Summer Mantel

I wanted to do something a little different

this year for the summer mantel.

 Instead of the usual "cottage garden chic",

I thought I would go the beach!

 I dug out some shells and this cool picture that

belonged to my dad.

This was my inspiration, blue and white, the ocean...

 Filled a glass vase with shells gathered when we lived

near the ocean in Washington,

 Stacked some sand dollars in a bell jar.

 Moved some shutters in front of the fireplace opening.

I even changed out the wing chairs for the navy striped ones.

Bring on the Summer!

Repurposing Junk Into A Potting Bench

I am always looking to get rid of the "junk" around my yard,

but in a purposeful manner.

So, we took an old window, some fence boards

and my father-in-law's very old (and falling apart) work bench,

put them together and, voila, a potting bench!

I can now organize and take stock of all my

pots, gardening tools, mulch...

I also have a few less items in my junk pile.

And it's pretty to look at!

Added bonus: it helps disguise an ugly shed,

but that's a story for another day!

http://www.impartinggrace.com/2016/05/grace-at-home-no-202.html

Spring Cleaning

As I was doing some Spring Cleaning and getting ready for a

family weekend, I also put up some

simple Spring decorations

I wanted to keep it simple this year,

eggs in a nest, birds and birdhouse, sprig of cotton

on the entry table;

all white mantel,

lavender and vintage Easter cards,

bunny and flowers and large birdhouse,

and an egg in the Quimper dish,

all fill the living room;

dried hydrangeas,

and white tulips are all I need for the dining room.

A Cottage Bedroom

True to form, the master bedroom in this

House with Potential

is the last to get attention!

When we first moved in, I painted the walls a soft

Robin's Egg blue, put up the black four-poster,

added a few pictures and called it a day.

But when I updated the family room, I was missing

those cottage-style touches, like the red-checked curtains

and Mount Vernon family tree.



So, I decided to finally work on my bedroom and add

those cottage touches in here.

The red curtains looked great with the wall color

and the family tree worked well over the bed.

I also painted the bed white and took down the footboard posts

to make the room feel larger.

Next, I needed bedding.

I wanted something simple, but it had to bring

together all the colors and work with the cottage theme.

I looked everywhere, to no avail, until I realized

the solution was right under my nose!

I brought in some quilts and pillows I already had

and just played with the combinations until I was happy.

To tie it all together, I went to my fabric stash and pulled out

this Waverly fabric I bought years ago for $1/yard

(that's right, $1)!

I glued a strip of the red checks to the bottom and,

viola, a bedskirt!

Then, I just raided my stash pile and other rooms in the house

until I had a collection of frames, old windows,

white plates and other miscellaneous items

for the walls and tables.

I framed a baby dress that had belonged

to my grandmother for one wall.

I liked it so much, I hung another one

on this old window.

I was painting this $5 dresser to sell

when I realized it was the perfect size and style

to hold the tv, and what could be easier

than hanging up an old window and

some empty frames?

This wall was already decorated,

and it fit right in!

I have a few things left to do, and probably

a few tweaks along the way, but overall,

happy cottage bedroom!

Aprons Made From Drop Cloth and Scraps

When I was getting ready for my last market, I decided to use up
some fabric scraps and make a couple of aprons with
big pockets to hold cash, pens, etc. during those
times when it's so busy, you can hardly take a breath!

I started with some dropcloth left over from a slipcover.

Then I made straps from other leftover slipcover fabric.

I didn't bother to sew them right sides together, just folded

in the edges and topstitched.

Then I cut out details from the fabric to add to the aprons.

I used regular glue and ironed them on.

No sewing!

This is the second apron.

I used the fabric as an accent on the pocket as well as

the waistband.

They came in really handy
and I had a lot of compliments!

Recycled: Turning a Headboard Into a Bench

This was a project I have always wanted to try,

so when a friend brought over an old headboard, I thought, "now's my chance!"

Actually, I decided to use the footboard rather than headboard

because it was a little shorter and I thought the dimensions would be better.

See the pretty acorn finials and carved lines?

Can you see the bench under all the other things?

I took lots of pictures when we were building the bench

and before it left home, but apparently they are lost

somewhere in computer-land.

 There it goes, off to its new home!