a weekend project

I love when I have some time to spare—which isn't that often—to attempt a weekend project. Most of my weekend projects involves color in some way and most often in paint. This past weekend was one of those rare moments when I was caught up with my design projects and paperwork so I decided to paint these two kitchen chairs [below].

Since they had a semi-gloss finish, I had to sand them first. This is what they looked like after sanding them by hand. I bought these chairs for $10 and they survived four years at college with my son and a house full of boys! I figured if they survived that, then they could survive anything so they went home with me when he was finished with college. As you can see, they went through many color variations through the years—from their original stain, to black and then gray and now to blue.

I chose blue mainly to pull out the blue in the new kitchen rug. I found the perfect match with a Behr paint called Restless Sea [UL230-23].

I love how they look with the rug, adding just enough color and balancing all the warm tones in the room.

Notice the sanded edges on the seat and back of the chair. I wanted to give them an aged look to complement my collection of antique accessories and crocks.

Our kitchen renovation is now completed. It only took two years and four months! Click here to view the before photos. It's amazing what a little paint can do!

down the gardening path — phase 2!

Remember when I posted about our new gardening shed and raised beds in May. This is how it looked one year ago when it first went in. [below]

We have now entered phase 2 and this is how it looks now. [below]

We finally finished landscaping around the shed, keeping it simple and informal and using rocks from our yard. 

The paths are completed around the raised beds and stepping stones were added in front of the flower bed on the side.   

Our raised beds did great this summer so we plan to add two more next spring. That means more veggies for us and moving onto phase 3!

hunting for treasures...

I love hunting for treasures at antique shows and flea markets. That's me and Barb [on the left], my social media guru, at the Country Living Fair in Columbus a few weeks ago. It was raining and a bit chilly but we still had a great time shopping and talking to the vendors. Here's a peek at some of the things I bought. And I actually purchased one of those brooms above to hang in my kitchen—it's simply beautiful yet practical too! 

I love the color in the broom husk and bought some to hang on my porch. They actually make brooms from this. The copper artwork is hanging in my kitchen—a great complement to my copper farm sink. And I can never resist letterpress type blocks! I display these in my studio.

I love milk glass, especially the pieces with a modern, graphic tone such as this vase and it was only $3! I have no idea what this rack was intended for but I have it hanging on a blank wall in the half bath to hold current magazines and a decorative hand towel. It was only $5, a deal too good to pass up!

And of course, I had to purchase gourds to display in my antique wooden bowl and a new runner for the table. 

I'm not a serious antique collector but I love history and I purchase things that speak to me and make me happy. My home is a mixture of antiques, traditional furnishings with some modern pieces thrown in. Nothing matches but somehow it all works well together! 

What are your specials treasures?

a weekend of inspiration

I have been working long hours these past few weeks so I decided to take Friday off to attend the Country Living Fair in Columbus, Ohio. It fell on the same weekend as the Springfield Antique Show so I decided to attend both shows, hitting Columbus first and Springfield on Saturday. It was a very inspirational weekend!

It was difficult to see everything at the Country Living Fair because of the crowds but I did manage to take a few photos and purchase a few things. 

There were a lot of things made out of repurposed materials. 

The letterforms above were covered with old maps. LOVE the intricate folding within the books in the background.

Homemade aprons blowing in the wind...

 

 Handcrafted birdhouses...

 My favorite booth was Cash and Cari. It was filled with all sorts of colorful, repurposed objects. LOVE the color of the sofa but it's a little bit too intricate for my studio!

What do you think of this sofa made out of a bathtub?

Or the lamp shapes covered with velvet and a chair recovered with fabric scraps?

 The Springfield Antique Show and Flea Market (above and below photos) has everything you can imagine. If you are a collector or love antiques, this is the show for you. 

  It can be a bit overwhelming because there is so much to see—furniture from every decade...

painted furniture and accessories [love the aqua color!]...

 colorful fiestaware...

rusty signs and cabinets...

old quilts...

artwork made from old tinware [I bought one of these!]...

animal rugs...

 vintage jewelry... and the list goes on and on. 

I wasn't in the market for anything special but came home with a few little treasures for my home and studio [I need to take some pics!] 

What are your favorite things to collect? Please share!

meet our Vincent Van Gogh

Meet Vincent Van Gogh—Vincent for short—our new member of the family. This photo was taken when we first brought him home, back in June, when he was only 4 months old. I found Vincent on the internet at TMT Rescue and we went to meet him at the Pet Expo in Akron. As soon as I saw him in person, I knew we found our dog. Look at that face! How can you not love him! 

Vincent is a border collie mix and was an angel the first month. He didn't bark or cry and we had him potty trained in two days! I can't believe people warned us about getting a puppy, especially a border collie because they tend to be full of energy. Vincent wasn't like that at all! Well, not the first month anyhow...

I was never a morning person (just ask my friends) but once Vincent arrived, I had to get up early to let him out or else I would have an awful mess to clean up! Not wanting to deal with a mess first thing in the morning, I now wake up early and actually enjoy having an extra hour or two to get a head start on my projects. And believe me, I need it because having a puppy is like having a baby in the house—with a lot of interruptions during the day!  

Things changed the second month. Vincent became more comfortable with us and entered what I like to call his "terrible two's". This is when I realized magazines, pillows and puppies do not mix well! And I won't even mention what he does to shoes. I just found one in the back yard—don't ask!

Vincent's favorite past time outdoors is digging in my flower beds. God only knows what he is looking for and my flower beds will never be the same! I used to be obsessed over my flowers but that somehow changed this summer—I wonder why!

We have been taking Vincent to a beginner's training class and graduation is this week! In the past five weeks, he has learned to sit, lie down, drop it and leave it (most of the time!), walk fast on a leash (can't walk slow yet), watch me, shake, stay and come. That's a big accomplishment for a puppy! Of course, we go through bags of treats to get him to do those things but he's learning and we couldn't be happier.

Vincent is 7 months old now. He's a happy puppy and loves everyone, especially children and dogs. He's quickly becoming a favorite in the neighborhood and has play dates with the children and their dogs. We just installed an invisible fence, covering an acre of our yard, so he can run off some of his energy. We'll see if it stops his chewing... 

the harvest begins...

After patiently waiting for over two months, my tomatoes are beginning to ripen. I'm looking forward to making homemade salsa and sauce!

Happy Friday! Have a wonderful weekend!

how does your garden grow...

Despite the heat and lack of rain, my garden is doing quite well. This is what it looks like now with some tomato plants taller than me! And the tomato plants are so heavy with tomatoes that they were falling down. I had to use a heavy metal stake to hold up the two tallest plants.  

This photo was taken in June.

And this one was taken back in May. 

As you can see from the photos, I still need to complete the stone paths around the beds. I see this being a fall project when this heat wave is gone!

Happy Friday! I hope your garden is doing well! Enjoy!