Be Inspired #136: A "Charming" Dining Room

Hi Everyone,

Time for Be Inspired
a place to link up all your inspiring posts.

I've been a fan of Faded Charm since my first week of blogging. I didn't know what a "party" was, or how to link up to one, but the moment I laid eyes on Kathleen's wonderful blog I was smitten! I joined in for all of Kathleen's White Wednesday parties except twice, and once was because I was in the hospital. OK, so you know how much I love this girl!! Over the years I've watched her decorate her beautiful home in the Pacific Northwest with one-of-a-kind vintage finds, and through the years admire her style and eye for decorating with "whites". She just purchased new frenchy chairs and they give her Dining Room a lovely new vibe. 

New Dining Room Chairs at Faded Charm

Kathleen can even make a chicken feeder elegant!!

Amanda from Dixie Delights

revealed her new dressing space and now I'm wondering

if she'll come to my house.

Jann from  a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

loves to look beyond just planting in an everyday "pot".

She has some fun ideas for garden containers.

Laura from The Turquoise Home shares her Living Room reveal.

You won't believe the difference a paint color and wall treatment can make.

You'll want to see the "before" and "afters".

And since I've been lovin' me some cows this week,

I had to share Linda's adorable Moo-Cow pillow from Coastal Charm

 Wanda from No Place Like Home

shared a yummy and  pretty recipe with Pansies and Herbed Cream Cheese.

What a wonderful addition to a Springtime Brunch.

This week's Sponsor Spotlight is on the oh-so-talented Christie Scibior and her wonderful Etsy Shop full of watercolor prints and notecards of her designs. I just adore her art and have one of her precious watercolor prints, myself. Please take a minute to run by Christie's shop, and then fall in love with her sweet creations.

Thank you so much, Christie!

Time to link up to Be Inspired

...now open to all inspiring posts. Please have a link to this blog

  within your blog post to be featured.

Thanks everyone!

and while you're partying please check out these other great Friday parties!

Be Inspired Showcase and an Update

Hi Everyone, It's Wednesday and time to showcase
 just a few of the inspiring and top visited links from last week's Be Inspired.

Chicken Wire Jar Sleeves

from Robin at Happy At Home.

Such a fun way to add a farmhouse touch.

Penny from Penny's Vintage Home and her hubby

 Painted the Brick on their lovely home 

and it looks fabulous!!

I've seen lot's of Union Jack dressers, 

but this is the first coffee table,

from Aimee from The Vintage Estate

 Andrea from Opulent Cottage shared her charming front porch.

I just love how she's used the quilt as a bolster pillow on this great bench.

And Mary from Home is Where the Boat Is

shared a post with a wonderful quote inscribed on stepping stones.
(I love each and every post that Mary writes!)

Thanks gals for joining in!

And a quick update on my husband's inner ear surgery.
He's made it through and recovering today,
a little more complicated than we first thought,
but doing great.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and well wishes.
you all are the best!

Hope you'll come link up tomorrow for 

xoxo,

Organizing the Potting Bench and other backyard business...

This cold Spring has really put me behind in getting things cleaned up and functional outdoors. It's been the "domino effect" around here with chores and projects. Get the yard people out to do the Spring "clean-up" and shrub trimming, then a big job of painting our pool deck which my sis and nephew helped me do. I can't do much more until we open the pool, which is usually around Mother's Day. (If it doesn't warm up it might be the 4th of July!) Then, all the real work (and fun) will start.

So... under the deck, where we house all our patio furniture, (and the potting bench) looks a little like a bunch of homeless hillbillies have been taking up winter residence. But I did manage to get the potting bench scrubbed down and put in a little bit of order.

I'm just getting started, and I'm looking forward to a visit to the nursery for some cheery blooms. But right now the potting bench is just a clean slate, emphasis on "clean". Hubbs and I put this together a couple of years ago. I'd been looking for ways to create a place to organize my flower pots, plantings, garden tools, and soil storage. I ended up with this great worktable that had been used for a tool bench and an old bookshelf. I properly "married them", and it's been fun having everything organized together within easy reach.

In lieu of purchased plants, I did find a small patch of wild violets along the fence to use as a stand-in until I can get my hands on some storebought blooms.

just a sweet little gift from nature in an old McCoy planter

Here's my vintage garden cart that I also put together a couple of years ago. I just love creeping phlox, but I've never been able to keep it going in a bed or border. I'm not sure why, maybe not enough water throughout the year, but in here it's taken off like gangbusters.

This little area will get more attention when the white garden chair gets decked out with geraniums and some other annuals join in on the fun. It's still a little bare around here, especially since we've hovered around 32 degrees several times this last week.

Here it is when I first planted it two years ago. My husband had threatened to haul it out to the curb for the trash man if I didn't do something useful with it.

How could you pitch this little garden cutie?

OK, sometimes we don't ask those rhetorical questions,

for fear of an honest answer...

I'm really looking forward to have the time to get everything in shape.
Next to Fall, this is my favorite time of the year...
Has the weather been cooperating with your outdoor plans?

joining in for these parties:

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
Swing Into Spring at DIY by Design
Open House Party at No Minimalist Here
Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Creek Cottage
Tips and Tutorials at Stone Gable
French Country Cottage
The Charm of Home
Rooted in Thyme
Jennifer Rizzo
From My Front Porch to Yours
Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings

xoxo,

The Marketplace: Etsy and Boutique Showcase

Hi Everyone,
and Welcome to The Marketplace
This is a link party to share your Etsy Shop and Online Boutique goods,
and if you aren't selling, then have fun shopping.

Here are a few links from last week's party.

Kathleen has recently opened an Etsy Shop, Faded Charm.
You'll love her vintage wares, and enjoy her beautiful styling and photos.

Vintage French Alarm Clock  from Faded Charm

Bottled Stories

from The Old White House

Brides Cake Knife

from The Lazy Peacock

Vintage French Wire Egg Basket

from LaCroix Rosion

Chalkboard Alphabet Primer

from Knick of Time

And today the gals from Sweet Magnolias Farm are in the Spotlight. They are also having a Give Away this week celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Blue Ball Jar, so you'll want to run by and enter if you haven't already!

Here are a few items from their Etsy Shop that bring some Farmhouse fun for Spring.

Farmer's Market Towel

Mini Mason Jar Lights

Vintage Metal Price Holder Chalkboard

Thanks gals!

Hope you'll join in and link up to three individual items.

Or just a link to a blog post,

but please make sure these items are FOR SALE.

You don't have to have a blog to join in,

but if you do, please be a follower of this blog,

and I'd love for you to grab the button below

for somewhere on your sidebar,

to let everyone know about the party.

Have fun shopping,
Remember this link is open all week,
so stop back by later to see all the new items being listed.

Have a great week,

a little family news...

OK, I have to admit that this photo below of the adorable baby French Bulldog has nothing to do with my family news...except maybe that it has the sweetest most nibble-able ears I've seen. I looked for a more appropriate illustration of the situation, but believe me, you'd rather see these sweet pink ears!

google images

...Now on to the news...

If you've been reading me for awhile you'll know that I've mentioned several times that my hubby has been dealing with an inner ear condition called Meniere's Disease, which causes hearing loss, vertigo attacks, and a bunch of other awful symptoms. It's been almost two years that this has been a daily struggle, and it's only been since October that he's been diagnosed and we've been seeing a specialist. 

The doctor has had several methods of treatment that he tries before considering surgical options. Well...none of those have helped enough for my husband to lead a normal life, so he will be undergoing surgery this week to have a shunt inserted into his inner ear through the bone behind the ear. The shunt will relieve the fluid build up, which is the culprit in all this.

After much prayer we believe that this will be the means to get his life back, and feel like himself again. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers this week. I'll be scheduling The Marketplace, and  Be Inspired Party as usual, but I'll be out of the loop so to speak. I'll be keeping one eye on the blog, but he'll be in the hospital for two days as they keep an eye on him, since this is a major surgical procedure with general anesthesia. I'll be giving an update on things later this week.

see you tomorrow for

and Thursday for

just wanted to let you all know...

and say thank-you in advance for the prayers.

xoxo,

Bovine Beauties

Last week in my post on the downstairs mantel I mentioned I had a fondness for vintage landscapes, especially with a few cows and sheep sprinkled in. I'm always on the lookout for a sweet vintage sheep or cow print, and a few weeks ago hubbs and I found this one in it's original frame on one of our trips home from St. Louis.

I have it in the Living Room, but the glare from the windows is so bad I couldn't do a straight-on shot. I'm generally a little wonky anyway, and this just proves it. 

The antique clock is a family piece that my mom and dad had

 in their Dining Room  for as long as I can remember.

Here's another old print in the Living Room that I painted the frame. It had been dark and not attractive, so it got a shabby paint treatment. My husband gulped hard at my painting it, but didn't voice his opinion. He's learned...when it's gotta be painted...it's "gotta be painted!"

This old print, also in it's original feather painted frame,

is in the Master Bath above the tub.

(sorry...no bathroom "reveal" at the moment)

And here is the little milk maid, "Amalie", that my husband gave to me for Valentine's Day last year. She's in the kitchen. Also tricky for a photo without glare.

 I had to move her to another spot for a good look.

She's so sweet.

 These old prints make me think of the French Countryside. Today I just shared a few of my cows...now the sheep are another whole blog post.

joining in for these weekly parties:

 Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings
Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
A Stroll Thru Life
Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House
Knick of Time
The Scoop at CedarHill Ranch
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend,