Holdouts

I knew when I took out the paint

and made the first swipe on my coffee table,

that I had a road in front of me

that would take a while to cover.

That was back over the July 4th weekend

and I think I've painted over 14 pieces of furniture

big and small...

plus one huge chandelier.

And countless other changes were made

to get my Living Room to the place it is now.

Then there were these "holdouts".

The two black pieces that were in my bedroom hallway.

I couldn't put it off any longer,

It was a dark reminder of how far I'd come.

I looked for a photo of this hallway with the two black pieces,

but couldn't find one.

So here is how it looks now.

much happier, lighter and brighter!

This lampshade is driving me crazy in this photo,

but it's not wonky in the rest of the photos

so I guess it's just the angle I was shooting from.

This is looking the other direction, toward the kitchen and Dining Room

Here's that blasted shade again,

I'm on the lookout for something lighter now.

I've had this wonderful "Our Father" print for awhile,

just waiting for the right spot.

Fragile and stained,

even more precious.

These are just cheap pieces from Hobby Lobby

purchased when we first moved in.

Something to set a lamp on in the dark hallway.

My vintage tapestry from Belgium circa 1930s.

I still have a few mirrors to hang here

that I think will help reflect the light.

and yesterday I gave an old laundry basket

the French touch paint technique,

much like I did the chandy.

First gray, then black, then almond...

dry brushing and blending as you go.

I'll be linking up with these great parties:

links on buttons on sidebar

Also, wanting to pay homage to those whose lives were taken

and those whose lives were shaken, on September 11, 2001.

For a season we all looked to God,

may we never forget...

much love,

Vintage Inspiration Friday #54: Vintage Bread Boards

The cooler weather always makes me start thinking of comfort food.

To me that means chili, stews, pot pies;

the sort of food that fills the house with delicious smells,

and that will warm you up on a crisp fall day.

And nothing is better to pair up to these

than hot bread, cheese, crackers, and some fresh fruit for dessert.

These last two images from the Pottery Barn catalog

really have me in the mood,

so I hunted through Pinterest to find examples

 of some other great bread and cheese boards.

I think I read where these are "Belgian" bread boards.

And these great breadboards from Diane at

Our Vintage Home Love

Love how these smaller numbered versions are used

instead of individual bread plates.

Diane has a wonderful blog and Etsy store,

go by and visit if you've not met her yet.

I like to keep meals easy,

and when the family is all here we make it simple.

There are always a variety of meats, cheese, and breads

to build your own lunch or snack.

Add some hummus, olives, pickles, and raw veggies

and you have a healthy, easy to put together meal.

These are a few of my vintage boards,

nothing out of the ordinary,

but I use them frequently.

This last one with the great decal

I just flip over and use the other side.

Now for some fun inspiration from last week's entries:

Vicki from Rusty Rooster Vintage

shared some great vintage recipe cards for us to use in projects.

Mary from Very Merry Vintage Style shares a great idea,

Halloween putz houses!!

How adorable are these...

now we have something else to make and collect!!

Laura from White Spray Paint

is one of my favorite bloggers.

She has a way with words that can make you feel

like you are living her memories.

She's sharing a recipe from her mom

that brings the ranch in South Texas to life.

And I had to include this fabulous vintage paper rose,

from Tales from an O.C. Cottage.

If you're feeling creative and have a few hours you'll want to try one!

And one more that will have you scrounging thru barns and garages

and salvage yards looking for these fab farming equipment pieces.

Go by and check this out, Sally from Salmagundi

Hope you'll join in today

Please link up within your post or directions

to the sidebar button,

thanks a bunch for sharing the party fun!

If you've been featured

I'd love you to grab the button on the sidebar!

linking to these great parties:

xoxo

Romantic French Style Winner

Before I announce the winner

 I want to sincerely thank each one of you who entered.

And a special thank you for the ones who went the extra mile

by blogging about it and placing my button on your sidebar.

I appreciate you all so much.

There aren't enough hours in the day

 to thank each one of you individually,

for participating in and making a success of

Vintage Inspiration Friday.

So I hope you know how grateful I am for your friendship and support!

My two go-to books for Romantic Style

and a pendant necklace from me...

Goes to Laurie from Heaven's Walk!

(Love Laurie and her wonderful style)

And you know, Fall is my favorite time of the year,

so be watching for some Fall themed

Vintage Inspiration Fridays

where we'll be linking up mantles, porches, tablescapes

and more fun than you can shake a big fat pumpkin at!

group hugs,

Design Challenge #7 Amanda's Creative Escape

Hi Everyone,

Hope you all had a good weekend!

It's that time of the week again,

and today we meet Amanda.

Many of us know her as the "Girl in Pink"

Amanda has a lovely living room with a beautiful vintage flair,

but she has an idea to transform that little used space into a place to create.

She's looking for a few ideas how to take what she has now

and make it into a functional yet beautiful creative space

that more fits her needs and family lifestyle.

But before we start I have a favor to ask.

Let's try something new by not reading other people's comments first.

Just leave a comment on what you think might work for Amanda's space.

It''s easy to read everyone else's comments, and then not comment,

because we feel we don't have anything to add.

But each of us has something to share and a unique take on the space.

It doesn't have to be long and involved just share your thoughts.

Remember we're not all decorators and designers,

just say what comes to your head.

Here's Amanda, "In her own words":

Here we a have a little "formal living room." But I think I'd like to start the makeover by calling it something else entirely, because we really have very little use for a formal living room! The title that best describes the transformation I am hoping for would be "The Creative Escape." We rarely do any formal entertaining since the little ones entered our lives.

This is the first room that guests see when they enter our home. I would like it to better reflect the cozy, cottage, relaxed style of the rest of our home without having to completely start over with the furniture and accessories. At the moment I feel like it's a little too stuffy and the only time we really use and enjoy it is in December when our Christmas tree is set up in the corner!

I would love to have a beautiful crafting/creating room like Debra's and many of my other favorite bloggers who share their lovely spaces with us. I frequently use our dining table and buffet to prepare and "stage" my treasures for the antique shop and could see this spilling into the living room as well if I had more useful furniture pieces here. On the other hand, I would like to be able to easily store my clutter should we decide to have a dinner party. I also don't want people to feel like they've walked into my craft room when they first enter the house. Maybe I'm asking too much of this little space? What do you think?

Here are some specific things I've been considering that I could really use some help with!

1. I definitely want to slipcover the wingbacks, and I know they should be skirted as this room is far too leggy! But what color should I go for? I can't afford to reupholster the settee at this time...so the slipcovers will need to compliment the current upholstery.


2. We've decided to add a desk or armoire of some sort to house a computer and monitor. The question is what and where? This would definitely make this room more functional for us, but I don't want to see the computer when it's not in use...so I'm leaning towards an armoire, I think. Any other suggestions?

 3. I am constantly rearranging the furniture in here and can never seem to find an arrangement that works! I've taken photos of a few of the arrangements that I've tried. Which one looks best? What additional furniture pieces or accessories would make it look better? A floor lamp, area rug, throw pillows? What else?


4. The entertainment unit turned craft storage houses my sewing machine, fabric and an array of crafting supplies and tools. The secretary holds all of my vintage ephemera and stationary supplies. I could definitely use more storage pieces. What kinds of creative storage do you picture added to this space?

What else? I am anxious to hear your ideas! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts! And thank you Debra for this wonderful opportunity! I love the Design Challenge Feature and have really enjoyed reading about the other's you've posted! I can't believe my little project was chosen!


Best Wishes and Blessings,
Amanda

Thanks so much Amanda, and you're welcome!

Now let's help her with some great ideas to get her creative space into a reality!

 And please leave a comment for Amanda,

 the more ideas the better!

 thanks everyone, we're excited!