A New Look...

This post is about my kitchen, you know, the heart of the home... Well, a while back we "paid" someone to wallpaper our kitchen. My husband and I are really DIYers but were just plain tired and decided to pass this on to a "professional". wrong move. This is what was happening to our lovely kitchen:



and this:



So, we decided to do this:



and this:



We had to repair the drywall in places.





What a mess.

After all repairs were made, we had the walls textured and added the same neutral paint that is in the den. IKEA curtains were temporarily added instead of valances. It was a totally different look.



I liked the long panels but wanted something else. For inspiration, I turned to Blogland and Houzz. After viewing 4 billion windows, I decided to add a bit of color that could still stay neutral. {Does that  make sense?}

I headed to my fabric store and brought home these swatches:



To keep the cost down, I decided to keep the originial tan striped valances, just tweak them a bit, and add the floral and black.

What do you think?





I'm joining Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for her Metamorphosis Monday. Be sure to drop by for loads of inspiration!

Kindness...

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.      Aesop

Listening to all that's happening these days, it seems that the world needs more kindness. I know it's been an age~old thought, but "...wouldn't things be better if we all shared a little bit of kindness?"

I'm joining Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for her Tablescape Thursday. Be sure to drop by to visit for loads of inspiration!

My sister's friend, Becky, sent me two pedestals "just because." She saw a previous "purple" post and thought that I would enjoy these little beauties too. What a wonderful surprise...such a sweet act of kindness. I was truly touched! Becky, if you're reading this, Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Can you see it in the picture? It has the pretty scalloped edges and is just the perfect size.

It's great for holding a flower, candle, candy, or well, even a cloche. It's a perfect match for my new flamingos, don't you think? Those little guys were a gift from my sister. I'm not sure where she found them, but I just love their color.

So tonight, my table is about sharing kindness with friends and family, sharing things I love.

{Do you see Becky's second pedestal holding the coral?}

So to my sister and new friend, Becky, thank you for spreading a little kindness, you've made a world of difference in my life!

Picked up a few treasures...

I'm so glad that Linda over at Coastal Charm has a weekly party, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday so that we can see each other's treasures. Be sure to drop by and take a look!

I just wanted to share a jackpot day, you know, one of those days were you find really great things while thrifting? {I suppose people had cleaned their cabinets after Christmas and were ready to get rid of a few things.} I just happened to be at the right places at the right time. First stop, Salvation Army, and saw this set:



Yep, the decanter {with lid} and six glasses for around $6.00. I couldn't resist...and the silver plate tray? $4.99. It's very heavy...perfect for displaying this set. So, for ten dollars and a bit of change I had a few new treasures!



Second stop, my favorite consignment shop...found these beauties:



I'm not sure if the glass crystals are the original ones or not, but I like them very much, they really add drama.



These two are quite heavy, made of some type of medal, brass perhaps? The base is marble and a little chippy, adds character, right?

Then I found this set of Libby glasses. They are marketed as pink, but they look a little more peachy.



They are a perfect match for the little glass plate I picked up at my routine antique stop for $6.00...a perfect piece of depression glass, pattern: Old Colony. Just goes to show, you never know what you'll find! So for all those trips that didn't amount to much, this one paid off!

An Avon gift.

When my husband and I got married, we were given two mugs that were dark burgundy.

I always enjoyed using them, they were the perfect size for a warm treat on a cold winter night. It wasn't till a few years ago that I just happen to look on the bottom of one of the mugs and saw that they were made by Avon. I didn't even realize that Avon made this particular glassware.

One afternoon, my sister, mother, and I were shopping at our favorite consignment shop and discovered a set of dinner plates in the same pattern. {I couldn't believe it! I never thought about finding the matching pieces, I always thought my mugs were just a unique set.} These plates were a great price and in mint condition so I purchased them...the hunt had begun.  After a few months, I had enough pieces to complete 6 place settings!

 I added a little sparkle with a few silver pieces...

Happy Valentines' Day!



In case you're interested:

goblets, salad plates, mugs: Ebay

tablecloth, napkin rings: Tuesday Morning

various silver-plate: thrifted

vintage valentines: from two of my favorite valentines

I'm linking to Susan for her Tablescape Thursday over at Between Naps on the Porch. Be sure to drop by for a visit!

A Little Pink, Please.

I've always liked pink...all shades. I love that it can be soft and femine, yet bright and sassy! I haven't really decorated with pink for a long time, but a little pink here and there suits me just fine! Well...while hitting local thrift stores, I've found several pink things lately that I just couldn't pass by...I wasn't really looking for pink, they've seemed to find me.



These plates were found at different stores, but have two things in common: they are pink and are Limoges from France. I think they compliment each other really well.



After a little research on the markings on the back, this plate is dated 1903.



The bottom plate is from the 1930's and the top plate is from 1896-1900.

I love the detailing...



...and the fact that they were discarded but now have a new home in which they are loved.

I'm joining Linda for her Nifty Thrifty Tuesday over at Coastal Charm. Be sure to stop by for all the treasures!

Are you still with me?

Are you still following me around blogland? I sure hope so...

I'm such a newbie here at Wordpress.   And just to let you know, it doesn't have a "follow" button like Blogger...so if you want to follow blogs that aren't Blogger, you need to do something a bit different. You can simply add the web address you want to keep track of to your "Favorites" or Bookmark" menu.

OR...

...you can log in to your google account {it's free if you don't already have one} then Google Reader. See link below.

Google Reader
Read them in one place with Google Reader, where keeping up with your favorite websites is as easy as checking your email. ...
http://www.google.com/reader - Cached

Once you get Google Reader, just subscribe to blogs you want to follow by typing or pasting in their web address. {I put Google Reader on my Favorie's Bar...this makes it easy to check updates on blogs I'm following.}

If you need further help, see below.

Google Reader Help

Official Google Reader Help Center where you can find tips and tutorials on using Google Reader and other answers to frequently asked questions.
http://www.google.com/support/reader/%3Fhl%3Den - Cached

I hope this all makes sense...and again...thanks for "following!"

I have an indoor grilling station...

I have an indoor grilling station that I rarely use. It's a shame, I should use it more, but I don't because it takes a bit of cleaning up and unless I'm in the cleaning mood, I just choose an alternative cooking method. Well, I found this recipe that I wanted to try, Sweet and Sour Pork Kabobs. It sounded good and looked even better...so I thought, hm...it's worth the extra work - plus, it's low calories and low cholesterol!

Here's what you need:

2 medium carrots, sliced into 1 inch pieces; 1 - 8 oz can pineapple slices; 1/4 cup red wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon cooking oil; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1.5 teaspoons cornstarch; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 clove garlic - minced; 12 ounces lean boneless pork - cut into 1 inch pieces; 1 small green pepper - cut into 1 inch squares; 1 small sweet red pepper - cut into 1 inch squares

In a saucepan cook carrots, covered, in a small amount of boiling water for 8 minutes; drain well. Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Cut pineapple slices into quarters; set aside. For sauce, in a saucepan combine reserved pineapple juice, vinegar, oil, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and garlic. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes more. Thread cooked carrots, pineapples, green and red pepper, and pork on four 12 - 14 inch skewers, leaving 1/4 inch between each piece of food. Grill kabobs on an uncovered grill directly over medium hot coals for 8-12 minutes or till pork is no longer pink. Turn kabobs occasionally and brush often with sauce. Serves 4.









I'm joining Michael Lee for her Foodie Friday over at Designs by Gollum. Be sure to drop by for delicious treats!