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Ever So Clever, Ever So Pretty Friday, #10…A Metal Lampshade Makeover

May 10, 2013 By Shirley

I love Pam’s blog, Simple Details.

Pam always has the greatest projects and decorating ideas and this week I saw her makeover of a metal lampshade.

I have a lamp that I purchased many years ago from Bombay (I miss that store!)…

…..but I no longer am crazy about the color of the shade. It was a “dark greenish blue”..

So I decided to do what Pam did and give it a makeover.

And here it is:

I love the shiny lacquered look.

This is was my inspiration from Pam…

Pam’s shade looked similar to these….she had forgotten to take before pics…I can so relate to that!!

She took these shades similar to hers from an eBay pic.

Pam compared the shiny lacquered look to a flat black look, and I agreed that the lacquered look was the best.

This is the lamp before….

It was hard to capture the true original color of the shade before I painted it…but is truly was a “dark greenish blue”

I gathered my supplies which with the exception of the paint, are items that were in my SWAG bag from Haven last year!!

I used Pam’s paint of choice…and it was a great choice!

So a lamp that I have had in the attic for a long time, has found its way back home!

I changed the foyer table vignette around since the lamp found its home here…

I removed the large demijohn and placed the lamp in that space and added the bird house…

I am so pleased on how this turned out.

I have other metallic paints (Martha Stewart) and now have the inspiration to try it on more lamp shades…

I so glad that I went with this finish..and my hubby also gave it the thumbs up!

And now that brass is making a comeback…I may be dragging more things out of the attic!

So here’s another look of the lamp I rescued from the attic and updated the shade thanks to Pam!!

Take the time to visit Pam’s blog, Simple Details…you won’t be disappointed…she is a very talented lady!!

I am off to my Watercolor Painting Class…yes, I am going to try my hand at this!!!…so excited!

Have a wonderful weekend…and Happy Mother’s Day!!

I am joining:

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: brass lamp, Metal lampshade, stained glass, vignette

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Bar Stool Fabric Makeover and Two Hometalk Bloggers Meetups!

May 9, 2013 By Shirley

A few weeks ago…I was trying to decide which fabric to use to recover my bar stools…

…..many of you responded.

You can see the fabric choices in the original post here.

The results of your input pretty much leaned toward the fabric that I loved too…and here it is:

The fabric is a faux crewel design by Braemore..

The colors are pefect for great room area..the color of the apples are very close to my sunroom furniture…

…..which goes well with the fabric.

The enamel pitcher is from Ikea.

Apples from Harris Teeter…:)

So thank you all for your input on the fabric choice for the barstool!!

I am making plans to attend two fantastic HOMETALK MEETUPS!!

One is this coming weekend, Saturday May 11th in Greensboro, NC for the NC BLOGGERS HOMETALK MEETUP…

…..a great day planned with lots of great places to visit and of course places to eat..

Thanks to Amy and Suzy for coordinating this event….and can’t wait for the “Downton Hat Contest”

And then….on Sunday, May 19th, I will be attending the HOMETALK MEETUP AT LUCKETTS!!

Lucketts is in Leesburg, Virginia and holds its famous Lucketts Spring Market

Lucketts is a fantastic collection of great antique and specialty shops…

…..a place you must visit if you are ever in the Leesburg, Virginia area!

At the Lucketts Spring Market you will see fabulous vendors like Marian, of Miss Mustard Seed.

Hometalk is also giving away an expense paid trip to Lucketts to a very lucky winner!! How great is that??!!

For entry and details please go to this link: http://blog.hometalk.com/win-free-trip-lucketts-market/

All participating Hometalk bloggers attending Lucketts will receive this:

What a great tote bag!..and I love the mention of “junk” on the bag….

…..as Donna from the great “Funky Junk” will be there as this event’s coordinator…

……….and along with Donna you will be able to meet the fantastic Miriam of Hometalk!

I am so very excited to be able to attend this event!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: barstool, Daisies and apples, Hometalk Lucketts Meetup, Hometalk NC Meetup, Ikea enamel pitcher, Lucketts Spring Market

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April Showers Bring May Flowers And The Gorgeous Floral Arrangements at {Adamsleigh}

May 7, 2013 By Shirley

Mother Nature has been kind to the flowers lately..

…..with the tremendous rains many of us have been experiencing.

After the heavy rains stopped today I was able to snap a picture of one of my Irises that are just now blooming.

The drops of rain are so pretty on the Iris.

I was drawn to the beautiful colors of this Iris many years ago.

Here is a peek of the Irises from the front porch…

I will get a better pic of them when they have not been beaten down from the rain!!

Even though we sometimes complain of the inconvenience of all the rain…

…..the flowers are doing their happy dance…thus making us happy!

So many beautiful signs of Spring and I cannot wait to plant more flowers in our empty flower beds.

And speaking of flowers….

I visited the Junior League/Traditional Home Showcase Home (Adamsleigh)..in Greensboro, NC again…

…..the first time I went with fellow bloggers/friends which was part of one of the High Point Market events.

This time I went another group friends…the house was so beautiful that I wanted to see it again.

Sherri and Dolores…Sherri matched the drapes…

My friend (visiting from Colorado) Linda and I…

At this visit, I really took notice of the gorgeous silk arrangements throughout the house.

The quality of the silks really made you look twice to see if they were real.

All of the arrangements were impeccably designed for each room.

There were arrangements of strong, bold colors and those with soft muted colors as this one.

We found ourselves touching the flowers and seeing if they were indeed real…

…..however, they were magnificent faux blooms.

Each arrangement were in exquisite containers…and they often were paired with beautiful decorating books.

The docent said that this was Amelia Earhart’s favorite room….

…..yes, she was a guest in this magnificent mansion of 15,000 square feet.

This home is for sale and I heard that there were a few offers…and of course one of them mine.

There were many fabulous orchids…all faux.

This happened to be a real orchid placed in this beautiful vignette.

A faux orchid on the table in the sunroom.

Obviously this is not a floral arrangement, but had to show you this fabulous clamshell that they filled with magazines.

There were gorgeous blue and white porcelain throughout the house…

…..again, I just love the pairings of the floral arrangements and books…Dolores and Linda admiring it too.

This vignette was one of my favorites with those globes…faux floral branches simply placed in a glass cylinder.

This is the main living room in the house…more of the magnificent blue and white porcelain.

This sitting room was sponsored by Thibault…such a happy room.

I do not know who had created all of these arrangements throughout the house, but they were just perfect for each room.

This sitting room was right off the kitchen…

The breakfast area located in the kitchen.

This huge bowl of oranges looked so fantastic on the stove…hmmm, do I really need to use all 4 burners?

I found this arrangement and vase a little “funny”..like the “ladies” are closing their eyes and blushing…

This mantel was amazing…it just sparkled!!

The simple orchid is perfect on this table…

…..I love this picture of Jackie who looked so beautiful and happy before tragedy struck her and our nation.

A simple arrangement of faux roses in a beautiful silver teapot on the writing desk.

And even the most exquisite of homes has burlap decor…I love this skirted table with a simple boxwood arrangement.

This is another arrangement that I had to touch to see if it was real…

…..I loved how they incorporated the pods into this arrangement.

A stone planter of greenery embellishes this pretty vanity.

Who can resist this vase of faux gladiolas placed in front of that stunning mirror.

The arrangement on the stairwell table was actually a real tree with embellishments of ferns…

…..smile ladies!

A simple arrangement of a mix of hydrangeas…

And I leave you with showing you again, one of my favorite arrangements in the house…

…..I truly love the colors and how it was impeccably created to coordinate with the drapes.

So Mr. Nate Berkus…who says that you cannot use faux florals in the house?!!..

…..and believe me…I am such a Nate Berkus fan.

As these arrangements were carefully created for the spectacular designer rooms, such as Suzanne Kasler, Eric Cohler, Thibault, Scalamandre, and the list goes on….

Now, I must say that they need to be quality silks…the ones you have to touch to see if they are real or faux.

Hope you enjoyed these gorgeous floral arrangements that were in this incredible home called Adamsleigh in Greensboro, N.C.

So, what say you??..are you a faux flower person?

Have a wonderful day surrounded by the beauty of flowers, faux or real!!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Adamsleigh, blue and white porcelain, Currey lamps, Floral Arrangements, Nate Berkus, Scalamandre, Thibaut, vignette

25 Comments

Ever So Clever, Ever So Pretty Friday, #9 {Driftwood Decor}

May 3, 2013 By Shirley

A couple of months ago, we traveled to Kiawah Island with friends to enjoy the beautiful island…

…..and visit the HGTV Dream Home.

My hubby was taking his morning run on the beach…

…..when he returned from his run, he mentioned that he almost tripped over a piece of driftwood.

What???…you found a piece of driftwood and did not bring it to me?…

Needless to say, he went back to retrieve that beauty.

It has been in the garage until I figured out where I wanted to put it….

…..and when I read a post by Pat of Back Porch Musings…I knew exactly where that piece of driftwood would land.

I love it here…Thanks Pat!!

Pat placed her piece of driftwood on the hearth of her lake condo.

Pat has impeccable taste, and I so loved where she placed her driftwood. It is so beautiful.

This is the piece without the embellishments…

I added some grasses and pods that I had in an arrangement.

I purchased this cute wooden bird on a spool at Pottery Barn for 70% off…

I love how it adds such great texture to this area.

I am so happy that my hubby went back to retrieve that piece that he almost tripped over!!

On another subject…

I have been busy this week preparing for and entertaining house guests, lifelong friends.

I was trying to come up with a centerpiece for the table…

So I gathered these:

Apples, two bowls and candlesticks…

I turned one of the bowls upside down for a base and placed a shallow Lenox Butler’s Pantry bowl on top.

And it resulted in a pedestal bowl in which I placed apples in for a punch of color.

I would have preferred to place the shallow bowl on a white cake stand, but did not have one…

…..and company was due to arrive in a couple of hours..so I did my usual thing of turning things upside down…

I love the color of Granny Smith Apples.

However, it needed something else…a little bit of something “happy”….

…..I glanced over at an arrangement of daises, “the happy flower” that I just made for the guest room.

And a few stems of daisies found its way to the dining room centerpiece.

Adding the daisies felt right…bringing in another touch of white and green…this made me “happy”..!!

Thanks so much for your visit and I hope will enjoy your weekend making “happy memories”…for I know I will be..

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: apple centerpiece, daisies, Driftwood, Pottery Barn Bird

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A Spring Vignette {Pottery Barn Candlesticks and Leah Hurricane}

May 1, 2013 By Shirley

I love the versatility of my ceramic Pottery Barn Candlesticks and Leah Hurricane.

I use these pieces in so many different ways.

This vignette went from an Easter theme to Spring.

This table is in the passageway to the kitchen area.

It was originally my sofa table many years ago. It is perfect for this narrow passageway.

You can see part of the kitchen through the doorway.

As you can see, I used the candlesticks as holders for the topiaries…

I placed reindeer moss at the base of the topiary for some color and texture.

I have used this Leah Hurricane from Pottery Barn in so many different ways…

…..for Easter, I had filled it with my White House Easter Egg Roll Commemorative Eggs.

Now, it holds a bird’s nest and the mother watching over her eggs…

I purchased this pretty Demijohn at the High Point Market..it was a great deal..

…..so I could not wait to place it somewhere in my house…and it landed here.

I love the color and texture it added to the vignette.

This Spring vignette contains many things that I already have with the exception of this new Demijohn

…..and two new books it sits on..The Welcoming House (by Jane Schwab and Cindy Smith)…

………. and Paris Flea Market Style (by Claudia Strasser). Both fabulous books!

The chalkboard print remains on the mirror…I love it there.

While at Trader Joe’s the other day, I spotted this pretty succulent arrangement…it quickly went in my cart!

Just hoping that this does well in the house…Any tips out there?

Another view…

Thanks for visiting today…I am getting ready for more company today…lifetime friends.

…..Jane from Cottage at the Crossroads has featured my friend Linda a couple of times.

……….One of Linda’s tablescapes and her beautiful deck that overlooks the magnificent Rocky Mountains.

Jane has featured non-blogger/readers’ home decor projects and crafts on her blog..Such a nice feature!

Have a beautiful day!!!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Chalkboard Print, demijohn, Paris Flea Market Style book, Pottery Barn candlesticks, Pottery Barn Leah Hurricane, Spring Vignette, succulents, The Welcoming House book, Topiary

15 Comments

A New Look for the “Valentine’s Chair”

April 29, 2013 By Shirley

Do you remember when I posted about my Valentine’s gift…

…..when I was given the choice of a chair or jewelry?

And as you know, it was a no brainer for me….the chair please!!

I so loved the chair, but I knew when I bought it that I wanted a different fabric.

Yes, I know, a new chair and I recover it already!…

Here is the chair’s “new doo” !!

I purchased fabric from one of my favorite fabric stores and I got a fantastic deal on the fabric…

…..it was only a total of $33.00…yes, to cover the entire chair. It was under $7.00/yd on clearance.

This was the before…the fabric was an oatmeal colored striped fabric…

…..I wanted more pattern in the chair.

I was searching for a buffalo check pattern..but when I saw this fabric…

…..I knew it would be great in the room and I still got somewhat of a checked pattern.

I’ve never used this upholsterer before, and he did a great job.

He is the one who sells his pillows on Joss and Main in addition to his store front.

I paired it with a Pottery Barn pillow that I already had…it needs some trim to dress it up a bit.

The new fabric is happier and crisper…I am so glad that I had it recovered.

When I picked up the chair at the shop, I also picked up 2 pillows that were made for me.

I saw this Ikat fabric and the colors were perfect for the room….

…..I paired it with the Asian toile pillow that I bought from them a couple of weeks ago…

……….a sort of “yin and yang” of fabrics.

Here is my “Valentine’s Chair” sitting pretty in the room with it’s “new doo”.

Oh, and as I was leaving the shop with my chair and new pillows, I spotted a set of pillows on clearance…

…..that would go well in my media room…Therefore, that domino effect is happening…stay tuned!

So..what do you think??…Did I make the right decision in re-covering the chair??…I think so!!

Thank you for visiting and have a beautiful day!!

I am joining:

Wow Us Wednesdays

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Asian Toile pillow, French Caned Chair, Ikat Pillow

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Ever So Clever, Ever So Pretty Friday, #8 {Porch Makeover}

April 26, 2013 By Shirley

Happy Friday everyone!

This week I am presenting my upper back porch area that was inspired by Kelly, from Eclectically Vintage.

When she posted about her new patio furniture last year, I headed to Home Depot to buy that beautiful patio set.

You can see the original post here.

Today, I present you with this year’s Spring Porch makeover.

It is not a large space, but very cozy and perfect for that early morning cup of coffee…

…..or a calm, relaxing space at the end of the day.

And..here is Kelly’s beautiful patio…

I just love her vintage slider too!!

I added floral pillows from Lowe’s Home Improvement.

I was eyeing these great Ikat pillows from Pottery Barn, but these were $13/ea compared to the Pottery Barn at $50/ea.

…..hopefully one day I can see the PB pillows on sale or at the outlet!

During the Spring, it is so nice to be able to see the flowering trees from the porch.

This is the view from the dining room..

…..the porch is accessible from the dining room, great room, and master bedroom…

……….three sets of french doors surround this porch.

One corner of the porch…I plan to mount this wall hanging on a canvas soon.

This corner has my favorite piece of patio furniture…..my tea cart.

My very favorite garden and gift center is being liquidated and sold and they started their sale yesterday.

…..I purchased the lantern and the burlap canvas art on sale.

The small Eugenia topiary is from Lowe’s, flower pot from HomeGoods….

…..the bird plate and birds were a gift from my granddaughter.

This burlap canvas lends to a pretty texture.

The armillary is new to the space…I purchased it from One Kings Lane several months ago.

The coffee table has two trays of the pretty “aluminum cane” that lift up for easy serving…

…..I love this owl (a gift from a friend) that goes so well the with turquoise flower pots.

I hope you enjoyed my 2013 Spring Porch…that was inspired by the talented Kelly of Eclectically Vintage.

Have a beautiful weekend!!

I am joining:

Wow Us Wednesdays

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: armillary, burlap canvas art, Home Dept, lantern, Lowe's Home improvemet, patio furniture, Spring Porch, topirary

53 Comments

Hanging Vintage Scale and High Point Market Tidbits

April 24, 2013 By Shirley

It’s been a whirlwind these past several days…

…..I had the great opportunity to attend the High Point Market in High Point, North Carolina….

……….where I had a fantastic time with some terrific fellow blogger friends.

I want to thank Amy for coordinating this incredible event.

So back to “normal” or something close to that!

There’s a new scale in the sunroom….I found it at Melville Trading Company in Mebane, NC

It was a fantastic deal at $42.00 and it also came with a zinc scoop!

When I saw this scale, I knew exactly where I wanted to hang it1

As many of you already know, I had a houseguest for the High Point Market…

…..and she brought me wonderful gifts that were perfect for the sunroom!

They went perfectly with the color of the frame of the scale!!

Kim gave me these great vintage garden tools!

Just love the patina and color!

And here we are at the High Point Market…

From left to right:

Suzy (Worthing Court), ME, Rhoda (Southern Hospitality), Amy (Atta Girl Says), Kim (Savvy Southern Style),

…..Kristen (Sophia’s Decor) and Courtney (FrenchCountry Cottage)

I have met everyone previously with the exception of Courtney…

…..this group was so much fun to be with!!

Barb with The Everyday Home was part of our group…her dad was taken ill and she went home to be with him.

And talking about fun…here is Kim and Kristen…Kristen adoring and petting the cow…

…..Did you know that Kristen was the “Dairy Princess”…? and she spent her childhood living on a dairy farm….

……….and you all pretty much know how much Kim loves cows.

There were many things at the Market that were definitely inspired by bloggers…

…..such as yard stick items.

I so love these yard stick lanterns…Need to try my hand at this!

We also went and shopped stores in the town of High Point…they were incredible, and so were the prices!

These olive buckets were in great abundance.

And guess who was shopping at the same place that we were?!!

…..Michael Groover..Paula Dean’s hubby…He was so nice and some of us were able to get pictures with him!

……….Paula was in the truck waiting for Michael…She was one of the keynote speakers at the Market.

I had the most wonderful experience and I so look forward to the next Market!

Thanks for visiting me and have a beautiful day!!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: High Point Market, Olive Bucket, sunroom, vintage garden tools, Vintage Scale, Yard Stick Lantern

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Ever So Pretty, Ever So Clever Friday, #7….Clock Inspiration

April 19, 2013 By Shirley

The other day, I saw Suzy’s (Worthing Court) shutter and clock project….

…..it was fantastic!

So it gave me an idea.

I do not have old shutters in this room, but I do have an iron gate.

So the wheels were turning in my head….I had an epiphany!

…..off to HomeGoods I go to get a clock…and here is the result.

I found a clock that had the perfect color on the frame…

and…here is Suzy’s project…

Isn’t it pretty?!!!

As you can see by the time, it was late in the evening when I took pictures today…

….spent all day running errands.

I am helping my hubby get ready for a golf tournament for his softball team…

…..and doing some last minute things for my upcoming event this weekend.

A bloggers trip to the High Point Market.

So as you can see…it is getting late…

…..time to get the house ready…for a special guest coming this weekend.

And it is also time to consult with my personal fashion stylist….

…..no, not Rachel Zoe, but close, my friend Linda.

Don’t laugh, we will be face timing and she will be giving the thumbs up or down on my outfits…

…..for the Market!…Hey, when you are having breakfast with Aerin Lauder, you have to have a cute outfit!

So gotta run…to start fluffing the guest room…as time is drawing near..

To welcome my very special guest and one that I can truly call “a wonderful friend”….

Kim, from Savvy Southern Style!!

Looking forward to having a great time at the High Point Market with fellow bloggers/friends….stay tuned!!

Wishing you all a beautiful weekend of making wonderful memories!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: clock, Iron gate

23 Comments

Foyer Vignette Where “Dreams That You Dare To Dream”…..

April 17, 2013 By Shirley

I cannot resist the beautiful chalkboard prints of Dear Lillie…

When she did a chalkboard print of one of my favorite songs….I just had to have it…

A song where you can go to a place where “troubles melt like lemon drops”

…..and “the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true”

A place where you can “wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind you”…

Yes, I do love that song and movie…I can watch it over and over…following that “yellow brick road”

…..and I have followed that yellow brick road around my house…the road covered with pollen!

The demijohn went back to the table to hold Spring branches and moss and twig butterflies.

I purchased a pair of these candlesticks on clearance after Christmas…

…..I loved the “bowl effect” so that it was easy to place a topiary ball on top.

I purchased these milk glass candlesticks at Luckett’s last year…

…..I turned one upside down, as it gave me another level of height.

…..and speaking of Luckett’s….

I am so happy that I will be able to attend the fair this year…My hubby has a tournament nearby….

AND…I will be able to participate in the Hometalk Meetup…so looking forward to it!

So today, I hope the “dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true”

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY AND THANKS FOR VISITING!!

I am joining:

Wow Us Wednesdays

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: chalkboard art, demijohn, Milk glass candlesticks, Somewhere over the rainbow, stained glass, Topiary

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