Fern Creek Cottage

Sometimes it's the little things.....

2012-02-01T14:14:00.000-08:00

Sometimes a very small change, for a very little amount of money, can make me so happy.

I had this fake plant plant, but I never liked how orange the pot was.

I meant to paint it, but never got around to it.

Then I found this little piece of pottery at the thrift store.

I really liked the texture. It reminded me of faux bois.

I didn't know what I was going to do with it, but it was cheap so I brought it home.

Then one day it occurred to me....why not put the fake plant into the thrift store pot?

So I put some floral foam into the pottery, pulled the plant out of the old pot and stuck it in the new pot.

Easy, peasy! :)

I placed a bit of Spanish moss on top of the floral foam to cover any gaps.

I really love the way it looks now!

Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch To Yours

Elegant Little Round Table

2012-01-25T17:04:00.000-08:00

Last year I found some end tables on Craigslist that I just loved and the price was a steal.

They came with a coffee table too.

I didn't need the coffee table, but for the price it was worth getting all three pieces.

Here's the before photo of the table.

The top was very damaged.

I painted the table with the last of my Old White chalk paint.

I was glad to use the can up because I prefer the Pure White chalk paint.

I then used the Annie Sloan wax.

I did my best to smooth out the top of the table without sanding the whole thing down and hoped the paint would cover up a lot of the problem areas.

I used a little of the dark wax in the grooves and also sanded down the curvy areas.

I'm glad to finally have her finished and listed on Craigslist.

Hopefully she finds a new Shabby Chic loving home!

I have a new coffee table sitting in a box just waiting to be let out.

I'll hopefully get to show it to you soon!

Linked to:

Be Inspired @ Elizabeth & Co.

Furniture Feature friday @ Miss Mustard Seed

Not what you're expecting....

2012-01-11T10:16:00.000-08:00

Could this room be anymore gorgeous???? (channeling Chandler Bing)

In my last post I told you I was taking a blogging break to get all kinds of stuff accomplished and yet not only are no projects finished (or started).

I don't even have all of my Christmas stuff put away yet!

(I hope I just made someone out there feel a lot better about themselves :)

Last week my 2 1/2 year old got sick and then it was passed to me.

So the only thing I've accomplished is just about coughing up my lungs.

So I figured hey, I can manage to upload a few pretty photos for my friends in between wheezing episodes, right?

Somehow I stumbled on this site for Arhaus furniture and they have a gallery full of these amazing rooms.

The furniture is so beautiful and the way these rooms are put together is stunning.

Even though I adore design, when I see rooms like this I know I would hire a designer in a second if I could afford it. The person (team?) that put these rooms together has mad skills!

I love to study rooms like these and get lots off great ideas for furniture placement, accessories and of course, near and dear to my heart, knock offs.

So I've blathered away about myself and haven't really commented on the photos.

So I'll end by saying...

Five lights....and they looks like crowns!!!!!!

Wowzers!

Have fun "pinning" my peeps! :)

Happy New Year

2012-01-02T10:33:00.000-08:00

~Pinterest~

This is SO me!

I'm going to take a wee blogging break and get some things cleaned and organized in my home.

I am also going to work on finishing some projects.

Hopefully I'll have some lovely things to show you in a week or two (or three, we'll see how it goes).

Happy New Year my friends!

Let's take off the old and put on the new and make this year blissful.

What does this look like to you?

Window Shopping

2011-12-27T07:38:00.000-08:00

Last week was my first time shopping at a Pottery Barn since moving to Illinois seven months ago.

I was blown away by the gorgeous displays in this store.

Their stylists are so talented.

I wish one of them could come work their magic at my house.

I took this photo outside so there is glare from the window, but you can get an idea of how pretty it is.

I love the old wood paper in the background. Then you have the contrast of the shiny mercury glass.

It's brilliant!

Here's a closer look.

I just adore the reds, greens, and silver together.

The other front window was a table set for Christmas dinner and it was lovely too.

I loved the metal deer and the cute little trees.

Once again backed with the barn wood paper.

Makes me wish I could put it all over the walls of my house.

A couple of months ago I bought a bunch of large baskets at the thrift store; planning to put them on a big empty wall in my dining room.

I just haven't been totally convinced it would look good though.

So I was thrilled when I saw this wall of baskets inside Pottery Barn so I could see how it would look.

I am sorry I didn't get some better pictures of this.

Under this pergola was the most gorgeous tablescape, but there were lots of salespeople about and I felt weird taking photos.

Don't you just love the huge nail head trim on these chairs?

The table was full of rustic textures and white flowers.

Two of my favorite things!

With the distracting background in the photo it's a little hard to see.

But, this was such a pretty vignette on the sofa table.

I think it would look gorgeous in an entry way too.

I just may try to recreate this look in mine. :)

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and that you have a safe and fun New Year's!!

Jesus is the reason for the season

2011-12-23T07:41:00.000-08:00

I have this niche in my hallway and I thought it would be a great place to display a nativity scene I got this year.

It is small (supposed to be an ornament) but making it part of a scene somehow makes it larger.

(hope that makes sense ;)

I hung another one of my sparkly snowflakes and we're pretending it's a star, okay?

I found these vinyl words "He is the reason" at the craft store and stuck them on the wall.

A little tree was put in a burlap bucket and little silver stars were put on the tree.

The nativity is made of driftwood and is nestled in some greenery.

But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.

Luke 1:30-33

Home for the holidays @ Corson Cottage

Christmas Card Holder Wreath

2011-12-20T19:46:00.000-08:00

This was one of my most popular posts from last Christmas.

I thought I'd show it again for those that haven't seen it. :)

So here's the story of me making a Christmas card holder wreath.

I decided to use soft creamy colors so it can be used all year round.

I started by spray painting wood clothespins cream.

I then decoupaged this pretty script scrapbook paper on top.

I glued the clothespins onto a metal ring, putting cream buttons in between for space.

A brown and cream gingham ribbon was glued to the top with a loop for hanging.

I can simply clip the Christmas cards to the wreath.

When Christmas is over you can snap on some antique post cards.

Or you can use it for displaying photos.

These are pictures from a trip to Philadelphia several years ago.

I think this house belonged to Betsy Ross.

I have a confession......

I actually like the wreath best with nothing on it!

All that work to make a Christmas card holder and I'm not even using it for that!

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

White Christmas

2011-12-18T07:03:00.000-08:00

We got our tree on a Sunday night.

It was the first time in ten years that we've had a live tree so it took us quite a while to cut off the bottom, bring it inside, see that it was scraping the ceiling, bring it back outside to cut it down some more. etc etc

Finally we got it in the house and got the lights put, but it was started to get late so we decided we would decorate the tree another day.

My 12 year didn't want decorate the tree on a school night.

He just didn't want to do homework and decorate the tree on the same night. ;)

So I threw ornaments on the tree. My two year old helped me hang the white metal stars.

This was my chance to try something a little different.

I found these sparkly snowflakes for a dollar a piece and hung them from the ceiling.

I used packing tape and they are starting to fall down now. :(

Here's the arrangement on my living room table.

I threw it together for these pictures and planned to change it out later,

but I ended up liking it so much that I kept it this way.

You know those beautiful Nordic blogs where the tree sits in a bucket and they are very sparsely decorated. That was the look I was going for.

(FYI: there's a tree stand inside of the bucket)

It was something different for five days, but I was glad to load on the color at the end of the week. :)

If you want to see what our tree ended up looking like go HERE.

Linking up to White Wednesday @ Faded Charm

Our Christmas Home Tour

2011-12-16T07:50:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my Home!

It amazes me how early most people in blogland managed to get their decorating done!

I'm just finishing mine up.

If you'd like to see more of any rooms I'm showing just click on the highlighted word and it will take you to that post.

A Christmas welcome at our front door.

This is the first time I've decorated the master bedroom.

I have a feeling it won't be the last.

I had fun putting together this gingerbread man tree in my kitchen.

A vintage vignette in our family room.

Our red and turquoise tree.

Our living room which you can see more of in the tree post.

Having fun with paper whites.

I wish you could smell them through the computer screen!

Our dining room.

The buffet in the dining room.

You can also see a Christmas tablescape in our breakfast room in my dining post.

A Nordic inspired Christmas tree.

The reason for the season.

Thanks for stopping by my friends and Merry Christmas!

I'm joining the Christmas Home Tour @ A La Mode

Room by room tour @ Cottage and Vine

Christmas Dining

2011-12-15T13:26:00.000-08:00

I've kept the decor pretty simple on my dining room table.

I should have ironed down the edges on my runner, but all this decorating makes a girl tired!

My runner looks like an old grain sack, but is actually towel material that you can purchase

by the yard from Quilter Studio.

The sides are already hemmed...which for this non sewer is awesome!

I was lucky enough to win this cool burlap coffee sack vase from Lemonade Makin' Mama.

I put one of those thick glass vases you can get at the thrift store for 99 cents inside and then filled it with greenery from my yard and some faux frosted red berries. Finally I wrapped some wired ribbon around the top and added a glittery snowflake ornament.

I {heart} it!

I found these cute red deer from Target and filled some canning jars with candy canes.

One day I found my two year old hiding underneath the table eating one.

That lil' bugger makes me laugh. :)

I also kept the decor on my buffet pretty simple.

Using large scale pieces to decorate with means it will be that much easier for me to put away later. :)

I got this tree on clearance after Christmas last year from World Market.

I think they are selling them again this year.

I pulled out an old bronze colored metal deer candle holder because I thought it went nicely

with my new deer print.

Isn't this deer print the sweetest thing!

I got it from an Etsy shop called Cafe Baudelaire.

I placed it in an over sized frame backed with fabric.

The darling wooden shoes are from my Dutch friend who brought them home for me

when she came back from a trip to The Netherlands.

They are very special to me because they are from a friend that I treasure.

Moving on to my breakfast room.....

I thought it would be fun to do a Christmas tablescape in here.

It's much easier to put a tablescape together on a small table than on my big long dining table.

The place mats are vintage ledger sheets from my fiend Heidi.

Linen colored napkins embroidered with white Christmas trees wrapped in gingham ribbon.

I used the ornamental kale in my Fall decorating, but it's still going strong so I brought it into the house.

Bright red fresh pomegranates are so festive sitting in a pedestal with greenery.

Silver deer and jingle bells round out the rest of the arrangement.

Ready for Christmas cookies and hot cocoa!

I know it's crazy, but I've actually been trying to lose weight this month.

It's been working too. (slowly but surely)

So you want to know something I do to keep myself going while eating all this healthy food in small portions?

I've been planning out my Christmas menu. Meal by meal in great detail.

Nothing will be off limits on Christmas!

Crazy? Maybe, but it works for me!

Primp your stuff Wednesdays!

Home for the holidays @ Corson Cottage

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Paperwhites

2011-12-13T06:04:00.000-08:00

I already told you guys in this post about my friend Heidi from the blog Dreams Intertwined giving me a beautiful Christmas cone filled with vintage treasures. Well she also gave me a pot of paper whites.

(Am I lucky to have her as a friend or what?)

I have never grown paper whites before and was so excited to have a pot of my own!

They are so incredibly beautiful and they smell heavenly!

I placed the plastic pot inside an urn of mine.

The pot already had moss in the bottom and I decided to tuck these cute little mushrooms in the moss.

I found them at Target and think I need to find a way to keep them out all year round.

The blue matches my armoire perfectly.

I am still working on painting it.

I tend to get bored with projects easily.

One of these days I'll finish it up!

And now please enjoy 101 more photos.......

;)

You can see the rest of the living room HERE if you want too. :)

Primp yourself Wednesday @ PRIMP White Wednesday @ Faded Charm

Our Tree

2011-12-12T13:02:00.000-08:00

I decided to do something a little different with our tree this year.

We used our same red and white ornaments from past years, but decided to add turquoise and aqua blue.

I didn't realize until after I posted these photos that I forgot to put the tree topper on the tree!

The star was crooked so I've been meaning to ask my very tall hubby to trim the top of the tree so the star would sit straight. Oh well......

The pops of blue are festive and fun and it didn't cost much because I just used cheap glitter ornaments.

Also new this year, putting our tree in a bucket.

I've been wanting to do this for a couple of years now.

I found this big one at Lowe's and made sure the Christmas tree stand could fit inside.

Our tree is in the living room.

We don't use this room much so I don't have to worry about my little guy messing with the tree all day long.

When possible I like to place my tree in the window so I can see the lights from outside.

You'll notice some other bits of blue in the room as well.

I'll be talking to you about my paper whites in my next post.

Blue acorns in a cloche and blue Jelly Belly candy canes in a canning jar.

I have sparkly stars hanging in the entry way to the room.

I'll show you more of the stars in a later post as well.

I'm borrowing the union jack pillow from my oldest son's room.

I can't wait to start putting presents under the tree....

but I don't trust my munchkins to not peek if I put them out too early!

Did you notice the big NOEL picture above the couch?

It started out as this horse picture from the thrift store.

I painted the frame white.

Next, I painted the picture dark brown, then blue on top of that and then a little white.

Finally I painted NOEL in white leaving bits of the undercoat showing.

I've joined these linky parties:

Thrifty Decor Chic

2805 Christmas Tree Party!

Christmas at our front door

2011-12-10T11:36:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our home!

This was the first place I decorated for Christmas.

I just love having a cheery entry way to my home.

Love my new door mat from Target! I can use it all winter long.

The front door wreath is a couple of years old and also from Target.

This year I found this snowy red bird house at Hobby Lobby.

I thought it was so cute I couldn't pass it up and it was 50% off.

Of course it seems that everything there is 40-50% off, but I digress.

A cheery little gathering on the other side of my door.

The twig deer is a couple of years old.

It's also from Target. You can plug it in and it lights up.

I always go to Target the day after Christmas and stock up on things when the go on clearance.

While at an Estate sale with my friend Heidi this fall I got a stack of vintage bushel baskets.

This one has red and green trim so it's perfect for Christmas!

I filled it with extra trimming from the bottom of our Christmas tree.

I was so excited when I found this vintage looking sled at the thrift store for less than $10.00.

I embellished it with greenery, berries and ribbon.

On the walkway leading up to our house I placed this plastic soldier I also found at the thrift store and a huge solar lantern that is from Costco. I added some ribbon and a sweet red bird to the lantern. It's been pretty windy here lately so we have to pick up the poor soldier almost everyday!

My oldest son was very displeased with my "boring grown up decorations" so I went and got this fairly big inflatable Santa and both of my kids just love it! Yay!

I'm sure we'll get plenty of real snow here in Illinois soon enough,

but in the meantime I added some snow via picnik's editing.

Merry Christmas!

Gingerbread Tree

2011-12-09T07:09:00.000-08:00

Back in 2008 I saw a little gingerbread tree on the blog Joys Of Home.

It was so cute I just fell in love with it.

I've been wanting to do my own ever since and just never got to it before now.

But this year I found these adorable gingerbread men at Target and knew they'd perfect!

I think the kitchen is the right spot for a gingerbread tree, since that is where you'd normally cook them up! One year I bought a tub of gingerbread dough so I could whip up a few cookies whenever I wanted and having that stuff around was dangerous! (to my waistline :)

I put my whole kitchen vignette in this great vintage crate I just picked up while out shopping with my friend Heidi. She saw it first, but then she put it back down a and I just couldn't resist!

Heidi has a Christmas tour of her beautiful home on her blog right now.

You have got to check it out!

For years now I've just loved the look of a Christmas tree in an old bucket.

I was so happy with how well my tree fit in this old bucket I had.

Check out the really cool crinkled crepe paper in the bucket, I'll talk about it in a moment.

In my old crate I also place this Santa.

I found him at the grocery store a few years ago.

His colors are bright and cheery, but I love that his clothing is that of an Old World Santa.

Old World Santa's are my favorite!

I also nestled in a bit of greenery and a gingham ribbon.

On the wall I hung this Christmas Subway art I found at TJ Maxx this year.

I snatched it up so fast when I saw it!

My sweet friend Heidi gave me a beautiful Christmas cone she made filled with all kinds of wonderful Christmas treasures. (I should have taken a picture, darn it!)

There was this sweet little angel that I placed on top of the tree, beautiful red and white plaid ribbon, those shiny flower things you can see in the photo. (I don't know what they are called)......

(ok, I found out they're light reflectors)

There were also vintage cookie cutters, which are just perfect on a kitchen Christmas tree and that crepe paper I placed in the bucket was also in my wonderful Christmas cone.

Thank you dear Heidi!!

As a wife and mother I am in the kitchen a lot...A LOT.

It is so nice to have this bit of Christmas cheer greeting me each day!

Favorite Vignette @ Savvy City Farmer

Vintage Christmas Vignette

2011-12-08T12:19:00.000-08:00

Last year I did most of my Christmas decorating using silver and white.

I found I really missed having the bright, cheery pops of red.

Red and green is classic Christmas and it just feels so festive.

I set up this vignette using some new vintage finds.

Along with some old favorites.

I recently got this fabulous vintage bucket from one of my favorite stores Tattered Tiques.

I love how rustic it is and the wonderful green color.

After Christmas it will go in my youngest son's bedroom; which has a woodsy theme.

I found this old fabric wall calender at a flea market this summer.

I love faux bois so I was immediately drawn to the wood grain background and the bright red and green are perfect for Christmas.

The font used in the printing has a wonderful old world look to it.

This Santa is new, but I like that he has a vintage look to him.

I nestled him into some fresh greenery and dropped down some red balls and a big, red, wooden snowflake.

I haven't found a frame the right size for the calender yet, so it's just tacked to the wall.

In the vintage bucket I placed a live tree that I wrapped in some red floral fabric.

The cabinet normally has our phone sitting on it, but right now the phone is sitting on the floor. :)

Oh well...tis the season!

Favorite Vignette @ Savvy City Farmer

Common Ground

The Lettered Cottage

Christmas in our bedroom

2011-12-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

I've never decorated our bedroom for Christmas before.

I thought it would be fun to do this year.

It feels so festive that I may have a new tradition!

The greenery really stands out against all the white bedding.

This is my hubby's side of the bed all decked out for Christmas.

I found these cute live trees at the grocery store.

I wrapped the plastic pot in burlap and placed it in a ceramic pot I found at Goodwill last year.

I then placed an angel ornament on the tree.

Simple and sweet.

I already had these books I had ripped the covers off of wrapped in twine.

I then stuck a sprig of evergreen inside and added this glittery acorn ornament.

Here's my side of the bed.

I filled an urn with more trimmings from our tree.

I added some sparkly, snowy, branches as well.

Then added a glittery mushroom ornament.

I took this ornate gold frame and placed a piece of musical note scrapbook paper inside.

I used scrapbook stickers to spell out "Merry Christmas".

Over the bed a square wreath made with more tree trimmings.

I wired on the glittering Noel and hung the wreath to the top of my four poster bed with some ribbon.

Sweet Dreams

Printables Party!

2011-11-28T13:33:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Our family traveled to beautiful Lake Geneva WI for a few days.

We had a lovely time and we truly have a lot to be thankful for!

I hope to have a little Christmas decorating completed by the end of this week to show you, in the meantime I wanted to let you know about a printables party my friend Kristen is having.

There's going to be free printables, giveaways, and linky.
(click on the button to learn more)

So check it out...I think it's going to be a lot of fun!!

Rustic Farmhouse

2011-11-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

I am working really hard to finish up the long over due makeover on my cane back chairs.

I hope to be able to show them to you next week.

So in the meantime, please enjoy a tour of this charming rustic farmhouse.

I think the giant blackboards framed in barn wood are so cool!

They only show a bit, but I am loving the rug in this picture!

It is starting to get cold here in Illinois and a wood burning stove sure would be cozy.

We had a wood burning stove in my home when I was growing up and I loved it.

The bed is a little spartan for my taste, but the twiggy lamp is great.

The walls and floors are wonderful too.

A nice little nook for blogging. :)

A wee bit of Christmas.

I couldn't wait any longer!

I've already started listening to Christmas music. Have you?

(photos from House and Home)

For Sale

2011-11-14T13:17:00.000-08:00

How would you like a room full of rich reds just in time for Christmas?

Well, I have a deal for you!

I am selling loads of red all for one low price.

You must be able to pick this up in the Chicago suburbs!

An elegant California King bedding set which includes a Cal. king comforter, two king sized shams, a brown silky bed skirt, and three throw pillows. The bedding has never been slept in. It has just been for show.

The bedding is very rich looking and elegant in chocolate brown, cranberry red with a black damask pattern.

Two very pretty bedside lamps with shades. The lamps are nice and tall, perfect for reading in bed.

I adore the rosettes on the lampshades.

A collection of red pottery. The photos here don't do it justice because they were taken in the basement.

Details on some of the pottery.

Some red silk flowers/plants.

Two custom made pillow covers and a soft afghan in red, plum and brown.

The pillows have an envelope enclosure with a gold, green and red plaid on the back.

Two large square prints. (20x20)

Close up detail of the prints.

Twig, leaf, and bird, black metal candle holder.

Sweet little birdies on it.

As you can see I used to have some of these things in my family room.

I believe it is a yard of gorgeous toile fabric.

You can make some pillows or cover a bench or whatever you like.

I will keep going through things and may come up with more goodies to add to the list.

So all this for the low low price of $150.00!

If you are intersted just shoot me an email!

A Very Neutral Home

2011-11-06T20:44:00.000-08:00

This home from Renovation Style magazine is void of color and I love it!

I find the neutral palette very peaceful and lovely.

All the wonderful texture from stone, tile, woodwork, and fabrics keeps things interesting.

But if I actually lived in this house I have a feeling color would start showing up in the rooms little by little.

What about you?

Would you leave this home as is or would you need to add some color?

For you.....

2011-11-03T09:01:00.000-07:00

A little something I whipped up on picnik from a photo I took last fall.

Feel free to take it, print it, pin it, share it.

I {heart} stone fireplaces.....

2011-10-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

How 'bout you?????

via

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

2011-10-25T07:08:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed I haven't been posting much this Fall. I've had bad allergies and between that and running after my 2 1/2 year old, I am pretty wiped out at the end of the day. I'm finally on some medicine and when the frost starts hitting the ground on a regular basis the doctor thinks that will help too. I have lots and lots of projects in my brain and hopefully I'll be able to carry out more of them soon!

Well daily life with all it's errands and such still goes on. Ladies, isn't one of life's biggest chores trying to decide what to make for dinner? I love trying new recipes and this is my favorite new recipe by far. It only has to marinate 30 minutes, which is so great! It's made with ingredients that I usually have on hand and it takes blah, boring, chicken breasts and makes them bursting with yummy flavor.

Are you getting hungry yet? :) :)

The recipe calls for dried rosemary, but while I have it, I've been using fresh. This winter I'll have to try it with dried and try broiling it. But while there's a bit of sunshine left I encourage you to head outside and throw these on the grill. Grilling used to always be my man's job and he is so good at it, but he's been having to work long hours lately so I've started grilling for the first time in my life. Thankfully everything's turned out good, so far. If I can do it, you can too!!

So try Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs from The Sister's Cafe. You won't be sorry!

p.s. I love this recipe so much I practically harassed my friend Sarah until she tried it. Finally she did and she loved it too!

Fall Front Door Stoop

2011-10-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

It has taken me an entire month to get this fall front stoop together.

Good thing I like it!

It started with me buying these corn stalks from the farmers market waaay back in September.

One thing I love about Illinois is the abundance of cornstalks in the Fall.

Then I made this Fall wreath.

Really you could leave it up year round, but the rooster makes me think of farms.

And farms make me think of pumpkin patches.

So there you go; rooster=fall. ;)

I had originally planned on painting my pumpkins white to go with the rest of my white fall look.

Large orange pumpkins are cheaper than white, hence the painting the pumpkins idea.

However, when I put the pumpkins on the front stoop, I liked the pops of orange.

I found this awesome chippy white chair last week.

It is shabby perfection!

My plan is to keep it on the front stoop year round and change out the decor with the seasons.

The large bee skep is from Junk Warehouse and I want to marry it because I love it so much!

I found these cool metal pumpkins at Hobby Lobby and painted them white.

Next year I may paint them some other color.

After all it is a woman's prerogative to change her mind......

The white bushel pots were marked down to $1.99 at Ikea.

The ornamental kale with the white centers are in terra cotta pots that I very sloppily spray painted white and when dry I sanded them down.

These next pictures are me playing with textures.

Hope you don't mind. :)

I may take a few more pictures for you when more of the mums open up,

but I was impatient and couldn't wait any longer.

I am just loving fall in the Midwest.

It's incredibly beautiful here!

French Country Cottage

A lovely evening on the farm.....

2011-10-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

The Na-Da farm barn sale that is.......

It was such a beautiful evening.

Everything was lovely and festive.

The glass of champagne was pretty nice too ;)

It's been a couple of years since I've had a glass.

There were yummy looking goodies there too.

But alas, I'm watching my waistline, so I just looked.

I think we were all a little jealous of the beautiful woman who picked up this wonderful piece!

This little tree was so pretty tucked in the corner of the barn.

Loved the chandelier hanging next to a mirror.

Double the elegance.

I enjoyed meeting Stacy from A Sort of Fairytale.

This is a picture from her booth full of pretties.

Aren't these the sweetest aprons you've ever seen?!

LOVE Tattered Tiques!

One of their goodies came home with me.

I'll have to share it with you another time. I haven't photographed it yet.

In other news.......

I want to introduce you all to my new sponsor Chic-Tiques.

She is having a Furniture Fix linky party on Fridays, so y'all go link up your fabulous furniture projects!

One more thing before I go....

I mentioned in my last post that I was having problems leaving comments on lots of blogs. I kept getting the error message: cookie value is null for formrestoration. I removed the cookies and it worked for one day and then I started having the problem again. Well thanks to Katherine from Home Grown Originals I was referred to this post by Elizabeth and co. I followed the instructions and so far so good. Yay!!

Some Bloggy Business

2011-10-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

I wanted to let you know I'm offering advertising on my blog, but all the money is going for a very good cause. Sharlie is a wife and mother who has cystic Fibrosis and is in desperate need of a double lung/heart transplant. A site has been set up to help raise money for medical expenses. There are a lot of wonderful things in the shop! There are recipes, tutorials and more. Remember, Christmas is coming up maybe you could use a good tutorial for giving out homemade gifts or goodies for your friends and family. All the proceeds from this site benefit Sharlie's Angels medical fund. Please go to the site and check it out.

photo from Emerald Cove

I am not able to leave comments on most blogs right now. This makes me want to cry.

My friend Michelle made her first slipcover (for a recliner!) and I haven't even been able to leave her a comment telling her how fabulous it is!

When I hit publish after typing out my comment I receive an error message that says cookie value is null for FormRestoration. This weekend I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the answer, but have not been able to fix it. I made a few simple changes that were recommended, but this did not help. The other thing I am told is to remove cookies, but at the same time I am told you need cookies for security reasons. I don't even understand how to remove cookies and am not sure if I should! I checked the page that shows what issues issues blogger is currently working on and this issue wasn't on there. :(

I know I am NOT the only one who is having problems leaving comments. If anyone knows what I can do or a good link for this issue please, please, leave me a comment or send me an email.

This makes me so sad and frustrated! I very much want to have an interactive blogging experience.

Update: My dad called and told me it was ok to remove cookies and he walked me through it and showed me how. I'm so lucky my dad reads my blog! Thanks to the best daddy ever!! I've left comments on three blogs I was having problems with and it worked! Yay!!

p.s. Wondering why so many problems on Blogger lately? Here's a very interesting theory. Take a look.

p.p.s. A new update: Tried leaving a comment today and got the same "cookie" error message. ugh!

Heidi and I will be attending NaDa Barn Sale this Friday. Woo Hoo!

This is one of the things I was looking forward to when I found out we were moving to Illinois!

If you will be there, let me know and please come over and say "hi" to me. :)

(in case you don't know that's me on the right in the blue top)

Just for fun.....here's a little something I'm working on right now.

Thrift store armoire getting a pretty coat of blue paint. :)

Have a great week!

Fall Door Decor

2011-09-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

Well once again it's raining here so I can't show you my front stoop all decked out for fall, but I can show you the wreath that I made for the door.

A door that's lovingly covered with toddlers fingerprints.

I've given up on it ever being clean!

I bought this metal door hanger on clearance at Target a couple of years ago.

But when it's hanging on the door and it gets a little windy it bang, bang, bangs against the door driving me mad! Cute, but not functional doesn't work for me. But it makes it a great candidate for re-purposing.

I bought this adorable flower trim at the fabric store.

It was a bit too white to go with the antique look of the rooster, so I dyed it using tea.

The gray background is giving the tea dyed flowers a bit of a weird coloring in this photo, but you'll see how well they match in the next picture.

See how pretty the flowers and rooster look together!

I used some burlap looking ribbon to make some leaves for the flowers. Everything was hot glued onto a grapevine wreath. The wreath hangs from a suction cup hook on the glass door, but I like the look of a wreath hanging from a ribbon. So the ribbon is just for show.

I do like the rain, but I hope the sun comes out this weekend so I can load up on pumpkins and show you the front of the house. :)

Joining Rhoda's Door Decor party.

A Fall Mantel (except it's not a mantel)

2011-09-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

For the first time in my married life I am living in a house without a fireplace.

It's ok though because with a toddler in the house we wouldn't be lighting many fires anyway.

I decided a cabinet in the entry way would be a good spot to change out displays with the seasons.

My original plan was to use wonderful gold wildflowers and brown grasses

that are growing wild all around us right now.

However, it is pouring buckets outside today, so I used some snapdragons I had in the house instead.

Maybe I'll change out the display later.

We'll see......

I do love pinks, purples and plums so it's kind of fun to change up the colors of fall.

Although I'm sure I'll use orange and such in other parts of the house.

I haven't bought any pumpkins yet, because our town is having a harvest festival next weekend

and I want the boys to pick them out there.

So I searched through my holiday stash and dug up these wonderful textural pumpkins in soft tan tones.

I always love how lush and full fall decorating is so I put in little bunches of mums to fill in the display.

I found this large raffia type pumpkin at a thrift store years ago.

It might actually be an apple. I'm not sure.

Let's pretend it's a pumpkin. ;)

The gorgeous plate and the vintage rosette I found last week at a estate sale I went to with

my new friend Heidi.

She has the blog Dreams Intertwined.

Heidi is such a doll and we have been having so much fun together!

I'm going to tell you all about our shopping adventures in another post soon.

Years ago I bought this faux bough vase from Ballard Designs.

I adore faux bough, but for some reason I never found a place to put this vase in my last house and it sat in a cabinet in the garage. Sad isn't it.

So when I was thinking about my fall decorating this year I knew I had to use this vase.

The wood grain is perfect for fall.

Art in my entry way is a little tricky because there is a stairway behind it.

With hardly any wall space I decided to just prop my "herbs" sign up against the stair rail.

I think it's a fun touch.

So here you have it.

Tans, creams, fuchsia and plum.

A girly take on fall.

I hope you like it.

My Patio......again

2011-09-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

You may be asking yourselves....didn't you just show us your patio, like a few minutes ago.

Yes, it's true. I've already shown my patio this summer.

It was something I put together quickly to have a pleasant spot in which to watch my boys play outside.

But a few things were buggin' me......

Like this table.

I liked the style and the size but, the wood was a little to "orangey".

So I painted her with Old White chalk paint.

Sanded the heck out of her and applied wax.

So much more cottage style now.

So much more "me".

When we moved into the house there was this one lone plant next to the patio.

See me in the window?

I'm not wearing any pants.

(I totally stole that joke from Amie!)

I've now dug out a little bed and planted some flowers.

The other side of the patio looked even worse.

I dug out another little bed and put in hydrangea and butterfly bush and some other plants.

I hope to be surrounded by flowers next summer.

I also placed my thrift store wine rack turned potting bench on the patio.

I found this cute pillow at TJ Maxx and it picks up on the other aqua accent pieces I've placed

around the patio.

I also finally got around to planting my fern in my hypertufa pot.

When I was digging up my flower beds I saved some of the moss and placed in on the soil in the planter.

I just love the fern with the moss with the stone!

Here's a closer look at some of the distressing on the table.

Unfortunately I never found the right indoor/outdoor rug for the space.

That's just something I'll have to add next summer.

The other side of the patio is the same as my last patio post, but I'm going to show you a

bunch of pictures anyway. :)

The other thing I hope to find is the perfect little side tables to place on each side of my settee.

Oh the joy of the hunt!

Summer......do you really have to leave????

Joining: Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seeds

A Mini Tour of My Home

2011-09-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

Our family moved into this home in June and I have soooooo much more to do in terms of decorating.

But sometimes it's good to celebrate the little things you've accomplished and not get caught up in all the

"I wanna do this" "I wanna do that's"

So here is a mini, quicky, un-edited tour of a few rooms in my home.

Welcome!

One of the first things I did when we moved was purchase the Ektorp sofa from Ikea.

It then took me two months to get around to putting the slip cover on (pathetic!).

It still needs some tweaking as you can see.

The Frenchy looking end tables and coffee table are a recent craigslist purchase.

I will probably paint and sell the coffee table, but may keep the end tables.

If you have questions about anything you see in this post just ask in the comments and I will answer you in the comment section as well.

I took literally months of searching but I finally found Restoration Hardware style chairs at TJ Maxx.

I found them at different stores, but within a week of each other.

Even though they are a lot better priced than RH, it still was a splurge for me.

But I had set aside some money from selling some of my furniture on craigslist before we moved.

So I paid cash for these beauties and I love them!

My entry way as you walk in the front door.

I'm cooking up some ideas for how to decorate it for Fall.

This house doesn't have a fireplace so this will be my "go to" holiday decorating spot.

The cabinet is from Kirkland Home.

Lantern and plaque are from Hobby Lobby.

Cloche was a Christmas gift from my son.

He got it from Steinmart. He's a good boy!

There is still a lot to do in the dining room, but I like the direction in which it's headed.

I think it has a French Country look to it.

The curtains are Waverly from Ebay.

I need to add fabric and trim to the bottom to lengthen them, but I don't enjoy this type of project so don't hold your breath on it happening anytime soon.

The art work is framed vintage book pages of ferns I bought from Etsy.

The metal piece is from JoAnne fabric.

I bought this gi-normous buffet off of craigslist.

It was made by Fancher.

I like the finish it is now, but would love a dark walnut top and a painted white bottom.

We'll see.....

This art work will get moved to another room and something farm inspired will go into it's place.

I adore the lamps.

They are from TJ Maxx. The shades are burlap.

I am a sucker for mixing rustic and elegance together and these fit the bill.

I'd love to put them in my family room, but they'd get broken in about two minutes.

So up high on the buffet, in the room we don't use seemed to be the better choice. ;)

Check out the hardware!

L.O.V.E.

I'm crazy about the arch in the dining room entry.

I hope to paint this winter to emphasize it more.

(very messy butlers pantry in background-don't look at it)

Hey, I said don't look!!

There's a little niche in the wall next to the dining room, that you can see from the front door.

I've placed a metal urn inside filled with silk hydrangea's in different shades of lavender and plum.

Next to it is a cherub candle stick.

I found the candlestick at an antique mall in Las Vegas.

I loved it, but it didn't come home with me at first.

I kept dreaming about it.

When I went back it was gone, or so I thought.

The next time I shopped there I stumbled upon it.

It had just been moved to another spot. Yay!

Feathered Nest Friday

Huge Vintage Washboard

2011-09-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

I wanted to show you this huge wash board I found at the flea market.

I decided to put my two year old, Levi, next to it so you could get an idea of how large it is.

(most people think Levi is three, he is a big boy!)

Photo shoots with toddlers are so fun!

When I spied this beauty at the flea market the price was $12.00.

I think that's a good price.

But it gets better......

Levi says "wait 'til you hear this!"

It was on a table where everything was marked 50% off.

Six dollars is a great price.

But wait it gets better.......

Levi says "you aren't going to believe this!"

Before I can get the words "I'll take it" out of my mouth the man says...

"I'll give it to you for $5.00"

Sold!

Tee hee hee

My mommy loves a good bargain!

Soft and pretty and luxurious

2011-08-29T18:36:00.000-07:00

I hope all of you on the East coast are safe, sound, and dry after Irene.

You have been in my prayers.

When I saw a few photos of this house at House of Turquoise I was blown away by how gorgeous it was.

I quickly made my way to At Home In Arkansas to see more.

Enjoy this very luxurious home in lovely tones of soft blue and taupe with metallic mixed in!

I'm starting with the dining room because it is my favorite.

I can't get over how gorgeous these chairs are.

I adore the fabric and the painted finish. Don't you?

I always love swirly metal chandeliers and the buffet's gorgeous too.

Oh yes and the rug! Yes, love the rug.

All kinds of prettiness on the buffet.

From the rich silver service on the buffet.

To the barley twist lamps.

The mirror is fab too!

The living room is very formal, but the furniture still looks comfortable.

I think that's so important.

One time I visited a very lovely home for a friends baby shower and all I could think about was how

sore my hiney was.

Beauty never out weighs comfort.

(except with shoes (jk) :)

Another view of the living room.

Arched topped armoire's have always been my favorite.

Did you notice the framed fabric in the background.

A very economical wall decor.

A little eating area off the living room with one of the giant clocks I love so much.

I'm going to put my two cents worth in and say they should paint the chairs to have the same

finish as the armoire.

The master bedroom looks so luxurious with it's touches of metallic.

Another gorgeous chandelier.

I think the fabric on the bedding is so lovely.

Did you notice the mirror?

It's such a pretty, feminine shape.

This is the nicest office I have ever seen!

So very functional, with tons of storage.

Check out the amazing ceiling!

Oh my goodness. So, so pretty.

A bedroom fit for a princess.

Make that two princesses!

Old Wooden Box Made Over

2011-08-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I went to a Threshing Bee (which I'll talk about in another post) amongst other things, there was a little flea market being held there.

The prices were terrific and I came home with as many goodies as the children and I could carry.

A man at the flea market tried to sell me this horrible box.

I said "no thanks".

He said "how about a dollar".

"Well, okay".

It's a crime that someone spray painted this little ol' box silver and covered up the typography, but since it was so cheap I decided it was worth making over.

I slapped one coat of each of these paints on.

I didn't even have the paint dry between coats.

I just painted one layer on top of another.

Here's how it looked after the paint dried.

Then I broke out my "fancy" new wax and used it for the first time.

I wanted the piece to look older to match the inside of the box.

(which is pretty cruddy looking)

(in a good way :)

Here's the finished product.

I filled it with wild flowers from my back yard, they are inside mini vases that you can't see.

Next summer I hope to fill it with hydrangea's.

I'm putting in some bushes this Fall.

I upgraded my picnik account (for editing photos) so I'll be trying out different textures and lighting.

Hope it doesn't annoy anybody. ;)

More info on Target's French farmhouse dish towel

2011-08-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

I got an email from Melaine of My Sweet Savannah (my blogging hero!!) asking for more information on the French farmhouse style dish towel I got at Target yesterday.

Some of you may want the same information so I thought I'd share it with the whole class.

I feel I should mention that I shop at a Super Target.

It has a full size grocery store in it, so it's possible it carries more merchandise than most Target's.

I feel that I practically live at Target so I'm certain that these kitchen products are new.

Everything is so cute!

It almost makes me wish I had red in my kitchen.

Here's close up for the Alabert dish towel.

Here's the front of the tag......

.........and here's the back.

I checked yesterday and they aren't selling the stuff online.

Hopefully they will soon!

I picked up an extra towel today which I will include in a giveaway I'm having in September.

Look what I found......

2011-08-16T11:01:00.000-07:00

Just a quick break from my blogging break to to show you the darling dish towel I found at Target today!

Squeeeeeeal, it's so cute!

They have other coordinating kitchen items too.

I plan on making my dish towel into a pillow for my twelve year old son's room.

Of course when I told him that he was horrified.

He's just not diggin' vintage style.......sigh.

Taking a Blogging Break......

2011-08-01T06:21:00.000-07:00

....this month. I'll see you in September. Have a great rest of the summer!

House Beautiful

My Patio

2011-07-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

My patio is complete (for now).

We moved into this house in June and I wanted to use the patio right away.

So besides buying a new table I tried to use things we already had.

I used some purple toile fabric that I've had stashed for years to brighten up the table.

Next to my hypertufa planter I placed a real birds next we found near the patio when we moved in.

I got excited when remembered I had this large aqua stone which helps tie in with all the other aqua pieces I've added to the patio. (which I talked about in my last post)

This little twig table used to be in my son's woodland themed nursery, but now that he's a very active toddler I decided a glass top table might not be a good choice for his room anymore.

The lanterns were on clearance at Target.

These flowers looked so pretty two days ago, but we've been getting alot of storms and a bunch of the petals fell off and blew away. The faux nest has little touches of grey/aqua on the leaves.

I seem to have a plethora of side tables in my house so I grabbed this makeover table of mine and placed it outside. You need to have plenty of places to put your lemonade glass. :)

I got the coffee table from World Market on clearance. Those of you who have seen my patio at my old house may wonder what happened to my old DIY patio table. It was slightly too tall which made lounging with my feet up uncomfortable. Comfort is a must at my house, so I sold it on craigslist .The lady who bought it is really the queen of re-using because she was going to turn my coffee table into a pot rack and hang it from the ceiling. So cool!

Now I'll move onto the other side of the patio.

I've shown you my pots I've turned into side tables last summer, if you'd like to see how to make them click here. When I get a chance I hope to do a follow up post showing how these have held up.

I'm going to stop talking now and just show you photos.

I'm still looking for the perfect indoor/outdoor rug for the space.

I just used this grain sack style rug for the photos.

(thanks Dina :)

Don't be surprised if the patio looks different next summer. :)

There are things I still want to change, but for now I have a nice place to sit and watch my kids play.

Bringing color to my patio

2011-07-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

Normally I love neutrals, but I was feeling like my patio was looking kind of blah.

A summer patio should have a sense of fun to it.

So how to add a little color, but not spend (almost) any money?

(my cuties in the background are getting ready for a squirt gun battle)

We've had some big thunderstorms this summer and the strong winds broke some of my pretty nick nacks I had sitting outside.

So I gathered some metal items from around the house to use on the patio.

Hopefully they will stay intact in a storm.

I sprayed them all with Rustoliem in aqua.

It was really bright. I was kinda horrified!

So I grabbed some sandpaper and sanded the heck out of them.

Ah, much better! Much more me.

Spraying all the pieces the same color unifies them and sanding them gives them the vintage look I love.

We have this fabulous cloche my son gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago.

I did get his permission before I painted it. :)

This birdcage was originally dark green, but when I sanded it the brown metal shows through.

The small finial was cream and the larger one was brown.

The difference between the shades of aqua really surprised me.

It is much lighter on the finial that was cream underneath.

Which sounds like it should be obvious, but spray paint usually covers pretty good and I wasn't expecting such a difference.

Do you want to see more?

I'm going to show you the whole patio in my next post...... :)

PRIMP

Antique Faire Fun

2011-07-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

One thing I was really excited about when I found out we were moving to Illinois was that I would be near lots of great antique shopping.

But since we have been here I haven't had the chance to do any....until now!

I was worried when we had thunderstorms all night, but the sign said rain or shine so off I went!

This was my favorite booth.

She had so many neat rusty metal things.

All kinds of beautiful plants and charming vintage items.

I was too shy to take photos at first, then I heard the vendor was in the bathroom so I started snapping away. When the vendor came back, my little guy started calling me, so it gave me the excuse to take off.

The more I think about it, the more I feel pretty foolish.

I should have just told the lady that I loved here space and asked permission to take photos for my blog.

Duh! Lesson learned.

So do you want to see what treasures I came home with?

(from a different vendor)

I found this very cute pediment.

It may be a reproduction. I'm not sure.

But, I wanted one for above my kitchen window and it was only $10.00.

I brought it home and it fits the spot perfectly, yay!

I can't wait to hang it, but I plan on waiting until I paint the kitchen.

Which probably won't be until this winter.

I want to spend as much time as possible in the sunshine while I can.

I also found this great vintage box.

I am quite sure that it really is old.

Side note, check out the pretty view in my backyard.

I love it here!

Love the chippy paint and rusted nails.

I think I'll have a lot of fun with this piece.

It was ten dollars too.

Spent my twenty bucks then ran home because it was huuuumid!

This mama is very happy with her new (old) white treasures!

Our little trip to the waterpark

2011-07-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

Last week my husband surprised us by booking a stay at a waterpark resort.

The room was so cute. It had cottage style furniture, but was decorated in bright tropical colors.

Here's a big bucket of water being dumped on Grant.

I love the sweet little smile on Levi's face and that Grant was willing to take a break from the big water slides to spend some time with his little brother.

Love Gran'ts face here....pure joy!

Levi quickly learned to turn his head each time he went down so he wouldn't get a face full of water.

My favorite part of any water park....the lazy river!!

Thanks to my honey for the great family time!

Beachfront Showhouse

2011-07-13T07:53:00.000-07:00

Our family will be away for a couple of days playing at the waterslides.

But before we go I wanted to leave you with a yummy home tour!

I'm starting with the dining room because it's my favorite room in this house!

I love the scrolly metal legs on the table and the beautiful upholstered chairs.

Behind the table built in shelves filled with wonderful beachy decor.

I love how the living room mixes formal and rustic elements.

There's that coffee table I've had my eye on too!

Neat rustic shelving.

It reminds me of driftwood.

Very formal chandy and rustic mirror frame.

I find it so difficult to mix formal and rustic.

But I love it!

Hopefully I'll be able to figure it out someday for my own home.

There's "my" table again with a pretty white couch.

The bedroom has such a nice soft palette.

Modern touches, but it still looks cozy.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a chaise to snuggle up on and read a good book?

A little sitting area.

Because even if you live on the beach you still have to pay the bills. ;)

Nook full of grays....

Another cozy bedroom.

I love the floors in this kitchen!

Love the patina on the kitchen table.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Before I go I want to thank all of you that gave suggestions for cleaning my hardwood floors.

It was very helpful!

Hugs to you!!!

Photos from Traditional Home magazine.

I need your advice....hard wood floors

2011-07-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

Ina Garten's kitchen via house Beautiful

For the first time ever I have hard wood floors (yay!).

However I have no idea how to take care of them.

I think the floors on the main level are oak and in the basement we have bamboo.

The floors are sealed.

So how do you care for your floors?

Any wonderful products/techniques/tips you can share with me?

Any advice on what not to use or do?

Please share.....

...........and thank you in advance!

Knock Off Potential-Coffee Tables

2011-07-04T15:43:00.000-07:00

I fell in love with this gorgeous room the moment I saw it on The Paper Mulberry.

Especially the beautiful and unusual coffee table.

I just love the scrolly gray metal legs and the beautiful pale wood on top.

Here's another view of this breathtaking room.

But I wondered, where would one even find a coffee table like this?

And how much would it cost?

I found this table for only $25.00 on craigslist!

Now use your imagination.....

Paint the scrolly legs gray and then dry brush some white on top.

Remove the glass top and replace it with some wood planks.

Can you see how beautiful this could be and for so little money?!

I also love the industrial style coffee tables at Restoration Hardware.

This one is over $1,000......

This one is also over $1,000.

But there are some knock off's out there.

World Market sells this one for $279.99.

Lamps Plus sells theirs for $219.91 (who knew they sold coffee tables?).

Want to pay even less????????

I found this table on craigslist for $75.00!

I would cut down the sides on the top of this table so it is the same size as the metal base.

I would also remove the glossyness from the wood and distress it.

So the lesson is: Use your imagination and scour craigslist like crazy and you can save some dough!

p.s. I didn't buy either table from craigslist. I'm still designing my living room in my mind.

(does that sound weird?) You know what I'm talking about. Right?!

p.p.s. I still plan on showing you what I bought at Ikea but I have been working very hard refinishing the table and chairs for my breakfast room. I will try to photograph stuff soon!

Lovely Aqua and Green Kitchen

2011-06-28T19:41:00.000-07:00

I am working on projects around my home but I haven't had time to photograph anything yet.

So I thought I'd share photos of this gorgeous kitchen from BHG online.

I am thinking of using green and aqua in my kitchen as accents.

My kitchen won't look anything like this but it's still fun to get ideas.

Wanna see a before photo?

Wowzers!!

Quite a difference, eh!

The white shelves just pop against the aqua beadboard.

I really think blue, green, and white is yummy together!!

A before shot of the sink side of the kitchen.

Are you ready for the after.......

Ka-pow!!

Such a difference!

Love the curvy faucet!

Before photo of the breakfast nook.

Hello, the 1970's wants its nook back.

Isn't it so so pretty!!!!!

~sigh~

One more shot of pure kitchen beauty.

My trip to Ikea....

2011-06-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

There is no Ikea in Las Vegas. Oh the suffering I went through for six years......;)

I would always spend the day at Ikea when visiting my dad in Arizona,

but there was only so much that would fit in the car!

Now that we live in Illinois there is an Ikea close by, yay!!

I thought you might like to see what caught my eye.

I'm really digging the white chairs and the vintage style light pendants in this room.

The lacy plant pots on the table are really pretty too!

Ikea used to be so modern, but this bedroom is full of cottage style.

Doesn't this chaise look cozy?

I love the beautiful gray flowers on this duvet.

It was only $39.99 for a full/queen.

Here is how it looks on a bed.

Loving the sweet chandy and the vintage style clock on the nightstand.

I adore the print on this duvet too!

Aren't these huge flower light fixtures cool!

Pretty in pink.....

It's hard to tell but the glass on this lamp is a pretty pale pink.

Speaking of glass lamps....

I love this one!

It would look great with beachy decor.

I think this lamp has a beachy look to it too with the wicker lampshade.

I love the color on this chair.

It's a French country gray shade.

I'm trying to figure out a place to put one in my house. ;)

Isn't this strawberry baby bedding adorable!!

I love these coordinating curtains too!

But my main reason for my trip to Ikea was to look at their couches and slipcovers!

Levi likes the white Ektorp too!

I'll show you what I came home with in another post.

If you're interested......

"New" Cane back Chairs for the Kitchen

2011-06-17T12:39:00.000-07:00

Before we moved I sold our kitchen table and chairs. A glass top table and kids do not mix!!
Now that we are getting settled into our house in Illinois we are really missing having a table to eat at!
We have been gathering around an outdoor bistro set that is meant for two people.

So I have been obsessively checking craigslist and boy did I score!
I got six cane back chairs for only $25.00 a piece. One arm chair and five side chairs.
They were in the neighborhood right next to mine so I didn't even have to travel far!

I love the curvy backs and the carved detail at the top.

The legs have nice details too!
I am looking forward to painting and distressing them as well as recovering the seats.
I think these ducklings will turn into swans!

Now I just have to find the perfect table......and cheap!

My (old) Family Room

2011-06-12T06:33:00.000-07:00

I meant to post this before I moved, but with all the problems that Bloggers been having I didn't get to it.

We are all moved into our new house in Illinois now and are busy unpacking and cleaning etc.

These photos are of the family room in our old home in Las Vegas.

When we moved to LV, I was very into the Old World style.

My new family room will look very different (no red), but

I thought it would be fun to show you these pictures.

I hope you don't mind if I don't chat, but just show you the pictures.

The BIG "Martin" chair (remember on Fraser).

I actually bought this big burgundy monster!

My hubby is 6'9" and I wanted him to have someplace comfy to sit.

I am on the hunt for a more attractive, but equally comfortable replacement.

~wish me luck ~

Good bye for a little while......

2011-05-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

(our new home)

In just a few short days we will be leaving Las Vegas and moving to the suburbs of Chicago Illinois!

Friday was my sons last day of school and I am ready to take on summer vacation full force!

I probably won't have internet access for a little while, but I will be back soon.

Later lovies.....

p.s. If you're having trouble leaving comments on blogger check out the comments on this post HERE for some great suggestions.