Decorating Bravery and Using What You Have

I've long had the problem of worrying what others will think or judge about how I decorate home.  I've worried to the point of not doing much of anything.  Crazy, huh?!  I also hesitate because I don't want to fail and end up with results I don't like.  Well, I recently tried to stop worrying and started to just go for it.  It can be hard because I find myself going back and forth in my mind between trying not to worry and thinking of what's "in" and trying to figure out what I'd really like to do in my own home.  I'm hoping it'll get easier with practice.

One brave move I made was to finally hang my red plates.

I love transferware!  I've been slowly collecting it over the years.  I initially fell in love with blue ones.  However, when I started collecting them I found myself loving the red/cranberry color too.  So, my collection of those two colors began to grow.  I hung a few on the walls years ago but a collection of the red ones grew and just sat stored away because I just couldn't figure out where to put them.  They don't exactly go with the colors in our home.  Red is one of the colors we have in our decor but it's not quite the cranberry red in transferware.

  There was some space in our dining room for them.  And, I noticed that the cute little noses on this bunny painting we have just happen to match the plates perfectly.  I played around with the arrangement for a few weeks but didn't want to commit out of fear it might not look good and it didn't  perfectly match the rest of the house.  Finally, one day, I just made myself go for it.  I made a decision on a layout and began pounding nails into the wall one by one until I had this....

I absolutely love it!  I often sit on the side of the table facing it just so I can stare at it.  It's so pretty!  And, no, it's not the right red but the painting across the room has some of this color in it along with the red-red that's in other parts of the house.  That sort of ties it together.  And, I think that's good enough!  Especially since I love this so much!  

This is also a great example of use-what-you-have to decorate.  I imagine I'm not the only one that has things tucked away here and there that aren't being used.  Or, things that can be arranged differently or in a whole new way or area.  I've been noticing this past year or so that I often think of something I'd like to get or an area I'd like to decorate and find that I already have something that will work.  It's such a great feeling!  Not to mention a great money saver!  

Sometimes it's something that may work out great until I find something to replace it or make it even better.  This photo is a good example of that.  The dresser isn't exactly what I want for our dining room.  I'd prefer a buffet or hutch of some kind (which I had something closer to that idea but it works better in our craft studio for now).  However, I just haven't found what I want yet and I'm a budget shopper which means it may take even longer to find.  So, for now, the dresser will work.  

The Pepsi box is another example of using what we have.  I'd been watching for a nice wood tray for a bar but never found one I loved.  We had found this box at an antique sale and it worked great for our bar.  So, that's how we're using it.  It's not quite big enough but we can at least keep our most used spirits in there.

How do you approach decorating?  Are you fearful of what others will think to the point of not doing much decorating?  Does fear of it not working out make you hesitate?  Do you decorate with what's currently in style?  Or, are you brave and bold and just go for it and do your own thing?  Are you budget minded and go to thrift shops, yard sales, and antique stores?  Have you found joy in using things you already have?  Have you always approached it in one of those ways or changed over time?  Our homes are ours and we should enjoy them in that way....as a reflection of us and who lives there.  Although, it's not always easy.  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Penelope's Home / A Little Decorating

Penelope's home from her surgery.  It turned out that the microchip was right next to the lump.  I had them remove the microchip just in case it was the cause.  I figure it's better to do that just in case.  That way, I won't have to subject her to another surgery later to try to remover it.  Besides, they said it can normally be pretty hard to find.  The test results will take three to five days.  I still have my fingers and toes crossed tightly that it's all good!

She has 15 staples in a line about two inches long.  I can tell it bothers her and it sure looks like it would.  Eeeek!  She's been in pain and, luckily, the pain meds do seem to help.  She can't reach it to lick it.  That's good!  But, she can reach it with her back foot to scratch it.  She hit it slightly when scratching this morning and screamed out in pain.  Poor girl!

Here she is last night curled up on some quilts while we waited for a new dose of pain meds to start working. 

Sh'e been hiding under the bed a lot.  But, I was able to lure her out this morning with some food.  She was SO happy she could finally eat again!

I stayed busy yesterday so I wouldn't worry so much.  I've been wanting to change things up a bit around the house and do a little decorating for summer.  I got even more inspired yesterday when I visited the blog, Art and Sand.  She's always having so much fun arranging, re-arranging, and decorating her adorable cottage by the sea.  She made some fun arrangements yesterday that inspired me.

I started off by clearing the old arrangement that was on the antique buffet in our entry area.  I gathered up some different items from cupboards and around the house and created a summery arrangement.  I went out and bought some little pots of ivy to put in this cute wood basket and give a little life to the whole thing.  That's the hat I wear when I go out somewhere that I'll be in the sun a while.  It'll be handy since it's right next to the door now.  That's my little collection of flower frogs.  The doily is one that I bought recently when we got some for making dream catchers.  And, the birds were moved from another spot in the house.

I got some sunflowers while I was out buying plants and stuff.  I put them in a pitcher on my kitchen table.  I took off the table cloth and pulled out this crochet doily/table topper for a splash of color.  The table looks so bright and cheery now!  :-)

That was fun and I love the results!  It's always interesting to me how rearranging a few little things can make everything seem new and fresh.  :-)

Get a Grip!

Our kitchen cabinets don't have knobs.  They're just as they were when the house was new.  And, we've learned that we should have changed that a long time ago as the finish is messed up in a few places from wet hands, drips from working at the sink, etc.  So, I started looking for knobs a while back but haven't had much luck.  I wanted the metal on them to match the hinges so we wouldn't need to replace them.  And, I wanted the knobs to be interesting and pretty.  This week, I think I found some that will work.  They're ceramic, colorful, a great size, and they were affordable.  I still need to find handles for the drawers but this is a great start!  Yay!

I also found this pretty door knob that I plan to use on our pantry door.  Isn't it pretty?!

Our kitchen and house is decorated with accents of reds, oranges, and even splashes of turquoise.  So, all of these knobs should look great!  Can you tell I love color?!  :-)  

Spring Cleaning in My Studio

I love my craft studio and it gets a lot of use.  One of the more recent uses was for the Care Package Project.  For over a month the table was covered in boxes, donations, and projects we were working on to make them extra nice.  The table and room seemed so bare once the boxes were sent off.  That inspired some spring cleaning.  I started cleaning, dusting, and re-organizing

This morning, I finally put the new cutting mat on the table that my husband gave me for Christmas.

I can't believe what a perfect fit it is for my table!

It's so much bigger than the one I've been using for over 25 years.

It'll be so much easier to cut fabric on!

I kind of needed a new one!  The old one was supposed to be "self healing" and it was for a long time.  But, I have a feeling they weren't meant to be used this long.  It's been cracking and falling apart

over the past few years.  I got a LOT of use out of it.

Here's the other side of the room.  I love my chandelier!

I just need to make some window treatments.  That would make the room look great!

I still haven't figured out how to make the working/supply side of the room prettier.

Lots of supplies are easily accessible though.  There's also a walk-in closet in the room.

I've had some red transferware plates sitting around for a while.  I just couldn't decide where I wanted to hang them.  Plus, I have trouble committing to a decision when it comes to hanging things on the walls.  I think that's weird since I used to hang tons of stuff on my walls.  Anyway, it popped in my head to try them in the studio and they looked so good that I actually hung them up!

You can see them in the top photo too.

The bins that used to fill the studio closet are now spilling into the room.

These two have yarn in them...along with several in the closet.

And, these are filled with fabric and patterns...

I really want to work through the materials in these bins.

I'd like to have less bins and materials, and more space.

The satisfaction of all the things I could make would be great!

I'm determined!  Now, if I can just match patterns and projects to the stash I have!

Cookin' Up Some Color

I sewed some window treatments for the kitchen a few weeks ago.

I bought the fabric a while back for $3 per yard.

So, this whole project was very inexpensive.  The rods were the most costly part.

It's hard to get good photos because there's a covered patio outside that keeps

a lot of light from coming in the kitchen window.  And, it's a cloudy day.  

I also sewed a panel almost 9' long to add a little softness and color over the sliding glass door.

It's wide enough to cover the vertical blind when it's all the way open.

The fabric is a woven plaid with orange, reds, brown, white and a bit of yellow.

The color is actually closer to the two photos above.  But, here's a close up to show the plaid.

It looks great with the tablecloth I'm using right now.  It has a lot of the same colors.

The colors in this photo are more accurate...

We have a cinnamon red KitchenAid stand mixer on our Island.

The floor tile is a terra cotta like color.  And, I've been adding some more things that tie in 

with the colors of the window fabric...like this antique metal tray with painted roses...

A pretty plate I saw at Macy's and just had to have.

It sits on a plate stand on the counter.

And, for a little contrast and fun, I have an antique typewriter sitting on the kitchen desk.

I grew up with an Underwood typewriter like this.  I've been keeping an eye out for one.

I was excited to find this one in a local antique shop this summer for a good price.

I guess you could say I've been cookin' up some color and fun in our kitchen.

These small touches sure did a lot to transform the space.  We love it!

I'll post more photos when I get it all put together the way I like.

And, if I can figure out how to get good photos in this not-so-bright space.

RV Bathroom Makeover

The bathroom sink in our RV/trailer recently broke when a shampoo bottle fell into it from the cabinet above.  That was a surprise!  It's plastic but who would imagine that it would be that fragile?!

It turned out to be a good thing.  It gave us the opportunity to make some changes.

The bathroom is VERY small and the bump-out section of the vanity took up precious space.

Plus, a replacement plastic sink was close to $40 and small bar sinks were close to $100.

Time to get creative!  Here's the before...with the plastic sink...

Instead of just replacing the sink, we re-created the whole vanity.

Hubby carefully deconstructed part of the vanity and re-built it even with the right side.

For a sink, we purchased a heavy duty, stainless steel mixing bowl for $6.99.

Hubby carefully made a hole in the bottom for the drain.  We also bought a nicer faucet.

And, for the counter, we found a faux granite, laminate counter top that hubby cut down to fit.

Here's the after photo...

We gained 4 1/2" of floor/room space!  That's a lot in a room this small (it's like a closet!).

We also gained counter space!  Even though the depth/width of the counter is less,

the sink is smaller.  That made for more overall counter space.  How cool is that?!

It turned out to be a lot more work than we'd expected and took about twice as long.

But, we love how it turned out.  We're excited for our next trip so we can try it out!

Summer Fun

Summer doesn't officially start for a couple more weeks.  But, for us, it's already here.

Our daughter is home from college for the summer.  The weather is warm.

And, we're busy planning and doing lots of summery fun things.

A lot of what I've been doing is trying to work on projects that

 I've been needing to do or finish for a while.  I'm on a mission!

I'm having lots of fun with it.  But, there are so many things I want to do that

 I sometimes don't know where to start.  But, I'm trying to keep moving and 

not get stuck.  I'd like to cross a lot of things off of my mental to-do list

and see lots of finished and wonderful projects by the end of summer.

We recently re-planted our front flowerbed.

We planted two Madame Julia Correvon Clematis and some Society Garlic, Marigolds,

Alyssum, and Lobelia with the Baby Tears that were already growing there.

The vines and most of the flowers are doing great.

Except for the Marigolds.  Some kind of critter has eaten most of them.

I love the purple/blue color of the Lobelia.

Sometimes it seems to glow.

We finally planted something in the flowerbed at the side of the our house.

It's something we've been meaning to do for a long time.

We decided on a Star Jasmine.  It's right near where we store our trash cans.

So, the floral scent will be nice over there.

Hubby built a trellis for it.  I love how he wove the wood.

This flowerbed and trellis line up with our office/soon-to-be-guest-room window.

It should be really pretty when the vine grows up.  And, it will provide a little privacy.

I finally got around to painting our family room.

The paint color doesn't show up very well in the photo.  It's actually a lot warmer and prettier.

The color is Benjamin Moore, Everlasting.  The room looks so fresh and pretty

with it's new coat of paint.  It was just builder white (Swiss Coffee) before.

I originally blogged about the room make-over HERE.

Life just got busy and then it was winter and a bit chilly to have the windows

open for painting.  But, now it's warmer and I'm on a mission to finish projects.

Hubby still needs to install crown moulding and mount the speakers.  And, I need to sew the curtains.

We got the moulding last week.  I'm planning to look for hardware today.

I'm hoping the room will be complete by the end of the month.

I've finally worked up the courage to try and figure out how to re-cover my dress form.

I found it a few years ago at a thrift shop.  It's in good shape but the purple color

doesn't look good with most of the projects I want to photograph on it.  

So, I've been working on making a pattern...first with tissue...

Then, I used the tissue to cut out white fabric pieces.

I've pinned them on and adjusted it a bit.

Now, I need to sew the fabric together to make sure it works.

If it does, I'll use that as a pattern for the neutral fabric I have to re-cover it.

Wish me luck!

Another project that's been waiting around for way too long is a rug hooking project.

I bought it years ago on a trip to Texas.  I didn't enjoy doing it as much as I thought I would and

it's been sitting in the closet ever since.  I pulled it out the other day and I'm trying to work 

on it a bit each day.  It makes my hand hurt.  So, a little each day is better than nothing.

It'll be nice to finish it and enjoy it instead of moving it out of the way

when I need to get things out of my craft closet.  

I wound my new yarn from the Yarn Over Truck and bought the pattern for the shawl I plan to make.

So, I'm all ready to get started on that.  Yay!  I'm so excited!

But...

Last night, at knit night, one of the ladies (who also dyes yarn...Inner Yarn Zen)

showed me some yarn she'd just dyed.  It was LOVE at first sight!  It's gorgeous.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to capture it's beauty in a photo.

She asked if I'd like to test knit it for her to see how this new base yarn is to work with.

Of course, I agreed!  Eeeee!  I'm so excited to play with this beautiful yarn!

I came home and started searching for patterns and have narrowed it down.

Last weekend, my daughter hosted a party to view the film she worked on this past school year.

The film was created by a student for his masters project and it's based on the true story of a harpist. 

My daughter wrote and performed harp music for the film, acted as a hand double for playing the harp, and coached the main actress how to sit at the harp and look like she was a harpist.  We were very impressed by the film.  It was so well done that no one would guess it was made by a student.

It helps that the college has a top notch film school with great equipment, facilities, and instructors.

We are so proud of her!  And, very grateful for all the wonderful experiences she had this last year.

Besides the film, we enjoyed the company of family and some of our daughter's friends.

And, she made Sangria and a delicious tart that was gluten and dairy free.

It turned out beautiful too!

There are just so many fun things I want to do this summer!

I just wish the days were longer, that there were more days in the week and weekends,

and a few more months in the summer because I know it's going to go by very quickly.

Although, that kind of adds to the fun, I guess.  It makes it a challenge and

 a bit of a game to see how much I can squeeze into it.

I've heard several other people talk about how they're also on a mission to try and finish lots of projects.  What are you up to this summer?  Are you on a similar mission?

Dresser to Buffet Transformation...Sneak Peek

The transformation of the dresser I found recently into a buffet is almost complete.  I'm so excited that I want to post a little sneak peek...

I still need to paint the mirror that goes above it.  I have no idea why I didn't paint it when I painted the dresser.  It was even leaning on a wall nearby.  But, this will just keep the anticipation going a little longer.  The furniture sliders are still under it so I can easily slide it out when it's time to install the mirror.

I did some online research about what kind paint to use.  I got excited about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  It supposedly needs no prep.  I like that idea.  It's finished with a coat of special wax.  I decided to go for it but when I went to the only local store I could find that carries it, they were so busy chatting with someone that they never helped me.  I searched through all of the cans and didn't see any in the graphite color I wanted.  I wandered around the shop a while longer, looking at samples of furniture painted with chalk paint and decided not to use it.  The cost of the paint and wax alone would have been about $60 and I would have needed some special brushes too.  Plus, from everything I'd seen, it was more suited for a distressed look and that's not really what I wanted.

I headed to the nearby Home Depot to look around.  The lady working that day suggested a latex paint that had primer in it.  It sounded like a good idea.  I grabbed some more paint chips and headed home to decide on a color.  I decided on a Martha Stewart color called, "Silhouette MSL260".  But, instead of driving 20 minutes to the closest Home Depot, I went to Lowes which is less than a mile away.  I asked about the paint with primer and how much odor it would have.  They said it was one of the stronger smelling paints.  I don't like that because it gives me a headache.  They suggested using indoor latex without primer because the odor was very minimal and they thought it would work fine.  They were right about the odor.  It had almost no smell at all.  I liked that.  But, I'm not sure about the durability.  I think the primer might have grabbed on better and would be more durable.  But, we'll see  how it wears with time.  I used Olympic Indoor Latex in semi gloss.  I spent about $20 for the paint and all of my supplies for painting and prepping.

I was so excited about my "new" buffet that I quickly started pulling things out to put on the top to play around with decorating ideas.  I found the cocktail sign recently at Home Goods.  The red color is perfect to go with other red things in my home.  I started shopping for a tray for a little bar but didn't have any luck.  I decided to try using this old, decorative cake pan that I picked up at an estate sale years ago.  I think I like it!  The silver candle stick is destined to become a buffet lamp.  And, the red candle is something I won in a blog giveaway at My Sweet Savannah.  The color is perfect and the scent is yummy...apple bourbon.  It's from Goose Creek Candle Company.

I love the color of the paint.  It changes with the light throughout the day.  Sometimes it's black, sometimes it's more dark gray and very much like the Annie Sloan Graphite.  I was aiming for black but I think the gray will show dust less than jet black would.  And, I love how the rope trim catches the light.

In between the three coats of paint on the buffet, I painted the dining room walls in Benjamin Moore's "Stone House 1039".  I love that color!  Our master bedroom is also painted in that color.  It's warm and makes a wonderful neutral for the colors and things I have and love.

Fabulous Find

Our dining room has been a music room for years.  It has been home to a piano, harps, various small instruments, music and supplies.  But, now that my daughter has gone off to college and taken her harp, it's looking a bit bare.  I think it's time to turn it into a dining room.  And, just last night, I was on the internet looking at dining tables and decorating inspiration.  I need and want to do it all on a very small and creative budget

Fast forward to this morning...hubby and I were headed to the gym for a workout but before we even got out of the neighborhood we spotted a yard sale that looked like it was worth stopping for.  I'm so glad we did!  We found this dresser, a matching mirror that attaches to the back, and a nightstand.  All for only $30!  The size was just what I was looking for to use as a buffet in our dining room.  I like the look, the details are really nice, and the price was great!  It took only seconds to decide we wanted it.  If we had gotten there any later, it probably would have already been sold.

After we bought it, we looked it over more and realized it was a high end brand...Henredon!

I know we got this for a good price even if it was a no name piece.  But, this changed everything.  This brand is quite expensive new.  The MSRP on a similar dresser is about $10,000.  But, used, it's still pricey.  I found some of similar size going for $600-$2500!  It's not all in the name either.  It's actually a good quality piece of furniture.  It's all solid hardwood...no particle board or plywood!  It's very well constructed with dove tail joinery, hardwood sides and bottoms for the drawers, nice hardware, and beautiful details.  I love the twisty details on the drawers.  So pretty!

It even has removable dividers in the top, center drawer.  Nice!

The mirror attaches to the back with two bars and the height is adjustable.

It also has hardware on the back for hanging it on the wall.

The fancy detail at the top of the mirror is metal, just like the drawer pulls.  Pretty!

I didn't really want the nightstand but they wanted to include it.  I may use it as a side table.

It even has a built in electric outlet on the inside of the cubby with a hole in the back to run the cord for a lamp or other electric item.  Nice!

There are some scratches that could probably be repaired and polished up but I'm planning to paint it.

I'm so excited!  The size is perfect and it's going to make a wonderful buffet!  The value of it all makes it even more exciting!  I have a feeling the owner didn't realize what she had.  Just like I didn't realize what I was getting until we got it home.  It's a level of furniture I normally couldn't afford...even used...except for this kind of deal.  I'm sure feeling lucky today!  But, most of all, I love it!

Illuminating

Earlier this year, we visited a wonderful little store that had a LOT of beautiful things with very high price tags.  I would love to have many of the things they sell but, for me and my budget, I'll just have to use their items as inspiration to create my own.  One thing we saw that day was a gorgeous glass lamp.  It looked like it was made from a tall glass candle stand.  A light socket had been attached to the top with epoxy and the cord hung down the back.  It was close to $500!  I loved it and some ideas immediately popped into my head of how I could make one and where I could find supplies to do so.

Soon after, I popped into a Home Goods store to look for glass candle sticks/stands.  I found lots of choices.  But, I passed up the clear options for some with more color.  I love color!  The first one I decided on was turquoise.  It's a perfect match to the bits of turquoise in our living room sofa.

I created this...

From this...

The base cost less than $10.  To turn it into a lamp, I purchased a lamp kit, harp, and finial from Lowes.  I think that cost around $15.  I found a lamp shade at Ross for less than $5.  The lamp kit came with several rubber bases (kind of like rubber corks) to screw the socket into. They're meant for use with bottles or jugs to turn them into lamps and would be placed in the hole of the bottle.  I marked the center on top of the candle stand and attached one of the rubber bases with epoxy.  When it was dry, I carefully screwed the lamp kit into the rubber base with the harp, added the shade and finial and....voila!  A lamp!

I also bought this silver candlestick/stand.  I couldn't resist!  It's pretty and the price was great.  It was also under $10.  It had a hole in the top for a taper candle.  That made it easy to turn it into a lamp since the lamp kit was made to put into a hole with it's rubber/wine cork-like bases.  None of the  rubber bases that came with the lamp kit were a perfect fit.  So, I used a wine cork.  I just drilled a hole in one end and sawed it down to make it short enough to be flush with the top when I stuck it into the base.  The lamp kit came with a round, flat, brass plate that goes under the socket and covered the cork.

I finished it off with a shade and finial and I had another lamp for around $25.  I love it!

My daughter was shopping with me that day and got excited about the idea.

She found a gorgeous glass stand that looks like mercury glass.

She turned it into this...

The epoxy didn't hold the glass and rubber base together very well.  So, hubby found a metal gizmo to glue down and screw the socket into.  It's a gorgeous lamp!  I love it and so does she.

Wow...while typing this up, I realized that we made three unique lamps for a grand total of about $80.  What a savings from the expensive one that inspired us!  That even beats the price of discount store lamps.  They're usually $25-40 and up for the base and then shades are often $15 or more.  And, these home made lamps are kind of unique.  I likely won't go into someone's house and see the same lamp(s).  I like that.

These were fun projects and I bet it won't be the last time we create lamps.  I look at vases, candle sticks, and all kinds of things differently now.  I've been keeping my eye out for something to turn into a floor lamp.  I love those!   And, we could still use more lighting in our house.