Old Chippy Scale #2

My dear sister-in-law is entertaining the two year old on the farm this weekend, so that I can get our guestroom, well... guestroom-able again. On a trip to Lowe's for some shelving units I convinced hubby it was a good idea to stop at the local antique store since we didn't have the monster of destruction with us. I found this little beauty and couldn't resist! Since I bought the last old chippy scale, I have craved another... don't they look so happy together? I even gave scale #2 some berries (don't worry....faux berries here) to keep him company. Hmmm.... can I fit a third scale up there? Collections ARE better in three's, right?

Project: Stained Glass Window

An old "found treasure" was re-invented in our home this week. When we lived in our old house this hung in our kitchen window. I loved it to pieces... but in our new home, there just wasn't a place for it. All our windows had blinds installed making it hard to find a spot to hang nicely , and it really needed to be hung in a window so the light could shine through it and display it at its very best.

About a year ago we had all new windows installed and the blinds went back up everywhere, but the kitchen, but still the stained glass sat in a lonely corner. I had other plans to hang it in our bedroom when just a couple weeks ago, while trying to fall asleep (isn't that when all the best ideas come to us?)... DUH! I can hang it in my kitchen window again, and even better... the colors of the window are nearly exactly the colors in my kitchen! Reds and greens! Brilliant!

So finally... my antique stained glass window has a home again!

Wishes for a Weekend Getaway

OK Corinne... even if you are my only reader, I will keep posting!

I received my new issue of Victoria Magazine (my magazine obsession will have to be a separate, future post) and featured in it was MaryJane's Farm, and Bed and Breakfast. This is no ordinary B&B however... this was a perfect summer, roughing it... but not really roughing... B&B. I think it would be a perfect place to go, and do nothing but lounge about in the warm, summer breeze. It's only over in Idaho... so, hubby of mine... if your reading this...pay close attention. On top of it all... she has a shop with the most glorious, organic linens! Yum!

How would you like to relax here a few days?

Little Life Pleasure #256

Now... sometimes I will buy flowers for the kitchen, or dining room... maybe even an orchid for the living room.... but life is extra sweet, when you even have flowers in the bathroom. I mean, let's really think about this, how much time is spent in the bathroom? Plenty! So why not have something pretty to look at while you spend some quality time in one of the homes most utilized, but under-decorated parts of the home?

A Good Reminder!

Oh dear readers, please spare yourselves the potential heartache and credit card debt that may ensue at the Issaquah shop, Urbanity. I made the mistake of going in to find a gift for a friend... and found mostly things for myself. I may have to take darling hubby with me next time, so I can explain exactly why we need so many of the things in her shop.

This plaque, however, spoke to me and I could not turn my back on it. It's message was a powerful reminder to me as to just what is really important in life. I hung it by my bathroom mirror, so every morning and every night I can read it and remember.... and the fact that it goes so perfectly with my black and white bedroom/bathroom doesn't hurt things. I added some ribbon (slight ribbon obsession here) and viola!

The message reads:

To laugh often, to win

the affection of children,

to earn the appreciation of

honest critics and endure

the betrayal of false friends,

to appreciate beauty, to

find the best in others, to

leave the world a bit better, whether

by a healthy child, a garden patch...

to know even one life

has breathed easier because

you have lived.

This is to have succeeded!

-Emerson

Project: Faux Tin Walls for the Kitchen

About a year ago, I painted our kitchen... a cranberry red and white. I left one space unpainted, and purchased some faux tin panels to put up. A year later... I finally got around to getting them up. Hubby took the 2 year old on an "adventure" so I could get it done. I cleared away everything from the counter tops (allowing me to also clean up the counters and appliances! Nice!)

Before:

I will not be including any extreme close up's, as it is quite clear, I am not a professional. In fact... it is so far from perfect that it is a good thing we have so much on our counter tops!

A couple weeks ago I also picked up a neat old Swedish (?) scale at an antique store in Cashmere, WA. It is pretty neat, and I had been wanting one for awhile.

Project: Outdoor Chandelier

This weekend, I tackled a few projects around the house. The first to be completed: Outdoor Chandelier.

It was inherited from the previous owners who left it looking quite dilapidated. A few years ago I decided to try and restore it to it's glory. I spray painted it silver and my niece and I strung some beads around it. A few years later... here is what it was looking like:

Not so cute anymore, so I stripped off the peeling silver, covered it with a "rusty metal" primer (probably should have done that first time!) and spray painted it white. It still has a "shabby" look, which I love... just not as shabby as before. I found a pretty garland at Michaels and hung it around the arms, and hung the whole thing up with some pretty gingham ribbon (my fave).


I can't wait to dine "al fresco". I imagine some pretty linens and nice white plates, with the candles lit above. I will be sure to update some pics when that happens.

*Note: As soon as I finished taking the above pictures, I looked up and saw an enormous eagle flying only about 10-15 feet above me. The crows were squaking and chasing after it....I was so dumbstuck, I totally forgot I had a camera in my hand, and didn't get any pics! Oh well. It was pretty amazing!

The LIST

It is no secret to those who know me. I love lists. I write them as often as I can, and sometimes I even color code them. I am a list-a-holic. I took a couple much needed days off from work to get things done around the house.

No productive weekend would ever happen, if there were not a list.

Floral Frog + Wire Egg Basket

Over the weekend, I made a trip to the local antique store "Bad Girls Antiques" to pick up a very "shabby chic" rose print I had seen the weekend previous. I kept thinking about it, and decided to go ahead and get it. Well, once I was there, I couldn't help looking around for any other treasures that might be hiding out. At the check out desk, there was this very interesting basket. An antique egg/fruit basket. I had a hard time thinking what I could do with it... but still got it. What the below picture does not show is how it can be moved into so many shapes. It can be tall and skinny, or fat and round... ideally you could snugly keep your eggs safe by molding the basket as needed.

Now, I don't really need to contain eggs... but I do like to keep flowers in the house when I can. So I had the idea... a bowl with a floral frog tucked into this basket would be sweet. And now, I have this sitting on my dining table, right beside me. My favorite flowers, peonies, filling the air with the most lovely scent. So happy.