Summertime Garden Room

It's been 6 years since I've been able to decorate a sunporch for July 4th festivities. So this year, having a sunroom again, it has been especially fun pulling out the patriotic and red/white/blue decor.

Finding the Old Door and a Lesson for Blogging

When I was placing furniture here in the kitchen sitting area I knew I wanted it to have the "feel" of my previous sunporch. The old sunporch was full of vintage pieces, each of them with aged and chippy white paint. Anything vintage felt at home out there, and it was one of my favorite places to decorate and photograph.

An old white paneled wood door that was angled in the corner sort of grounded the settee, and gave me a place for a mirror and seasonal wreath. I have sold so many of my favorite white chippy pieces, but I saved the door and wanted to use it again, and so after a week of searching the storage units, I found it in the back corner with my white metal gate and gray shutters. (Hmmmm...was Hubbs subconsciously hoping I'd forget about them?) That wasn't going to happen. Anyway, the new sitting room felt off balance and odd with that corner hanging out all bare behind the wicker settee. I just had to try that door. 

We brought it in to the kitchen and for a moment the "new" of the new house tried to tell me that it was too chippy and banged up and that it's old hinges would damage the walls and that it would scratch the hardwood floor. The "new" house said "it will look out of place and everyone will think you're nuts for having some old crummy door in your kitchen". But once it was in place, I knew it was back home where it should be.

My clay sheep's head and the old vintage oval frame are here for now. Maybe this will be a place that I can change things out seasonally. I'm still looking for the mirror and wreaths...

Now my settee has it's old partner again, and I can sit here and enjoy a cup of tea in the afternoon, or read through a magazine while dinner is on the stove. My quilts, coverlets, plaid blankets, and pillows all have their old spot back.

Just a little more time to enjoy the hooked pillows and warm Fall blankets. And then it will be Christmas time, and I'll get to change it all up again.

I'm learning that there can be a balance of the things we love. That living with and decorating with "vintage" things is my first love. Capturing a feeling or essence of what makes a home comfortable, enjoyed, and reminiscent of our past is what's more important to me. I've realized this last year how much I've missed documenting the Seasons and Holidays the way I used to. While I admire all the bloggers that can give you 6 ways to do this, or 5 ways to do that, I know that that's not the real me. Finding the right light to show a flame of a candle, a delicate flower of a paperwhite, or an old religious print, is what I'm more about.

Oh, I'll always have a project to share, a painted something or other, and my latest decor idea, but this last year having had most of my things packed away, I've learned where my heart really is in blogging... and that's right where I started. Be yourself, and blog about what you love. Don't cave to the pressure to turn yourself into something you're not comfortable with. Take a rest and find your joy in life. It will show.

I'll be joining these get togethers this week:

Dwellings
Coastal Charm
Cozy Little House
A Stroll Thru Life
Cedar Hill Farmhouse
Savvy Southern Style
Mrs. Olson's
From My Front Porch to Yours

xoxo,

Kitchen China Cabinet with a New Look

You've heard the old saying "It's got to get worse before it gets better." That's exactly what happened here at the new house this weekend. We rented a U-Haul trailer and made several trips from the 3 storage units back to the house with all kinds of boxes...kitchen dishes, decor, china, crystal, pillows...etc. Hubbs brought some of his fun stuff, and it all ended up opened and stacked on every flat surface available. After 6 loads of china and crystal going through the dishwasher, we started putting it all away.

Of course it took longer because I decided that I wanted to put my transferware into the kitchen china cabinet instead of my French Faience. (You can see this cabinet at the old house decorated for Christmas).That meant having some kind of a plan. I'm still missing some of my Old British Castles in Brown, but when they show up I'll just rearrange a little. Decorating can slow you down, you know...

And this morning before taking pics,

 I knew I needed something on top of the cabinet

So I added a few pumpkins to the mix and some bittersweet.

This cupboard has glass doors that stay closed, but I opened them up so you could see inside without at bunch of glare. I'm having to figure out the best time of day for photos at this new house, because this room has south facing windows and the blinds cause a lot of issues for photographing.

This is a newer cabinet that we purchased when we moved into the other house 12 years ago. I went back and forth on this one or a hutch and top cupboard, but in the end I chose this one. It matches the kitchen table and chairs with a somewhat creamy distressed finish.

I really enjoyed putting this all together, it's just a mix of my brown and red random pieces. I'd had the Faience in it for a long time, so I wanted to change things up a little. In the Spring I may go back to the florals and pastel dishes, but for the Holidays I wanted to stick with predominately brown.

A few of my old friends are here too, like the cows and cottage ware teapots and sugar and creamers. I have more of these...somewhere. Oh, and good news...Hubbs found the Dining Room chair slips (YAY!!) and they are now waiting to be washed and ironed. We literally looked for that specific box for hours, and of course it was hiding at the very back behind my outdoor garden goodies. He had packed that last storage unit with all kinds of various random boxes, and he knew not to come back home without it.

If you noticed, a few pieces of wicker found a spot here in the kitchen dining area. It makes me feel a little better for not having a sunporch at this house. Now, if I can just not "over-decorate"...I don't know if that's possible.

I'll be a part of Sherry's (No Minimalist Here) Thanksgiving Vignette Blog Hop this week, starting Wednesday November 12 through Friday November 14. Please come visit us for some Thanksgiving fun and inspiration. 

I'll see you again on Thursday for my Thanksgiving Vignette

 with the rest of the gals.

I'm linking up here this week:

Dwellings

Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Coastal Charm

A Stroll Through Life

Cozy Little House

Stone Gable

Have a great week!

xoxo,

A Summer Baker's Rack

Do you ever get this urge for something

 and you just don't give up until you find it?

of course you do...

I'm going to believe that's a good trait to have

and not some kind of borderline personality disorder... te he

Well, I had a bee in my bonnet for a bee skep...

I just had to have one for my summer Baker's Rack in the sitting room.

Actually, I wanted one to use in my French Garden Frame,

but the more I thought about it the more I wanted one 

just to display for the Summer Version on my baker's rack.

I haven't changed much up lately,

but having a bee skep always reminds me of a French Country Garden.

This little skep isn't very big, 

but I can just imagine it in a lavender filled garden...

maybe soon.

I always enjoy my little French Garden Girl lamp here,

I light her up every evening for a sweet warm glow.

I'm really missing my sunflower displays this year.

but I have my "sheeps" that always hang out here...

Also want to share this little bit of history...

I had to brush up on my historical knowledge of Shakespeare on this little celluloid print. It's a rendering of Anne Hathaway's cottage (Shakespeare's wife) in Stratford-Upon-Avon. It looks like it might have been a souvenir of a trip in the 20's or 30's.

We're finishing up the house business...

and will be closing on it soon.

Everything's out and clean.

Now I just want to start looking for a new home,

but we've decided to take our time and not be rushed.

oooh, that's so hard,

I'm itching to get settled!

Hope you're having a wonderful week,

joining in at these parties:

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

xoxo,

Just what I need....

So here's my latest addition to the sitting area. A pitchfork...only to be used if the hubby starts getting smarty pants. Seriously, don't we all need a pitchfork in our kitchen? And don't you love that big crack that runs down the length of the side on the armoire? It will be on my "to paint"and repair list as soon as we find a house.

I've had a slight obsession with French Country Garden Goods, and I've been on the lookout for old gardening tools. With all the "stuff" hubbs and I have been dealing with since the end of last year, really... garden tools are the last thing I need.

Just ask him...

he'll let you know.

But I have this mental fantasy that I'll have a garden room again 

and that I can decorate it with all kinds of frenchy garden things.

I've realized it's important to keep some "dreaming" alive

even if it seems impossible at the moment.

Here's the French Inspired Garden Frame from my last post.

I have other old tools hanging out in our garage.

One that I found was an old bulb planter that I'll share later,

I plan on using it...

eventually.

Right now I need to just not be tripping over them,

or have them in a place where hubbs actually has to see or deal with them.

Why can't guys realize that sometimes we just have to go with our gut?

In hubby's defense, 

he was the one that had to pack box after box of my old garden junk.

when I was out of commission.

He's reached his limit, I'm pretty sure.

I found these breadboards at Antique Farmhouse.

And I've had some of you ask about my basket full of linens...

do my kitties nap there?

They are a lazy couple of cats,

but I've never seen them in there.

shhhh...don't tell them...

Here is a collage of pics from my French Garden Fantasy over at Pinterest.

Hope you're having a wonderful week. We're having a cool-down like a lot of you. Perfect for me, I'm not a fan of the heat. The older I get, the less I like to sweat.

Joining in on these great parties:

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
It's a Party at DIY by Design

xoxo,

Vintage Bird Prints in a Spring Cupboard

I have several sets of vintage Bird Prints, but I love that there are four in this set, and they have plain, chippy black frames which make them perfect for a grouping in any room. I wanted to use them in my kitchen cupboard, but they didn't photograph well, so I temporarily hung them from the metal inserts on the front.

I hate to say it, but my "Holiday Cupboard" that I had downstairs at the other house had to be sold. It was part of a lot of my chippy whites that I knew I just wouldn't have room for in our next home. Surprisingly, this cupboard that I had been using in my studio at the other house (now in the kitchen sitting area) has stepped up to the plate to do double duty as an Ironstone and Transferware Cupboard and becoming a "seasonal" spot for display.

I wanted some Springtime goodies to be displayed, so they are joining some of the Ironstone pieces, an old box with seed print graphics, bird nests, and my bovine beauties.

My two Staffordshire cow figurines and a figural jam pot lovely.

I permanently have stolen, stole, confiscated  borrowed these English crocks from my hubby, for this cupboard. I think he knows they are in there...hmmmm...he may come hunting for them later.

Lamby milkglass butter dish.

You can see that the bird prints are pretty well hidden in here, I may try to find a way to give them a little more height. And I have some vintage wallpaper that I'm itching to cover the backs of the cabinet in. soon I hope...

So this is the best of both worlds; a combined "Holiday Cupboard" AND a Transferware/Ironstone Cupboard. You know the old Certs Mints commercial... "two, two, two cupboards in one!"

I know...I'm crazy...

If you haven't been by The Marketplace lately 

then just CLICK HERE for some shopping fun.

joining in on these parties:

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Swing into Spring at DIY By Design

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings

The Scoop at Stone Gable

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Knick of Time Tuesday

Coastal Charm

xoxo,

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