunch of pine cones from my grandparents’ yard. Flash forward a year and I hadn’t used them ... until now. I love decorating my front door, so I dug out the pinecones, stapled together some large shims from the workshop: one straight, with two more making the x shape in the middle. Gluing the pinecones on wasn’t easy, especially along the shims because, guess what ... pinecones aren’t flat. But it’s holding steady, although fragile. I sprayed it all with a quick coat of white spray paint. You could also leave it natural for a woodsy feel. I love that it’s a reminder of my grandparents and my roots every time I walk in the front door. I also tackled a beaded snowflake idea with fun, cool colors and 20-gauge wire. The beaded possibilities are endless! Erin, editor VintageKC Magazine
VintageKC / Winter 2014 39
vintage rooms
R
Dining Room
By Audrey Kuether
Office
F
or this makeover, I only bought a few items, and I mostly used furniture and dècor from other rooms in my house, which is why the room update cost only $100. I love repurposing! What I bought: • Pendant light from IKEA ($50) • Desk from a local thrift store ($40) • Chair from a local thrift store ($7) • Two octagonal photo frames from a local thrift store ($4) Total = $101 Details I knew the pendant light would be just perfect in the room. It was super cheap and I love the funky shadows it casts in the space at night. In my opinion it makes the room. I saw the desk and fell in love immediately. The top was made of a very heavy wood lam-
40 VintageKC / Winter 2014
inant. I knew if I followed the exact (no sanding) method that we used for painting our kitchen cabinets, I could paint the top white, no problem. The metal legs were chrome to start, but I removed them and spray painted them a metallic gold. I love the combo of white and gold ... it gets me every time. I liked the retro feel of the chair, but wanted to spray paint the legs and sides the same gold as the desk. The frames were filled with ugly swan art from 1985. I pulled the old art, mat and glass from the frame and gave it a quick coat of brushed gold spray paint. I flipped the mat to the white side and filled them with some free printables from my blog. What I repurposed • IKEA couch (10 years old, from master)
Before • Red shelf from the master closet (my husband’s childhood shelf) • White rug • Pillows and blanket • Wood buffet behind desk (heirloom) • Shelves above buffet • All art prints and décor (all of the female art is all by my fave artist Bekah Ash.
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vintage rooms
R
Bedroom By Erin Shipps
Office
F
Before
or the past year, I’ve been piecing together a home office. My office before consisted of an ugly desk made out of a door because it was cheap. I don’t believe design has to be expensive! Here’s how I turned our old bedroom into a new office. The anchor of any office is the desk, and I knew when I saw this one at Restoration Emporium, it was the one. It’s deep and heavy
and has lots of storage. And the finish is a gray dry brush with a shiny top coat. My 5ft. x 7ft. rug was a steal from JC Penny on clearance, with a coupon, for $30! My house is small, so I try to give rooms good views from other rooms. From the living room, the rug leads your eye right to this corner of the room and up to the feature wall. I knew I wanted a feature wall because it helps the computer blend in and it’s fun to look at when I’m at the desk. The yellow Kansas City print from Etsy Shop BugsyandSprite. The United States cutout is a cutting board I found on clearance at Target and I added the heart over KC. The old pic of the West Bottoms I found at an estate sale. The whale and the stitched flower pieces were gifts. My son’s artwork is in the top right and the metal Kansas plate is from an antique store on
the way to Branson. I covered a piece of cork from Hobby Lobby with burlap, which holds wonderful notes of encouragement from readers and advertisers. The white lamp is from Good JuJu, my Jayhawk was a gift. The picture frame on the desk, the vintage staplers and the owl planter were estate sale finds. The desk chair was an estate sale find. The guest chair is from my in-laws and the side table was a TLC Thrifty Boutique find. The Singer sewing table, which I placed a new top on, was my beloved Grandma Great’s (so was the green pillow). So if you’ve ever wondered where the VintageKC magic happens, this is it! Obviously, I love vintage and I love Kansas City, even my trash can, peeking out under the desk, is 1970s vintage! Send your vintage room re-dos to me at erin@vintagekcmag.com!
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VintageKC / Winter 2014 41
dustins’ diy
Scrap
Cafe’ Table
Building a table doesn’t have to be hard, especially if you have a good eye for scrap possibilities. By Dustin Bates
T
he holiday season is a great time to think about your table spaces. With guests visiting, or just more meals at the table during the winter, it doesn’t have to be difficult to put together a new table. Plus, tables are fun to set this time of year. I wanted to build a small table out of scrap items from the Habitat for Humanity Restore, so I grabbed an office table that had art-deco-looking legs, but a a less-thandesirable faux leather top. I popped off the top, painted the base a silver metallic and created a new rustic tabletop using wood fence scraps from the Restore.
42 VintageKC / Winter 2014
I lightly sanded, cleaned, and cut the fence slats to size, and glued them to plywood, clamping them to dry. Then, I cut some trim to run around the outside, which I nailed into place. The nice thing about rough furniture is that it doesn’t have to be perfect. You don’t need to hide nail holes, you can sand it, bang it up, and it all adds to the character. Attaching the two pieces was easy and I love the juxtaposition of the metallic and rustic for this simple table. The best part about this project is that it only cost $39 for materials.
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get the look We spent less than $20 styling this table. The mugs, glass bowl, pinecones, acorns, wooden bowl and penguin were from Blessings Abound Thrift Store in Overland Park (all on sale 25% off). The numbered ceramic bowls are from Tuesday Morning.
dustins’ diy on trend
diy terrarium
Geometric shapes are everywhere right now, so we couldn’t resist this easy little DIY. Recognize the container? It’s a glass and brass globe from a 1980s light fixture. We found it at the Habitat for Humanity Kansas City Restore on Duramus with a slew of other seemingly out-dated pieces. But that’s what we love about secondhand hunting: Ugly pieces sometimeis have uber potential! We removed the lamp parts by unscrewing the pieces and gave it a good scrub. After it dried, we simply flipped it upside down so the opening was at the top, placed an inexpensive cork mat in the bottom to catch moisture, and dropped in an aloe plant and a cactus. We love succulents in the winter (ok, we love them all year), and the bright cactus makes us happy. You could even fill up the bottom third of the globe with dirt and place plants directly in the dirt. See the possibilities!
Dustin’s DIY is sponsored by Habitat for Humanity Kansas City Restore. Dustin started Varsity Construction after graduating college in 2005. He builds new construction and remodels homes. He also builds small furniture pieces in his spare time. If you have a DIY construction project you’d like him to discuss, send it to erin@vintagekcmag.com.
VintageKC / Winter 2014 43
vintage recipes
Made from Scratch
Fond memories of learning how to bake. By Kirsten Hudson
N
eta Griffith remembers the first cake she ever baked. She was eight years old. Her cousin, who was in her early 20s, helped her bake an old-fashioned yellow butter cake from scratch. From assembling the ingredients to taking a bite of the finished cake, Neta’s favorite part of the whole process was getting to break the eggs. “That was a big deal to get to break the eggs,” Neta said. “When you’re little, I just remember it being so much fun.” After the cake had baked and cooled, they topped it off with chocolate icing. “It was the kind of icing you cook,” she said. “There wasn’t icing from the can back then. We cooked the icing and poured it over the top of the cake.” Lessons learned Although her cousin helped her bake that day, Neta’s grandmother was the first to let her into the kitchen. “She baked two or three times a week,” Neta said. “I remember, she’d make biscuits in the morning and she’d bake
44 VintageKC / Winter 2014
flickr/djwtwo
white bread and rolls to eat throughout the week. And she’d let me work with her.” During those times they’d spend in the kitchen, her grandmother taught her an important lesson about baking—and life. “I’d always be trying so hard because I wanted to please her,” Neta said. “I was worried about doing something wrong. And she told me, ‘If you don’t make mistakes, then you won’t learn anything. Just get in here and try it.’” That stuck with her. And she kept trying, even when she made a mistake or two. Like the time she mixed up her egg yolks and egg whites. “I was maybe 10 or 11 and I decided to make a lemon meringue pie,” she said. “It called for egg yolks and I read it wrong. So, I poured egg whites into the hot pudding and it fried them. It looked like little white particles floating in the pudding. So that was a disaster,” she said.
Always homemade Her kitchen skills didn’t stop at baking. When she was young, Neta remembers her grandmother let her do simple tasks, like mashing the potatoes for dinner. “I just thought that was so neat,” she said. “As the years went on, things were changing for women in the 1950s and my mother started working outside the home. It became my responsibility to get supper cooked every night,” she said. “I’d rush home from school and I’d start whatever we had.” “Back then we made everything from scratch,” she said. “If you wanted waffles or pancakes, it would be from scratch. If you
vintage recipes
wanted fried chicken, then you’d have to kill it, dress it and fry it. Today, they say you’re going green, but back then that’s just the way it was.” “We always had really good meals, and I think that was just part of the era I grew up in,” she said. Easy as pie Today, Neta loves baking pies the best. Any kind will do. “There isn’t a bad pie,” she said. She still remembers the feel of the dough
between her fingers when she got to make her first pie. “Learning to make a pie crust and getting to roll it out with the rolling pin was a really big deal,” she said. “I think my first pie was kind of a funny-looking pie. I don’t know how good it tasted, but it was a very good memory.” After years of practice making pie crusts, she has mastered the art of the perfect pie crust. Here’s her tip for getting it right. “In my pie crust recipe, you have to have several tablespoons of water to dribble in your dough. The trick is to put an ice cube in the water first so it will be really really cold,” she said. “It just makes the pie more flaky. Kind of like a croissant.” But no matter what she’s making—pies, sugar cookies or chocolate sheet cake—baking always makes her feel special. “I love how the house smells and the warmth of the oven,” she said. “It makes me feel like I’m doing something worthwhile, especially if I’m baking for my family.”
^
Neta’s Pie Crust
servings Approx. 8
Ingredients 1-1/3 level cups all-purpose flour 1/2 level tsp. salt 1/2 level cup Crisco shortening 3 to 4 T. cold water Directions Sprinkle water around or over mixture using fork or pastry cutter to blend well. Flour bread board generously and roll dough out fairly thin. Bake at 425 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.
Kirsten’s never met a pie she didn’t like. Check out her vintage decorating ideas, DIY projects and occasional recipe on her blog, Red Leaf Style, at redleafstyle.com.
Call Ashley today! 913-620-7887
VintageKC / Winter 2014 45
vintage memories
One
RigTurn ht A father instills confidence in his young son
By Quinn White
A
l Ortolani Jr. learned a lot from his dad and he was always there for him, whether he knew it or not. In the mid-1950s, at the age of four, Al Jr. decided he was old enough to walk to his grandma’s house on his own—a mile and half away from his house. He approached his dad about it, ready to lay out his case with complete confidence. His dad paused a moment and asked, “Well, do you know how to get there?” Setting aside his arguments for a moment, he gave his dad the correct directions that consisted of one right turn. Satisfied, he called Al Jr.’s grandma to tell her to expect him, and set him on his way. Al Jr. couldn’t believe the ease with which he was given this permission. He began his journey with confidence, but with the one right turn that put his house out of sight, he started to become a bit uneasy. During one part of the trip, he passed some people that seemed scary to him, and he had to talk himself into continuing, remembering the confidence of his dad that he could in fact do this. “I remember just telling myself to keep walking,” Al Jr. said. “I pretended to whistle because I thought that whistling would make me seem like I wasn’t worried. Soon enough, I saw my grandmother’s house on the corner, and she
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was there waiting for me on the porch. I was so proud that I had made it there by myself, and I have never forgotten that trip.” This was an experience that stayed with Al for a long time because it instilled in him a profound confidence and sense of independence. It wasn’t until much later, when he was an adult with his own kids, that his dad told him he did not travel there alone on that day—that, in fact, Al Sr. had followed his path the next block over and waited at each intersection to see Al Jr. pass by, ensuring he got there safely. Al Ortolani Sr. is a sort of legend, not only in the eyes of his son, but to anyone who is connected to his hometown, Pittsburg, KS. Al Sr. was the first baseball coach at Pittsburg State University, and the baseball diamond is now named in his memory. He also served as a physical trainer and a teacher at PSU, working with students his whole adult life. It was in the locker rooms at PSU that Al Jr. learned what made his dad so magnetic; it was here that he experienced the tall tales and humor of this bigger-than-life figure, where he saw him use this skill to connect with and extend a welcome to his students. His magnetism was immediately admired by Al Jr., and he learned quickly how to emulate his talent. “After trying out my own storytelling skills, my friends would start asking me to tell
stories,” Al Jr. said. “I would come up with the most entertaining and outlandish stories that I could. They knew that they weren’t completely true, but they didn’t call me out because they enjoyed them. It was something that I discovered I was good at from an early age.” This passed-down talent has become instrumental in Al Jr.’s 40-year-long teaching career. He supplements the themes of classic literature with his own stories, drawing kids into discussion and creating an open, inviting environment. This talent, along with a self-assured attitude courtesy of his dad, is also why Al began to write at an early age, sharing his writing through his published poetry and poetry readings. Every accomplishment of which Al Jr. can boast, every explanation of who he is, seems to go back to some remembrance or commemoration of this one man—his father, who was the best example of the teacher and man that he strives to be.
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Quinn is a writer, knitter, teacher and soon-to-be mom living in Shawnee, KS. She believes the hearing and sharing of stories and life lessons can be consoling, galvanizing and transformative.
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