Put Your Feet Up

The transformation of the Pretty Room is coming along nicely.  I've finished slipcovering the pair of ottomans and now we have a place to rest our weary feet.

The room has changed drastically from the sage green walls and all the pink, but it was time and I'm loving the peacefulness I find when I'm in here. 

I still have pink touches.  Even though I don't have a picture of it today, I have left my pink coffee table made from a vintage door in the room as well as some pink shelving.  The cottage beach theme feels like coming home since I grew up in St. Joseph, Michigan located on Lake Michigan.

The other day I found my Grandmother's blue ball canning jars, one of the things I acquired after her passing many years ago.  I was in college then and had no idea what I would use them for.  Throughout the years I have put many a posy in them.  The glass reminds me of water, and they look so pretty on top of the cabinet with the morning light shining through them.  They cast an iridescent glow.  

What are you up to today?

Joyfully,

The Transformation Continues

The transformation of the pretty room continues.  After years of sage green and pink, I have changed to a soft blue and cream color palette with touches of pink and yellow.  It's got a beachy cottage feel to it.  Yesterday I painted this cabinet "Old White" from the Annie Sloan paint collection.  Previously it was the antique yellow that remains on the trim and inside the cabinet.  I had not used this paint before but I love it and highly recommend it.  There is no prepriming and sanding involved.  Once the paint is on you apply their soft wax, distress and wax again.  The process was so easy.  The paint dries almost immediately after putting it on - what a dream!

I filled it with old quilts, some I made and some vintage and my Nicole Sayre pieces I love so much.  I moved this stool near the cabinet.  I found the stool with the pretty cover at a barn sale.

Things are coming along and I'm enjoying filling the room very slowly as I find things I like.   Many touches have come from other parts of the house.  I love it when that happens.

The new couch arrived and we are all loving it.  It has a relaxed feel with the slip cover and is a bit longer than the old one so that we have plenty of room to sit together.

I rehung the mirror that I made years ago in an art class.  I thought I would share a corner of the mirror detail with you.  I still love this piece even after all these years.  I'm off to see what else I can find for the room.  Have a wonderful day!

Hugs,

A Star and a Transformation

The fifth quilt block in the series is simply called the "Star".  It was paper pieced.  I really enjoyed the process but for some reason my block measures at 11.5" and it should measure 12.5".  I'm not worried, I will add a bit of white and cut it to size.  No point in wasting a good block.  I've learned after all these years of quilting and knitting, there are ways to make things work and no one knows but you.  The Amish actually put a mistake in their quilting on purpose because God is the only one who is perfect.  I don't have to purposely place a mistake, they manage to spring up all on their own!

I've been working on a project that is now starting to take shape.  I'm currently redoing the Pretty Room. This picture above is what is has looked like for the past eight years.  I have been feeling the need to pair down and simplify my home and other aspects of my life.  I've been thinking a lot about growing up on Lake Michigan and how that has shaped me.  So I decided to head to a more beachy calm, cottage feeling.

So with that in mind, my daughter and I painted the room this soft shade of grey blue.  We left the Bible verse as I love it so.  Today two chairs were delivered that I have been waiting on for weeks now.  This slip-covered, washable fabric is just as I had dreamed.  A new couch will arrive next week.

I found this lamp at T.J. Maxx and filled it with sand and shells from our trips to Siesta Key, Florida.  It casts the loveliest warm glow in the room.

I started looking around and found other things I could pull into the room from different parts of the house.  This dish was on the porch and I put beach glass and pottery that my brothers and I found on the shores while we were growing up.

The rest of the beach glass has found it's way into a jar I found at T.J.'s as well.  A moved the shell from upstairs to the mantle and continued my search.

These two beauties were hanging out upstairs, part of the collection of salt and pepper shakers that my daughter has.  I knew I could find a new home for them.

The mermaids landed next to this cute salt and pepper clam set that I found on a recent trip to the town I grew up in.

I had to include this plate as well.  So many of the places listed I have been to at some point in my life.

There is still a lot to be done.  The ottomans are getting a new slip cover when I can fit that in.  I have a quilt in mind to hang on the wall, I just have to make it!  I also have a cabinet to paint as well as a little doll chair.  I'm keeping my pink coffee table and shelf in the room but most pink touches will be subtle.  It's fun to go slow and take my time.  I will share more when I get things done.  Blessings!

Joyfully,

Tickled Pink!

I've been looking forward to sharing with you the latest addition to my kitchen, my new kitchen island!  My friend John made this for me out of an old buffet that he found.   All it needed was some loving care, a fresh coat of pink paint, a new top and it was good to go!

I love the beadboard that he placed on the front of it.  He has stamped his name on the inside of one of the drawers and I love that every time I open it, I think of him.  I have limited storage space in my pantry and am so pleased that this is big enough to hold all of my baking supplies.

My friend, Diane, painted this old Singer sewing machine stand white and asked me if I wanted it - did I ever!  It makes a great end table in the pretty room and a great space to store the cute stuffed lamb that my friend Joyce gave me.  My first machine was a Singer, as was my Mom's and my Grandma's so I especially like having this piece.  I am truly tickled pink!

With joy,

Sit A Spell

There are many places in my home that I enjoy, but none compare to what we call the "Pretty Room".  It's here where the vintage, shabby, handmade and new all come together to create a peaceful place that I enjoy.

From old doors, like my pink door coffee table, to iron gates, to old wooden screen doors like the one in the first picture, everything seems to come together to create a style that I adore.

I decorate with scripture china, old tea cups, doilies, mirrors, hankies, candles, silk plants, cake toppers, vintage bibles, hymnals, and picture books (to name a few).

Many friends and family have added to my collections over the years.  From Char's hand painted picture above, to the footstool showcasing my Mom's cross-stitch and the Debbie's tea cups.   No matter what comes in, most of it has been used and loved by someone before me.  I find this a comforting thought as it seems to stitch us all together in time and place.

Be blessed,

Scripture and Roses

I was looking around the Pretty Room and noticed how many pieces of pottery I have with scripture verses and poems on them.  They always seem to find me at flea markets and jump into my hands.  Really, I don't have a choice, they must come home with me.

Many of them are adorned with beautiful roses and painted with gold trim.  They are such a lovely reminder of a gentler time in our society.

I particularly like this planter with the soft shades of pink dogwood.  Most of these pieces aren't marked so I don't know who made them, but I'm really glad they did.

The roses on this plate are so pretty.  This plate reads, "Give us this day our daily bread".  Let that be our prayer today, with thanksgiving.

Be blessed,

There's One More...

How is Thursday in your neck-of-the-woods? Oh my, it's cold and dreary in southwest Michigan. Makes you want to cook something comforting, drink something hot and caloric, and curl up with a good book (or a good stack of fabric!). I apologize for this picture turning out alittle dark. Believe it or not, I had a bunch of lights on, and it was even sunny when I took it, but our house sits in a direction where we don't get much sunlight inside. I'm surprised we don't have moss growing on the walls. Most of my house is yellow or a cheerful wallpaper, but alas, I went with MOSS green in the pretty room. Back to my door. I found this at the flea market that meets at a local fairground nearby. I just loved that someone put a shelf on top and painted in pink. The little angel holds a banner that says, "Dream". I do alot of dreaming in this room. Today seems like a good day for curling up and dreaming. Be blessed today, be thankful...

My Pink Door

Happy Wednesday to everyone! Another pretty room post. I want to share with you a focal point of this room, my unusual coffee table. I found this pink door on an antiquing jaunt. It was an unusually small size and the shop owner thinks that it was a door located underneath stairs. I immediately pictured a coffee table out of it. We have a wonderful shop in our area called, "Another Man's Treasure" and I comissioned Sharon, the owner, to make a table for me. Sharon is a very talented artist who makes wonderful pieces from discarded furniture. Didn't she do a wonderful job? I asked her to leave the hardware intact and if you look closely you can see the handle on the right. You can also see Max, our golden, on the left who somehow manages to get into many a photo...

So my obession with doors continues. A verse to ponder today, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:7&8 Have a joyfilled day!

The Pretty Room

I have a love of old, worn, pretty things. I like to think about where these things might have come from and the people that had these items. We have a room in our house called "The Pretty Room" it's really for us girls. The boys have their man-cave that reflects their love of baseball, and we have The Pretty Room. This week while I'm working on a new sewing project, and before I can show it to you, I thought I'd show you some fun things in this room. One of my favorite things is the verse on the beam it is Isaiah 40:8, "The grass withers and the flowers fade but the Word of our God stands forever." When I am in there, it reminds me of what's important in life. I love old screen doors. I wish we would still use them. We had a metal screen door when I was growing up. I can remember summers and the sound that door made when my brothers ran in and out to play. I like the sound the door made, a happy sound announcing the arrival of someone. I daydream about this screen door. Was it on a farm house? Or an old victorian with a wrap-around porch? Wherever it stood, I hope it made that happy sound for someone. I hope too, that they enjoyed Isaiah 40:8 as much as I do.