Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Raising the Bar


                                 Shhhhhhh....This is a surprise post for my St. Louis kids.


Their Anniversary is coming up later this Spring
and I love to surprise them with something vintage.



They are big fans of the local breweries of St. Louis.
If you've never been, then it's the home of Anheuser Busch
Schlafly, and tons of other smaller companies,
with lot's of great little urban pubs.



So when we found this Farberware Bar Set I knew they'd love it.


I've checked the Internet and can't find any information
so I'm not sure how old it is, but the wicker covers just knocked me out!



On second thought, they may need to arm wrestle me for that  thermos.








Here's a photo from our trip last fall.

Incredible house...


Their "Restoration Hardware-ish" Dining Room








Happy Early Anniversary, kiddos!



see you two at Easter!
(xoxoxox, mom)

Aren't they cute?
I don't look old enough to have them as kids.
yeah, right...


I'm joining in for


Tuesday, March 29, 2011

...just gotta brag


There's no way that my photos
can do her photos justice,
but I just have to brag on my bestie Anne.




She's gone and done it!


with help from some "fabulous"  and talented friends.


I'm one of the lucky ones that get Romantic Country Magazine thru subscription,
so I have mine even before Miss Fiona and Twig!




Six yummy pages of wonderful photos
taken at the home and Bed and Breakfast of Linda and Ludmil Markov


Anne is a woman of many talents;
her strengths lie in her determination, goal-making, and strong faith.
Miles may be between us,
but we have a connection that speaks not of the distance,
but of the heart.



I'm proud that one of her dreams has come true.
May it only be the beginning.










Look for Romantic Country to be on display next week.
te he,
lucky me...

Monday, March 28, 2011

Laundry Room Reveal: Cleaning up a dirty little secret!

Hello world, it's time to "come clean" with one of my "dirty little secrets". I have a few others; at least this one is making it's debut. I have a great space in my laundry room; right off the kitchen and the entrance to the garage, but it's been a semi-mess since we've lived here. I hated the color (a blah dirty yellow) and since last November when I painted the kitchen walls and cabinets, well, it seemed worse than ever!




"Where is the before picture?",  you may be asking. I purposefully DIDN'T take one, because honestly, I didn't think I could get it "blogworthy". Think dirty yellow wall color, cat litter strewn floors, bulletin board (not cute), and mismatched attempt at wall decor...got a mental picture?



 This is a photo from last fall before I painted the kitchen, and it's the closest you would have seen of the mess. Below is another shot after the paint, but the doors on the right are hiding all the yuck.


I knew I wanted it brightened up since it has an east facing window which brings in a lot of the morning sun. And also since the wood floors extend into the laundry, it needed to be a continuation of the kitchen. Let's face it, the doors are always open since it's "kitty central" in there besides the laundry.




Ta Da!!


I'd thought about painting the doors and cabinets
 the same color as my kitchen cabinets,  but I've decided not to.
 I actually like the contrast out here with the wall color.
 The woodwork is white, so it all works for me.



LOVE my new washer and dryer.
 It has the same technology that the big front loaders have,
but at almost half the price.


I even added some vintage wall thingies to make it more fun to be out here.


All the decor in here was "shopped" from my garage stash,
of flea market and thrift finds.
Stuff that had been hanging around
just waiting for a spot.






I've had the piece of tin for several years,
No where to put it until now.
It DID get a good scrubbing and a coat of antique white paint,



And this was the fun part,
 coming up with a vintage feel for my "view" from the kitchen.




A small Eastlake shelf,
Nantucket basket with hydrangeas,
odds and ends sugars, creamers, and gravy boat,
and a favorite English Cottage print.



Then a couple of 40's bird prints
brought in the feel I was going for...
cozy cottage.




Last week I showed you my trunk find with bird decals
that I'm using for a kitty chow container.






And here are a couple of little cross stitch pieces I did in the early 90's.
They are reminders of God's faithful promises.




It's not a big room as you can see,
and not easy to get a good shot of the whole thing.
(I spared you the trash basket and kitty littler box)

I also found a great little brown floral Waverly valance
 and faux wood vinyl shades at Lowes.
They help finish it all off.


As you can see we "love" our new space.
So much easier to keep clean,
and now it's actually a place I can enjoy being in.

Miss Jenkins agrees!


I'm linking up with these great parties:














Hope to see you Thursday afternoon for



Have a great week!
love you all,
Debra