Thursday, June 28, 2012

The Blue Room

Hi everyone!  I know... two posts in a week from me is crazy. I really have been trying to get back in the swing of things because I love sharing things I'm doing around the house. I wanted to share a tablescape, which is the very reason I started blogging in the first place. This one is very simple, rustic and elegant, and I brought "the box" back just for Kathryn at Take My Breath Away.


The rhododendrons here are just gorgeous and full of blooms this year and I wanted to use them inside. I brought back the box and placed them in mason jars.


This fabric is by Portfolio Textiles and is similar to one I fell in love with last year which started my love affair with blue. I made the runner with and added a feedsack ruffle, and I have layered it over a ruffled feedsack runner turned upside down. 


I'm using Mikasa's Italian Countryside dinnerware and flatware with vintage Colony/Indiana Glass "Whitehall" iced tea glasses in pink. I think the table still has a vintage feel even though the dinnerware and flatware are new.


This is such a simple table for a family dinner, but I really think all the elements together make it elegant at the same time. 


I love my feedsack ruffles. The fabric is so soft.


Did you notice my new color on the walls???? I LOVE this blue:-) It is "Secluded Guestroom" and is by Colorplace at Walmart. One coat of this covered the red. I have used this brand of paint a lot, and I really like how it covers and wears. 

I searched and searched for the perfect shade of blue that had that 1950s aqua feel which I so love in the vintage pyrex and melmac dinnerware. I love it with the gray trim on the doors also. I'm thinking the upper kitchen cabinets will get a lighter shade of the same gray.


I thought about covering or at least slipcovering the Duncan Phyfe chairs, but I really want that summer getaway feel where everything is not too matched. They need to stay dark in any case because we have three children! The corner cabinet is still filled with vintage treasures from my grandfather's store. I think my grandmother would be smiling if she could see all the things I have of hers:-)



Summer is in full swing here in the mountains and we have really been enjoying beautiful weather getting a few things done outside also. Hopefully, the chicken coup will be finished today and the chicks can enjoy their new home. It's really looking like a farm around here! Thanks so much for stopping by and for the sweet comments. I really do enjoy them. I'll be linking up to Tablescape Thursday, so be sure to go by there for a visit.

Anita



Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Old Bottles and Burlap...

Hi everyone! I hope you are staying cool in this heat. We just got through with two weeks of leading worship every night except one, so we are trying to get a few things done around the house. My sweet husband is outside now building a chicken coup for our chickens so they will be all ready to lay eggs in a few months. 

I wanted to share a vignette on my buffet for summer with all things found and natural. First up is the lamp.


If you saw my pink washstand makeover, you will remember this bottle lamp my grandmother had made. I rewired it and gave it a new shade that I embellished for my 10-year-old.  My grandmother had several and liked to make them. I took one of my grandfather's old vinegar bottles and made another one for my buffet.


I bought a plain white shade and covered it with burlap then trimmed. This was so easy to do. I filled the bottle with pea gravel, crushed seashells and a few whole shells. I remember my grandmother doing  this a lot. 


I love how the light shines through this shade at night.


Here it is with the light off.


I decided to add some more family things including my grandfather's books, and a collection of shells my grandmother had. She had written on some of the shells where they came from.


This coral filled with shells was always displayed at her house and since I got it, I have used it in several different places. 



You might remember the candle holder we made from wood a few years ago. I gave it an update and hollowed out a place to put a fern. I actually took small pieces of the bark and glued them on the pot so it would totally blend in. 


Luis cut these birch logs for me last winter in different sizes, so I thought I would add them here with some votives.


I am enjoying my updated buffet! It certainly has all the things I like including family pieces and organic elements. Plus, it goes with the summer cottage feel so prominent here in the North Carolina mountains.

Thanks so very much for stopping by!

Anita

 I'll be joining the following parties:

Wow Us Wednesday
Inspiration Friday
Vintage Inspiration Friday
Feathered Nest Friday
Home Sweet Home

Monday, June 18, 2012

Dreaming of Florida...

I have mentioned that my grandmother, Isabelle, was from Hypoluxo, Florida. In fact, her father, James W. Porter, a Dade County Commissioner, was a founder of Palm Beach County and owned 160 acres on the west side of Dixie Highway.  I found some interesting info about him in the the Palm Beach County, Lake Worth, and Hypoluxo records I will share later.  This is the house he built there from wood that had been washed ashore from shipwrecks. Obviously, my love of reusing old wood is in the blood.


James W. Porter


I have always loved the family history, and since we live on the land he bought here in North Carolina for a summer place, I am particularly fascinated. My grandmother had several homes in Florida and would frequently take things from her house here, and exchange them for furniture and accessories from there. I always remember her changing slipcovers, bedspreads, etc., in the summer for a different look. I really wanted to get the feel of the summer, mountain house but with things they might have brought with them to the mountains. It all started with the color blue and some vintage prints from Florida I had.


My grandmother had this collection of shells and coral that she had found, so I brought them in for this vignette. She is with my great grandmother in the photo. 


I added some of my grandfather's books, the feedsack lampshade, and some of her collectibles inside the cabinet. 

Here is a before at Christmas...now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE this shade of red too. Red Foxx by Kilz and it is not too bright, not too orange and no purplish undertones. 




I'm so in love with this color. I searched and searched for the exact shade I wanted and finally settled on "Secluded Guestroom" by Colorplace at Walmart. I have used this paint before, and it used to be made by Sherwin Williams, so it is good paint. I did not even have to prime over the red, which is unheard of...and it's $16 a gallon.  

This was a big change for me, but one I LOVE. I never would have thought I would ever have light blue, but now I'm noticing that so many people are using it everywhere. I'll eventually show all the changes:-)

I hope to be back to more regular blogging and more regular visiting you all next week. We are super busy playing/leading worship basically every night, but that's what we love and we are so excited to be doing it!

Anita

I'm linking up to these great parties, so go by for a visit!

Tabletop Tuesday

Wow Us Wednesday 

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

*Sigh.* 1950s cool stuff

Why is it, when I search out some seemingly obscure item like pink Pyrex, it ends up becoming the most sought after thing on ebay? This is my grandmother's "pink daisy" divided casserole...easy to find.   I searched and finally found the 2 1/2 quart casserole at a reasonable price, but have yet to score a 1 1/2 quart. Some lucky person outbid me on ebay and got one for $8, which is unheard of. They are usually in the $25 range with at least $10 shipping. I, of course, am never lucky enough to find one at a thrift store for $4.


                         Oh how I love this collection...

              (Photo courtesy Pinterest)


I saw the Pink "Gooseberry" Cinderella mixing bowls at an antique mall here for $29, $39, $49 per bowl. They are not even that much on ebay. Exactly why I do not shop at antique malls here. Most everything is way overpriced.

I also love the aqua Pyrex, and the "Amish Butterprint" pattern.

  (Photo courtesy Pinterest)

  (Photo courtesy Pinterest)

Then there are the canisters...


These are from LuLu's Vintage

and pink ones...


These were already sold from Ruby's Girl on Etsy. My grandmother had pink ones similar to this. 

I am also really digging chrome and aluminum kitchen accessories. Who knew? 


These are from the blog, Sleek and Simple Lines.

Oh be still my heart! So who has some of these things? I am still on the lookout, hoping to find a good deal, or someone who doesn't want them anymore.  

Just another little hint at the direction I seem to be taking around here...


Anita

** We are so swamped with musical engagements that I am just not able to keep up with everyone how I would like to these days, for which I seriously apologize.  If you have not clicked "Like" on my facebook page on the sidebar, please do so, so I can do a better job keeping up with the wonderful projects you all are doing. 



Friday, June 8, 2012

Oh so blue:-)

Honestly, I KNOW I am the worst blogger ever:-) I am still here, but things have been crazy! Luis and I have been so busy playing and we just started playing for a new youth worship service, and we have a youth revival, youth VBS and some other opportunities coming that we are busy preparing for plus three kids out of school for the summer.  In the meantime...


We have had bears visiting...


New chicks came to live here, although we started out with 7, we now have two. large, healthy ones! I cannot wait for organic eggs. 


And there have been a few significant changes that I can't wait to share with you. Can you guess this one? No, I haven't gone white but I did brighten things up a bit still with lots of color. I'll share these changes soon. I promise!

Anita