Vintage Thymes Monthly Market Is Back!

Vintage Thymes Monthly Market had been a favorite shopping event for me. (You can find old posts about them under the Out & About button at the top.) I loved going and finding one of a kind items and at the very least I would leave with boat-load of photos for you and inspiration for my own home. Imagine my disappointment when they announced that they were loosing there "home" that had afford them the luxury of being opened for only one special weekend a month. They did open a fall market at a farm last October (see it here) and the day and setting were perfect but left them still with no permanent home.

About a month ago the happy news came that they had found a home and they were ready to start up their monthly markets again! (Insert happy dance here.) Robin and Nancy contacted me and asked me to let you all know....now we can all dance together! As I have been following their Facebook page I have become increasingly excited about the different vendors that will be contributing to April's market. There are some old friends like lovely Mary Ellen from 23rd and Bird 

23rd and Bird's old space in Norwood.

Fleurish Home and Garden

Fleurish Home & Garden

and  Carole from Fleurish Home and Garden and many new (or new to me) vendors  readying themselves and their treasures for the market. I can't wait to meet them.

From their official press release:

 "Vintage Thymes is a monthly antique market run by Westwood residents Robin Hanlon and Nancy Murphy.  The only market of it’s kind in the Metro South area, Vintage Thymes offers themed shows one weekend a month.  The markets feature a hip collection of vintage, shabby-chic furniture, garden and home décor, as well as treasures from Hanlon and Murphy who are known for their creative ability to breathe new life into tarnished and dusty vintage items."

Ooh!  So, with just a little over a week away I wanted to let all you know about it. Who couldn't use a little decorating inspiration, a trip out of the house and chance to shake off those winter cobwebs? Me, me, me and hopefully you, too! My camera and I will be there. Hope to see you there April 8,9 &10!

Vintage Thymes Monthly Market  500 Providence Hwy, Rt.1, Norwood, MA

Here are some examples of things you may find there:


                           

Wood Window Valances

Recently, we relocated and remodeled the office area in our home. You can read about it in these posts; Normalcy,  Office Reno in Progress and Done For Now Office Reveal  This is what the room looked like before:

We got the majority of the work out of the way and the room is functional and comfortable.

The windows had me stumped. I originally wanted wood blinds or some sort of bamboo or natural material for the texture and color. We had already purchased the standard white black-out shades and did not want to spend a ton on different blinds or shades.

I did not want to cover the entire windows in curtains. A valance of some sort seemed to be the obvious solution but I wanted it to add texture to the room. My solution was to build window boxes. I pitched the idea to Mister and he was on board. (Ha-ha, the pun was unintentional but I am leaving there for you!) It was going to cost a lot less than the other options which I am sure went a long way in convincing him.

The windows are 36 inches wide to the outside trim. We purchased six 1x4x4 boards. Each board was cut to 37 1/2 inches to allot for the the width of the wood and for the return.  That is 36" across the face of the window and 3/4" on each end for the return. (Did you know that 1" thick wood is really only 3/4"?) For the return we cut 3" pieces. We (meaning Mister) made 6 boxes like this.

Only 3 boxes got this treatment, they will be the headers, the other 3 will attach-1 each under the header

To keep the boxes square Mister ripped down 3 pieces of wood, 36" long, to sit at the back, this will also act as our hanger. We needed only three because the valances will be two boards deep, each. The bottom box does not need the hanger part.

Mister glued and used a nail gun with small brads to nail the pieces together. Immediately wipe any excess glue off as it will hinder your stain from doing its job.

One of the top pieces.

I didn't bother to heavily sand or fill holes-impatient!

Mister dry fit each valance top. Using a small drill bit he drilled through the hanger piece the hammered a nail into the top of the trim. This will hold the valance in place in lieu of L-brackets or hangers. Each window had two nails on the outer edges. And his job was done.

We numbered each board so we knew which window went with each board when all was said and done.

After the glue completely dried I went to work. I tested variations on staining techniques. The first was just a gray stain, the second was walnut stain then a layer of weathered gray, and the third was weathered gray then a layer of walnut stain.

We decided on the medium color. I stained each board with dark walnut stain I had left over from another project. After that dried I applied a coat of weathered gray. I did not bother to sand the boards first. I wanted it to look a bit weathered or beachy....and I am a lazy diy-er.



After the stained dried I applied a coat of polyurethane and allowed it to dry...sort of.

Time to assemble!

I took one top box; it has the ripped down wood keeping it square and has the holes drilled into it for hanging and one 2 sided box and lined them up using a penny at each end for a spacer. I wanted just a little space between the boards. I purchased 6 mending plates from Lowes and used self driving screws that were 5/8" long to be sure they did not pull through the front.

One in place....

And the rest and with that the office is officially, completely done....unless I think of something else to do in there.

Thanks for hanging in there with me on this one! Now, what's next?


Partying here;
McCall Manor, Up To Date Interiors, The Curator's Collection, Imparting Grace, Joyful Homemaking, A Cup of Mrs. Olson, Must Love Home, Shabby Art Boutique, AKA Designs, Too Much Time On My Hands, The Charm of Home, Craftberry Bush, Must Love Home, A Delightsome Life, Life with Lorelai, The Pin Junkie, Lambert's Lately, French Country Cottage, Chic On A Shoestring, Craft Dictator, Just Us Four, The Cottage Market, The DIY Village, DIY Vintage Chic, I Heart Naptime, Blooming Homestead, A Tray of Bliss, Pieced Pastimes, One More Time Events, Finding Silver Pennies, Nifty Thrifty Things, DIY Showoff, DwellingsThe Heart of Your Home, Thoughts From Alice, Pink When, Create With Joy, My Pinterventures, Plucky's Second Thought, Coastal Charm, I should Be Mopping the Floor, Skip to My Lou, Sand & Sisal, Creatively Living, Mad In Crafts, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, Flamingo Toes, Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth, The Dedicated House, A Stroll Through Life, Elizabeth & Co, A Bowl Full Of Lemons, Our Home Away From Home, Cozy Little House, Savvy Southern Style, The Blissful Bee, The Newlywed Pilgrimage,SimplyDesigning, Gingersnap Crafts, DIY By Design, Handy Man Crafty Woman,

Spring Planter Centerpiece

For the dining room table I thought I would put something living on it for Easter. I had an idea of what I wanted so when I was in Walmart I went to the kitchen department. Bingo! I found the prettiest teal-ish blue colander from The Pioneer Woman. (Love her!) The color would look great with the cloth napkins I already have and the price I couldn't beat. A "normal" planter from a home improvement store would be double the amount. I happily paid for my new planter ($8) and brought it home.

My thought is that I do not want to ruin it so I lined it with plastic wrap. I bought a potted tulip from the grocery store-$6. I cut the top off a freezer bag and placed the potted tulips into it,

Now the colander is doubly protected but I could see all the ugly mechanics through the holes in the colander. That won't do! To hide the uglies I lined the outside of the tulips with plastic eggs.

I put another layer of plastic over the eggs to protect them....

...and topped it all off with preserved moss from A.C.Moore- $5.

I moved it into it's new home on the dining room table and proceeded to kill it!

No worries, this week they had nicer ones in the grocery store-as if they knew I would be back! Another $5 plant. I removed the moss, lifted out the old plant and put in the new plant making a mental note to be more attentive to the needs of my new plant.... I know.... you want me to check back next week to see how long it takes me to kill this one. For now, I am just going to enjoy the process and the tulips blooming on my table. If it dies I have these pictures to fill in for the loss:

I love the way it looks, I love that I have a pretty colander for fruit when spring gives way to summer (or when I kill this plant) and bulbs that are spent will be placed into the ground to come up again next year.

 

Thanks for stopping by. I pray your Easter, Resurrection Sunday, is filled with the glories of all Christ has done for the children of God in paying a debt we could not pay, for our sin is too great. He clothed us in a righteousness we could not obtain because all our attempts fall woefully short. God's command is to be holy as he is holy-I could never measure up....but Jesus did! He paid for my sin, he gave me his righteousness and as it was finished he died in my place. But that is not the end, dear ones. No, he did not stay in the ground because his sacrifice was perfect and accepted by the Father and I know this and have assurance of all that was done on my behalf because Jesus, the Christ, was raised from the dead. That is our reason for great joy and celebration today and everyday!

Happy Easter!

Partying Here:
Lambert's Lately, The Blissful Bee, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, The Dedicated House, Savvy Southern Style,The Newlywed Pilgrimage, simply Designing, Gingersnap Crafts, DIY By Design, Handy Man Crafty Woman, Imparting Grace, My Repurposed Life, The Charm of Home, Joyful Homemaking, A Cup of Mrs. Olson, Must Love Home, A Delightsome Life, Up To Date Interiors, Ladybug Blessings, Our Home Away From Home, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Cozy Little House, Shabby Art Boutique, AKA Design, McCall Manor, Too Much Time On My Hands, Craftberry Bush, French Country Cottage, Craft Dictator, Just Us Four, The Cottage Market, The DIY Village, DIY Vintage Chic, A Tray of BlissFinding Silver Pennies, Nifty Thrifty Things, Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home, Thoughts From Alice, Inside the Fox Den, Pink When, Create With Joy, The Dedicated House

Decorating The Hutch For Spring

It is time to change up the hutch in the living room for the Spring season.  I love and dread this as I am always at a loss for what to do with the area. I do love it when it is right but when it is wrong it is like a splinter on my finger that I can’t see-I know it is there and it is bothering me to no end but I can

A picture of the area when I decorated it for the winter period after Christmas:

 I was content with it. I am sure next year I will look back at those pictures and think “Yuck! What was I thinking?” But, for now, spring is fast approaching and Easter is just two short weeks away!

I gathered some things I had packed away last year and pulled different things from around the house. I piled them all in the vicinity of the hutch. I knew I wouldn’t use everything but I needed them all in my sight to make decisions. I started to dismantle the winter vignette in the hutch…TWO WEEKS AGO! I was stuck. 

I looked to Pinterest and other blogs for inspiration. I have hoarded pictures and other aspiring decorator’s idea like a squirrel hoards nuts for the winter.  The images make me think “I can do that” but when the rubber hits the road it looks like unrelated clutter to me.  Why?!

As much as I try I am no minimalist! I try to edit down and edit out. I have read that once you have it the way you like it take one thing away. I can never decide which one thing! I can’t tell what is off. Do I need more dimension? Less little stuff? Different color interests? Ugh!

I found of moss covered ‘stones’ at Home Goods that reminded me of spring and I think I may use them for summer, as well. Speckled eggs-8 for $5 was a no-brainer.  We don’t do the Easter Bunny, ect but I do love all the bright colors and they have their place in the dining room and a bit in the kitchen. For the living room I want a more toned down approach that can last a month or two.

When everything was said and done most of the treasures were packed away for later. I am sure it won’t stay this way long. As I was scavenging my stash I was reintroduced to my shells and beach glass. With the 70 degree temperatures we have been experiencing this week the summer is calling me but I will wait a bit and enjoy this season. I am looking forward to buds popping out on the trees, rose bushes growing their leaves, crocus, forsythia and lilacs. Oh, the beautiful opening buds on the maple trees against a clear blue sky!

On our drive home from a friends yesterday we heard the peepers out! Oh, it makes my heart sing! It reminds me of a piece of art I want to do for my house I saw on a Pinterest board: 

Did the grass sing, did the earth rejoice to feel you again? He is Risen!

              The image is courtesy of Love of Family and Home. The printable is courtesy of Nest of Posies

Party time!
Pieced Pastimes, One More Time Events, Shabby Art Boutique, The DIY Village, DIY Vintage Chic, Blooming Homestead, A Tray of Bliss, The Dedicated House, AKA Design, Finding Silver Pennies, Thoughts From Alice, Pink When, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, Creatively Living, Plucky's Second Thought, Create With Joy, Strangers and Pilgrims On Earth, Coastal Charm, Sand and Sisal, Elizabeth & Co, Our Home Away From Home, Cozy Little House, Simply Designing