WHITE!

Have you noticed how a lot of folks are going back to all white walls and lots of white decor? an example follows in the pic below. I really love the look! I think it is peaceful looking and allows for lots of versatility with accent pieces. Right now, I have a two red love seats in my family room. They are great but I am kind of stuck with lots of color!

Source: houzz.com via Elaine on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Elaine on Pinterest

Color can be a lot of fun as well but for now I am wishing on most things white!!

Next project!

I really enjoy showing before and afters of my projects.  Sometimes I buy pieces that I think look a little hopeless but in the end they turn out pretty great! Well, this one I saw at a thrift store and saw the promise in it immediately!  I love it! 

It had a big red Marine's sticker on it.  It said "My grandson is a U.S. Marine"!  I did not know how easily it would come off or if it would but it came off very easily I can happily report! 

Some pieces are very challenging when you least expect it!

I plan to use Annie Sloan chalk paint in Versaille on this piece and maybe some gold accents to finish it off.  I happen to have lots of Versaille and would like to use it anyway.  I get my paint from Nancy at Sea Rose Cottage in Bristonl, RI. 

Nancy offers classes and when I have a problem with a piece she is always there to help me out.

Here are a couple of not so fancy pics of my new find! I am very excited about it! So excited if it fits in my family room, it is a keeper!  Yes, those are my legs you see in the reflection!  I couldn't very well keep them out of the picture! 

I love the little flower basket on the top of this mirror. 

When it is done, I will post some pics!  Also keeping my eye out for a good piece of furniture to finally try out Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint.  It is different than the ASCP, and I am anxious to try it out. 

My brother's farm!

What a great weekend we had!! My two sisters and I met at my house Saturday a.m. and drove to Alexandria, N.H.  This is the Newfound lakes Region and it is so beautiful and so much less touristy than the Winnapasauke Lake area. 

across the street from my brother's farm.  Bear Mountain in background!

The Fall.....

There are sooo many things I love about the fall.....The Colors are so beautiful and the lighting is breathtaking.  I wanted to share this pics with you.  Went outside this afternoon and snapped about 100! These are some of my favorites.  Hope you enjoy them too!

table ready to go!

I have finished this little table and have put it on craigslist. Two responses right away. Marketing furniture to me is the hard part...the easy part is in the creating.  I found coordinating ribbon and put it on the pulls. It's still unique looking and I hope someone will enjoy having it in their bedroom! 

 

 

Ready to go!
 

I lightly painted over the existing hardware and added the ribbon with some of the same tone as the paint.

Bedside table update!

 I have been working on the bedside table finally.  I picked an  annie sloan chalk paint in "French Linen".  I think it is a green-ish gray. Very pretty color!  I painted lightly over the original hardware.  The original pulls had a round metal circle from the bottom of the design but one was missing, I love a little challenge! 

I have put twine through and like the look. It is different.  I am not a matchy-matchy type!  HOWEVER, on Etsy I found a beautiful plum colored thin vintage french ribbon.  I am thinking that will do the trick. 

I try to use the original hardware when I can as it often really "fits" the piece best.  However, there are so many options for hardware replacements at places such as Home Depot, Target, and some really special ones at places like Anthropologie or Restoration Hardware or even Van Dykes Restoration catalog.

Anyway, will update you further when I have waxed the piece to protect it with a clear wax and decided on my final pulls!  Ribbon or twine-weigh in!  I am leaning towards the ribbon.  loving the plum color with the gray.





Love a vintage pull!

Birthday Party!

This past weekend we celebrated my husband's  #*)& birthday.  He never gives out his age or let's me do so! Not sure why as he looks 10 years younger than he is but boys will be boys!  We had both my boys come home and one of the sweet girlfriend's.  Sadly, the other girlfriend had to work!  My mother in law came as well.  A small party but fun just the same. 

I cooked a good part of the day Friday.  My family likes Southern style food or BBQ so I made a pulled pork with potato rolls, homemade cole slaw, BBQ'd chicken, greens, corn bread and dessert.  I am enjoying cooking lately and thought it would taste better homemade than ordering from a local barbecue! Lots of leftovers to send home with people so all went well!

Soon, I need to do some more furniture painting! Still have not done that "Bombay Company" bedside table-it sits in my garage looking lonely and needing attention!  More on that soon I hope! 

Corn bread made from scratch with buttermilk!~

buttermilk banana cake that I finished with a cream cheese frosting-a HUGE hit!

ready to party!

Finishing up the basement....

After 15 years of living in the house we live in, I finally decided to update my basement.  It had hand-stenciled walls, handprints of mine and my two boys in different colored paints from when we moved in and they were small.  It had no style and I wanted cork flooring, freshly painted walls and all new furniture.  So, of all those things after pricing them out, I ended up with professionally cleaned existing rug, professionally painted walls ( I am tired of painting walls and decided to indulge myself!) and re-purposed or "up-cycled" furniture.  At much less of a cost and I am quite happy with it.  Down the road I would like to add a white slipcovered couch from Ikea but that will have to wait.  

oil based primed and latex painted old laminate bookcase.  dark gray!

chalk board from vintage thymes marketplace

annie sloan chalk painted in "paris grey"-looks like new!




Drum table

The lamp below my son got at a yard sale. it was brass and rusted with an ill-fitting lamps shade! I painted it in Annie Sloan chalk paint in "Graphite" and found a new shade at Target on clearance for $9.00 as mentioned in previous blog! 

The chairs are slipcovered (professionally done at a good price years ago) and I bought the chair and a halfs originally for $300 each at Building 19.  It was a good buy.  Bought them probably 20 years ago and they are going strong!  Comfortable for two people sitting together!