Meet Max

Hello everyone! 

I thought I'd introduce you to my furry BFF, Max!  He is a Boston Terrier and is 7 years old.

We got him as a puppy and have truly fallen in love with him.

That was him 6 years ago!  My how time flies.

    He is full of antics.  He loves to play outside with balls and sticks.  His favorite ball is a football. He could push that thing around the yard for hours!

He chewed that one up and then we had to get him another one this past Christmas.

 He was so excited to get to play with it in the house for a change!

When he plays with sticks, they're not just any old sticks you'd find in the yard.  He has to play with tree branches that have fallen in the woods.  They're much more exciting! 

With his small stature, you'd think that would be too big for him.  But he doesn't think so.  He can even find them in the snow.

Look how funny he looks carrying that huge branch!

He looks like he's walking a tight rope or something.  ha!

We have to be careful what type of toy we buy him to play with too.  He destroys all stuffed toys in a matter of minutes!

What were we thinking?  This poor toy never had a chance.

When he's not playing outside, he's on squirrel patrol.

He stares out windows all day hoping to go after those pesky squirrels that seem to always invade his property.  He has gotten a baby squirrel before and it made me sad.  I'm sure he just wasn't fast enough for him.  Usually, they get away from him in time.

When not hunting squirrels, or playing outside, he does what every dog loves to do.  Sleep!

His favorite area is in a spot of sunshine streaming in.

He also likes to sit up on the stair landing so he can see the front door.  He usually falls asleep on the job though.

We know he's completely comfortable when he lies like this.

He sprawls his back legs out and lies flat on his tummy.  It is the funniest thing!  Maybe it's a "breed" thing.  Our other dog never did that before.

I could bore you all day with so many pictures of things he does to bring joy to our day.  But, I'll stop here so I won't be like one of those annoying parents who whips out their kids photos all the time.  Ha! 

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~

I'm linking to the following:

Favorites on the First (Share your Pet)

Decorating with Old Salvage

Hello everyone!

I'm happy to report that the rain has officially stopped now.  Yay!  The sun has been shining and it feels good. 

Now that the sun is shining again, I can see all the dust in my house!  So, as I was dusting away, I noticed that I haven't talked about some of the old salvaged pieces that I have in my home.  I love the character they bring to a room since they had a former life.

The first one is this old ceiling tile that I found at an antique mall many years ago.

 

It hangs on the wall above the tub in my master bathroom.  I've had it here for years and still love it. 

It's old and chippy and interesting to look at. 

The next item is in my bathroom too.  It is an old wall planter.  It once had rings on it to hold potted plants.  I guess it was intended to hang outside on a patio.

I have it hanging on the wall above the toilet. I took off the rings since I used it without the plants.

It is also chippy and romantic looking.  I have always loved this piece.

Lastly, in this same room, I have an architectural fragment perched on the plant ledge  above my vanity.

I have no idea what it was in its former life.  Does anyone have any suggestions?

I found it at an antique mall years ago too. This was at the time when I was trying to find old salvage.  It was just becoming popular then.

Downstairs, in the foyer, I have a couple of old porch columns  that I've used as plant holders.

I know I've already posted these, but they are my favorite pieces of old salvage that I own!

I bought these at an antique mall as well.  They are a matching pair.

So, if you're looking for a way to add something old and interesting to your home, use old salvage.  I like to use things in a way that they weren't intended and I think I definitely achieved that with these pieces. Also, all of these pieces, shown, have not been altered from how I found them.  I like that they have been left in their original state too.

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~

I'm linking to the following:

Met Monday



Rain Rain Go Away

Hello everyone!

We have had the wettest weather lately.  I guess we're making up for the dry summer we had last year.  It has rained every day, except Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, for as long as I can remember.........and more is on the way tonight.  So, with that in mind, I thought a little rain humor was in order.

Enjoy!

Hope you have a good weekend where ever you are and stay dry!

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~



Does your house have an old soul?

Hello everyone!

In an age where everything is mass produced and most things come from China, it seems I crave something different for my home.  Now, don't misunderstand me.  My home has plenty of mass produced items in it and I'm sure several are from China.  There is nothing wrong with that.  What I crave, though, is that my home has things in it that don't LOOK that way! 

After looking around my house, I tried to find things that made me feel like my home had an old soul.  Meaning, that it had a story to tell...... a past life.  The homes with that feeling, are the most interesting to me. I don't think you have to live in a historic home to have that same feeling. 

Here are some of the things that I found:

Leaded Glass Front Door

Bead Board Walls

Wood Flooring

Floor Length Windows With Panes

Chandeliers

Pedestal Sink

Bridge Faucet

Transom Windows

Antique Furniture

Vintage Accents

So, with all of those additions, I think that helps give my home the feeling of an old soul.  That's what I like to surround myself with.  It's like coming home to an old friend everyday.

Does your house have an old soul too?

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~

I'm linking to the following:

Wow-Us-Wednesdays

Texture and Patina on the Mantel

Hello everyone!

I changed up my mantel decor this weekend after getting some inspiration from a new magazine that I received recently.  I've enjoyed reading it since I've been cooped up in the house due to the rain.  It has been so ugly outside.  So, what's a girl to do with all that time on her hands?  Why decorate of course!

I added some old books and a shoe mold to one side of the mantel.  I like the aged patina that it adds.

On the other side, I added some sea fans for texture.

Of course, I kept my feathers since I still love them.

I'm liking the new look! 

The magazine that I received is this one.

It really embodies the look that I'm going for on my lower level.

One of the reasons that I wanted this particular issue is because of Caroline Verschoor's home being featured.  I have followed her for a while and love her style.

  If you want this magazine, it has to be ordered online.  It is not available in stores.  I bought mine from French Larkspur.  Tracy has a wonderful blog and shop.   Tracy included a little french book page and sepia colored french postcard with my order too.  I love when someone adds those extra little touches!

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~

I'm linking to the following:

Met Monday



Flea Market Finds in the Bedroom

Hello everyone!

I thought I'd share a few changes that I made to my bedroom using things that I already had.  I have had this magazine for a few months and recently gave it another look.  I became inspired by a few pages in it.

As you know, my lower level is pretty much void of color.  I prefer a more serene feminine farmhouse feel to it.  However, upstairs I have more color. It has become a nice outlet for me to play with colors there too.

Here are some inspiration pics from the magazine above.

I love the pops of blue and fuchsia combined with the softness of the cottage style.

I love the feminine lines of this room, ie; chandelier, drapes, bench, layers of pillows. I am also drawn to the cheerful colors.

I love the pattern on the drapes and the flowers.

I believe that the dominant factor in these rooms is that they all have a "flea market" feeling to them.  In other words, the decor is not matching and has a collected cottage feel to it. 

So............onto my bedroom to see if mine has any of those qualities now.

First off, I added a punch of color with these fuchsia flowers and blue painted lamp to the dresser beside my bed.

The dresser and the floral painting both came from flea markets!

I carried the blue color over to the other bedside table too.

I don't have room for a bench, but had this vintage needlepoint stool that I added to the foot of my bed. It came from a flea market as well.

I painted the legs gold.  The needlepoint is in disrepair, but I think that just adds to the   charm of it.

Beside my chair, I have a wicker magazine holder......from a flea market.

And.......above my dresser is an old piece of metal used as wall art.

So, you can see that my room is a mix of flea market finds, floral patterns, mismatched furniture and playful colors.    I think it's a nice deviation from some of the other rooms in my house.  Don't we all need a little detour every now and then? 

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~

I am linking to the following:

Vintage Inspiration Friday

Farmhouse Friday

Inspiration Friday