Spring Blooms Past and Present

I was looking at my stats yesterday and I saw a google image listed.  I clicked on it to see what it was.  It was this picture from a post two years ago.

I barely even remember taking this picture.  Here is another one from the original post that you can see here.

The branches from my trees were so pretty, I decided to go out and cut some today.  Unfortunately they will not be photographed in my dining room this year.  I hate to say it, but it is a disaster.  It has been a "workroom" since I rented my space at the antique mall.  OK.  Back to the flowers.

Today I put the flowers in a large watering can in the kitchen.

More cuttings in a basket that will get put in a vase later.

It was quite windy today.  There were so many petals blowing off the trees, it looked like snow.  Only it was 80 degrees and the ground was a pretty carpet of pink.

I'm glad I was able to share my flowers with you again this year.  If only I could send the fragrance...mmm, wonderful.


Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Between Naps on the Porchfor Metamorphosis Monday
The Farmhouse Porch for Cowgirl Up
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesdays TreasuresSavvy Southern Style for Wow Us WednesdaysDIY by Design for Winter Blues
Primp for Primp Your Stuff Wednesday
Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
Restore Interiors for Restored it Wednesday
Embracing Change for Creative Inspirations
  The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation ThursdaysNo Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on ThursdayMy Romantic Home for Show and Tell FridayFrench Country Cottagefor Feathered Nest Friday
 2805 for Potpourri Friday
At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday Chic on a Shoestring Decorating for Flaunt It Friday
Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Fingerprints on the Fridge for Feature Yourself Friday
Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
Meg & Mum's for Saturday Splendour
Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase

Sheet Music Table

Today I'm sharing a quick and easy fix for a table that's missing it's glass inserts.  Sheet music.  It fixes everything, doesn't it?

I got this cute chippy, rusty table at the auction, but it was missing the glass shelves. 

I cut plywood to fit and then used Mod Podge to adhere the sheet music.

 Top and

Bottom.

Sharing this at the following parties:

Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Between Naps on the Porchfor Metamorphosis Monday
The Farmhouse Porch for Cowgirl Up
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesdays TreasuresSavvy Southern Style for Wow Us WednesdaysDIY by Design for Winter Blues
Primp for Primp Your Stuff Wednesday
Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
Restore Interiors for Restored it Wednesday
Embracing Change for Creative Inspiration
 The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation ThursdaysNo Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on ThursdayMy Romantic Home for Show and Tell FridayFrench Country Cottagefor Feathered Nest Friday
Miss Mustard Seed for Furniture Feature Friday 2805 for Potpourri Friday
At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating for Flaunt It Friday
Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Fingerprints on the Fridge for Feature Yourself Friday
Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
Meg & Mum's for Saturday Splendour

Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase

Book Page Frame Chalkboard

I found this great old frame at an antique sale.  It was in rough shape, but I loved its size and shape.

I painted the edges with creamy white, making sure to paint a little border on the inside so no wood could show around the pages. Then I just applied the book pages using Mod Podge.

I used a mixture of book pages with different shades.  I don't know if you can see it, but on the top, I used a page from a hymnal with the title "Count Your Blessings".  It's fun to throw in little details like that.  Plywood painted with chalkboard paint was screwed to the back.  This one is going to my space at the antique mall.

I just love, love, love, book page and sheet music projects and I have another one to share soon.  I hope you will come back to see it.  Meanwhile, I'll be joining all these ladies for some blog parties.

Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porchfor Metamorphosis Monday
Linsey at The Farmhouse Porch for Cowgirl Up
Kristin at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesdays Treasures
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for Winter Blues
Michele at Primp for Primp Your Stuff Wednesday
Paula and Patti at Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
Kelli at Restore Interiors for Restored it Wednesday
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottagefor Feathered Nest Friday
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Rachelle at Fingerprints on the Fridge for Feature Yourself Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
Meg at Meg & Mum's for Saturday Splendour
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase

Old World / Shabby Chic Wardrobe

My favorite piece so far.  There were a lot of "firsts" that came along with this piece. Over the summer, I traded in my car for a truck.  This was the first large piece I was able to buy, my first craigslist purchase, and the first time my teenage son helped me with the moving.  I won't go into the whole story, let's just say there were a few "Lucy and Ethel" moments trying to get it out of the basement and up the stairs. 

Take a look at the before picture. I didn't realize it looked so bad until I saw this picture again.  It was , however, in almost perfect condition.  That was nice for a change.  No repairs, just clean and paint.

Now the after.

Glass knobs from Hobby Lobby.

I have been lucky enough to find some Rachel Ashwell shabby chic bedding and curtains at Goodwill.  Since I really don't have a place to use them right now, it was fun to bring them out for the "photo shoot".

I used homemade chalk paint (1 cup paint mixed with 1 tablespoon non-sanded white grout) in Chimney Sweep by Valspar.  I painted in the lines with white, using a small paint brush.  Then dry brushed the whole piece with the white.  Clear wax was followed by quite a bit of dark wax.

Can't you just see a painted monogram in the space at the top?  That's what I would do if I were keeping it for myself.

I'm happy to say the wardrobe arrived safely at the antique mall today.  I even got a few "ooohs" and "aaahs" from customers while I was there. That was pretty nice to hear.

I'll be joining...

Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Linsey at The Farmhouse Porch for Cowgirl Up
Kristin at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesdays Treasures
Susan at Between Naps on the Porchfor Metamorphosis Monday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for Winter Blues
Michele at Primp for Primp Your Stuff Wednesday
Paula and Patti at Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
Kelli at Restore Interiors for Restored it Wednesday
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottagefor Feathered Nest Friday
Marian at Miss Mustard Seed for Furniture Feature Friday
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Rachelle at Fingerprints on the Fridge for Feature Yourself Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
Meg at Meg & Mum's for Saturday Splendour

Two More Light French Gray Tables For My Booth

I just can't get enough of this color combo.  And it's a great seller, so why stop?

It looks so pretty with pink.

Here is the not-so- pretty before.

And here it table number two.

 

This one came out a little more distressed, so I added dark wax.  The first table only had clear wax.  You can see my technique and budget friendly tips here where I did my first table.

Since I was a little slow getting this post done, the first table has already sold.  I took the second table to the antique mall yesterday.

Now, should I do another booth project or a kitchen project for myself?

Janet

I'll be joining ...

Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porchfor Metamorphosis Monday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for Winter Blues
Michele at Primp for Primp Your Stuff Wednesday
Paula and Patti at Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
Kelli at Restore Interiors for Restored it Wednesday
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottagefor Feathered Nest Friday
Marian at Miss Mustard Seed for Furniture Feature Friday
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Rachelle at Fingerprints on the Fridge for Feature Yourself Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
Meg at Meg & Mum's for Saturday Splendour

One Kitchen Wall Redone!

In my last post I talked about getting things done through "baby steps".  Well, I started the very big project of painting my kitchen and great room.  And the first baby step is complete -  one little nook of my kitchen.

I even got to put up my Chateau de Fleurs sign I made and was saving just for this spot.

You can see the rest of my walls are still the faux finish and my pantry door is a little ho-hum, but that's ok, I'll get to it.  No pressure.

Before, I had a kitchen cabinet desk and you can see the "during" below.  That was after I removed the desk and put this hutch in its place.

And now...

One step closer.  But for now the walls will have to wait, I have a booth that is looking a little sad and empty.  Hope to share some of those projects soon.

Janet

Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porchfor Metamorphosis Monday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for Winter Blues
Paula and Patti at Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
Kelli at Restore Interiors for Restored it Wednesday
Michele at Primp for Primp Your Stuff Wednesday
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottagefor Feathered Nest Friday
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Rachelle at Fingerprints on the Fridge for Feature Yourself Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
Meg at Meg & Mum's for Saturday Splendour

How To Do It All in 2012 ?

Wow!  It's been a long time since my last post.  As I reflect on the past year, I can only say that it has been overwhelming.  I continue to work a full time retail job, (and if you have ever worked retail, you know how exhausting it can be), I started my booth at the antique mall, and sent my daughter 850 miles away to college.  I had no idea how much time the booth would require or how much fun it would really be. But, I had hoped it would give me more material for blogging, instead of keeping me from blogging.  And I miss doing projects in my own home.

I dream of one day not doing the retail thing, so I am going to keep trying to do it all.  How?  I have no idea.  Right now my new motivation is "baby steps".  I have been wanting to repaint my kitchen and great room for some time, but I just can't start because I know how much time and effort it is going to take.  "Baby Steps".  I will just look at it as one wall to get done.  I can paint one wall, right?  Right.  I won't worry how long it takes to get to the next wall.  And I really, really want to grow my blog.  But instead of saying I need to post everyday, why not just try for once a week?  That's an achievable goal ( I hope).

All that being said, I took a baby step.  I have been wanting to replace the desk in my kitchen with a piece of furniture. A cupboard finally showed up on Craigslist and I bought it.  It wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but it will work until I find something else.  Here is my kitchen desk before.

Since we have a home office, it was not being used and I'm moving away from those colors.  The hutch pictured at the top of the page has always been one of my favorites and it was a perfect fit for the desk area.  So I moved it over and put the cupboard in its spot.  Here is what I was left with.

No turning back now!  The walls will have to be painted.  I hope to show you a pretty "after" soon.

So...with a fresh new year as inspiration, I will continue to take "baby steps" to achieve my dreams.   Good luck to all of you in this new year.

Janet