Decorating, Tablescaping, Before and Afters, Thrifty Finds, and Gardening
Mario Buatta, I'll marry you! And you only have to ask once! You'll have to watch the first of the two videos at the end of this post for that statement to make sense. :) For years I have had a big, big crush on Mario Buatta. Unfortunately, it's a case of unrequited love...he has no idea. ~~~SIGH~~~ Not only is Mario Buatta amazingly talented and one of my all time favorite designers, he's very much … [Read more...]
I don't know when I first fell in love with decorating in blue and white, I just know I passionately love it. We're talking, a-big-kiss-right-on-the-mouth, love it! I think it may have started when I found this Ralph Lauren comforter set for my guest room. I love flow blue transferware and have collected a few pieces over the years, so I guess the bedding reminded me of beautiful flow blue … [Read more...]
I am a lover of polished brass. There, I said it...right out loud! I'm sure you've noticed, brass has been getting a bad rap over the last few years. Its cousins chrome, nickel and oil-rubbed bronze have squeezed it out as the metal of favor. Now granted, I have seen some not-so-great brass in my days, the kind that looks lifeless and dull, or worse, pitted. But I never really understood why … [Read more...]
Look what's leaning against the wall of the screened in porch. It's going to replace this wooden screened door. I don't think the underneath part of the wood door was ever painted. Over the years when it has gotten wet, it would periodically swell up a bit and stick on the floor as the door was opened. I guess it eventually rotted or it must have gotten caught on the floor and broke away from … [Read more...]
This was the picture that really got me going on antlers, this time around. I've always loved seeing shed antlers used in wreaths and in other decorative ways and I've always had a passion for brown transferware. Phoebe Howard combined them for this wall and wow, I loved it the minute I saw it! I wish I could ask Phoebe Howard what inspired her to create this--what made her think to combine them. … [Read more...]
I'm convinced seashells are just about the most fun, least expensive decorating accessory you'll ever find for the summer house. Recently, I was shopping in Marshalls and came across this glass container for just $5.99. I loved the natural woven design surrounding it, especially its nice, aged "drift-wood" look. I had some inexpensive shells from Big Lots ($3) and decided to embellish it just a bit. … [Read more...]
Welcome to the 151st Metamorphosis Monday! Happy Holidays! Hope your weekend has been grand! I've been busy finishing the last bit of Christmas decorating for the front porch. Come a bit closer and check it out. I usually use pine garland around the door for Christmas, but last year I had to buy enough to go around the door twice because it was sort of skimpy looking. So this year I … [Read more...]
Recently, a reader e-mailed to ask a question no one had ever asked me before. The question was, how did I handle/cope with having a litter box in the house? What a great question! Back In The Day: When we bought this house 20 years ago, one of the things I liked most was it had a basement with an unfinished section, perfect for hiding the litter box. My last house didn't have a basement and we spent a … [Read more...]
While vacationing recently in Savannah, Georgia, we saw many beautiful, historic homes with wonderful front porches. It was not unusual to find the ceilings of the porches painted a color often referred to here in the south as "haint blue." Back in the day, folks could be pretty superstitious. Many believed if you painted the front ceiling of your porch haint blue, it would look like water and keep the … [Read more...]
