New House Journal: First Look at the Sunroom and Armoire

I know to some of you our "move" seems unconventional to put it mildly. Even my husband commented last night that the way we've handled this renovation and the moving process "has been weird". The reno part took far longer than we had ever considered, since we ended up having to do much more work to get things ready to move in.

(I'm laughing when I see in this photo that the little white decorative piece on top of the cupboard had fallen over. It was almost dark when I took this, and I didn't realize it until we'd already left the house, so no time to go back and redo this shot.) 

Warning: Phone Pics Ahead

New House Journal: Moving little by little

We have one "move" down, probably two more to go. We are using a small moving company that we've used before and found a few guys that we really trust. They are amazingly careful and so far have been able to get some BIG furniture down the stairs. My hubby has taken my office furniture and computer apart for this week's installment, so it may be a bit before I can get pics for posts, other than phone shots.

A few misplaced things...

Even though we're working on the new house with it pretty much in disarray and a lot going on, I still have that need to scatter a little Fall Decor about. During August and September I was able to get a jump on some packing, especially some of my decor pieces like old dishes and vintage odds and ends. I found a few things that I don't think I'd shared on the blog for awhile so I thought I'd try to use a few of them for the season.

An Encore Autumn Outdoors Tablescape and Getting Started at the New House

It's so hard to believe that it's actually October now... and that it's my favorite time of the year, AND that I don't even have one real pumpkin on my porch. Really... no pumpkins on my porch, real or faux. I DO have some pretty rust colored mums and my orange pillows that I bought last year for the little iron bench. Here are a few pics from several years ago from an outside Fall Tablescape to keep me in a "happy place".

Something New on the Home Front

Hi Guys, I'm going to preface this post by saying it probably needs to head up a blog category entitled ..."Say What?". Because some, if not most of you will be wondering if we've lost our ever lovin' marbles, so to speak. Let me explain.

All photos are from the online listing.

(newly renovated kitchen at the soon-to-be new house)
shucks, I gave the secret away!

Life is like an old cupboard...

(feeling a little Forrest Gump-ish today)

Inevitably, when you move and downsize many of the furniture pieces you love and have collected have to be sold. Or in order to make the cut, they have to be relegated to different purposes and function. I can't tell you how much was sold last year, but let's just say it was literally truckloads. A couple of pieces that I could justify keeping were for storing things. I bought this piece to use at my antique mall space before I started blogging, but once I finished it, I realized it would be perfect for quilt storage in the downstairs guestroom. Now, it's in the basement/lower level kitchen nook next to the bar, displaying some of my odds and ends "collections".

Here at the new house

We made it, and a look at "French Linen"

We survived the move, and actually things went pretty well. That's because we've been "moving" in stages. We've had the furniture from the storage units delivered first, and then we moved some boxes from the storage unit and lease house, then Friday came the furniture from the lease house. So it's been much easier and more organized than any thing we've attempted before. The house was painted, cleaned, and ready to go, so that's part of what made it easy. Plus, we were mentally and emotionally ready; we've been working on this house since the end of August.

If you read my previous post about the French-y coffee and end tables, then you know that I was getting ready to paint them a shade that would "blend in" to the walls, rugs, and sofas. The antiqued white that they were before at the old house was just too "white" and imposing. 

I wanted to use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint this time, so I tried mixing, Paris Grey, Coco, and Old White, but Paris Grey has a blue undertone and that wasn't working. I needed a gray/green undertone to match the new sofas. So I picked up some French Linen and that was exactly the right color to throw into the mix. I just added a little Coco, and a little Old White. (If you live close by to the Springfield MO area they carry ASCP at The Baglady Boutique on East Republic Road)

(love the details on these tables)

...and after a few coats, this is the color they turned out. Pretty close to my original little oval accent table that worked perfectly.

I invested in a ASCP brush, and I'm so glad I did. The paint went on beautifully and no streaking or brush strokes. I've painted a few other things with a regular brush, and now I wish I'd bought one sooner.

 It really gets down into all the little crevices and crannies.

I used liquid poly on these. I know the wax is wonderful, but I had just a short amount of time to get these tables finished and my Minwax Liquid Polyurethane top coat has never let me down. I did one coat plain, then a mix of a Fruitwood Stain and Liquid Poly, then another coat of plain. The liquid poly and stain does darken it a little, but the finished pieces turned out exactly the right shade and matched the sofas perfectly...mission accomplished!

Here's a peek at the Living Room in progress. I'm really happy how things are coming together. All the planning and color matching has paid off. 

I've just done a teensy amount of distressing so far, because it sort of made me nauseous to sand on these things, since I'd spent so much time getting these "right".

Now they blend in with the wall color and furniture instead of looking huge and too noticeable. It's a pretty tight fit in here (as it is with the rest of the rooms). The room size seems bigger because of the high ceilings, but in reality, this house isn't all that big. Cozy and efficient, and we love it.

I don't have much unpacked, so nothing is on the tables yet. I'm hoping to NOT clutter things up, but keep it more simple. We'll see... I DO have that "more is better" gene. The rugs are "busy", but then they help bring all the furniture and colors together cohesively. I thought about a neutral rug in here, but these won out. These close ups make the rug look extra "busy", but overall, they are just what these rooms needed to ground the seating area and pull it all together.

It's cool and rainy, and looks like November around here. Most of the leaves are down, and we had a killing frost Saturday night. The time change has me a little thrown off, but then the moving had me thrown off too. I have boxes lined up in the garage waiting to be unpacked, but I'm trying to pace myself, and not get crazy. I DO want to get out some of my Thanksgiving Turkeys so that may be next. gobble~gobble.

Thanks everyone, for sticking with me during this last rough year, I'm hoping things have taken a turn for the better. You'll never know how much you've blessed me with your encouragement, prayers, and support. you're the best!

Joining in here:

Coastal Charm

Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Cozy Little House

A Stroll Thru Life

Savvy Southern Style
Ella Claire
From My Front Porch to Yours
Shabby Art Boutique
French Country Cottage
Miss Mustard Seed

xoxo,

French Farmhouse Kitchen Chandelier Paint Project

OK, that's a mouthful. 

With only nine days until we get the keys to the house, I'm trying to get a couple of projects out of the way ahead of time. We've been making a list and it just keeps getting longer and longer. No matter how much you try to be frugal, moving just always ends up costing you more than you want to fork over. I'm trying to reuse our big Country French Chandelier from the previous Dining Room, but I wanted something new for the kitchen.

I'm showing the "afters", first...

All the rooms flow together, and while the lighting won't be "matchy matchy", I've sort of felt like the kitchen lighting needs to "blend in" and not stand out too much. I thought about a lantern, but I've opted to use a lantern in the entry, so I wanted to do something French Farmhouse-y and light for the kitchen.

I've been scouring the Internet since we put the contract on the house, and I found a great little chandy at a great price from World Market. It was just the right size, distressed wood and metal, and a pretty gray/white finish. We even checked it out while we were at one of the St. Louis stores a few weeks ago. perfect. but they didn't have it in stock.

So I ordered it as soon as we got home. It came in a few days, but the only problem was that it was painted a much darker sort of greenish gray than what I'd seen online or at the store. hmmmm?.... I had read the reviews before I ordered, so I wasn't totally surprised.

Hard to see, it's still a pretty chandy, just not what I needed, which was a grayish white. And it had a black cord which needed some camouflaging.

So, first thing was a coat of ASCP in Coco.

Then a coat of French Linen...

with a coat of Pure White on top.

then I mixed a combination of Pure White with a little Coco

 to tone it down a little.

So now it's more what I had in mind. Just took a little experimenting to get there. I will put on a light clear spray finish once I've had the chance to see it at the new house. Glad I didn't give up when I saw the out-of-the-box color finish.

love these acanthus leaves.

I probably should be packing some stuff, but I packed so much stuff for months and months, I'm totally burnt out. I've just decided I'm throwing the majority of things in laundry baskets and carting them over in the back of our suv. the lazy man's way of moving... But it's only a couple of miles away, so I think I'll take my chances. te he. 

Joining in at these great parties:

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Treasure Hunt at From My Front Porch to Yours

Share Your Cup at Mrs. Olson's

Creative Friday at Jennifer Rizzo

Shabbilicious Friday at Shabby Art Boutique

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Sunday's at Home with Thoughts from Alice

Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality

xoxo,

Pink Flowered Dishes

Hi Everyone, hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend! Can you guess what we did? If you guessed painting walls, ceilings, and closets then you're right!!! We're getting there, but wow, are we bone tired. Oh, I forgot about pruning dead shrubs and rose bushes...and going to Lowe's three times and Wal-Mart three times. No matter how hard you try, you just can't think of all the "stuff" you'll need for a marathon working weekend. And also finding the paint you had mixed that looked perfect on the paint card is actually waaaay too light so you go back once again.

OK enough whining, something pretty to look at... A couple of weeks ago we did the attic clean out and I found two boxes of this oh so sweet Homer Laughlin Virginia Rose China. It had been my maternal great grandmother's. Most of it was well used, so some is chipped, but other pieces like a few of the plates were pristine. I found a few old "rose" postcards to add in for a little vignette in the sitting room.

There were two varieties of cups,

 this one on the bottom looks like a little newer version.

I was looking through some of my books last week, and realized the roses on the cover of this edition of The Country Diary of An Edwardian Lady had the same pretty trailing roses.

Here's another pattern of Homer Laughlin hiding behind the first plate. It has a little green band on the edging. My Peonies are blooming out front and they are fabulous! covered with ants... but fabulous! Click Here if you'd like to see last year's post on my Peonies and pink dishes.

Dog roses?

Sort of like a shrub rose bush to me.

(I see they're native to Europe)

I found this little metal wheelbarrow a few months ago, and it was just waiting for something fun to haul around. And of course, every little wheelbarrow needs some gardening tools!

When I finished playing with the dishes, 

I nestled them all in my white basket tray on the bottom shelf of the baker's rack.

When I started packing dishes back in February I had to decide what to keep or try to sell. I just couldn't part with any of my old china pieces, so they were all packed away. Now finding these, I'm so glad I didn't let them go and now I want to locate all my other "pink rose" china. (boohoo, they're in a storage unit until a house move...) Can't wait to put them all together for some fun vintage place settings.

One of my vintage embroidered tea towels...

Hard to believe it's this close to Summer. Often, Memorial Day is cool and rainy here, but we had hot and rainy instead. Our Realtor is ready to get the house listed since we have the pool. I was tempted to just jump in this last weekend, but resisted. Painting with wet clothes didn't sound like a lot of fun.

I miss you guys...I'm hanging in there just counting the days until I can see my new doctors. In the meantime I'm trying to not overdo it and rest alot in between house duty. Sending each of you a big hug!
joining in at
Savvy Southern Style
From My Front Porch to Yours

xoxo,

Blooming 'Brella

OK, we've all seen adorable vintage umbrellas adorned with faux flowers for Spring. (nothing new for the Pinterest crowd) I DO love me a fun umbrella. And I AM kinda sorta experiencing a faux flower withdrawal over here at the smaller house. This last weekend whilst packing (yes, the never ending job I'm involved in at this moment in time) I spied my Spring floral umbrella in a pile of "stuff" waiting to be put away in one of many large plastic tubs marked "Spring". 

It had to be rescued. If you guys could see the boxes of holiday decor and seasonal faux flowers, branches, twigs and the likes, you'd think seriously about having me committed. But it's one of my vices that I'm working on. You know the kind of personality that sees a container and wants to fill it with SOMETHING! There must be a "disorder" that could be slapped on me.

So, the umbrella came home with me. There are no nails in doors around here, and I'm not going to lose a security deposit over a door wreath or something else. It will do hanging from the kitchen transferware cupboard, brightening up my sitting room.

I wanted a nest in it to go with my old garden tools, but made do with a petite whitewashed clay flower pot instead. My birdie has taken up residence in there.

I'm trying to round up all my "garden decor" and vintage garden goods out on the sunporch, because it all needs to be packed together.  Believe me, I've moved enough that I know the hazards of packing things where they lay. I've found strange things in boxes a year after a move.

I'm having to be content with a few touches of Spring around here, and not create a full blown "explosion". I found one basket with faux hydrangeas that had been in the storage room, that had so much dust on it, it literally became a white cloud when I decided that it was time for it to be dismantled. I'm hoping to learn some life lessons through all this. Hey, I'll write a book entitled "One Woman's Lessons Learned from Downsizing".

I smell a bestseller in the "self help" section. Right now, I'm just trying to figure out how to get it all done without going bananas. And to not make my husband bananas, too. I've also been cleaning and downsizing my closet, but then that's another whole chapter...

partying with these gals:

Savvy Southern Style
From My Front Porch to Yours
Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
The Charm of Home
French Country Cottage
Shabby Art Boutique
Craftberry Bush
Funky Junk Interiors
Thoughts from Alice
Dwellings
Mod Vintage Life
Cedar Hill Farmhouse
A Stroll Thru Life
Cozy Little House

love you guys,