Restyling the Secretary Shelves

Hello everyone!

I recently made some changes to some rooms in my house (subtle changes), which meant that my antique books found a new home.  They had been in my secretary for years!  I decided to fill the shelves with more white pitchers and blue glass. I can't get enough of these dishes!  I just realized that they are in every room in my house now!

I love the new look.  It has a clean look to it now.

The pitcher, below on the left, is a recent find.  It's ironstone.  I found it at a "new to me" antique store very close to my house.

I added my fresh lavender to an old galvanized bucket.

Here is a sneak peek of what I've been working on in another room.

Don't let this picture fool you, though, and think that I've started adding lots of color and pattern everywhere.  I'm just enjoying a touch of it here and there.  

Hope you're having a good week so far. I'm still battling my inflammation problems this week.  It has now moved on to my stomach.  I was just thinking how it's been a  long time since my last flare-up.  It makes me appreciate the days that I feel good, that's for sure!  Hoping that the meds I'm taking will get me well soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~ 

The Dog Days of Summer

Hello everyone!

Are you experiencing the heatwave that we're experiencing here in GA?  I'm hearing that the temps will be cooling down next week, so I'm very happy about that!  But, the scary thing is that we're nearing August when it's going to get even hotter!  What's a person to do?  

I have a few suggestions.  

Doesn't this pool and waterfall look inviting?

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Of course, we all know that eating something cold will help cool you off too.

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I thought this was a pretty snazzy invention.  It's a solar operated fan in a hat.  So it not only keeps the sun out of your face, but also cools you down.

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And what about our pets?  They need to stay cool outside too. 

Perhaps a pool shaped like a bone would entice them.

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Or maybe a paw shaped pool, instead, would be more to his liking.

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That's right.  I kid you not. There are companies that make doggie pools just like this!

So, if the heat is getting you down.  I promise there are many ways to fight it without having to stay inside all day.

But at the moment, that is sounding pretty good to me.

I still send my praises to whoever invented these!

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Hope you are having a great Sunday and STAY COOL!

Thanks for stopping by.

~ Kelly ~

Orchid Beauty in the Dining Room

Hello everyone!

This week has been flying by.  I must say, though, it has been hard watching all of the devastating images on the national news lately.  Have you been following it? It seems every day, there is a new accident and tragedy to discuss.  It's hard to figure out what to make of it all. On top of that, I've been dealing with a flare-up with my Ankylosing Spondilits in my back.  It's hard to bend over or lift anything.  So, I'm trudging on despite all of the negativity around me.  I'm hoping it will all improve soon.

I've been enjoying my pretty fuchsia orchid in my dining room lately.  Remember, it used to be in my family room?  Once I made some changes in there, the orchid moved to my dining room table.  I instantly loved the pop of color it gave the room. 

I'm afraid it's blooming cycle is coming to an end soon.  It has begun dropping petals lately.

So, I cherish every day I have with it until it goes dormant.  It is my favorite orchid!

I don't think much else has changed in the room.  I'm still enjoying my branch display.

I still have blue and white dishes on display too.

I did switch out pillows in my chairs to these grey and white ones.  I love the detail on them.

The morning is my favorite time in my dining room.  The sunlight just pours in.  I have windows on two sides of the room!

So, are you getting ready for a fun weekend?  It will be here before you know it.  I will be taking it easy until my back gets better.  

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~

Going for a Walk

Hello everyone!

With the rain lifting, and the sun coming back out, I thought you might enjoy going on a walk with me around my neighborhood.  So many of my neighbors have been working in their yard and making it pretty.  

So, we'll start at my house.

And go down the street and back up again.  

My son and dog will join us too.

Take at look at these pretty bright flowers planted by my neighbors door step. I like how they match the cushions in her rocking chairs.

The lady that lives here is out working in her yard almost daily for hours.  She has one of the prettiest yards in the neighborhood.

I love how this house has a cobblestone walkway that leads to the front porch.

There is a nice stream that runs behind their house and under the street.

The man that lives in this house is also out working in his yard a lot.  He designed his flower bed in a scalloped shape which is unique.

This neighbor does a great job with symmetry in their yard.  Everything is very balanced.  They have a nice flat yard which makes things easier to maintain too.

And now we're back to my house.  

Maybe next time I can take you to the front of our subdivision and share the farmland that resides beside it. We often see horses and cows on our way in and out of our subdivision.  

Hope you enjoyed taking a walk with us today!

Thanks for stopping by.

~ Kelly ~

Mirror Shuffle

Hello everyone!

The weekend is winding down, so I thought I would share with you the rest of the changes I made involving my mirrors. 

Nothing huge, just a small shuffle of one mirror with the other.  It's funny how such a small change can change the look of a room.  

My fireplace had a large grey framed mirror leaning on it, but I wanted something a little more stylish, so I switched it for the trumeau mirror that was hanging in another room.  

This mirror is a bit more narrow so it will leave me more room to decorate around it too.

The large plain mirror went over the chest in my sitting room.  

I balanced it's large size with a glass vase full of white hydrangeas.  

One other thing that keeps getting my attention is the crate on my coffee table.  I keep finding different ways to style it!  It's funny, I don't style my coffee table, I style my crate!

I used a blue glass pitcher and filled it with little white daisies.  Then, I added my blue vintage tablecloth on the other side.  (It didn't last long on my kitchen table with my boys eating there.)

Are you having a good weekend so far?  It has been an ugly one here.  It rained all day yesterday but my garden is smiling now.  We've got a roast in the crock pot for dinner tonight and it smells so good!  

Wishing you a great Sunday.

Thanks for stopping by.

~ Kelly ~

Framed Floral Canvas and Flag Pillow

Hello everyone!

Since I hung a prairie star in my family room in place of the framed flag pillow, I wanted to show you where the frame and pillow ended up.  I decided to separate the two this time.  The frame originally came with this floral canvas.  I placed the canvas back in the frame and hung it in the hallway leading to the kitchen.

The frame used to be gold, but I love it in this blue color now.  I think it compliments the flowers so much better.  

I wasn't able to get a clear picture of it in the hallway, but at least you can tell how it looks in the space.

So, the pillow cover that was made by Carol at Art and Sand is now being used the correct way (instead of wall art).  I added a pillow insert and placed it in my chair in the sitting room.  It's perfect there!

I think it makes a great pillow for the summer, although I will probably use it year round.

I switched around some mirrors recently too, which I will share later.  You know how one thing leads to another!  

Thanks for stopping by.

~ Kelly ~

Prairie Style Star

Hello everyone!

The other day, while out antique shopping I found this old wooden star.  It was a dark brown natural wood.  I decided to bring it home and paint it white and dress it up with some shabby chic fabric strips.  Now, it is what I call my "prairie star".  

(Please excuse the black mark showing up on the wall in this picture.  It is a defect with my camera.  My wall does not have a black mark on it.) 

Here is a close-up of the star.

I hung it on the wall above my chair in place of the picture that was here.  It moved to another location which I will share with you later.  

Before I added the fabric, my husband thought I was hanging a Jewish star on the wall.  Isn't he a funny guy?  And then my 13 yr old chimed in with it too.  Living with so many males in the house is never a dull day!  

I'm happy with it, no matter what they think.  I've seen many versions of this star before.  Some are made out of yardsticks and some are left natural and plain.  Mine has a shabby chic look to it so it fits in with my white slipcovers and feminine decor.  

Do you have any stars in your home?  

Thanks for stopping by.

~ Kelly ~

Vintage Floral Tablecloth

Hello everyone!

Are you having a good weekend so far?  It has been extremely hot and sticky here, so I'm staying inside near the air conditioner.  

I wanted to show you my latest love.  I found this vintage floral tablecloth at an antique store and decided to use it on my table in the kitchen.

I've actually folded it in half so it's more like a runner now.

The reason is because it doesn't fit my table.  Here it is all spread out so you can see the whole pattern.

It doesn't matter that it doesn't fit.  I will use it as an accent piece anyway.  I fell in love with the blue and white pattern.  I've been seeing a lot of pretty patterns lately.  I wouldn't mind starting a collection.

But for now, I will enjoy looking at it over my morning coffee.

Do you collect vintage tablecloths?  

Thanks for stopping by.

~ Kelly ~

My Union Jack Pillow Cover Makeover

Hello everyone!

The other day, I was browsing Etsy and came across some union jack pillow covers I liked.  One of them gave me an idea for a plain one that I already had.  This was my inspiration.

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I noticed that the underlying part of the pillow was very similar to my own.  What made this one so attractive to me was the blue and white patterned fabric added on top.  So, I grabbed my pillow cover and some blue and white floral material.  Correction............a blue and white floral pillow cover that I bought at a consignment store and wasn't using. 

It's actually from Ralph Lauren.  I hated to cut it up, but I realized that I would like my new pillow better than this one by itself.  So it was worth the sacrifice!  

So, here is my new pillow!

Now, since I don't own a sewing machine, I just used fabric glue to add my floral fabric strips.  But, the main pillow was purchased on Etsy a few years ago and is very well made.  I like how the floral fabric makes the union jack pattern stand out now.

I placed it in my wing back chair in the sitting room.

Isn't it great when you can find a way to recreate something you saw and do it with supplies that you already had on hand?  This was an easy and fun project.  Now, I need to find something else to do with the rest of that floral fabric!  

Thanks for stopping by.

~ Kelly ~