Gladly Welcoming Summer!

                             

It has been a crazy Spring around here and signs of summer are slowly confirming maybe it’s here…finally!  Ok, so a cold front and storm is due this evening, but I am trying to live in the moment! ;)  I haven’t yet planted flowers, but my dependable perennials are coming through for me!

         

I decided this year to make a little sitting area off of my front door.  I would love to get a beautiful iron or metal bench that Mr. Husband and I could comfortably sit and watch the sunset on every beautiful summer night…haha, or at least SOME nights.  But for now my very old,  not-so-comfy bench with have to do.

                       

My front porch could surely use some color and I hope to get some planted this week, but for now just picture lovely pots overflowing with lush flowers that are healthy and well taken care of.  I don’t have the greenest thumb, so healthy flowers are a goal of mine. :)  I think I need to take the time to make myself a more welcoming wreath as well.  This one looks a little sad.

 

Alright, I couldn’t stand it.  I had to “borrow” a wreath from my Etsy shop to show what even a little color can do to make a welcoming porch.  More motivation to make my pretty summer wreath!

                                        

But, the utmost confirming sign that summer is here?  A cute little girl headed to her LAST day of school!!!  No matter what the weather is doing, and what is blooming in the yard, there is no arguing with summer vacation from school…it upon us. 

Linking up…

Twiggy Finds a Home

Today is the last Wednesday of the month so that means it’s party time over at The Stories of A to Z.  The perfect time to share another part of my slow updates to my kitchen dinette/office area.  I updated the family photo wall as I showed you HERE and in the corner of this wall is my computer armoire.

Here it is in it’s very sad, neglected state before. (I told you I still had a pine tree up from winter…horrible, but remember it did snow here the other day!)

 

And, the after.  Ahhh, much betta!  It feels clean and light and fresh.  I often question why things that bother me so much (like the before shot) take me so long to do something about.  Maybe I subconsciously prolong them so the after with feel that much better.  Hahaha, or maybe I’m just a procrastinator. ;)  Either way, this feels good.

 

 

As you can see the twiggy arrangement I made the other day is serving her purpose nicely.  You can see how I put it together HERE.  You’ll also see my clearance clock (that doesn’t work by the way, but that is a whole other story.;)  and some stacked thrift store books.  *I love using books in decorating.  It is a great way to add height, color and interest.* 

I also put a little lamp up for some cozy warmth.  I have had this one for years, I spruced it up with a little funky trim.

 

The fabulous little ‘N’ found it’s place as well, above the pictures.  Cute, huh? 

The room is still definitely a work in progress and I will continue to share it’s progress.  New light, new window ‘mistreatments’, painting chairs…fun stuff! 

This is random, but Speaking of paint, I had the weirdest dream last night.  We were at an old friends house for dinner and I started spray painting furniture on their lawn and they didn’t really appreciate it.  The weird part is that I thought it was perfectly normal and acceptable behavior for a guest at a dinner party.  Have I gone mad?  Wait…don’t answer that. ;)

Linking up…check out all the goods!

Fun Finds

The Thrifting Gods were good to me this week. ;)  First, I went to a cool consignment shop in town that I didn’t even know was a consignment shop!  Where have I been?  Anyway, I have wanted to find a letter “N” (for our last name) from an old sign or something, to add to our home.  I found this lovely chippy N and was so excited!

                         

I was even more excited to hear that it came off the building of the store, which used to be a clothing store that my parents shopped at! So cool!  As you may know I love things that tell a story and now I have a little piece of history from our city!  I know, it doesn’t take much to excite me. ;)

                            
Next, I got this lovely item at the thrift store for $5.  It was already pretty cute, but I decided to paint it in good ol’ Oil Rubbed Bronze.  I added a little tag I made and filled it with some ‘stuff’.  I’m still deciding if I am satisfied with how it looks…I might rough it up a bit and I may change the insides.  But, that’s the fun of it, right?


                              

Oh, and this lamp shade for $2!  I needed one for a thrift store lamp I am revamping, or should I say, “re-lamping”.  (Hahaha, seriously, I am a dork.)  It is in excellent condition.  I am not sure exactly how she will end up….stay tuned.:)



Happy thrifting to you and I hope you all have a great weekend!  I am headed for a night out with Mr. Husband…YAY!
Linking up…

DebbieDoos 

Creating Some Height

  
I am changing a few things in my kitchen dinette.  We have a computer armoire in the corner of my photo wall.  My ceilings are quite high, so I like to add some height in this corner and I am growing a little bored of the way it is now. (could it be the fact that there is still a tree up there from Christmas that I carried out through winter? nah. ;)  So, I decided to get crafty and make an tall twig thingy.  Into the craft abyss I ventured…
  
I needed something with some weight for my base.  I found this super lovely Halloween votive holder and filled it with rocks from my yard.  I then covered it in, da da ta da… MOSS!  Next, I took some birch twigs I had and placed them evenly around the moss base with hot glue. 

Once in place I tried some ribbon around the base.  This adds more support for the twigs and some pretty.

I then stuck some more moss inside on top of the rocks and even bits of moss up on a few of  the twigs.  This was easy, fast and FREE.  Can’t wait to show you where it ends up. :) 
I made another one with curly willow that I will share with ya  later.  I hope y’all have a fantabulous weekend!
Check out these links…

http://decormamma.blogspot.com/2010/05/frugalicious-friday-giveawaythirty-one.html
 
 







 

When I Grow Up

When I grow up I want to have little cottage like this one in the movie, The Holiday.  Isn’t it precious?

Then I can wake up in a bedroom like this one… 

 

Love the exposed wood beams, the iron bed, the cozy fireplace…The warm wall color and eclectic accessories.  LOVE!

I also love these wide plank floors.  This exposed brick wall (I would take rock as well ;)  and romantic chandeliers.  Ahhhhh….

Linking up!

Framing an Update

Seriously!  Where does the time go?  I have been busy doing fun things around the house, but haven’t been very good about blogging about them.  Here is a little one that is a breath of fresh air for me.  We had family pictures last fall and I have only managed to hang up one picture until now. Slacker!



So here is the before.  Precious, precious pictures that I love, but I just grew bored of the arrangement.  I am going to do something different with these pics, but there time in this area has come to an end.



Here is the after.  Loving the update.  I’ve got my beautiful pictures displayed, added some warmth and color to my kitchen, AND did it for a bargain.  Here is the breakdown…



Love me some Hobby Lobby clearance.  Found this great shelf for $6.  Although the paint finish is lovely, it just wasn’t working for  my idea.  I sprayed it out with Oil Rubbed Bronze.  Next these super cute little frames for $2.80 each…reg $13.  Sprayed them out in the same.  The bigger frames were $4 and $6.  They had a some minor damage.  Don’t let this stop you!  Just play off of it and add some more!  I dinged and banged and sanded them up and then I painted them with American Accents Oregano.  Then I heavily sanded them and glazed them.  I am so pleased with how they turned out.

  

The big guy, didn’t have glass and I needed a mat.  For the mat I simply wrapped the back in burlap, glued my picture on and then trimmed it out with jute twine and upholstery tacks.  A total custom look with stuff I had around the house.  For the glass, I picked up a garage sale picture in the same size for $2 and swapped it out.

      

As far as the arranging goes, I am kinda a fly by the seat of my pants gal.  There are many great ways to make a layout and measure and all that stuff, but I would rather eyeball it and make 45 holes in my walls.  Doesn’t that make more sense? LOL.  I did measure a little, and I did use the level on my iphone to make sure the shelf was straight.  I get points for that, right?  (For those who are itching because the picture on the bottom right needs to be bumped in, don’t fear.  After I took these shots, I moved in it a bit.  Phew! I know.)  But for real,  if you are curious, I will share my “eyeballing” techniques when I do the whole reveal of this room.  Like how high to hang pictures, etc.



I like using a shelf with a wall arrangement in order to get more of a layered look.  Also, throwing in a different element like the tin tile frames adds interest.  Then for some more color, softness and texture, I casually stuck in some silk flowers.
It feels so nice to finally have these pictures up!  We didn’t spend all this time and money on these beautiful pictures so they could sit on a disc or in a closet.  Does anyone else do this?  Get your pictures on display!  Family photos add such a warmth and personal touch to your home.  They don’t have to be professional either.  Snap some photos of your kids or get out those vacation photos and put them out to enjoy.  Little details like this make a home.