Happy 100th Tablescape, Susan!

This post is for the 100th Tablescape at Between Naps on the Porch. Susan, the host, is celebrating and I'm thrilled to be joining...it's one of my favorite parties. Be sure to stop by for loads of inspiration!

My table today is on the back patio.

It's a quiet, calm, and relaxing treat for two friends.

Thank you Susan for graciously hosting this party on Thursdays.
Each week, I eagerly await to see your tables and those of your participants.

Thank you for sharing all your wonderful, creative ideas.

Looking forward to the next 100 Tablescape Thursdays!!!

chargers and white vase: Marshall's

square candleholders: Hobby Lobby

dishes: Lenox Opal Innocence

candleholders: Spode

champagne flutes: gift

napkin rings: recovered with jute {originals were a thrift store find}

flatware: Michelangelo

Thanks so much for visiting...enjoy your day!

Hutch Redo

I'm joining Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for her Metamorphosis Monday. Please be sure to stop by for a visit for amazing transformations!

I'm sharing a project that my mother completed. {This is her first refinishing project!} She and I were shopping at Salvation Army and she ran across this beauty.

Yep, that's her "SOLD" sign on the front!

The piece is very sturdy and luckily has all the pieces...all glass and hardware. There was even the light inside that worked! She browsed a little more, went back to make her decision and the sales girl came over to tell her all furniture was 25% off the regular price. Well, that sealed the deal...she was purchasing it!
So she got it back to her home and began the work.

She sanded, primed, sanded, painted, sanded, painted and sanded a final time.

Isn't it a beauty?

{She still needs to put the hardware back on...but I think she did a great job!}

Thanks for visiting, enjoy your day!

Look at these babies!

I have been reading a lot about hydrangeas lately on so many blogs...many of you have gorgeous, well~established plants, others of you live where they grow wild. How wonderful it must be to see these beauties regularly!

I have always loved hydrangeas too. They remind me of my grandmother, she had pink ones. I love their big moppy heads and the fact that they can either be pink or blue depending on the acidity of the soil.

Read more about the specifics here.

I know they also come in {or can change to} a variety of other colors, but I'm really interested in these two colors.

I bought my first ever hydrangea plant today and I'm so excited. It was from a well know nursery so it should be healthy. Now...to plant or not. I originally was going to keep it in a container but now I'm concerned it wouldn't do it's thing...spread, grow, and bloom. My yard is about the size of a postage stamp and the perimeter is already pretty much taken with shrubs and such. I could always carve out a niche for it...hm...can't decide.

I live in Zone 8 {close to Houston, Texas} and from everything I've read, it needs morning sun and afternoon shade.

For all you experienced gardeners out there...any suggestions...container or ground?

images: http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/

            http://www.digitalphotoartistry.com/

If these Faces could Talk...

I guess the reason I love vintage things over new things is the story behind the item. I always wonder who had the item, where was it placed, why it is in my hands...did they tire of it, did family members pass it on?

The items I'm sharing today are from my maternal grandfather. He was a minister that tinkered with clocks as a hobby. Because of him, I developed my appreciation for these timepieces...it's their faces that truly hold their story.

 This is a little pocketwatch inside a cloche.

I wonder if most kids know that clocks were once wound with keys?

Looks like these two must have quite a story.

I wonder why this porcelain face needed repair?

This is the face of one of my favorites. The crackle is authentic.

I'm linking with Cindy over at My Romantic Home for her Show and Tell Friday and Laurie at Bargain Hunting for her A Few of My Favorite Things Saturday. Be sure to drop by for loads of treats!

The Weather is Warm!

I'm joining Susan for her Tabletop Thursday. Be sure to drop by her blog, Between Naps on the Porch for loads of inspiration!

The temperature is climbing each day, summer is here! However, as the sun begins to set, it's great to spend some time outdoors.

My table today is just for summer...enjoy!

Thanks so much for visiting...enjoy your day!

Flatware: Marshall's

White Dishes: Williams Sonoma's Marketplace - thrift store finds

Acrylic Bowls: Gardenridge Pottery

Acrylic Tropical set: TJ Maxx

Seahorse Candles: Hobby Lobby

Tablecloth: vintage

Starfish Candleholder/Wooden Candle holder/Napkins: Marshall's

Napkin rings: thrift finds - recovered with jute

Workstation turned Buffet

After watching so many talented and creative bloggers out there in blogland, I finally got up my nerve to tackle a "painted furniture" project.

I had a need for more storage and looked everywhere for an old buffet. I search thrift stores, eBay, Craigslist...but I wasn't having any luck. Being on a very tight budget, I knew that whatever I found would probably need a lot of work.

It seems I was just hitting one brick wall after another.

Then one afternoon,

I thought about a cabinet I've had in my garage{for over 15 years.}

It belonged to my grandfather as his workstation. He was a minister and tinkered with clocks and watches as a hobby.

When he moved, we took it to our home and my husband used it for his workstation.

{As you can tell, he has a few projects himself!}

It was sturdy, in fairly good shape and had tons of storage. So I grabbed my tape measure and found a spot in my den. Kinda an unconventional place to put it but I had a wall grouping that wasn't working.

So I thought, why not?

After a few more measurements, I moved it out and clear it off.

It was definitely going to need some work.

I loved the label plates but not the formica top.

This was the look I was going for:

Love this island...the colors, the stained top.

Ok, I was ready.

First step...

...taking off the aluminum trim.

Then priming and sanding,

painting and sanding.

While things were drying, I started making labels for each drawer. Searching on Windows Word, I found a font that I liked and printed the numbers I needed. Because the paper was thin, I ModPodged the papers to an old folder to add weight and thickness. Applying several coats on top would also protect the numbers as the drawers were being used.

From the inspiration piece, I knew I wanted a stained top. We purchased a piece of birch plywood, stain grade. It was the the most expensive part of the project, about $42.

My husband cut the top, mitered the edges, and sanded everything down with steel wool. Next, he applied several coats of stain, with a light sanding of 220 grit sandpaper between each coat. I knew that I would be decorating the top or actually using it for a buffet, so 3 coats of Poly were applied as the final step.

After bringing the new project into the house and attaching the top, I lined the drawers...

...and put the label plates back on their original spot. I added the numbers and everything was set.

I love this piece, not only for the storage, but because it has a story...a family story.

Thanks so very much for visiting...enjoy your day!

I'm linking with Susan for her Metamorphosis Monday over at Between Naps on the Porch.

Be sure to drop by for loads of amazing transformations!

Where do you stash your stuff?

As you accumulate treasures, either given or purchased, where do you put it all?

One theory is to space things out...another is to put all "like" things together. I go back and forth on these options, but at this point, I like similar things groups together.

Case in point...my Mother has had the "redecorating bug" and has moved some of her things around. Here is her "new" little corner:

She's placed all her souvenir spoons together as well as her silver pieces. There are little lights inside the cabinet to help bring out all the shine. This cabinet is in her kitchen. It's now easy for her to pick out which pieces she needs for meals or gatherings.

In her dining room, she's placed a lot of her crystal together in her china hutch.

She placed mirrors on the back of hutch and put twinkle lights on each shelf.

She's the original do.it.yourselfer in our family.

Man~O~man, do her things sparkle!

Her next project was to take this Salvation Army find from this...

to this!

And, guess what she's going to use it for?

More storage! See that little house inside? She's going to put part of her Dept. 56 houses inside. I think it will be quite a display!

Do you group similar things or spread your collections around? Just curious.