Friday, July 31, 2015

White Washed

Recently, I found out that referring my paint recipe as "chalk paint" was actually an infringement on a trademark owned by Annie Sloan. I do not want to step on toes and meant no disrespect-I did edit blog posts where I wrongly used that term.

So, I made up some of my favorite plaster-of-paris paint that I am just going to call "pop" paint. I used it to paint the lamps and believe it or not 2 cups of paint goes a long way.

Painted lamps and picture frame.

I looked around at my piles of stuff to do to see what would benefit from a little freshening up.



I started with this cute little chest. It was my mom's. I used it for a while to keep tea packets in. The country cranberry color was not my style, though. When I decided to paint it I found a sticker on the bottom that said not to keep food items in it!  I ended up throwing out like a hundred tea bags. I have not yet grown a third eye or developed any strange rash but if I do I am pointing to my potentially tainted tea bags.



I gave it a coat of paint.  While that was drying I looked around for something else to paint because there was still paint left. I found a picture frame that needed a coat or two. In the catagory of "I have too many of these things" is empty picture frames. (The other things are pottery and fabric.......and unfinished projects.) Don't judge.

This is what is left of my cleaned out fabric stash, Oooo!

Okay, that's drying so I went back to the chest and gave it a second coat.

I still have paint! What else?

I bought this about a year ago at the Vintage Peacock. I did not know what I was going to do with it. I thought to maybe hang it over a doorway or in a wall grouping; perhaps over a window as a valance....I wasn't sure but I just liked it!



Looking at the pediment on top of Anita's bookcase at Cedar Hill Farmhouse and reading comments from people who were giving their opinions inspired me to paint it.

I dry-brushed it with my pop paint and let it dry. Dry brushing is not an accurate science, Simply dip your brush in paint then wipe most of it off onto a paper towel or craft paper. What is left on the brush is what you will paint with. Make your strokes light and sweeping. You don't want to see stop and start points. Let it dry, you can come back to it if you want more paint on the piece.

The frame got a second coat. The chest got it's drawer pulls put back on.

I searched my tool chest and the basement workbench for L-brackets and my handy-dandy screw gun. By the time I came back upstairs everything was dry. I attached the L-brackets to the back of the carved wood piece. I took it into the dining room and mounted it to the ceiling to top off my built in shelves. (Originally, I built them -all by myself- for our classroom and now they hold serving pieces.)



Painted chest-empty for now.


All this and I still had about 1/2 cup of pop paint! I couldn't find anything else to paint so I ended up tossing the rest out. Very sad, I know but I can make more....and you know I will!


Linking Up
Between Naps On The Porch
Party Time!

Monday, July 27, 2015

Linking Up

Blog Parties I Like To Attend!

Monday

Inside The Fox Den (My Pinterventures)
Cedar Hill Farmhouse
Coastal Charm
Sew Can Do
Flamingo Toes
I Should Be Mopping The Floors
Skip to My Lou
Cupcakes and Crinoline
Home Stories A to Z
Huckleberry Love
My Uncommon Slice of Surburbia, (Domestically Speaking)(Sand and Sisal )
VMG 206
Creatively Living
Plucky's Second Thought
The Dedicated House
Karen's Up On The Hill
Create With Joy
Mad In Crafts
Carrie This Home
The Crafty Blog Stalker
Between Naps On The Porch
Strangers and Pilgrims On Earth
Yes They Are All Ours

Tuesdays

A Stroll Thru Life
Our Home Away From Home
Elizabeth & Co.
DIY Dreamer
A Bowl Full of Lemons
Cozy Little House
Just A Girl And Her Blog
LadyBug Blessings
One Krieger Chick
Wednesdays

Savvy Southern Style
The Blissful Bee
Crafty Allie
Gingersnap Crafts
Simply Designing
The Dedicated House (Before and After)
Live, Laugh, Rowe
DIY by Design
Modern Pilgrim
The Fab Journey
A Little R&R
Handy Man, Crafty Woman
Ivy and Elephants

Thursday

Imparting Grace
Lambert's Lately
Grace and Good Eats
Too Much Time On My Hands
AKA Design
The Charm Of Home
Life With Lorelai
Common Ground
From My Front Porch To Yours
My Flagstaff Home
Joyful Homemaking
Have A Daily Cup Of Mrs. Olson
Crafts ala Mode
Blesser House
Must Love Home
Pin Junkie
A Delightsome Life
Craftberry Bush
Snazzy Little Things
My Repurposed Life

Friday

French Country Cottage
The Shabby Nest
Chic On A Shoestring
Craft Dictator
Whipperberry
Remodelaholic
Just Us Four
My Romantic Home
The Cottage Market
The DIY Village
DIY Vintage Chic
Blooming Homestead
The Girl Creative
Craft-O-Maniac
Little Miss Celebration
Satisfaction Through Christ
Missional Women

Saturday

Pieced Pastimes
Funky Junk Interiors

Sunday

Nifty Thrifty Things
DIY Showoff
Under the Table and Dreaming
Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home,
Finding Silver Pennies
Thoughts From Alice
Little House of Four

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Bazaar Trip


Ah.........Summer! For me summers are like a long anticipated, extra-special guest and this year with record snow falls in the region the wait seemed especially long. Now that it is here I want to cherish every moment of it because before I know it summer will slip away like sand through my fingers.

Summer for me has many facets to it. The beaches are a big part of it! The Swan Boats in Boston Common and dipping my toes into the Frog Pond are a must and if I am lucky we might even get away to the Cape. For me, summer also means shopping at various flea markets, craft fairs and farmer's markets. One of my very favorite venues has become The Vintage Bazaar held at Pettengill Farm in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts; much smaller than Brimfield but every bit worth the effort to attend.


If you love the beach or coastal living this is absolutely the place to go for decor and inspiration.


Queenie B's-Cindy Diorio at Flukes+Finds+Friends

There is a little bit of old hippie living in a corner of my heart. If you're a little bit "hippie chick" this is the place for you.

One of Devon's booths. She is the "founder, producer and bazaar maven" of The Vintage Bazaar.



Throw on a pair of cowboy boots and your hippie just turned down a country road!



Vintage Bazaar
If you like old things used in new ways or re-imagined into useful things for today well, this is where you should be.

Excentrique's use of an old mailbox. A little different take on junk mail?
Excentrique's old enamel pot with a grapevine wreath and potted geranium. (Bad pun intended.)

Red Tractor Vintage uses an old pulley to suspend a light.


Maybe you're like me and just enjoy being around creative people. You will not find a more creative or eclectic bunch than at The Vintage Bazaar. 


I am convinced that I belong in a beach house but reality doesn't seem to agree with me. I have adapted and learned over the past twenty years of living here that summers go too quick for my liking. As a result I have resorted to decorating with a more coastal vibe in my home-trying to savor every bit of outdoor living even when the temperatures force me indoors. As I perused the booths this year I was struck at just how many vendors seemed to summon my thoughts to a seaside retreat or to maybe sit in a swing in some secret garden.



Painted furniture continues to be on everybody's list. The colors varied from traditional whites and blues to some gorgeous shades of greens and corals. If you have an old banged up piece of furniture a new coat of paint can work wonders. I have tried my hand at it a few times and you can see them here, and here and here. There are several home-made paint formulas available on Pinterest or purchase ready made ones like Cari Cucksey's from Cash & Cari on HGTV. If you are new at painting furniture she was holding a workshop at the Bazaar!

Cari Cucksey's Repurpose ChromaColor Recolor Paint
2 years ago we got a picture with Cari!


If painted furniture is not your thing leave it natural, maybe seal it with a good sealer. I like Waterlox and have had excellent results with their products. If you are more interested in a finished product I found beautiful tables made from pallet wood by Ingrained. They were so smoooooth! This could be for a coastal decor, industrial, cottage, country, minimalist....the possibilities are endless and the results are simply lovely! They do custom work if you are looking for something specific.


Ingrained

Ingrained
I met Matthew Mead, upcycler and former style editor of Country Home magazine, and took away this inexpensive tip: painted rocks! What an easy way to add some color to a dining table, bookshelf, or maybe even planters. Paint them to match your outdoor dining ware or furniture and use them to hold down tablecloths on a windy day.





 I am also borrowing this idea: old photos attached to empty glass bottles or vases held secure by photo corners.



Pretty Danielle and her handy husband at Finding Silver Pennies were loaded with so many beautiful pieces I couldn't possibly show them all. I have followed her blog for some time and it was a pleasure to meet her. Her painted pieces were beautiful and impeccably beachy! One idea that can be done for your home is a paper wreath using maps. Use maps of a place you want to remember-it doesn't have to be a coastal town. Perhaps use maps of places you would like to visit, where you met your spouse, where the children were born....you get the idea.




I met several ladies in the Coastal Windows & Exteriors booth. A summer house needs beautiful windows to look through-whether you are looking in or looking out. Lucia Lighting and Design and Muzio Designs shared the booth. They can help you make in the inside of your home reflect the beauty of the outside or go a completely different direction. Their websites are full of ideas. 

Oh, I do wish I had a place for this!

Mill 77 Trading Company not only spoke to my infatuation with the ocean but also to the nostalgic side of me with these:

The bench was made from old doors! 



They had all kinds of vintage business signs and I am old enough to remember when some of them were in use and in style!

You could decorate with a vintage truck like Dustcovery!

Wouldn't you love one of these to drive around town in?


Perhaps vintage kitsch is more your style?

Never used! That's what the tag said.


Dish Sisters
For those who like an earlier decorating era- Poverty Hollow Primitives was representing:


For your home, whether painted or natural, rusty, galvanized or shiny, new or new-to-you, leather or lace, vintage or primitive, smooth-as-silk finished or fabulously chippy, if you really love it you will find a way to make it work. "Rules" are guides in decorating. If you want a big huge cow on your wall go for it! If a lamp made from tea pots and a topped with a baby doll head in steam punk fashion makes your heart jump then you can find a way to work it in. It's your home; fill it with things that you love and then find ways to use them to serve others! Happy Summer!


Linking Up!

Friday, July 3, 2015

Raspberry Lemonade Spritzer

Perfect for a summer day! This recipe came about when I didn't have enough lemonade or ice for six people and I didn't have time to run to the store.



Lemonade of your choice
1 cup frozen raspberries
2 cups ice
Seltzer water or sparkling water- flavored or unflavored

Pour one cup lemonade into blender. Add raspberries and ice. Blend to smoothie consistency, adding more lemonade if needed.



 Pour lemonade into glasses filling them only 1/2 full.



Add some blended ice mixture and top glass with seltzer water. Ta-da!


It is not too sweet; very refreshing for a summer day! Enjoy!

Linking Up:
The Shabby Nest, Chic On A Shoestring, Craft Dictator, Just Us Four, I Heart Naptime, The Girl Creative, The DIY Village, DIY Vintage Chic, Blooming Homestead, Pieced Pastimes, Nifty Thrifty Things, Finding Silver Pennies, Thoughts From Alice, My Pinterventures, Plucky's Second Thought, The Dedicated House, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, Huckleberry Love, Karen's Up On The Hill, Create With Joy, Carrie This Home, Strangers and Pilgrims On Earth, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, Coastal Charm, Flamingo Toes, Skip To My Lou, Cupcakes and Crinoline, Home Stories A to Z, Sand & Sisal, A Stroll Thru Life, Elizabeth & Co. DIY Dreamer, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Our Home Away From Home, Cozy Little House, Just A Girl And Her Blog, Tip Junkie, Creatively Living, Savvy Southern Style, Blissful Bee, Modern Pilgrim, Simply Designing, Gingersnap Crafts, Live Laugh Rowe, DIY by Design, Crafty Allie, Grace and Good Eats,Pin Junkie, My Flagstaff Home, AKA Design, Lambert's Lately, Imparting Grace, Too Much Time On My Hands, Common Ground, From My Front Porch To Yours, Jann Olson