A Comfy Little Place of My Own

Magnolia Bakery Blue

2012-02-05T17:26:00.000-08:00

I was so taken with the interior of the Magnolia Bakery in Los Angeles that I determined to use a similar aqua paint hue in my house. I decided on a whim yesterday to get samples, and after some trial and error, settled on a color that seemed like "the one". My daughter Amanda has been ready for anything but white in our kitchen/dining room since we moved in, so she was eager to help. We spent our Super Sunday moving furniture and painting the dining area. I didn't get the room back together during daylight, but I took a quick snap once some pieces were moved back in and before I lost the all the light. The color is not quite true in the photo here and I had to add a lot of light during editing, which changed it a bit, but it's fairly close:

And here is my inspiration color. I think I got pretty close to this, hopefully at some point I'll have the right light to photo it. We used Behr "Aqua Pools". It only took one coat of the paint/primer in one. The room is not all that big but I did use most of a can on it. I ran out of energy as well as paint, so the kitchen area will wait for another day.

The other really inspiring thing about the Magnolia Bakery is the banana pudding, which is TO DIE FOR. I put both their cookbooks on my Amazon wishlist but was able to find the recipe online and Amanda made it for us:

Not that you can really go wrong with 3 cups of heavy cream, but this is phenomenal. Hope you all had a great weekend!

A Pretty Week in Los Angeles

2012-01-28T19:36:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in a while because my daughter Amanda and I have been visiting my oldest daughter and her husband in LA, where they relocated temporarily for my son-in-law's job. We had a great week taking in the sights, like fresh produce markets:

And beautiful coastline:

Seeing the beautiful Getty Center and Getty Villa:

Walking through pretty neighborhoods and checking out the buildings downtown:

Visiting wonderful shops:

We ate some really pretty food:

And did the tourist thing, of course:

It was great to see the kids and have a nice warm mid-winter getaway but it's also nice to come home to my own Comfy Place with fresh inspiration for new projects. (I want to paint my whole house the color of the walls in the Magnolia Bakery.) Have a great week everyone!

Spring Fever

2012-01-19T19:02:00.000-08:00

I really hate Winter. I thought I could try to embrace post-Christmas Wintertime decorating, but I just can't seem to do it. I want it to be Spring NOW. I want to get out my bunnies and put a nest under my cloche.

I made these candle rings by pulling the leaf clusters off of a garland and stringing them on a wire, like I made the chair wreaths.

I'm still working on this arrangement, but I have plenty of time, after all.

Spring is still more than 2 months away. Linking up to Show & Tell Friday and Potpourri Friday. Have a nice weekend everyone!

If at first you don't succeed...

2012-01-14T11:44:00.000-08:00

Several years ago I inherited an old stool with straight blonde wood legs and a beat up turquoise seat. I wanted to use it with my vanity, so I reupholstered it in green to match my bedroom decor at the time. It has seen a lot of use and held up pretty well.

I never updated the seat cushion, and it was getting a bit flat, plus I am no longer in a green phase. So as part of my bedroom update, I decided this weekend to re-reupholster it. Here it is in it's naked glory:

I had no definite plan for this other than making it pretty. To start, I made a full skirt from a $5 Walmart twin bedsheet, and hot-glued it on.

I bought a piece of 3 inch foam for the seat, and decided to upholster it in the same fabric I used on my dining room chairs. I was really sort of winging it and didn't think this through properly and it showed.

It turned out really bad

Back to the drawing board. I pretty much knew what I'd done wrong, but I didn't really like these two fabrics together anyway so I decided to try rounding off the edges of the cushion and stretching a different piece of fabric over it instead. This was a much easier solution than my first attempt, one which I had thought of and rejected earlier because I was convinced I had to do a lot of work for it to look nice. But you saw what that got me. I remembered that I had a pair of white euro shams that I bought and didn't like on my pillows (too big), and I decided to see if one was big enough to cover the seat. It was nearly perfect, and I really liked how the scalloped corners of the sham looked hanging down over my skirt, so I cut those off and hot glued them onto the frame before I screwed the seat back on. I still didn't like how the bottom part of the cushion looked so I decided to tie a ribbon around the cushion to hide the part where the fabric puckers:

Then I added some tulle. And a bow. And then it looked a bit like a wedding dress.

So I simplified the bow, and now it's a little better I think.

This was a pretty cheap project since I only had to buy the cushion, sheet and some ribbon. I wanted to do something quick and easy last weekend but this turned out to be neither of those things. But I sat on it to do my hair for a week now and I have to say it's pretty comfy.

Thanks for visiting, and have a great week!

Goals for 2012

2012-01-01T20:06:00.000-08:00

I got a lot done in 2011 without really planning to. I think I might try to do things more purposefully in 2012 and see how that works out. Here is what I'm thinking.

1. Finish off the dining room by painting, adding window treatments, lighting, and another small piece of furniture (or two).

2. Paint the kitchen. It's still builder white. Yeah, no pics, because I avoid taking them. It's still white.

3. Repaint the foyer. I painted it yellow soon after moving in, thinking I wanted the house to have a bright and cheerful welcome, but it looks kinda tired these days. Not what I'm going for.

4. Tackle the master bedroom. (I'm thinking this will be my main project for the year.) Paint, update furniture, bedding, lighting, organize closet, etc. I really need to start a Pinterest board for this!

5. New flooring in foyer, bathroom and main living area if budget allows. I'm thinking dark wood.

There are a few more ideas kicking around in my head. I'd like to take a serious run at reupholstering something, and I'd like to add some trim molding around my windows.

What are you planning to do?

Bare Naked New Year

2012-01-01T19:24:00.000-08:00

Why does everything look bare after you take down the Christmas decorations? I can't seem to remember what was "there" before Christmas moved in, and now everything looks rather spartan and lacks cohesion. Hmm... well I suppose I will have to tinker with it. And maybe add some new stuff. :)

I checked out some post Christmas clearance sales but didn't find much good to pick from this year. I got a couple boxes of copper and cream glass ornaments at 70% off, but when I took everything down and bagged up my existing ornaments, I realized my collection has gotten a bit out of control:

I may be needing a few more storage totes.

2011 Year In Review

2011-12-26T19:30:00.000-08:00

I am borrowing this idea from my blog friend Mel at Junkin Junky, who recently posted a review of her projects for the year. She was right, I did more than I thought. I started off 2011 by painting my sink backsplash in chalkboard paint:

I learned from Miss Mustardseed how to work with dropcloth, and recovered my ottoman:

And made some ruffly pillows:

And curtains.

Then painted a shelf white, just leaving the top in a natural wood tone. This would be a recurring theme for me in 2011.

Before I got on a roll with painting, I made a basket liner:

But then I painted my armoire:

And got my dad to build some shelves to fit inside:

And then I just got crazy painting. A little kitchen shelf unit given to me by my friend Donna:

A cute little drysink also from Donna:

A pair of end tables from Craigslist:

A coffee table to match the end tables:

A pine hutch from my friend Donna:

A little bookshelf I've had for years:

My antique vanity:

Taking a short break from the big projects, I made over a picture frame into a chalkboard, converted an electric candelabra to hold candles, and white-washed a picnic basket:

Then got started on my crazy beautiful french provincial dining room furniture. Started on the server:

Got sidetracked and painted a dresser to use as a stand-in mantel for the upcoming holidays:

Painted a plate rack I got from my friend Michelle:

In my most popular post of the year, I took on Big Frenchy, the enormous china cabinet that is part of the dining room suite:

Got my dad to build me a centerpiece box, inspired by Anita at Far Above Rubies:

Got some help from my daughter finishing up the table and chairs:

Made a chair wreath (yes, still 3 more to do!)

For me that is quite a year. I am not sure how I'm going to follow that up in 2012, but I plan to continue making my home a comfy little place. I hope to be inspired by you and maybe inspire you in return. Thanks for following along!

Linking up at Show & Tell Friday, Potpourri Friday and Feathered Nest Friday. Happy weekend!

Christmas is Here!

2011-12-23T17:17:00.000-08:00

Are your brown paper packages all tied up with string?

I tend to start getting stressed out about the holidays right around Thanksgiving. I dream that it's December 23rd and I have not started shopping yet. It's like that dream where you are back in junior high and don't know your locker combination or your class schedule. But here it is, December 23rd, and the gifts are wrapped and piled high around the tree, co-worker gifts were assembled and distributed, 30 dozen or so cookies have been baked, cards and packages have been mailed and by now should have been received. I have a few "maybe I should have done" ideas lurking around the back of my brain, but I have decided that what is done is enough, and it is now time to relax and enjoy my family and be happy for what we have to share. My Christmas wish for you is to have the same sense of contentment.

To paraphrase the immortal Charles Dickens, may Christmas find you light as a feather, happy as an angel, merry as a schoolboy. May you honor Christmas in your heart and keep it all the year. God bless us, every one!

Chair Wreaths and the Paint Fairy

2011-12-19T18:06:00.000-08:00

I stole this idea from someone, but can't remember who. If it's you, let me know and I'll link back! I made this chair wreath for Christmas but it's so pretty I don't think I'll be taking it down after the holidays. But I still need to make 3 more when I get the time. I remember reading the person who did it bought a garland of faux boxwood greens and pulled all the stems off and wired them to a twig wreath. I used a little wire form, which worked fine. I used half the garland to make one, which isn't too bad if you have a coupon for the garland. It cost about $8-9 to make one with all the materials, which I think is worth it for how pretty they are. My limited photography skills do not do this justice.

As you can see, all my painting is finally done on the dining room furniture, but I can't take all the credit. With 2 1/2 chairs and a coat on the table bottom to go, I got totally burned out on painting and could not face finishing it. I was finding any excuse not to paint. Then the Paint Fairy came, and made everything right:

The Paint Fairy here being none other than my lovely and helpful daughter Amanda, who volunteered to go the distance and finish this never-ending project for me. You may notice from the turquoise can in the pic that we painted the table and chairs in Martha Stewart paint rather than the ASCP that I used on the hutch and the server. Because the chalk paint is sort of, well, chalky, I wanted to use something smoother on the pieces that would get touched pretty often. Time will tell if that was a good decision. From an aesthetic viewpoint, I don't think anyone will notice I used different paint. I still didn't have to sand or prime, the Martha Paint stuck fine, though I will qualify that by saying the finish on this furniture was shot and I did clean it first with deglosser. It did take more coats to cover than chalk paint, but all told we used about the same amount of paint, or maybe less, than we would have used in chalk paint.

Done!

Around the room:

With just a little much-needed assistance from the Paint Fairy.

Trees v2011

2011-12-10T16:05:00.001-08:00

I've been so busy this year working on my dining room project that I have not shared much of my Christmas decorating. This year we have several trees. Our main tree is traditionally decorated in our family ornament collection, which includes many homemade ornaments and things the kids made over the years. It looks pretty much the same each year but that is ok, I enjoy the tradition of it and looking at the ornaments. This year the kids decorated the tree the day after Thanksgiving. Son-in-law Simon helped out.

As did youngest daughter Danielle, home from college for a few days:

Oldest daughter Stephanie:

All finished and lit up:

When the kids were younger I had them paint ceramic ornaments for the tree, and a few years ago we did it again as a fun project when they were young adults. Some of the ornaments had little banners so you could add a holiday message. Steph painted this one to commemorate her relationship with her then-boyfriend (now-husband) Simon:

Simon painted this one, which still makes us laugh each year when we get it out to put it on the tree:

In the kitchen I have a little corner tree. I just bought this little tree last month and I love that it's all twiggy and scraggly looking like a Charlie Brown tree.

I added some Dollar Tree snowflakes, my vintage-style kitchen implement ornaments, and some cinnamon cut-outs that my mom made. I think they suit my little kitchen tree perfectly.

Charlie Brown would approve, I think.

And lastly, my little dining room tree in silver pinecones and snowflakes.

That's it for 2011, maybe. I have some ideas for changes but I may force myself to wait for 2012, in order to have more time to relax and enjoy the season, watching my favorite holiday movies, baking cookies, and hanging out with my girls. A few of my favorite things, as the song goes.

The Box

2011-12-10T12:13:00.001-08:00

Back before Thanksgiving I saw the most incredible centerpiece I'd ever laid eyes on at Far Above Rubies, and I knew I had to copy it. If you didn't click the link, DO IT, it's gorgeous! Interestingly enough, Anita copied hers from someone else, but personally I think she improved upon it. I have not improved upon Anita's, but I still love mine and am continuing to tweak it. Here is my Christmas version. (Anita has a Christmas version too, here.)

I started with some wood which I gave to my dad with some vague instructions on Thanksgiving, and a week later he handed me this:

Perfect. Thanks dad! I sanded it a bit and stained it, put some pads on the bottom and then started playing around with filling it, which turned out to be challenging. While Anita used fresh greens and lots of candles, the majority of my greens are faux, with just a few real ones tucked in for variety, and a central candle. I looked around a couple nurseries for fresh clippings and just didn't find what I wanted, so I pulled apart a couple of swags from Michaels and did my best. I still may add a few candles.

I used natural elements like the pine cones but also added some glittery picks and ornaments for sparkle. I found that the key to success was having a lot of greens with different textures and tones, making sure that some had a trailing effect, and then piling everything else in til it looked like too much, and taking just a little out. I haven't taken time to set the table as I'm still painting the legs, but as you can barely see in my photos, I refinished the table top. Hopefully the whole room reveal will happen before next Christmas.

Have a great week! I am linking up to Metamorphosis Monday and The Sunday Showcase.

Chairs!

2011-12-08T15:21:00.001-08:00

I am working on my dining room chairs in hopes of completing the room before Christmas. Ideally I'd like to finish this weekend! Here is a before and after of the chair project so far (well, technically it's after and before if you are looking left to right!):

And a close-up of the fabric I picked out. It has the neutrals I wanted with a touch of light blue, so it really fits the look I am going for. I am excited to be finished!

Have a great weekend! I'll be painting chairs!

Partying at Show & Tell Friday, Furniture Friday and Feathered Nest Friday.

Christmas on my (Substitute) Mantel

2011-12-03T10:21:00.001-08:00

I've been decorating for over a week but I don't think I quite hit the zone yet. You know, when you feel like everything is in the right place and just the way you like it? Yeah, I'm not feeling it just yet. But I think I'm ok with my mantel (technically, mantel substitute, faux mantel, whatever you would like to call it. And yes, I do realize it's a dresser). Here it is:

Forgive the rumple-y slipcover, the cat sleeps all day on that ottoman and I didn't want to get her in a huff.

Here are the skates I got at the flea market a few weeks ago. I added some glittery ribbon for laces. I had intended to use them outside but realized that with no protection, they would get ruined if it rained.

Last week after I finished Big Frenchy, I put away all my paint supplies and cleaned up, vowing to wait until after Christmas to work on the table and chairs.

I just can't leave well enough alone. So while I should be spending my free time tweaking my Christmas decorations and shopping and baking cookies, I am making a mess instead. Have a nice weekend!

Linking up to the Mantel Party at From My Front Porch to Yours.

At last, Big Frenchy!

2011-11-26T15:49:00.001-08:00

This project took just a little longer than I hoped. But then, it is BIG. I mean, really, REALLY BIG and incredibly solid. Here is where we began, a little dated with the orange-y finish, but still, in my opinion, timeless and very pretty. And did I mention BIG?

My kitchen was totally overtaken by this project. Yeah, I refinish furniture in my kitchen. I can make a mess because I'm the one who cleans up. Those are the rules.

As I did with the server last month, I painted the base in Pure White chalk paint, and stained the top in Kona.

I love how the top came out. Dark and shiny, so you can really see the curves in the wood.

A little clear wax to shine up the finish.

Some judicious distressing:

Painted the hardware a dark silver metallic:

Finished just in time to start the Christmas decorating.

The new dining room is really starting to come together.

Now I just have the table and chairs left to do. And painting the walls. And laying new flooring.... maybe AFTER Christmas!

Linking up to Met Monday, What's It Wednesday, White Wednesday, Potpourri Party, Furniture Friday and Show & Tell Friday. Whew, that is a lot of partying!

Plate Rack Update

2011-11-17T09:53:00.001-08:00

Last January I got this shelf from my friend Michelle, who no longer had space for it in her kitchen. I've been shuffling it around in my sunroom ever since, trying to find it a home. Here it is sitting on top of my old stereo cabinet shortly after I got it home.

Since I got the French Provincial dining room suite several months ago, my sunroom has been reassigned as my new dining room. And, since this room is going all white and neutral with touches of blue, the dark, dark green paint (it only looks black, it's actually green) was not going to work out. So I painted it to match the other furniture, in Annie Sloan Pure White Chalk Paint, and hung it on the wall. To hang it I bought a 100 lb cleat at Home Depot, but after I put it up I was just really nervous piling stuff on it, so I put 2 inch drywall screws through it into the studs. It's not going anywhere now, it's locked on tight.

I love the style of this piece, but then I've always been a sucker for a plate rack. I really can't say I like it better white, but it will blend much better in the room. I have not actually begun Christmas decorating just yet, but I couldn't resist adding some new greenery for the photos.

Still torn on painting the walls a creamy beige, or going with a soft washed out blue. I don't think either one is happening until after Christmas since I'm still painting furniture, one piece at a time.

So guess what I'm hoping to show you next week? Big Frenchy is underway:

Have a nice weekend all! I'm partying at:

Feathered Nest Friday
Potpourri Friday
Show & Tell Friday
Furniture Friday

No Mantle? No Problem!

2011-11-13T16:20:00.001-08:00

With the holidays coming, I started thinking I'd really like to have a mantel to decorate. Problem is, I don't have a fireplace and I have no room for an actual mantel. In fact, the place I really wanted to put the mantel is way too small for any mantel I've run across. What to do? If only I had a sort of tall-ish piece of furniture that is sort of small but has a nice top.... hmm. Wait a minute! What about the crappy dresser in the garage? I bought this little dresser off Craigslist a few months ago for $20. I didn't look very close when I picked it up, just pulled out the top couple drawers and looked it up and down, said ok and loaded it up. Not terribly smart.

When I got it home I discovered the bottom 3 drawers were way too warped for everyday use, so I left it in the garage and stewed on ideas of turning it into a bookshelf or something. Now I'm glad I left it alone. It took maybe 2 hours total (note to my worrying daughter, I spread the 2 hours over 3 days, so I didn't overexert myself) to sand, paint in ASCP Duck Egg and wax in clear, plus do a stained and polyurethaned top. It may not be a mantel, but I think I got some bang of of my $20 and a little paint:

So, now I can hardly wait to decorate for the holidays. Not sure what I'm putting on it for Christmas yet, but I'll have fun playing around with it. For now, an all-seasons look:

The bonus to this is that unlike an actual mantle, this has storage capability so I loaded it up with candles, gift wrap, ribbons, bags, tissue, all of which I don't access often enough to be bothered by warped drawers.

I'm linking up at Met Monday and Show & Tell Friday. Have a fantastic week!

Flea Market Junk of the Week

2011-11-09T19:08:00.000-08:00

I went to the flea market this week and turned up just a couple little treasures. On Sunday I found a $5 pair of cute white leather ice skates which I will use in my Christmas decorating, as well as a pile of doilies for a quarter each, and a little tarnished silver tray for $3.

Wednesday I found a $15 white pitcher and bowl to add to my white pottery collection in the downstairs hutch.

I also repurposed some junk this week... this little shelf got a makeover. My dad helped me by cutting the wood and drilling the holes, since I am power tool challenged. It went from this:

To this (and I may paint it again because I'm not in love with the Old White finish on it):

An old green box with some engraved advertising that was an auction find years ago got a paint job in ASCP Duck Egg with dark wax, going from this flat John Deere-like color:

To this muted, shiny finish that lets the advertising stand out a bit better:

To illustrate how dramatic the effect of the dark wax is on old wood, here is a side-by-side of waxed and unwaxed in Duck Egg Blue. When I got the dark wax and initially played around with it, I sort of thought I wouldn't end up using it because I like a cleaner finish, but on something old like this it just brings out all the character of the rustic wood.

And my auction find picnic basket got a whitewash from this:

To this:

That is my junk of the week! Partying at Beautiful Junk Saturday. Thanks for coming by!

Frenchy Server Redo

2011-11-09T17:56:00.000-08:00

I've started to refinish my dining room furniture, which I got from Craigslist a few months ago, with the hope of having it finished by Thanksgiving weekend so I can put my mess away and decorate for Christmas. Here is a reminder of where we started with the server:

It doesn't look too bad in that photo, but below is a good pic of the top, and you can clearly see what needs to be done here. This piece was actually the bottom of the hutch, and you can see where the top piece used to sit. I've swapped it out with the actual server because I like how this fits under my windows. Anyway...

I needed to strip the top down. I like to use this product, which just sort of eats off the finish, and you rub off the goo with steel wool. Effective and quick, but on this piece I was going through a lot of steel wool. This finish was so gooey that I gave up after a pack of steel wool, and went with Citrastrip to finish it up. Either one works, but maybe I will just use this product on smaller pieces from here out.

So here you can see the bare wood that was under the old finish. I cleaned it, conditioned it, and stained it with Kona. Its darker than Antique Walnut and takes fewer coats to get a nice dark finish. This I learned from Kristy at 4 the Love of Wood, who is like the Yoda of furniture refinishing.

Here we are, mid-way through the refinish with the top stained and the bottom in a coat of Pure White ASCP. Can you tell I like the white bottom/stained top combo? I have done this to six pieces already. Hmm... maybe I need to change things up. But not just yet, the dining room is all going to match!

The top is just beautiful with the dark stain and 3 coats of poly...

Here is the finished piece... love! I'm thinking next are the table and chairs, but I am getting a little sidetracked at the moment with another piece that I just HAVE to redo so I can use it for Christmas decorating in the living room. Hopefully that will be a quick one!

Partying at the following:

Furniture Friday
Feathered Nest Friday
Show & Tell Friday
Potpourri Friday

Have a great weekend!

Antique Vanity Redo

2011-11-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

I have shown you my vanity before. It came to be mine when my ex spotted it for sale for $50 in someone's yard and bought it for me about 15 years ago. I've always loved its trifold mirror, graceful lines and curvy legs. Not so much the dull finish and chipped veneer, but it's something I use every day and like many things, after a while I stopped noticing.

Around mid-September I decided it was time for a makeover. I didn't have any helpers around so I did the whole makeover right here in the corner of my bedroom. I stripped the finish off the two cabinet tops using Minwax furniture refinisher and steel wool (wearing heavy rubber gloves, always!) and cleaned off the rest of the cabinet with TSP. Then I used a wood reconditioner on the cabinet tops, restained in Antique Walnut, and did 5 coats of poly, rubbing with steel wool in between coats. Shiny! The body I painted with Martha Stewart paint, which was very nice to work with. After a nice pretty paint job, I smacked it around a little bit with my palm sander, to give it a little character. I did nothing to the hardware, I kind of like it the way it is.

I really wish I could have moved it into better light, but moving all the furniture for a photo shoot was not a do-able scenario on my own. And I have to tell you, photographing a trifold mirror without getting yourself or at least your tripod legs in the shot while you are in a small room is not all that easy!

Below I am showcasing some of my antique treasures while showing you the edge detail on the center console. The gold perfume vial in the purse opening belonged to my Grandma, everything else was a "junking" find. I wear those beads all the time.

A little close-up on the details:

This stuff will stay on display, but I will add more "stuff" because I'm cluttery like that. I just wanted you to be able to actually see the tops in the photos. :)

This little corner is considerably brighter now, I'm loving my little vanity in white. I forgot to photo the insides but I painted the drawers in Martha Stewart "Rainwater", a pretty blue-green. I may do a lighter wash of that color on my walls.

Thanks for coming by. I'm linkng up with some parties:

Show and Tell Friday

Furniture Friday

Potpourri Party

Feathered Nest Friday

Swanky Chalkboard

2011-10-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

I've been busy with some mini-mets using my auction and flea market finds from last week. I bought this ridiculously cool frame for $15 at the flea market. The nice lady who sold it to me said she'd had her husband cut the plywood for the frame so it would have a backing. That suited me because it couldn't be any easier to turn this thing into a swanky chalkboard!

I didn't love the very dull gold color, so I thought I would try gold leaf on it, a la Miss Mustard Seed, but when I went to Michael's for supplies I found this Glorious Gold Metallic Paint and decided to give that a whirl instead. I think it turned out really well. Not as fancy as gold leaf, but it suits me just fine and was a whole lot less expense and effort. This pic really shows the beautiful color I got with the paint:

Ooooh, shiny! I think the results are pretty awesome. And in honor of Halloween I added a little artwork.

I'm excited to play around with this as part of my dining room decor. I see endless possibilities!

If you follow my blog you will note that my Dad was able to fix my candelabra issue, just as predicted!

Happy Halloween and Happy Met Monday! May your trick-or-treaters leave behind all your favorites in the bottom of the bowl!

Great Junkin Finds at the Auction and Flea Market

2011-10-28T16:30:00.000-07:00

This week my mom and I went to an auction. I have been to many auctions, and my mom goes all the time, having been an antique dealer. This was a small outdoor auction of mainly stuff you might see at a yard sale or in a dumpster, and a small selection of nicer stuff. I spied this large picnic basket amidst the box lots soon after we arrived. It was filled with smaller ugly baskets, most of which I threw out. It was one of the most expensive things I bought, for about $13, and it's in great condition. I'm thinking about whitewashing it for a soft romantic look, and staging it with some linens and plates. It could also look great with a plaid wool blanket and an antique thermos.

I got a big haul of glassware for almost nothing. All these pieces cost me around $10 total.

Included is this little collection of lead crystal toothpick holders, a couple votives, a few shot glasses and some super-delicate juice glasses.

My favorite piece is this aqua butter dish. Love the color.

Not included in the $10 are these crystal chandy drops that I bought for $12 a lot. There are 29 large drops and 73 smaller ones - 102 drops for $24. Now I am on the lookout for a big chandelier to bling up with my crystals.

The day after the auction we went to the flea market. More junk! I bought an extremely ornate picture frame for $15. The frame has a piece of plywood backing all ready to be turned into a chalkboard. I am thinking about gold leafing it like Miss Mustard Seed did to hers.

I also got an ornate silver S&P set for $3, a pair of candlesticks for $5 and a beaded bag for $10.

One last thing, last weekend I picked up another gold mirror for $12. The one in my living room had been intended for the bedroom but never made it up the steps. Maybe this one will. Maybe.

Actually, my mom remarked that I have way too many ideas for one house, and that I am going to have to open a shop. Hmm.

Linking up to Beautiful Junk Saturday!

Beadboard Bookshelf in Old White

2011-10-27T15:37:00.000-07:00

My ex-husband built this little bookshelf for me as a Christmas gift 20-odd years ago, backed in beadboard and stained Antique Walnut. See, some things never go out of style, huh? However, the finish was quite dull and the wood very dried out, and the things I displayed on it got a little lost in the darkness of the shelves.

I decided to coordinate it with the lighter pieces in my living room by painting the body Old White and waxing it with clear wax, conditioning and re-staining the top, and applying a coat of poly (to the top only).

I like how it turned out. I did use quite a bit of paint on it though. Two coats just barely covered the old stain. I might have gone with a third coat if I was going to sell it but since its for my house, I'm ok with it not being completely perfect. :)

It's also a little small for under this big mirror, but I like having something there. I would love to have a small decorative fireplace mantel that fit this spot. It's very narrow but it would be a great spot for one.

I got the little advertising box many years ago at an auction. It's just a beat-up little box but I love the picture.

I'm linking up at Potpourri Friday, Show and Tell Friday, Feathered Nest Friday and Furniture Friday. Have an awesome weekend!

A Pretty Fall Day Including Goats

2011-10-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

This morning I met my mom at the flea market and found a few treasures while getting in a nice walk. It drizzled a tiny bit but was just pleasantly cool, and the sun peeped out a little bit here and there.

Here is a photo of my front porch pumpkin. My garden is going to need a major cleanup in a few weeks.

Oddly, there was a pen of goats at the flea market. This one didn't seem to mind me taking his picture:

The little one was a bit bashful:

I am organizing my junk treasures for Junkin' Junky's new linky party on Saturday. Hope to see you there. Thanks for coming by!

Operation Candelabra - Need Backup on this One!

2011-10-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

I decided to remove the wiring on the old brass and crystal candelabra I picked up at the flea market last week. Taking off the cracked old fake candles and cutting off the cord went great.

From there I found that I had to unscrew the candle cups, remove the lamp bolts that held the fake candles on, and replace them with shorter bolts (I found these in a variety pack in the lamp section at Lowe's, where they are called steel nipples... let's just call them bolts, shall we?) The shorter bolts hold the cup on but allow me to insert a candle in the top of the cup. Tapers are a little big around for the cups but I shaved the ends down and that seemed to work. I feel pretty smart for figuring all that out. One problem remains.

Do you see it? Try not to be distracted by the pretty crystals.

I know you can see it now, I can and my vision is awful.

Just can't get that one unscrewed. I'm taking this problem to my dad when I go visit my parents on Sunday. I predict he will probably have this apart in 30 seconds. I just can't seem to do it even with WD40. So that is my story for today. I've been playing more with my tripod since my middle daughter is home now and showed me how to extend the legs all the way. She took a photography class in school so she knows some stuff that she should probably teach me.

My oldest daughter was here for a week visiting and she brought home some fresh herb plants to make a meal with, so I potted those up in my back window. I'm not usually good with herbs, or anything in small pots really as they seem to dry out faster than I can remember to water them.

But they are pretty for now. Hope you are having a good week!

Linking up to My Romantic Home Show and Tell Friday and to 2805 Potpourri Friday.

Playing with Urn-ie

2011-10-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

I painted my new Tuscan urn with Old White ASCP, and it's almost got the look I had in mind. Not exactly, but it suits me for now. I've been playing around with decorating it for Fall, and at the same time I messed around with my tripod. I figured out how to get it about 4 feet high but I'm not sure it goes any higher than that. It would help if I had some instructions, but it was just a tripod in a box when I rescued it from the garage.

This flat pumpkin gets a nice boost from Urn-ie. Gives him a little oomph.

My fave new silver pumpkin - love it, but here you can see the silver bunny in my china cabinet appears to be squatting on my pumpkin. That's a weird look.

I gave this one a jaunty angle. I like it.

This little white one looks kind of dingy I think. I blame the green mossy stuff - I'll have to get black, that would be way better. I thought the green would look creepy but it's not working, combined with the white it looks too Spring-y.

I did this for fun but I actually like it. I might have to put this in the foyer for the trick or treaters.

Or I could do this, it shows Fat Rat's teeth to full advantage:

That would probably scare them away. Fat Rat did not enjoy the photo shoot, he kept yelling at me to put him down. (Yeah, the living alone thing is working out great, why do you ask?) Actually Fat Rat is very old and he's getting kind of dry rotted and gross. I should probably throw him away, but I'm a little afraid to. What if I throw him out, and the next day he's back and the cat's missing? It has the makings of a Stephen King novella. So... rotted and gross are really quite good Halloween attributes when you think about it...

so I should probably keep him...

right?

Taking the ASCP Plunge, and a Great Day for a Treasure Hunt

2011-10-08T16:35:00.000-07:00

It's been absolutely gorgeous here today, so I went out into the world rather than sit around moping that my team got eliminated in the MLB playoffs. I had several things on my to-do list and on my first stop I got a Cinderella pumpkin, some fake greens, and some baking apples, then moved on to a cool shop Five and Divine. There I procured a starting supply of ASCP in Old White and Duck Egg, as well as the light and dark waxes, and some friendly advice from the proprietress, who is a new stockist. I'm taking the plunge!

My plan is to play around with this on some little items and make sure I know what I'm doing before I get serious about painting the french dining room suite. Should be fun!

The toughest thing on my to-do list was finding an urn. I saw lots of urns, but the one I have in mind is a small white iron slightly rusty one that will beautifully house a seasonal arrangement on the mantel. Let's just forget for a moment that I don't have a mantel. Work with me here. What I found is not exactly what lives in my brain, but it's got potential, I think.

It has a kind of Tuscan vibe that I really wasn't looking for, but I can live with that. I staged my photos on my daughter's desk which is (still) temporarily sitting in the foyer, and I couldn't resist including it in the pics a little bit. I am not done with it yet, but it's such a pretty piece of furniture. I need to finish it and give it to her before I decide she can't have it.

Another treasure I picked up is this heavy brass candelabra with crystals on it, which reminds me of a chandelier. I'm not sure if I'm going to have it re-wired or if I'll just remove the wiring and use real candles in it. I'm sort of leaning toward real candles.

A couple days ago I mentioned on my blog that I wish I knew how to take better photos, and the next day Miss Mustard Seed posted about using a tripod. Duh, I have a tripod! I don't really know how to use it, but I winged it for these photos, and I think they are actually better than usual. Who knew? So that was my day, hope yours was great!

The Pine Hutch

2011-10-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

Another piece from my fab friend Donna, this pine hutch was slightly scratched and dented when it came to me several months ago. I loved the windowpane doors, the top molding and the size of it. I thought it would look great white....

So I sanded and filled and sanded some more, primed, primed, primed and painted and painted.... but the paint just scratched right off. This was the orneriest varnish I've ever seen. So I stripped off the peeling paint....

And sanded it even more, until the wood was totally nude. Actually, the whole thing is probably about an inch smaller from how much I sanded it. (Fool me once, and all that.) This time I stained the top surfaces for contrast, painted the body white again, and wiped a glaze over the white paint. A neighbor put a huge bathroom mirror out at the dumpster and my alert daughters dragged it into the house for me (they know me well). I measured it and drove it to the glass shop, where a $4 cut made it fit in behind the shelves, adding some reflected light to my foyer. I did all the work to this right in my foyer since it was so big, but ultimately that proved to be less than smart since I somehow got gooey stripped paint on my shoe, tracked it all over the floor and had to get down on all fours to scrape it up with a putty knife. Lesson learned. (Maybe.) Then it sat for a month before I finished the doors. I am easily distracted and had several other projects in the works.

I added some neighborhood-kid-friendly Halloween decor and have it all stocked up with candy underneath for my little trick or treaters. Not super-chic and trendy, but that can wait til after Halloween. A couple days ago I finally put the doors back on, so this one is DONE. I think.

I'm thinking this piece does not really suit its surroundings, so I will have to repaint the foyer. I'm looking at vinyl wood-look plank flooring to replace my builder linoleum, and I'm on the lookout for some cool decor to put inside it post-Halloween. So, basically redecorating around it, I guess. Or maybe just painting it white all over again.

What would you do?

Linking up to Feathered Nest Friday
Show & Tell Friday
Furniture Friday
Potpourri Friday
Trash to Treasure

A Little Bit of Fall Decor

2011-10-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

I got some things done this weekend. One was getting out the fall and Halloween decorations. I also could not resist getting a few new things, like a couple of cool silver pumpkins from Michaels. Do you see me in there? I wish I could take pictures just a little better. I need to take a class I think.

And some little colorful ceramic pumpkins to perch on candlesticks in my window:

I picked up the candlesticks at the flea market this morning. I was looking for an iron urn, but no luck. Also got this little birdcage which holds a tiny pumpkin.

Got some little mums for my kitchen table. Brownie, anyone?

Put a few things out on the new server:

Big Frenchy got new glass in the door and some putty to stop the panes from rattling.

What do you know, here is a comfy little spot to watch the MLB playoffs... which is what I'll be doing with the rest of my weekend.

I also got my pine hutch finished and will post that soon. My displaced old hutch just went out the door today to a new home, so I am getting lot of things crossed off my "to-do" list. Which totally means I can be a slacker all evening. Have a great week everyone, and thanks for dropping by!

In the Middle of Everything

2011-09-19T19:15:00.000-07:00

I have a few too many projects in the works right now, most of which are at the "nearly finished" stage. This one is a pretty desk for my middle daughter Amanda, that I started working on in early August. I stripped the top and refinished it, and painted the bottom turquoise, which she was dying for me to do after I showed her some gorgeous pieces on the European Paint Finishes blog.

I distressed it and applied a glaze, going for a similar look. It's not nearly as chippy as they would probably do it, but it's looking pretty spectacular so far (not so much in the bad lighting in the back of my foyer). I still have to glaze in the middle underneath, and then wax it for her. That should take what, 30 minutes? Yeah, still have not done it.

My youngest daughter has a nearly finished Union Jack desk that I sent off to college with her, without taking a single photo. And without drilling new holes for handles, so it doesn't have any yet. Yeah, I need to get on that, too.

I did get the top of my new hutch up the steps and into place in my sunroom/soon to be dining room. But one of the doors had a broken glass pane, so that is waiting to go to the glass shop. Join the unfinished club, new hutch!

We won't even discuss my new table, laying on its back like a poor turtle in the middle of the room. I got the adjustable wrench to tighten the legs but I still can't flip it over myself, it's just too heavy for one person. I need a visitor and about 3 seconds to fix that one.

Probably my longest running unfinished piece is this pine hutch in my foyer, which I have been working on for MONTHS. I painted the whole thing and then had to strip it and repaint it due to some adhesion issues. I glazed it and it's so close to being done, I just have to finish glazing the last door, find the hardware and put the doors back on - and wax it - then it's good to go. Yeah, another 30 minute job needing to be done.

Here is the little hutch that is getting the boot now that big frenchy came to live here. I have this in pieces in my living room, waiting to get on Craiglist and be sold. Hopefully that will not take long, it's pretty cute and I don't want a lot for it. I paid something like $5 for it at a yard sale 15 years ago.

And I don't have any "in process" photos of this, but I did start refinishing my vanity. It's half white now. It will take more than 30 minutes to finish, but probably not more than an hour or two of actual work. Oh yeah, and see the sleigh bed in the mirror? Totally gonna paint that... but I am NOT going to start it, or anything else, until I finish the rest of this stuff!

I've been looking at paint samples to paint the dining room, and researching new flooring to replace the damaged linoleum in my bathroom, but I am not letting myself start one more thing until all these projects are DONE! (probably)

Crazy Beautiful French Provincial Dining Room Furniture

2011-09-11T09:33:00.000-07:00

For about a month I've been stalking a Craigslist ad for a full french provincial dining room set, but I just sent my baby off to college and my available funds were somewhat diminished. So $475, though probably not a terrible price, was out of my comfort zone for furniture I certainly don't need and to be truthful, don't have the room for. But then someone else listed an entire set for $200. I was torn for about 3 minutes.... where was I going to put it? I decided I would figure it out somehow, and it became mine. Here is the server, which is going to be the bottom of the china cabinet once I figure out how to get the top of it up my winding stairwell:

Here is the bottom of the china cabinet, which will be my server since it fits so nicely under my sunroom windows. Luckily they are the same length and shape, one is just several inches shorter than the other.

Isn't my halloween runner cute? It fits perfectly (covering the damaged top)!

In addition to the top of the china cabinet, there are 4 chairs in my garage and a table upside down on the floor waiting for the correct tool to put the legs back on. I don't know exactly what it is, only that I don't have it. Plus, turning a table right side up is not an easy job for one person, particularly furniture as ridiculously heavy as this.

I'm hoping to have it all in place soon, and then I'll decorate around it and live with it for a while as is. I want to paint the room a soft gray-blue, have a chandelier installed over the table, and then eventually I will paint it to look like this. At least, that is the plan as of today.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a great week ahead!

Frenchy Coffee Table - Finally!

2011-09-09T17:05:00.000-07:00

It only took me two months to refinish the coffee table that matches the end tables I did in July:

I had it standing on end in my foyer for quite some time, before I brought it up to my living room and sat it in place to try it out for size. It is really low and I have not used a coffee table in years, so I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but it grew on me.

Horrible scratches, not so much... those needed a whole lot of sanding. They are not gone, but they have a lot more charisma now.

I finally have them all done and together. I had to hurry this morning and take the photos before work, and didn't have time to move my laptop cords and bill basket that was sitting in front of the left table, so you are getting the cropped version of my living room.

I think they all turned out really well. So well in fact, that now I'm on a bit of a french provincial furniture kick. I finished a beautiful desk for my daughter which I hope to get photos of soon, and tomorrow I am picking up a full dining room suite to redo. I have the bug! One of my friends threatened to sign me up for "French Provincial Furniture Hoarders". Is that a thing? Should I be worried?

I'm thinking it's worth it!

Frenchy End Tables - Before and Afters

2011-07-11T17:07:00.000-07:00

I'm on stay-cation this week from my day job, so I'm working on a few projects. A couple weeks ago I picked up a set of tables from Craigslist - a coffee table and pair of end tables for $25. I was pretty excited when I saw them and couldn't give the guy my money quick enough. These are old, beautiful and solid wood, but had a mucky varnish that I used Formby's to take off the top. Messy, but the results were so worth it. I wanted to finish one entirely so I could do a side-by-side before and after photo. I thought it would be part of a long post showing the finished tables in my living room, but I couldn't wait. I've only got one coat of poly on the after table top and it's going to get several more, plus drawer liners, but here they are:

The photo below gives a good idea of the condition of the top - very icky.

I think I'm in love...

The coffee table has some deep scratches but I have my fingers crossed I can get them out - if not, it will get painted (but that would be a shame, wouldn't it?)

Morning at the Antique Market

2011-07-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

This morning I took a trip to Renningers Antique Marke t thinking I would like to find some old skeleton keys and possibly an ornate picture or mirror frame for my bedroom wall. Today was my lucky day. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with these, I just think they are cool.

I also found this:

The seller wanted $40, which I thought was pretty reasonable, but I had only brought $40 with me and had just spent $10 on keys. I offered my remaining cash and he took it. I cleaned it up a little bit, but its filthy and it does have some significant damage on the corners. From the front it's still in really good shape and the beveled mirror is almost too perfect to be old.

And this is the back, which looks pretty darn old to me:

I went looking for it thinking of painting it white and using it in my bedroom, but now I'm thinking it goes in the living room:

I'm still leaning toward painting it white - what do you think?

Petite Farmgirl Drysink goes Glam

2011-06-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, a little farmgirl got a makeover:

This tiny drysink is one of several pieces of "primitive pine" I received from my friend Donna, who was cleaning out her garage a couple months ago. I sat it here in a corner of my sunroom until I came up with a plan.

I wasn't entirely sure what to do with her since she is a little bottom-heavy (well, so am I, but no amount of paint is going to help that), but she had a cute little top half so I thought I'd put the focus on that.

Here she is, all dolled up with 2 pretty paint colors, new chickenwire to replace her screens, and sparkly glass knobs:

Ooooh, shiny.... I like shiny.

Her bottom looks a bit lighter now with the new paintjob.

She's painted in Glidden's Muslin White and accented with Martha Stewart's Rainwater. I just bought a sample can of the Martha color, and still have some left over.

I distressed a little around the edges to make the details stand out. But I didn't want to dirty her up with glaze or antiquing. I like her fresh and pretty.

I just found these dishtowels to match at TJ Maxx today. I need to stay away from there... :)

That is all of her - what do you think? Linking up to Susan at BNOTP for Met Monday!

Below deck

2011-06-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

This week I planted a tiny shade garden underneath my deck. My parents dug out a huge hosta for me from their garden on Sunday and I split it up and replanted it as 5 separate plants here in the space outside my back door. I did amend the soil first since this is very sticky red clay, then added a few other plants to help fill in until the hostas grow. These get so big that I know at some point I will have to take most of them out. I'm sure I will find someone to adopt them, and I'm happy to have a cute little garden instead of a pile of dirt and rocks.

Linking up to Outdoor Wednesday. Have a nice day!

Work Travel and the Single Girl

2011-06-15T18:21:00.000-07:00

Frequently, I travel for my job. In the last few years I've been to Dallas, Hartford, Los Angeles, Nashville... lots of places, often alone. Right now is one of those times. I'm sharing some photos from my work travels... unfortunately though, these photos are from my trip last year to Vegas, NOT where I'm staying this week. I can't say I loved Vegas since I'm not a gambler, but it did have a lot of fun stuff to look at:

Look at this ceiling... where else on earth could you pull something like this off?

I could watch the fountain for hours:

And my hotel room was VERY modern, clean, updated and comfy:

This week I'm on Long Island, in a semi-industrial area somewhere between New York City and the Hamptons. I drove 4 hours to get here, including a winding route through NYC in pouring rain last night, so that I could spend three days in a dimly lit ballroom listening to various people talk about insurance, eat mediocre overpriced food and stay in a shabby un-chic room in a high-end overpriced hotel. I never thought I'd say it, but I miss Vegas!

Project Weekend

2011-06-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

I've been up to a little bit of everything today so far... such as mulching my front garden, which I expanded a little bit this year to add a hydrangea and some annuals. I even cleared it with my HOA, which is a first for me (I'm such a rule-breaker!)

I cleared out a little sparse grass in the corner under my back deck, where I'm going to plant a shade garden. Isn't my clay soil turning the siding a lovely shade of dirt?

When I went back there, a tiny bird flew out of this little nest up under my deck. For the last hour all I heard was chirping as this little bird couple is flying around and making a racket. I think she was scolding him about picking out a bad place to put a nest. I hope she gives him a little slack, look at the cute pink ribbon he worked into his design:

I took a picture of them through my screen door, arguing on my back deck. She has her back turned! She was really mad at him. I was going to clean the deck today but I don't think their relationship can handle it.

So with the kids out tonight, I have made other plans. Yep, I'm gonna STRIP! (Ha, ha, I crack myself up!) I got this piece a few weeks ago from my very kind friend Donna, and I sanded the shine off the varnish, put on 3 coats of primer and 3 coats of white paint. It wasn't going well, which I attributed to the dampness from the constant rain we had. No dice, even after a week, my paint just would not stick. The heavy duty varnish won that round, but it's getting more than a sanding this time. I have a busy evening ahead of me... now where is my stripper music?

For the person who asked, I really don't blog on any type of schedule, I just do it when I have something to share, and since I'm a single woman with a full time job, this is just a fun hobby and a schedule would make it less fun. I hope you understand, and I'm flattered that you'd want me to post more often!

Yardsale Toolbox Makeover

2011-05-29T13:28:00.000-07:00

I found a little toolbox for $1 at a yard sale. Though it was sporting a cute patriotic paint job, I decided to give it a little makeover to use on my back deck this summer.

I found this hanging cone shaped basket at a little roadside plant shop, and it was prettier than anything I'd seen at the nurseries I've been haunting. I haven't posted in forever, but I've been working on lots of projects, more to come (sooner or later!) Have a safe and happy Memorial Day!

Shaker Kitchen Cabinet

2011-03-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

One of the ladies I work with, Donna, inherited some furniture from her mother's estate, which she has no room for. It's been cluttering up her garage, so she very kindly offered it to me. Hmmm... free furniture. Should I take it? Yes, please! I'm home alone this weekend, but I'm just hardheaded enough to figure I could handle the smallest piece on my own, so Saturday I picked this up. Donna helped me load it in my little Honda, Zippy, but when I got it home I pulled it out and dragged it upstairs to my sunroom all by myself. It's a solid, plain little knotty pine Shaker style cabinet that Donna's mom had made to hold her microwave and toaster oven. I have a homeless toaster oven, so I knew I could make immediate use of it. The finish looks really good in my photo, but it wasn't perfect and I'm sitting it next to the cherry hutch you see behind it, so I gave it a paint job to help keep things harmonious. Ok, so I'm in a white phase, I'll admit it.

Looking a bit too plain...

Ahh, that's better.

Now I need some input - I'm thinking this would look pretty darn cute with some feet and with a bit of molding around the top. Do you think that would seem out of place? I'm not sure, but I might have to give it a whirl and see how it looks.

Harmony City!

I'm linking up to Met Monday at BNOTP. Have a spectacular week!

DVD Storage Shelf

2011-03-08T15:03:00.000-08:00

I'm still using up my vacation time from 2010, so I took a 4-day weekend. Note to self - 4 day weekends are awesome! I didn't do a ton around the house, but I had a little paint project going, shown above. I had been looking for something to set in the cabinet behind the TV to store my dvds, and nothing really worked, so my dad offered to build something for me. I emailed him the measurements and a couple days later I picked it up, painted it, and it's perfect.

Almost looks like it's supposed to go there, huh?

Didn't take long to fill it up, and it holds pretty much everything I have. Well, I do have more CDs but they have a little cabinet of their own, and my LPs are down in the bottom of the cabinet.

My TV fits right in front of it and there is sufficient space to see what is back there. I put the most frequently used things on top and the rest are easy enough to get to if I turn the TV a bit. Yay more storage space!

Plus, I can close it! When I picked this up, my mom gave me these little fleece slipper socks she made. They make my feet look small so I think I'll wear them all the time.

Hope you are having a nice week!

Shabby Chic-ing my TV Armoire

2011-03-01T15:25:00.000-08:00

One of the first things I did after I started my blog a couple years ago was to buy this TV armoire from Craigslist. I loved it then and still do, but the heaviness of the furniture in my living room was starting to get to me during the long dark winter. So I decided to paint it.

I've painted several things white so far, and while it still takes forever to do, I am getting better at it. I invested in a power sander and using it made a big difference in my prep time.

I used Sherwin Williams "Creamy" which is a popular choice of Miss Mustard Seed. I actually used SW "Marshmallow" on some other pieces before I ever heard of her, and it's almost the same color. I sprayed the hardware in Krylon Oil Rubbed Bronze, and I like the contrast and patina, it's kind of a cast iron look.

I removed the doors, the inside shelves and all the hardware to paint it, and that took nearly as long to do as the painting part. Putting it back together took even longer, but I only had 2 extra screws, so I don't suppose it's going to fall apart. I hope. :)

I did a minimal amount of distressing on it, and I intend to give it a couple coats of wax when I get around to it. I thought about a glaze or stain, but I really like it the way it is now.

One problem is that I can't get the doors adjusted properly and they don't exactly line up. My dad is making me a shelf for dvds to put in behind the TV, so maybe he can come by and help me out with the doors too.

Overall it really lightens up the room and looks fresh and spring-y. I'm ready for as much spring as I can get! I also just love to change things up from time to time. Maybe next year you will find me stripping it again (or not!)

I'm joining up with Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Friday. Have a great week-end!

Making a Basket Liner

2011-02-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

I took off work today, using up some of my leftover vacation. I seem way more productive on off days than on weekends, not sure why that is. Anyway, my mom gave me one of her Longaberger baskets this Christmas and she said I ought to get a liner for it, so I decided to make one. I cut a rectangle from muslin to fit the bottom, then 2 lengths to do the insides with several inches folding over the top edge. I pinned the insides to fit. My mom made me this huge pincushion, which is really handy to have. One thing I learned, when you are loading up a pincushion, don't just grab a few pins and jab them in. One or two may be facing up and your fingers will become the pincushion when the ball hits the felt. Yes, blonde is my natural color, why do you ask? :)

The outside will be fairly snug if it's a good fit.

Needs a iron, but you get the idea:

Then is the fun part, figuring out how you want the outside to look. I have been experimenting with fabric flowers and so I decided to use some of those. This one is a long stip with a center ruffle that you just roll up into a flower shape. I love that something so simple can be so pretty.

I also wanted to put some ruffles on it, so I made a zillion miles of them.

I put on 3 rows of ruffles all sewn closely together for a full fluffy look. I wasn't sure which flower style I preferred, the roll up ruffle rose above, or the folded over rosette below:

So I did both sides differently, that way I can turn it around from time to time for a new look.

I am pretty happy with how this turned out. I'm not really one to do the same thing twice, but I have a lot more baskets. We'll see if I can think of something a little different next time. This one is all ready to hold our throw blankets in my living room.

**EDITED to add - It just occurred to me that this basket is Katie's Rose Cottage inspired! Never even hit me til I went back to her blog and this is her style all over - thanks for the inspiration Lori!**
Thanks for stopping by, hope you have a good week!

Linking up to Sunday Showcase at Under the Table and Dreaming.

Miss Mustard Seed's Copy Me Challenge

2011-02-04T18:02:00.000-08:00

It wasn't until a few days after I'd slipcovered my ottoman following Miss Mustard Seed's directions that it occurred to me to enter the MMS/FJD Copy Me Challenge. And while I haven't done nearly as well as Donna mimicking her style, I did sew (a lot), and that should count for something, right? Let's hope so! Here is a rundown on the projects I undertook (on a low budget) for the challenge:

- Slipcovered my ripped leather ottoman using bleached dropcloths with pleats and cording accents. I love, love, love how this turned out and I have MMS to thank for that. What I did differently - I used skirt pleats rather than box pleats, and didn't do the paint stripes. This brush with success makes me want to cover the couch, but the cushions don't come off so I think that would not work out well. So I'm going to cover my daughter's loveseat. :)

- Covered some of my pillow assortment with dropcloth fabric. OK, I realize I blew it here because again, I didn't add any frenchy stripes and monogram letters. Honestly, much as I love MMS's style, I am not sure about the stripes, so I ruffled instead. Fatal mistake, maybe, but copy challenge or no, I gotta be me. Though I might work up to the monogramming thing.

- Painted the base of my 15-year old cheapo MDF end tables white, distressed and antiqued them with walnut stain, MMS Old-School Style. I left the tops in their "natural" state, which is a laminate of some sort that bears a vague resemblance to wood. I liked it so much I did the same for my wall shelf. French antiques they aren't, I worked with what I had.

- Swapped out my Wysocki prints for framed black and white antique photos. These are school photos from the early 20th century from my instant ancestor stash. I have a boxload of it I got years ago at an auction. Other accessories - white pitcher of flowers (seen in the last photo below) and galvanized lunch pail I got from an auction a long time ago.

- Sewed dropcloth curtains. Now, I don't really know if MMS condones these since her curtains are pretty florals, but they were MMS inspired, so I'm including them.

And that is it! So, here is a before pic:

And here is after:

What do you think? Maybe not a perfect "copy" of MMS Style, but completely inspired by it. Now, please excuse me while I go paint an antique sign.

Now I'll never erase it...

2011-01-26T06:25:00.001-08:00

Because really, what could be better than that?

Chalkboard Backsplash

2011-01-23T17:00:00.000-08:00

My house came with a white-painted drywall backsplash, which I intended to cover with metal tin-ceiling style panels. Or tumbled marble. Or travertine tile. I might still do that eventually, but until my budget allows, I need to get the area painted. It's getting splattered up and the paint just wipes off when I try to clean it. So hey, why not chalkboard paint as a fun and inexpensive interim solution! If I get bored, I can always draw some tumbled marble on the wall with chalk.

I suppose my kitchen is pretty dark already with the cherry cabinets and black appliances, but it gets a ton of light from the sunroom and multiple can lights, so I decided to just go for it. And that is the beauty of being single - no one else's opinion counts, ha-ha. First I put on 2 coats of white primer. Here in these photos, you can really see the difference that made... NOT. But it covered the spaghetti sauce stains pretty well. ;)

Putting the black paint on was intimidating at first, but I quickly fell in love with it. It dried really fast and immediately it looked chalkboard-like (go figure!) I did have to wait 4 hours to recoat, but after the second coat it looked perfect. I decided to put on a third coat because... well, because I'm an insurance agent. We're cautious. It's what we do.

After it was dry, I had to wait 3 days before writing on it, which I think was the hardest part - I wanted to write on it right away! I painted it last weekend, then started playing with it on Thursday. My daughter Manda and I primed it by rubbing the side of the chalk over the whole thing and erasing it. What a dusty mess that was. She drew the blue sky and clouds on the left, and I've been channeling my inner school teacher in the middle. I kind of want to write out complicated nonsense algebraic formulas. Is that weird? Yeah? Good thing I erased those then.

Please pardon my rumpled tea towel. Professional stager, I am not. Linking up to Metamorphosis Monday at BNOTP. Have a nice week!

New to Me Shelf

2011-01-22T18:28:00.000-08:00

One of my friends is doing a bit of paring down in her house and asked me if I wanted this shelf that I had admired when I visited a while back. Uh...YES!

It's very dark green, so dark it appears to be black. I like the plate spindles.

I am not sure yet if this is where it's staying, but I sat it on top of this little black cabinet in my sunroom. It's just a little too big.

I love these plates too, so I'm happy to have an opportunity to display them.

I have a project to unveil on Monday and another one that is waiting for a special copycat linky party. Here is a peek at it - can you guess who I'm copying?
Thanks for stopping by!

Up to Something... or some things

2011-01-18T18:26:00.000-08:00

No, I haven't posted in a few days, but I've been working on something... something that requires a little bit more time.

And I started working on something else too. Something experimental for me but potentially pretty cool. We'll have to see if it all comes out in the wash.

Hope you are having a good week!

Merry Christmas to Me

2011-01-09T12:27:00.000-08:00

For the past few months I worked a second job at a local nursery/gift shop, which gave me a little extra Christmas cash. The owners gave all the employees a gift certificate for Christmas, and here is something I treated myself to from the shop:

It's a potpourri jar. Now I just need some potpourri!

Computer Cabinet Makeover

2011-01-09T11:39:00.000-08:00

This is a utilitarian makeover. Going from a PC to a laptop left me with a dilemma. What to do with this computer cabinet? It didn't take long for me to figure out what it's destiny might be.

Did you guess what it is yet?

Need another hint?

I just added a few new accessories.... or rather, old ones.

Some older than others.

And here it is, with a whole new lease on life. I think it makes a perfect sewing cabinet!

That was fun, and I didn't even have to clean out a paintbrush afterward. Have a great week everyone!

Mr. Lonely

2011-01-05T17:09:00.000-08:00

My abandoned little computer cabinet, not even 2 years old and already obsolete, since I got a laptop for Christmas. He looks kinda lonely, doesn't he?

It's funny, because I wanted one of these for YEARS and just made do with a cheapie plywood student desk. I finally buy one, actually had it made for me and everything, and now I don't need it. What to do with it now? I had an epiphany this morning, and so I took a half day off work and came home to get started working on it. Plus I was having an aggravating day and my can of soup wasn't really calling my name at lunchtime... but I digress. I will be back with the reveal soon. Have a nice day and thanks for dropping by!

The Little Kale that Could

2011-01-04T14:25:00.000-08:00

I got a flowering kale plant in late September, squeezed it into a basket that was about an inch too small and set it outside with my pumpkins on top of a hay bale by the front door. From then on, I basically ignored its needs. It didn't seem to mind too much when I forgot to water it for days on end while it baked in its little basket of dirt. The weekend after Thanksgiving I finally threw out the hay bale and pumpkins, and the little kale plant was still looking like new. Unwilling to throw it out, I dug a hole not quite deep enough in the very hard dirt by the gas meter and plopped it in there. It's had a few inches of snow on it, and it's endured temperatures in the teens for days on end, and look at it:

I'm beginning to suspect it's plastic. Just kidding, it's very real and I sure got my $3 worth out of it! Happy Outdoor Wednesday!

Easy-Peasy Envelope Pillow Covers

2011-01-03T17:27:00.000-08:00

A couple days before Christmas I whipped up some pillow covers in a seasonally appropriate color scheme. I pulled this fabric from my stash bin in my mom's craft shed while I was visiting a few weeks earlier. Most of my stash came from a lady who used to work with me, who needed to downsize her fabric collection in order to move to a smaller apartment. Yep, that is when you know you have too much fabric. I made each of these in just a couple minutes out of a single piece of fabric with just 2 seams per pillow. They look like I didn't bother to iron them but actually I had to pull them out from under my daughter's butt to take the photos. (Ok, I didn't iron them, but why bother when your kids are just going to sit on them anyway?) Here is the back, which is the envelope part:

Here is what it looks like inside out. I pulled the middle apart to show how it overlaps. Basically all you do is cut a piece of fabric an inch wider than your original pillow sham and about 3 times as long. Then you fold one end toward the middle and back on itself a few inches, then fold the other side toward the middle until the length is an inch more than the original sham, then fold it back on itself a few inches. The middle part should overlap the first folded back part by a few inches. Once you have it folded properly, pin it and run a seam across the top and the bottom.

Turn it inside out, poke all the corners out and stuff the pillow form back in through the envelope. Easy!

Making a Tulle Bedskirt

2011-01-02T11:20:00.000-08:00

When my daughter got married six months ago and used extreme amounts of white tulle to drape the backdrop and receiving tent, I started thinking about what to do with it afterward, and immediately decided to make a girly bedskirt out of it. My daughter was more than happy to give it to me since girly is not her style (and certainly not her new husband's.)

Last night I got it into my head to tackle the project. First I found an old bedsheet and measured the boxspring for size. I marked the sheet where the ruffle would need to be attached.

Then I pulled out the miles of crumpled tulle and started wondering how to turn it into ruffles... so here is my BEFORE photo.

I decided I'd need to start by giving it a light iron, which didn't take as long as you might think because I didn't really need to be thorough at all. I did have to pick out assorted dead bugs, since the wedding was outdoors on a hot June day. Bugs really seem to like getting tangled in tulle.

As it came off the ironing board, I wrapped it around a pillow to help keep it flat. Next, I hand-gathered the ruffle using a strong quilting thread. Again, it didn't take as long as you might think. I just ran a quick needle through it about 10 inches down from the fold, which gave me 4 layers in 2 lengths. **EDITED TO EXPLAIN: I had the tulle folded in half , then folded again from the middle fold toward the edge about 10 inches. making the ruffle 4 layers total, 2 short over 2 long layers.** I then attached it to the sheet using my machine, but about 2 feet into the process I realized I was getting off track. Getting off track is not good:

After learning that lesson, I drew a nice dark line where I needed to attach the ruffle, and I stuck to that. The results were much better. I got about half way around with my first long piece of tulle:

More gathering, more sewing:

I mitered the corners of the sheet underneath to give it a nice fit:

And viola! It's done. This did take me several hours to do, but it was not complicated, I just had to be careful because of the sheer volume of the fabric I was handling. I love it!

I'm linking up to Susan's Met Monday party, be sure to visit everyone linking up there:

Have a great week!

A New Year!

2011-01-01T08:02:00.000-08:00

I'm back! After a long hiatus without a PC, my kids got me a laptop for Christmas so I can download photos again, and return to blogging - yipee!

It's a New Year, and that means it's time to tear down Christmas and shove it in the garage for another 11 months. I took a few photos this morning before commencing the task of un-decking. This is my sunroom garland.

The little sunroom tree in a nail barrel:

Sunroom china cabinet - this is displaying my cheapie K-mart Christmas china that I bought 15 or 20 years ago for about $25 for the 8 five-piece place settings. It has a simple holly design that has never gone out of style. My paperwhites are starting to topple.

I had visions of filling these glass containers with colorful sweets, but I only got the small ones filled. Good thing, too, since everyone is going on a diet today and I have to just get rid of this stuff anyway.

Below is one of a couple of new things that I got this year. I worked a seasonal part-time second job in a local nursery/gift shop and they carry great Christmas stuff. I love these LED branches, and I got them at a 40% discount before Christmas. I stuck them in a watering can with some fake greens and berries.

The dining room has the same theme of brown and metallics as last year, I just moved things around a bit for some variety.

Here is a cozy corner in my country living room. I got my bear collection out just for Christmas. I think I may do that every year. My mom gave me the big Longaberger basket this year - it looks great with my blankets piled in it.

Shelf over the sofa:

Now to get to work taking it down... Happy New Year!

Catching up...

2010-07-05T10:37:00.000-07:00

Spring, my builder-fabulous azaleas, and early summer have come and gone and all the craziness (2 graduations and a wedding) that has been going on in my kid's lives is pretty much over. I'm still PC-less since the death of my 2-year old HP a couple months ago, so I'm taking advantage of my daughter being out of town to use her Mac.

One of the things on my to-do list this spring was to clean the mold from my Trex deck. I researched how to do this in an environmentally friendly way and I settled on a product called Corte Clean from Lowe's:

I was really skeptical (as a rule, I expect nothing to go as planned, and generally I'm right), but it was really easy to do, looks just like it did when I moved in, and I've had no damage to the grass or the structure under the deck. Plus I have a ton of it left in the bag, so I will do this twice a year as maintenance. Win-win, for a change. And no, I am not advertising the stuff, just saying it worked for me.

Something else that impressed the heck out of me was a $2 piece of plastic I bought at Walmart in the plumbing aisle. I was looking for something to unclog my shower drain that did not involve chemicals and there was this barbed flexible plastic strip with a handle at one end called a Zip-It. You just ease it down into the pipe and pull it back out with the clog attached. Pretty gross, to be sure, but quick, cheap and completely effective. (I will spare you the photos of that.)

For the remainder of the summer I plan to hone my cooking skills, spend time with my family and work on the other things on my list. First up - cleaning out the garage.

Have a safe and happy summer!

Finished Painting the Living Room

2010-03-29T07:06:00.000-07:00

This took me forever, only because I'd stop and not get motivated to start again, but now it's finally done. Unfortunately, this room never gets decent natural light. I tried for days to get a good picture but it's pretty gloomy:

And the flash photos are pretty scary:

My daughters think I need lighter curtains - ? I guess maybe for spring and summer, something else would be nice.

My cat was determined to have her picture taken, I think:

Anyway, that is finally done so now on to the next thing on the list.... cleaning up THIS, my leopard spotted deck:

Apparently, TREX plus little sunlight and tons of rain equals MOLD. Gross. Now I just need it to stop raining and dry out so I can treat it!

Sneak Peek

2010-02-21T05:16:00.000-08:00

I'm painting my living room, FINALLY. I have to say it's very difficult staying motivated to do this without my painting buddy, my daughter Amanda, who is at college and can't come home for a while. She wants to see the color: (Ignore the tootsie pop in front of the tv, that must have been the cat!)

I told her it's a mushroom-y color, so she may not like it because she hates mushrooms. Maybe I should have said it's khaki-y, but that would be a lot harder to pronounce.

I'm not so lazy that I only did this one wall... I also painted my lower stairwell, which was murder. I sort of don't like the color next to the yellow foyer color though, so I might have to paint the stairs again (ugh!) However, I do love it in the living room, it's just what I had in mind.

Enjoy your day!

Second blizzard bag

2010-02-11T16:16:00.000-08:00

Here is the second handbag I made yesterday while snowed in. I winged it based on a picture I saw here. This is my "natural light" photo from this morning:

But I thought the color was really washed out so I took more photos with the lights on and no flash.
The next time I make one of these, I will fix the stuff I did wrong. I forgot to clip the curve of the handle so it is a little bunched up around the lining. I made the bottom of the strap too wide and the length of the handle too short to tie the top (which is why there is a button on top of the strap). One thing I did that I like is I made a little box pleat on the top of the pocket. I think next time I will add a flap.

I put some pockets in the inside too.

Overall I think it came out ok, but next one will definitely be better. Unfortunately I had to spend my morning digging out the driveway so I could report to work at 11 am, so maybe over the weekend I'll do the next one!

Snowed in and making bags

2010-02-10T16:27:00.000-08:00

Good grief, 2 more feet... this is all a bit much. Our town was pretty much shut down today, no work, no school, no leaving the house. My daughter has a friend over and they are having a movie marathon, which leaves me a bit of time on my hands. I shoveled some:

But I have not made it to my car yet...

I made a little handbag from a pattern posted by another blogger here.

Now I'm digging through my fabric stash for some fabric to do another style. Hoping for another snow day!

Snow

2010-02-06T07:18:00.001-08:00

Looks like a good day to snuggle up and read a book.

It's been snowing all night and is supposed to continue throughout the day:

We have a bit over a foot so far, I think:

I shoveled a path and cleaned the cars off, but it keeps snowing, so it does not look like we will be going anywhere for a little while:

Have a cozy weekend!

New Perfume Bottles

2010-01-06T08:10:00.000-08:00

Mom is always giving me treasures! Here are a few new perfume bottles that she gave me over the weekend for my collection:

She says the ones with atomizers are pretty but not old, and the clear one is old but not pretty - I still think it's pretty!

My Christmas Present

2010-01-05T07:50:00.000-08:00

I have wanted a KitchenAid Mixer for years and years, and for Christmas the kids all went together and got me one. Isn't she a beauty?

I keep looking for excuses to use it, I love it! The only bad thing is that it works so fast I still feel like I've barely used it!

Snow....

2009-12-19T15:41:00.000-08:00

More Christmas Decorating

2009-12-12T11:31:00.000-08:00

Missed the Cloche Party!

2009-12-06T07:24:00.000-08:00

I missed out on the cloche party last week, I've been a little slow getting the decorating done, but here is the dining room which has a heavy cloche presence. Once again, I'm happy with everything except my WHITE walls. I really need to PAINT!

Decking the Halls... er, the Living Room

2009-12-05T08:43:00.000-08:00

I am nearly finished decorating for Christmas, but I have not been happy with my photos, thus, no posting has been happening. I think the real problem is that I need to paint! All this white wall stuff is not doing it for me.

More to come...

Don't be scared.... c'mon in!

2009-10-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready for Halloween! Meet Fat Rat, our doorman. He's mostly harmless, just gnaws on your ankles a bit.

Some of our mums have faded but others are just getting going:

Come inside!

Boo! Have a spooky October!

Random Fallness

2009-09-29T17:59:00.000-07:00

Shiny stuff.... I can't resist it! I got a few minor things at Home Goods a couple weeks ago, including this little pun'kin teapot. I also recently bought the glass spire thingy to help replace some of my recently shattered mercury glass, sacrificed to the Harry Potter party cause a couple months ago. The picture of great-great aunt Esther has been in the family for years. Like, 10 years, since I bought the photo in a box lot at an auction and stuck it in this frame. (I don't have any pictures of my actual relatives, so I borrow other people's... sssshhhh)

Also, I guess these might be considered tacky by some, but I just love my little leafy window clings in my front door sidelights. I got some rats and bats for Halloween, but they must wait for Mandy to come home from college this weekend and help decorate.

I am partial to snowflakes for winter, so be on the lookout after Thanksgiving.

More shiny stuff! I got the pumpkin last year on after-Christmas sale (50% off of the clearance price) at Tuesday Morning, so this is the first year I have it out. I bought the green pitcher at Home Goods a couple months back, attracted by the shiny bronze-looking handle. I just recently bought the tureen. Look at that shiny little metallic knob! I also love the creamy finish and the texture of the pattern. Shiny stuff makes me happy.

What makes you happy? Have a good week!

Metamorphosis Monday - Spring to Fall

2009-09-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

It's time for Metamorphosis Monday, thanks to Susan!!

The last couple days have been very Fall-like here, cool and rainy, which put me in the mood to rip out my dying annuals and replace them with a few mums. My foyer is extremely dirty right now from my tracking mud through it yesterday, but I got it done.

Spring:

Fall:

I love mums, they are happy flowers.

I got this beautiful Cinderella pumpkin yesterday. I just love these!

Have a great week, everyone!

Cloche Party Time!

2009-09-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

Marty's long-anticipated Cloche Party is upon us. I am showing a few cloches I have dressed up a bit for fall with things I already had around the house. I have a couple of acorn tureens that are a perfect size to fit inside, and I also used a flameless candle with some small Dickens volumes, as well as a ceramic pumpkin. I'm hoping to get more ideas from everyone else participating!

Happy Cloche Party!

Getting ready for the cloche party

2009-09-08T18:35:00.001-07:00

Don't forget, Marty is hosting a cloche party on Friday! OMG!! Did you see?? The linky thing to Marty's blog works! I never did that before - thank you Susan!! (Ha-ha, I did it again!!)

Rooster Party!

2009-08-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

I'm joining in at the last minute on a Rooster Party hosted by Barb at Bella Vista (http://barbsgoodlife.blogspot.com/2009/08/show-us-your-roosters-party-time.html)
I've got a few of them hiding out in my kitchen and dining area:

Happy Friday, have a nice weekend everyone!

Off on a cooking tangent, and Steph & Simon's House

2009-08-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

At this stage of my life I am well aware of what makes me tick, and one of my idiosyncrasies is getting myself immersed in different interests until I get bored with them. Sometimes this does not take long, sometimes it takes years. Several weeks ago I picked up the book, "Julie & Julia" for a bit of light reading, and now I just feel like cooking a lot.

Honestly, despite an extensive cookbook collection, I've never been much of a cook, I'm more the type to throw a chicken in a crockpot or make something out of a box than to do any real cooking. But if Julia Child could start learning at 37, I can start at ... somewhat older than that. In the past few weeks, I've been really cooking, and it has not been pretty, so I haven't blogged about it. Not that things didn't turn out, they did, but I find I need to concentrate on what I'm doing, so keeping things tidy and remembering to take photos is sort of out of the question. I'll try to work on it though.

For my birthday, I got a couple of new cooking toys, a toaster oven from Steph and Simon, and a Tramontina enameled dutch oven which I got with birthday money from my parents (thanks Mom and Dad!) I've subscribed to the Cooks Illustrated website and they had a pretty high opinion of this pot, and since I don't have $300 to spend on the Le Creuset version (and probably wouldn't even if I did), I'm giving this one a whirl.

In other news, my daughter Steph and her fiance Simon bought their first house, a three story townhome laid out similarly to mine. Last weekend I helped them paint, and then move in. Here are a couple photos, the paint colors are really much better in person, but you get the idea. Dramatic red in the living room:

Deep mustardy gold in the dining room/kitchen. This looks AMAZING in person, wish I knew how to capture it properly.

I can't wait to see it all set up with the furniture!

Master Bath Metamorphosis

2009-07-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

It's time again for Metamorphosis Monday! Please click on the icon in my sidebar to visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch, our gracious hostess for this weekly event, and link to all the other "mets" happening around blogland.

Last week I showed you my powder room, and this week I'm featuring my master bath. My starting canvas is a basic builder bath. Not that I'm complaining, I am certainly happy it's strictly a cosmetic makeover:
Basically what I have done so far is paint the walls and decorate, hardly a major redo, but the effect is pretty dramatic, I think. I chose "Bagel" from Sherwin Williams as my paint color, because I thought it looked like a nice neutral but warm beige. I have to say, in natural light it looks rather hideously like human skin, but my bathroom thankfully has no natural light, so the effect is a bit less creepy.
The color is really washed out by the flash in the pic below, the one above is more true to life.
I have had this big picture for a few years, I really like it in this room.
All my little canisters store makeup, brushes, and other necessities that don't fit in the tiny medicine cabinet (the mirror to the right of the vanity).
All the accessories coordinate....
I have a tiny linen closet that holds a broom and a couple of towels:
But I've also got this huge space where I want to put a storage piece to hold additional towels and extra toiletries. I am still looking for the right piece:
So, that is my little makeover. I'm hoping to change out the light fixture eventually for something less HOT, and also to frame the mirror in black. I'm also planning to paint the base cabinet black and add some nickel hardware. Think it will be too dark?
Thanks for coming by!

Teeny Weeny Powder Blue Powder Room

2009-07-19T19:00:00.000-07:00

Time for Metamorphosis Monday, hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch, or for a quick link - http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2009/07/welcome-to-27th-metamorphosis-monday.html

When I was on my painting binge last month, I painted my little bitty foyer bathroom "Sleepy Blue" from Sherwin Williams. I have put off photographing it because I don't feel it's quite "done", but I can't find what I'm looking for, so we'll go with what we have so far. I didn't do "before" shots, but certainly anyone can picture this builder white and empty, right?
I started with a different color that had a bit of green to it and that was all wrong from the minute I put it on the wall. Luckily I was using one of the $5 sample cans, so just went back and got another. I hit it right with this color, it was just what I had in mind. The room is so small, the sample can covered the whole thing! However, I bought another one to do a second coat.
I found a couple prints with some taupe/brown/blue tones, and got both blue and brown hand towels to swap out.
The little cabinet over the toilet was an absolute necessity because there was nothing but a pedestal sink and toilet in the room, and my daughter Amanda is using this room for toothbrushing, etc while she is home from college. Pedestal sinks don't leave much room for toiletries, and even the mirror is just a mirror, not a medicine cabinet. However, the white cabinet is very bare looking and I need some accessories. I love these little boxes, but they don't go with the look. I need to find some little brown birds or something more earthy. So that is my dilemma, and I have found nothing, zip, zilch, nada, that will fit on this tiny shelf and has the look I'm going for.
I picked out a small rug which barely fits in the room, but Mandy likes it because it keeps her feet warm. The little basket holds items too big for the cabinet (huge bottle of mouthwash...)
When I find something to "finish" it, I will be sure to show it again. Happy Monday!

A good way to decorate a cloche...

2009-07-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

Marty from http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/2009/07/another-cloche-party-september-11-th.html is hosting another cloche-decorating event in September, and I hope I remember to prepare for it this time so I can participate. I practiced this morning:It's pretty, yet sadly temporary since I already ruined the effect by eating the one on top for breakfast!

Faux Goodness

2009-07-18T15:32:00.000-07:00

I found the prettiest fake green hydrangeas at a local nursery/garden shop. I am proudly displaying my faux finds in the foyer. The candles are overkill, right? Sometimes things look much clearer on a photo than they do in person. I'm moving them!This was my cat this morning, schlumped down over a pillow snoozing in the sun. My cat comes up with the weirdest sleeping positions. My favorite is when she sleeps with her whole face smack down against the floor. She is not a normal cat, probably mostly because she does not see very well. I was amazed today to watch her catch a fly in her paws and eat it, mainly because she can't get off a chair without leaping into the wall face first. I think her many head impact incidents have left her slightly loopy.
Hope you are having a nice weekend!

And now for something completely different....

2009-07-15T19:18:00.000-07:00

Living with my kids can be pretty interesting. Last night, they hosted a Harry Potter premier party at my house for about a dozen friends, after which we all went to the midnight opening of the movie. My house was taken over for about 30 hours, from initial preparation til the last straggler left early this evening.
My youngest daughter Danielle, on the left, and her friend Marisa became "house elves" and whipped up "Cauldron Cakes", "Pumpkins Pasties" and "Butterbeer" in my kitchen. They did a nice job presenting the refreshments, behind which are prizes for the games and costumes:
One of their guests brought these cute "owl-face" cookies.
Friends dressed up for the party - Narcissa and her slimy son Draco Malfoy:
The colorful Tonks and Luna Lovegood:

My older daughters, Amanda and Stephanie, with a somewhat less dramatic interpretation of "costumes", in line for the movie. Will my comfy place ever recover? Well, I lost 3 faux-mercury glass pieces due to a shelf crash during the decorating, which did not make me very happy, but I can't blame the girls because I could have done a better job hanging the shelf in the first place. It took me over an hour to do all the dishes, but now everything is just about back to normal, so I can relax and be glad Harry Potter won't be back til next year. Happy Thursday everyone!

Crazy Plants

2009-07-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

My plants are all going crazy with the mild weather we have been having here this summer. This hibiscus was not loving all the rain we had, but now that we're getting some sunny days, it's blooming like mad.
I have no idea what this purple flower is, but I like it. I have a huge pot of it on my deck.
My black eyed susan vine in it's ever-expanding glory. I have to watch it because it keeps trying to make "friends" with all the other plants nearby. It's tried to choke every one of its neighbors. Maybe the Latin name for this should be "strangulata". Ok, I know nothing about Latin, for all I know that means something dirty, so I apologize in advance if it's offensive.
This one reminds me of a big church hat.
The double petunia is even starting to look sort of nice. I picked this out for the color combination, and finally the purple flowers have come back after a long absence. The orange and pink look better together when the purple is there too. I love the little lantern hanging down, though I haven't even lit it yet this year.
Here is the mini garden I planted out front. It's sideways and I don't know how to turn it... but you get the idea. I love the little red Gerbera daisies, but the rabbits keep coming by and munching them off. Then they just leave them lay. I guess they are not as tasty as they look.
The New Guinea Impatien and some mini wave petunias are trying to hide the gas line. It's a valiant attempt, but would take a large bush to accomplish.
I'm back to work tomorrow and will be looking at this every day, it's the view from my desk chair. It may not be a spectacular view, but it brightens my day. Have a great week everyone!

Flowers

2009-06-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

Some of my flowers are loving all the rain we've had in our area, and some not so much. This planter, which I saw outside a grocery store a couple weeks ago while I was driving by and pulled over for, is blooming with these beautiful veined flowers.

Last week I had an Open House party, and one of my friends brought me flowers. These are a week old and still so beautiful I had to take some photos:

I love daisies!
There are loads of different kinds of flowers in here.

Out on my deck, my little black-eyed Susan vine is becoming attached to my plant stand. See it twisting around the back? This happened within a day, while I wasn't looking. Sneaky plant.

It's really got itself attached pretty good.

I guess it just wants a good grip in case of wind. It's growing like mad:

I hope I can get one of these every year, I just love it!

Met Monday - Foyer Transformation

2009-06-14T13:23:00.000-07:00

I'm participating in Metamorphosis Monday, hosted by Susan from betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com.

Here is the first room of my house that I completely finished, my foyer. The day I moved in (3/20/09), it was builder white:

A couple weeks ago, I painted it "Friendly Yellow":

Last, I hung pictures, gathered a collection of blue and white dishes and accent pieces, added plants and an entry rug, and it's done:

I was so happy with this I did both bathrooms too. I'll save them for later. Happy Met Monday everyone!

Getting ready for a party

2009-06-12T15:48:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I'm having an Open House, so I broke down and bought inexpensive wicker furniture for my sunroom. My current intentions are to move this out to my future patio (hopefully next year, but who knows...), and get "real" furniture in this room. For now, I think it's acceptable. It came with heinous orange palm tree cushions, which I promptly replaced with these sage green paisley ones.

My deck flowers are looking good, all the rain made them a little spotty, but the sun today and tomorrow will help perk them up. I don't think I'll ever buy the double petunias (the pink ones) again though, they are a little too sticky and slimy when you pinch the dead blooms off. See how nicely the black-eyed susan vine is growing?

I got this white plastic tablecloth from K-Mart's Martha Stewart line. It has a pretty lacy pattern on it, which you can't see here. I feel like I need to layer something over it, but that's not practical with all the rain we've been getting.

Lastly, I have been really sensitive to the fake flower issue, and I try to avoid using them, really I do. However, these are pretty nice fakes, and I can't resist them.

Have a nice weekend!

A lot of work...

2009-06-09T19:23:00.000-07:00

I've been metamorphing again, but this is a bigger morph than is usually my style. I will show the whole deal for Met Monday, but here is a sneak peek. I am very proud of this photo, because during my move, the mirror in the back of this piece was broken. I finally replaced it, which was a bit pricey and a lot of hard work and anxiety, but it's now good as new just in time for my Open House on Saturday. This is in my foyer, which you can see I've painted "Friendly Yellow". I've been very very busy with many other projects as well, so I'll have some stuff to blog about!

Overdressed?

2009-05-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

I wonder if TJ Maxx can read my mind? Or maybe they are reading my blog! In my last post I mentioned I need some way to display my jewelry. I walked in to TJ yesterday and found a big display of these little dress form jewelry hangers. I think she may look a little overdone though...

Maybe I need to pare it down??

Met Monday - Teacup Shelf

2009-05-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

Met Monday is one of my favorite "blog events", and I am so late I should skip it, but I don't have anything for 3 or more Tuesday. Susan from Between Naps on the Porch (see her link in my side bar!) is our lovely hostess and she does some really amazing transformations. Mine are usually "mini-mets".

My mom picked up 2 teacup shelves at an auction, and gave me one. She painted hers black and put teacups in it. It looks great in her living room. Here is mine, "before":

I started painting mine black too, but then I started thinking about what I wanted to do with it and where it would ultimately end up, and I changed my mind and painted it white - distressed, of course. I decided to use it in the bedroom to showcase my extensive perfume bottle collection. I liked how the finish came out, after only about 87 coats of paint. I should have done black, it covers much better. No kidding, those spindles are murder, and I have no place to spray-paint right now so this is brush painted. I do NOT recommend it.
But the overall look was pretty cold. I showed my mom, and she thought it looked like a store display. Not what I was going for. My friend Trish tactfully agreed that it "needed something". I do think it will be much better once I get the room painted (soft robins' egg blue), but wasn't sure what else to do. Mom suggested antique hankies or doilies.
After a foray through Mom's shed where she is storing all her leftovers from her antique selling venture (she retired), I complied a nice cache of both hankies and doilies. The doilies are looking good to me, much better and less sterile looking than before.

Getting the perfume bottles off the vanity freed up some space for other stuff. Now I have to figure out how to display all my jewelry...

I am not painting anything else white until I have a place to use spray paint. Happy Met Monday!

Craft Show

2009-05-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, my mom and I went to a local craft show. There was one place that had really beautiful things, but it was jam packed so I only took this one photo outside.
I was looking for a wreath to hang on my front door. Instead I found this little basket. Cute!
My mom and I were both sold on the framework for the planter below. Basically it's a tall metal rod with a base and some supports at the bottom. I went out and got the plants today, and I like how it turned out. I should have photo'd it before planting, but I forgot. It's trying very hard to hide the meters and utility boxes in front of the house. Maybe once the plants fill in it will be a little harder to see all the yucky stuff.Here is the overall look for now. I can't wait til it grows in.Happy Saturday!

New Furniture

2009-05-14T08:04:00.000-07:00

I have been obsessing about a kitchen island for some time now. After reviewing several candidates I had pretty much decided on converting an existing piece for the cause. However, a trip to see my furniture guy Vince made me reconsider. Vince is the easiest guy ever to deal with, he will change anything to make sure you have exactly what you want. I told him what I wanted, and here it is:

Yay! It is the perfect size and looks good with my existing stuff. I'm storing my pots and pans below, and large collection of dish towels in the drawers.

He also made a pantry cabinet for me, below left. This is also a custom piece, a foot higher than the standard one he makes and with the top shelf tall enough for cereal boxes. My girls love their cereal. The piece on the right is also new (to me), I got it at an auction last week, and I LOVE it. I am considering painting it black, but it is really nice as is. What do you think? It is holding my collection of pink transferware and depression glass, but it needs a little bit of work before the display is working for me. Have you noticed my canister obsession?

The new pantry cabinet fits loads of stuff and is not as deep as the closet. Plus now I can use the closet for other stuff! I might have to get another one like this, though, because I like the idea of stocking up. (And it was less than $200). Vince makes one twice as wide, but tall and wide does not work in my stairwell, it can only be one or the other :(

Have a great weekend!