Halloween 2009

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Our Fall Open House was a huge success with many happy customers. Here you will see what we have been up to this past week. Special thanks to my rockin' staff for their help and the artists who contributed to our success.

Above, the new awning I made for the opening. Black and tan striped fabric with fringe was gathered over a scrap wood base. Misc. clocks on the wall that we sell and old sign letters I have been collecting all year. The large crystal lamps were a last minute find with new shades.

The fire marshall was not too happy about the hay bales and cornstalks we used last year, so we kept the outside simple.

The beauty of Fall and Winter is the ability to decorate in many different themes for the season and my store is big enough to do just that. To the left of our entrance, Dana worked on this area I called the Harvest Room. Note the new grain sack chair and ottoman just in.

I love all the paper mache creations I discovered this year reminiscent of the antique originals.

And now the FREAK SHOW:
I've been gathering these crazy old dolls all summer specifically for this little presentation.

The canvas tent was also made to house all the unusual.

I added Fun House mirror film to a collection of gold frames.

I found great masks this year that we used all over the store. Here I tied them around glass shades on this chandelier.

Black glitter branches surrounded the interior of the tent; wax lips, gummy teeth and fangs in the rubber tire pots.

One of my favorite finds, this old hat with skull and crossbones. A fuzzy black rat sits on top.

This year I added a touch of Mardi Gras.

An old leprechaun pipe is full of mints in metal coffins.

A decrypted baby carriage full of skull votives.

Handmade objects from Wendy Addison.

Heather's twisted display in the boudoir area.

Tiny skull soaps.

Ugly Voo-Doo dolls.

It's always a wonderful thing when something you pictured in your head (for years now) finally comes to life. Jess worked on this below, one of my favorites.
It looks almost too good as customers do not realize it is all for sale.

Donnie helped us out again and I left this witch idea up to him.

My new favorite display piece is this rough hewn staircase. Perfect for our tarnished silver, Freak Show portraits and tiny tombstones.

Our Mexican Pumpkin candle was the best seller of the weekend (and Black Pepper and Honey Tobacco...) Some other odds and ends below.


BELOW THE ARTISTS who added so much to the event:
Dianne Ripper, vintage jewelry.

Greg Johnson, paper ephemera theatre boxes and other curious goods.

(Mother) Diane and (daughter) Madeline Tompkins
Original handcut silhouettes and caligraphy; letterpress prints.

Nicole Cawlfield, original photograph printed on antique tins; painted canvases.

Lesa Dailey, paper scrap figures.
Jess wrapped these for hours, another favorite: cheesecloth wrapped chandeliers look like ghosts blowing over the white bed. Giant spiders crawl up the back wall.
Another favorite find: skull and crossbone paper umbrellas hovering over the counter.

My right and left hand above, Heather, Dana and Abby. Where was Jessie?

And me, trying to blend in.
ENJOY!

Halloween Freak Show

It's almost here!
Some of you have been eagerly awaiting our 2009 Halloween Open House. You know we do not do it like anyone else and this year, we will not disappoint! For the first time we have added our favorite local artists to sell their handmade originals with a freakish flair. I have also been out gathering unusual goods all summer saving them for this event. Only a few more days.

Thursday we will be CLOSED UNTIL 5:00 when we open for the Artist Reception. The show continues Friday and Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 12-5. Take a look at what to expect:

Paper Theatres (and more) from Greg Johnson
Silhouettes and calligraphy from Diane and Madeline Tompkins
Whimsical paper sculpture by Lesa Dailey

Reworked vintage accessories by Dianne Ripper

Vintage Circus Inspired Photography by Nicole Cawlfield

...and a few teasers from Curious Sofa.Halloween goods from Wendy Addison, above.

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Decorating with Strangers

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My latest article for the Kansas City Star, Design Notebook:

Special to the Star, Sunday August 9, 2009
Decorating with Strangers
by Debbie Dusenberry

If you are an avid antiquer like I am, you have stumbled upon many boxes of antique and vintage photographs while shopping estate sales or antique malls. It’s always fascinating to me wondering who these people are and where they came from.

When grouping vintage pictures of people, look for a theme like the mustache men above.
(The shot above was done in my office right after I had just hung brick wallpaper).

The oldest photos you may discover began in the 1870's and were known as Cabinet Cards. It was then that portrait images became larger (usually 4" by 6") and were mounted to a heavy cardboard backing.

Later in the 1880's, each photographer would add logos and contact information to the back side. (Hint: Turn some of these photos around. The Spencerian graphics alone are worth collecting.) Around the 1920s, all of these cardboard portraits stopped with the invention of the Brownie camera.

I would buy these antique pictures now and then, acquiring the more interesting poses of men, women, families and sometimes children, and then I decided this random collecting needed more of a purpose to justify my buying. Sometimes I sell antique photographs in my store, and we have heard a few customers say, “I love this picture, but what would I do with it?” I understand the awkwardness of having photos in your home of people you do not know, so let me share an inexpensive and effective way to use them without apologies.

Part of Debbie's Gals with Hats collection.

Start by collecting photos with a theme.

When I opened my store, I decided to begin a collection of pretty ladies to display with our store jewelry. Hard to do before Maybelline! It was a challenge, but now I have a dozen or so women who are downright beautiful for 1885. The more specific you get, the stronger the collection. Some of my other favorites are:

• Women with hats

• Three brothers (or sisters)

• People with their pets

• Men with mustaches

• Bridal portraits

Display ideas:

• Have a framer cut uniform openings in a clean finished mat to group under a large vintage frame. A professional mat will give you a cleaner look (but I like the crudeness without a mat as well).

• Find a small wall and line photos up with fancy hat pins. A smaller wall will make stronger impact.

• Color copy the images to wallpaper a smooth door or table top. The restroom of my store is covered with photos of ladies for the girls room and men portraits for the boys.

• Hot glue a grouping of photos with girls wearing jewelry to a bulletin board that has small hooks to display your own necklaces.

• At Christmas time a grouping of photos of newborns can be used as ornaments, hung on a Christmas tree with baby shoes and rattles.

To use old photos as art in your home, always group them together, framed or not, for impact. Once visitors see these collections, it is doubtful they will ask, “Who is this?” A reply of, “My lost ancestors” is always good, but showing your flair for making them your own original art is better.

Reach Debbie Dusenberry, owner of the Curious Sofa, 3925 W. 69th Terrace, Prairie Village, at curiousdeb@curioussofa.com.