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Decorating with Vintage Finds – Parcheesi anyone?

When I was a kid, we had this amazing sparkly gold speedboat – I mean sparkly like 80’s glitter-fied, reflect the sun so bad that it blinded you and gave you 3rd degree burns if you touched it with your bare hand kind of sparkly…and it was awesome.

Lake House Decor - decorating with skis

As soon as my Dad and my uncle would get the boat out, a line of us kids would form and they would spend all day whipping us around the lake tubing or skiing. I so remember learning to ski for the first time on a pair of big orange skis that were tied together with a string to keep my scrawny little toothpick legs from flailing about, since doing the splits while being dragged thru the lake isn’t the most graceful look. After swallowing half the lake, I finally made it up, and so began my love of water sports.

Hand Painted Good Times sign

Well, all water sports except kite tubing, which is a whole other story, and is actually illegal now (google it and you will see why) and involves me in a neck brace with a cracked rib…

oh and barefooting, not doing that one either, at least not without a helmet and several layers of bubble wrap, which would probably not be a cute look…

Lake House Decor - decorating with vintage finds

When I found these old skis at a flea market for $20, I just knew I had to have them. I love decorating with vintage finds, even though the Mr. always gives me one of those looks like, what are you doing now?

I had been looking and looking for something to hang with them and have had a million and one things hanging up here that just haven’t looked quite right. Until I was at one of my favorite vintage stores the other week and happened upon this old school game board. For $5 it was totally coming home with me. I excitedly texted my mom a pic and she texted back “What are you going to do with a Parcheesi board?” Oh, so that’s what it is!

Well duh, obviously I’m going to hang it on the wall next to a dirty old pair of skis…

Because who doesn’t enjoy a good game of Parcheesi while water skiing, I ask you?

Lake House Decor - decorating with skis

Just in case you don’t usually enjoy board games while water skiing, I added this “good times” sign, that I painted on a scrap of wood I had in the garage. Ah, now it all makes sense-

water skiing = good times

parcheesi = good times

cute vintagey sign that says good times = good times

Yup all coming together now…

Well, I figure I can get away with it because this wall is right outside our playroom so I’m allowed to have a little fun here.

After all, I need to distract everyone from all this mess (and one very cute sleepy boy)…

Parcheesi and Wall

Now all that’s missing is a sparkly boat :)

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23 Comments

  1. I am cracking up about the boat!! When I met my husband, his family a similar boat…the Tahiti. Thick gold sparkles. We would rub baby oil (because we were using it to tan…omg) on the boat to make it shine and blind us even more. Haha!! I love lake memories!! So lucky to be making them with our families now! And the wall looks great!

  2. Love the look! That’s what decorating is all about, putting things in your home that speak to you and bring back great memories! Any chance you have any pictures of that sparlkly boat you could frame? Such a cute story too. My husband just brought home the carrom board from his childhood. It’s going in his man cave. Boy what a cute little sleeping sweetie. It just made me smile. My “baby” is 18. He had that blonde hair at that age too. Enjoy every minute of it. Like his little ” babysitter” too.

  3. Love the skis! I saw some past summer at an Antique store in Pentwater, and they were well over $100, I’m thinking $250. What a steal! Your posts are always so funny and easy to read. :) Question, did you carry that wall treatment through your upstairs hall? And did you seal it with anything to make it easier to clean? I’ve got lines drawn out for a little B&B going up our stairs and through our hall, but I’m concerned about messy boy handprints all over ;)

  4. Oh my gosh girl! Found your blog yesterday and can’t stop reading it! I love love love your style. I grew up in Ontario, near lake Ontario, and your backyard reminds me of the lakes I used to go to as a little girl! I long to have my children swim in a beautiful lake. It brought back memories from when I was a little girl. Thank you so much! I LOVE your house and projects I just can’t stop! xo Amber Oh and ps…your little girls room is to die for. I want to use that exact color on her walls!!! xo

  5. “Because who doesn’t enjoy a good game of Parcheesi while water skiing, I ask you?” hahaha classic!
    what a fun post, Kelly…we had a ski boat too for a short period of my childhood, some family friends had the killer gold glitter one like you did and it was a riot. I remember skiing, then sleeping every night on the seats in the bow and gazing at the stars. other days we’d set up the Carrom board on an old trash can and have all day tournaments. ah the 70s!

  6. I think you need to dig up a picture of the glitter boat, because it sounds amazing. Love your wall vignetter. And seriously, my playroom would make your playroom look ANGELIC right now. I can barely see the carpet.

    1. I’m going to have to look, because you are right it was amazing! And girl this is only one corner of the play room the real mess is hiding behind the couch, we should do a messiest play room contest…

  7. That is a Carrom board–we also had one growing up. With 7 brother and sisters, we sure got a lot of use out of it! I played a lot of Parcheesi with my grandmother–loved that game.

  8. Ha fun!! And I always think it’s so cute when the kids play so hard that they just pass out on the floor – you can’t really get away with that when you’re an adult and I’m a little jealous :-)

  9. That is definitely a Carrom board and not Parcheesi. Love the water skis – I have a similar pair decorating my lake house. Will have to keep an eye out of vintage gameboards now!

    1. So you and my mom are both right, this game board is actually 2 sided and the parcheesi side is facing the wall ha! I forgot I flipped it halfway thru my photo shoot :) thanks for pointing that out.

  10. I love your decorating style, however, I *think* that’s a Carrom board and not Parcheesi. :^) We had a similar board growing up and agree that playing it was indeed ‘good times’.

  11. Looks great! Your husband is a good sport. I have a feeling mine wouldn’t be so willing to let me hang those kinds of things on our walls. Although I wish he would–I love the character your vintage finds bring to your home.

  12. Awww!!! I love the picture of the sleepy little boy — doesn’t he look angelic? And Buddy is watching over him. What a cute picture and I love your fun things on the wall. You are one smart shopper — and very creative!!

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